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Anna Tsakalaki

Anna Tsakalaki portrait

At School level:

  • Programme Director PG Cert SENCo (2018-present)
  • Deputy Director Postgraduate Research Studies (2022-present)
  • Co-Director of Initial Teacher Education and Professional Practice Research centre (2023-present)
  • Open Research Champion (2022-23)
  • MA Inclusion pathway lead (2018-2020)
  • MA, PG Cert and BA Convener of Modules relevant with Inclusion, SEND, Teaching & Learning of Literacy and Language, Research in Education (2018-present)
  • PhD and EdD Supervisor and Internal Examiner (2018-present)
  • MA and BA Dissertation Supervisor (2018-present)

At UoR level:

External Responsibilities:

  • Research Degree External Examiner (2020-present)
  • External Examiner for BA and MA programmes at the University of East London (2018-present)
  • Co-Lead of National Association for Professionals working with EAL learners (NALDIC) - Berkshire-Hampshire Regional Interest Group (2019-present)
  • Convener of the SEND-Collab group – Community of Practice for local SENCos (2019-present)
  • Governor in local primary schools (2018-2020)
  • Journal Reviewer (2016-present)

Areas of interest

  • Reading and writing development and difficulties
  • Developmental disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, reading comprehension difficulties, SLCN, ASD)
  • Home Literacy environment and the role of the family in literacy development
  • Morphology and orthography
  • Vocabulary learning
  • Reading and writing in children who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL)
  • Learning of first, second and additional language
  • Multilingualism
  • Interaction between literacy, language skills and STEM
  • Modern technology and literacy acquisition
  • Inclusion, diversity and equality in education
  • Partnerships between schools and between school and home environment
  • Research-informed practice in education

Postgraduate supervision

Current and Recent PhD and EdD Students, with Titles of their Research

  • Dr Nezha Badi (with Prof. Suzanne Graham): ‘Reading Comprehension performance and Self-efficacy Perceptions within the Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) Approach and the attributional Feedback Intervention’. (completed (2020) - PhD)
  • Dr Clare Martin (with Prof. Yota Dimitriadi): ‘Hidden voices: the influence of the inclusion of visually impaired pupils on the teaching and learning of others’ (completed (2020) – PhD)
  • Barbara King (with Prof Suzanne Graham) ‘Reading Comprehension performance and Self-efficacy Perceptions within the Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) Approach and the attributional Feedback Intervention’ (PhD)
  • Cong Xia Li (with Prof. Naomi Flynn) ‘Developing intercultural competence of Mandarin Chinese learners through Task-based learning approach – A case study in UK higher education’ (EdD)
  • Jacqueline Green ‘Female students with Autism (Asperger’s Syndrome): Can Routines and special interests be used to create positive change in self-management in schools/universities?’ (EdD)

Teaching

MA, PG Cert and BA Convener of Modules relevant with Inclusion, SEND, Teaching & Learning of Literacy and Language, Research in Education (2018-present).

Research projects

Research Websites listed under each project

External Research Grants:

Identifying best practices for identifying and supporting learning for children with specific reading difficulties in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Researchers: Tsakalaki A. (PI) and Stainthorp, R. (Co-I)

Date: 2023

Funder: The Luminos Fund.

Improving children’s literacy skills and families’ confidence: Strategy-based family-training for young refugees from Ukraine.

Researchers: Tsakalaki A. (PI) and Research Assistants (TBC)

Date: 2023-2024

Funder: The British Academy / Leverhulme Trust

Website: https://research.reading.ac.uk/home-learning-and-wellbeing-of-children-during-covid19/

Transferable vocabulary: exploring linguistic diversity at the interface between arts, literacy and mathematics with EAL and non-EAL students in mainstream education.

Researchers: Tsakalaki A. (PI) and Skelton, J. (Co-I, Oxford Brookes University)

Date: 2018

Funder: Creative Multilingualism (OWRI) Funding - Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

Website: https://research.reading.ac.uk/transferable-vocabulary/

Internal Research Grants:

Little Literacy Lessons for Families during Covid-19.

Researcher: Tsakalaki A. (PI)

Date: 2021

Funder: RETF pump priming project - University of Reading

Website: https://littleliteracylessons.org/

Tsakalaki, A. (2020). Little Literacy Lessons for Families. Introduction. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOZWtM1YJA&t=3s&ab_channel=UniversityofReading   

https://youtu.be/dhOZWtM1YJA

Investigating home-led reading strategies used by multilingual families during the 2021 national school closures in the UK.

Researcher: Tsakalaki A. (PI)

Date: 2021

Funder: Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CELM) - University of Reading

Tsakalaki, A. (2020). Little Literacy Lessons for Families. Introduction. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOZWtM1YJA&t=3s&ab_channel=UniversityofReading

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP):

  • Creating an Open Access Resource for Language Assessment in schools: evidence-informed real-world examples for teachers and parents. (2023)
  • Developing a vocabulary app for maths problem-solving for Y5 pupils (EAL and non-EAL) (2022).
  • Applying the Bell Foundation EAL Assessment Framework in practice: real world examples for teachers and parents (2021).
  • Responding to the needs of 'vulnerable' children during the coronavirus outbreak (2020).

