Books By Ruth Jarman and Joy Alexander - Author

Ruth Jarman taught science for a number of years in secondary schools in Northern Ireland. Early in her teaching career she developed a keen interest in the relationship between science and literacy and this passion remains. In 1989 she was appointed lecturer in science education at Queen's University, Belfast where, in addition to teaching and supervising students, she had the privilege of pursuing this interest through research and development projects. Most recently, with her colleague Dr Joy Alexander, she has been exploring strategies for encouraging children and young people to read science books for pleasure. Ruth has spoken about this at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (an experience which she enjoyed immensely!) and at educational conferences and has published more broadly on the theme of science and literacy. Though now retired and an honorary lecturer, she maintains her enthusiasm for promoting Reading Science for Pleasure.

Joy Alexander is an honorary lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University, Belfast. Her career has fallen into two related halves of about twenty years each: as a post-primary English teacher in N Ireland, Scotland and the US, and then as a lecturer in education at QUB with responsibility for training English teachers. She was Head of English for ten years in a school where the public community library served as the school library during school hours. Children’s literature has been a source of both professional interest and personal enjoyment, while she developed a research interest in synergies between English and science education. These interests have combined in her collaboration with Dr Ruth Jarman in promoting the pleasures of reading science books to young people.