Reading Recovery New Zealand website

Christine Boocock MA, DipEd, DipTchg
Christine first became involved in Reading Recovery in 1983 by training as a Reading Recovery teacher after several years working in primary schools in New Zealand and England. The professional challenge and excitement of individual teaching encouraged her to continue postgraduate studies and train as a Tutor in 1985. Christine worked in this capacity for several years and in 1991 was invited to join the team who were establishing Reading Recovery at the national level in the United Kingdom. In 1994 Christine trained as a Trainer and has been a member of the New Zealand Trainer team at the National Reading Recovery Centre since that time. For the last 15 years Christine has assisted Reading Recovery colleagues in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Australia. Christine is the New Zealand representative on the five nation Executive Board of the International Reading Recovery Trainers Organization. She is currently engaged in doctoral research on the use of different text types in guided reading in the first year of school.

Dr Blair Koefoed BSc MA (1st) PhD Adv DipTchg
Blair began his career at the University of Auckland, with two bachelors degrees (Zoology and Philosophy) and a M.A. (1st) in Philosophy before beginning primary teaching in Auckland in 1980. With a particular interest in literacy learning he returned part time to University and began studying with Marie Clay. This led to his being asked to train as a Reading Recovery Tutor 1983, in the early days of its expansion in New Zealand. In 1989 after five years of Reading Recovery tutoring in Auckland, Blair trained as a Reading Recovery Trainer on the inaugural trainer training course at the then Auckland College of Education. He completed his PhD, The Question of Learning to Read and Write, an investigation into the understandings of literacy that drive practice in modern education systems in 2003. As a Trainer, literacy consultant and a conference presenter he has been very actively involved in Reading Recovery implementations not only in New Zealand but also Australia, the U.S., the U.K., and Bermuda. This has included a year with the University of London assisting with the establishment of Reading Recovery in England in 1992/3, and several months each year between 1995 and 1998 working on contract for New York University. Blair is on the editorial board of the Reading Recovery Council of North America's peer reviewed publication Literacy Teaching and Learning and served three years as chairman on the International Reading Recovery Trainer's Organisation (IRRTO) Research and Development Committee. Research interests include literacy acquisition and the philosophy of literacy.