    Website: https://research.reading.ac.uk/home-learning-and-wellbeing-of-children-during-covid19/

  • Exploring reading strategies during home-schooling in COVID-19 (2020).

Member of research teams (2016-2018):

  • EU H2020 (2017-2020): “iRead - Personalised Reading apps for primary school children”. A collaborative project between 17 partners from across industry and education in 9 European countries. UK based partners include the University College of London (UCL) and the British Council.
  • Froebel Trust Grant (2016 - 2018): “4Ps- Project: Practitioners & Parents Play Partnership: Strengthening practitioner-parent collaboration through the use of CPD and play built on Froebelian principles and pedagogy”. (Co-Investigators: Dr Myria Pieridou (Open University), Dr Suzanne Quinn-Flannery (Roehampton University), Mrs Teresa Wilson (University of Reading), Dr Geoff Taggart (University of Reading), Ms Jo Elsey (University of Reading), Dr Anna Tsakalaki (University of Reading).
  • The Tony Little Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning at Eton College (March 2017): “Independent-State School Partnerships. An initial review of evidence and current practices”. (Co-Investigators: Professor Bill Lucas (University of Winchester), Dr Louise Stoll (UCL), Dr Toby Greany (UCL), Dr Anna Tsakalaki (CIRL) and Mrs Rebecca Nelson (UCL).

Research assistant in the following projects (2012-2016):

  • Institute of Education, University of Reading (2016), “The contribution of general language ability, reading comprehension and working memory to mathematics achievement among children with English as additional language (EAL)” with Dr Vincent Trakulphadetkrai, Professor Jeanine Treffers-Daller and Dr Louise Courtney.
  • Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics (2016), University of Reading, “Creative versus performative competence –the role of other-orientation in developing second language Academic Interactional Competence” with Dr Clare Wright.
  • Institute of Education, University of Reading (2014), “The role of vocabulary and reading skills in academic achievement in higher education” with Professor Jeanine Treffers-Daller.
  • Institute of Education, University of Reading (2012), “Longitudinal study in reading with teenagers of different ability levels in RAN” with Dr Daisy Powell and Professor Rhona Stainthorp.

Academic qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (2018)
  • PhD in Education (University of Reading, UK) (2016)
  • MA in SEND (UCL, Institute of Education, UK) (2011)
  • MSc in Curricula and Applied Pedagogical Scinece (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) (2009)
  • BA in History and Archaeology (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) (2004)

 

Selected publications

Peer-reviewed journal publications

Wright, C., Tsakalaki, A., Lin, M. (2022). “Now I hear what you say” - How short EAP courses can foster successful academic interactional strategies, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 55, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101074.

Trakulphadetkrai, N. V., Courtney, L., Clenton, J., Treffers-Daller, J., & Tsakalaki, A. (2020). The contribution of general language ability, reading comprehension and working memory to mathematics achievement among children with English as additional language (EAL): an exploratory study. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(4), 473-487. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2017.1373742

Tsakalaki, A. (2017). Cross-language behavioural assessment: Spelling skills of children with dyslexia in the United Kingdom and Greece. SAGE Research Methods Cases. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526401465

Tsakalaki, A. (2016). Investigating spelling in English and Greek native speaking children with and without dyslexia. PhD thesis, University of Reading

Peer-reviewed chapters in books

Trakulphadetkrai, N. V., Courtney, L., Clenton, J., Treffers-Daller, J., & Tsakalaki, A. (2023). The contribution of general language ability, reading comprehension and working memory to mathematics achievement among children with English as additional language (EAL): An exploratory study. In G. Brooks, J. Clenton & S. Fraser (Eds.), EAL research for the classroom: Practical and pedagogical implications (pp. 59-80). Routledge

Tsakalaki, A. (2020) Gender and dyslexia. In: Jones, K., (eds.) Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Education. Learning Matters. Sage Publications, London, UK

Articles in reviewed professional journals

Kasprowicz, R., Tsakalaki, A., Trakulphadetkrai, N.V., Kambouri-Danos, M., Harris, H., Sharp S., Tissot, C. (2020, February).Teaching intelligence: improving students’ assessment literacy. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/career/teaching-intelligence-improving-students-assessment-literacy

Tissot, C., and Tsakalaki, A. (2019, September). Schools are failing pupils with special needs, despite best efforts of dedicated staff. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/schools-are-failing-pupils-with-special-needs-despite-best-efforts-of-dedicated-staff-123400

Tsakalaki, A. (2019, September/October). Dedicated staff are not enough: barriers to learning for pupils with special needs persist 5 years after introducing SEND reform. Public Sector Focus. https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=5db9b54e2e874#70

