Margaret Meek or Margaret Meek Spencer (14 January 1925 – 4 May 2020) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

educationalist in the field of literacy.

Life

Meek was born in

Leven, Fife Leven ( gd, Inbhir Lìobhann) is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and east of Glenrothes. ...

to Robert and Elisabeth Meek. Margaret Meek Spencer, who wrote under the name Margaret Meek, was an influential educationalist and author in the field of literacy. She studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh before becoming a teacher. Her specialism became the teaching of reading and during her academic career she wrote and lectured about the ways that children learn reading skills. She taught at the Institute of Education, University of London from 1968 until retirement in 1990, when she became Emeritus Reader in Education.

Early life and career

At the age of 10, Meek and her family moved to Dunfermline. After her studies at Edinburgh Meek took a job at Haberdashers’ Aske's school for girls (in Acton, London) where she taught English from 1950 until 1954. On leaving that role, she moved to the University of Leeds as a research assistant for the educationist Roy Niblett, then on to the University of Bristol where she worked in teacher education. She married Patrick Spencer in 1960. It was at the School of Education, London University where she started to tutor and lecture students who have become prominent figures in the field of children's literature. The UK Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009,

Michael Rosen Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. Early life Michael Wayne Ros ...

states that she supervised his postgraduate work and continued that support through her life. She was also the editor of "The School Librarian" where she reviewed the work of children's authors, for example,

David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children and young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and one of three from the UK, to win the bienn ...

's book ''

The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean ''The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean telt by hisself'' is a 2011 story by David Almond. It was released simultaneously in young adult (Puffin) and adult editions (Penguin), and was Almond's first adult novel. It is about a boy, Paul, who is i ...

''.

Books

* ''The Cool Web'' (1978) * ''Learning to Read'' (1982), ' * ''On Being Literate'' (1971), ' * ''How Texts Teach'' ''What Readers Learn'' (1988), ' . Language and Literacy in the Primary School (1988) with Colin Mills. Routledge/Falmer * ''Coming of Age in Children's Literature'', with Victor Watson, ' * ''Information and Book Learning (2003)'', '

Awards

Eleanor Farjeon Award The Eleanor Farjeon Award is made for distinguished service to the world of British Children's literature, children's books and is given to someone whose commitment and contribution is deemed to be outstanding. Founded in 1966, it is presented annua ...

for Services to Children's Literature (1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meek, Margaret 1925 births 2020 deaths People from Leven, Fife Academics of the University of London 21st-century British educators Alumni of the University of Edinburgh