Published project reports

Tsakalaki, A. (2020) The impact of COVID-19 on education and children’s services: The views of families and education professionals on how good use of networks and resources can help to respond to the needs of vulnerable children during the COVID-19. (Report No. CIE0585) Education Committee, Department for Education. Retrieved from: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/13502/pdf/

Tsakalaki, A. & Hewitt, C. (2021) COVID-19: Education. (Report No. COE0022) Education Committee, Department for Education. Retrieved from: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/23845/pdf/

 

Academic Conference Presentations

Invited Talks

Tsakalaki, A., (2023, August). Adults as facilitators of learning for children with reading difficulties in diverse language learning contexts, Invited talk at the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA) annual conference, Birmingham, UK

Wright, C., Tsakalaki, A., Lin, M. (2022, March). “Now I Hear What You Say” – How Short EAP Courses Can Foster Successful Academic Interactional Strategies, Invited talk at the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CELM) research series, Reading, UK

 

Conference Interactive Papers

Tsakalaki, A. (2020, March). Transferable vocabulary: exploring linguistic diversity at the interface between arts, literacy and mathematics with EAL and non-EAL students in mainstream education. Paper presented at the Creative Multilingualism (Arts and Humanities Research Council funded programme) Conference: New Perspectives on Modern Languages Research, Oxford, UK

Tsakalaki, A. (2014, September) What Do Misspellings of Primary School Pupils with and without Dyslexia Tell Us? Evidence from English and Greek Native Speakers. Paper presented at the European Educational Research Association Conference, Porto, Portugal

Tsakalaki, A. (2014, September) Investigating misspelling patterns: evidence from pupils of primary education with and without dyslexia in England and in Greece. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Conference, London, UK.

Tsakalaki, A. (2013, September) Identifying misspelling patterns: Evidence from UK elementary school pupils with and without dyslexia. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Conference: Developmental and Cognitive Sections Joint Conference, Reading, UK

Powell, D., Chesson, L., Stainthorp, R., Tsakalaki, A. (2013, September) Long-term educational outcomes for children with Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) difficulties: follow-up at the end of compulsory schooling in the UK. Paper presented at the Annual Society for the Scientific Study of Reading International Conference, Hong Kong, July 2013.

Tsakalaki, A. (2013, July) Analysis of the patterns of misspellings in written English language. Evidence from native speaking dyslexic and non-dyslexic spellers of 8-11 years old in the UK. Interactive paper presented at the Annual Society for the Scientific Study of Reading International Conference, Hong Kong.

Powell, D., Stainthorp, R., Chesson, L., & Tsakalaki, A. (2012, November) Educational outcomes for children with Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) difficulties at primary:  a long-term follow-up at GCSE level. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Conference, Raising Standards in Education: The role of psychology, Milton Keynes, UK.

Treffers-Daller, J.C., Hyder, E., Powell, D., & Tsakalaki, A. (2012, November) How do vocabulary size and reading ability affect academic ability? A pilot study among undergraduate Education students. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Conference, Raising Standards in Education: The role of psychology, Milton Keynes, UK

Tsakalaki, A. (2008, March) Creating social identities using the historical texts of the new school History textbooks of A’ and B’ High School Grade. Paper presented at the International Conference: Evaluation and Management of Primary and High School Education, Pedagogical Department of Primary Education, University of Patras, Greece 

Public Engagement

Events

  • Panel Discussion on Disability, Children and Youth: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Opportunities, 29 November 2023, University of Reading

Open Access Resources

Tsakalaki, A. (2020). Home Learning and Wellbeing of Children during Covid-19. https://research.reading.ac.uk/home-learning-and-wellbeing-of-children-during-covid19/resources/

Tsakalaki, A. (2020). Little Literacy Lessons for Families (Ep. 1-8). University of Reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOZWtM1YJA&list=PLZWYaq_mWwsE26crP2pOi-Bcej2-qpwyA

Cochrane, K., Kalmar, M. & Weiss, O. (2013). European Guidance Criteria for the Education of Teachers and Professionals Working with Persons with Dyslexia (I. Ntoka & A. Tsakalaki, Trans.). European Dyslexia Association (Published at the website of the Hellenic Dyslexia Association, the national site for professionals working with individuals with dyslexia: http://www.dyslexia.gr/cms/)

 

Invited Talks

Tsakalaki, A. (2022, October). Supporting Children at Home with Reading During the Pandemic. Invited talk to Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, Online

Tsakalaki, A. (2018, February) EAL and Maths. Invited talk at the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC) Berkshire/Hampshire Regional Interest Group meeting, Reading, UK

Tsakalaki, A. (2017). The value of research in educational practice. Paper presented at the annual conference of Eton College, Eton, UK

 

Professional Conference Interactive Papers

Tsakalaki, A., Reeves, T., Rundel, S., & Skelton, J. (2019, November). Transferable vocabulary: exploiting linguistic diversity to include EAL pupils in maths lessons using storytelling, drawing and creative writing. Paper presented at the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC) annual conference: Inclusive practices in multilingual classrooms: assessing and supporting EAL and SEND learners in the mainstream (National reach), London, UK

Publications

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