LITERACY FOR LEARNING Geoff Barton Headteacher King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds 03 June 2015

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Basic assumptions We are part of the literacy club Literacy today is different from when we were younger Literacy is taught - it doesn’t just happen Every teacher in English is a teacher OF English (like it or not)

LITERACY FOR LEARNING We are part of the literacy club We forget our own privilege at our peril

LITERACY FOR LEARNING GUESS THE TEXT TYPE

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Proud mum in a million Natalie Brown hugged her beautiful baby daughter Casey yesterday and said: “She’s my double miracle.” I FIBRES 1

LITERACY FOR LEARNING The blood vessels of the circulatory system, branching into multitudes of very fine tubes (capillaries), supply all parts of the muscles and organs with blood, which carries oxygen and food necessary for life. 2

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Ensure that the electrical supply is turned off. Ensure the existing circuit to which the fitting is to be connected has been installed and fused in accordance with current L.L.L wiring regulations 3

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Language oddities

LITERACY FOR LEARNING DOGS MUST BE CARRIED ON THE ESCALATOR

Please don't smoke and live a more healthy life LITERACY FOR LEARNING PSE Poster

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Sign at Suffolk hospital: Criminals operate in this area

LITERACY FOR LEARNING ICI FIBRES

Churchdown parish magazine: ‘would the congregation please note that the bowl at the back of the church labelled ‘for the sick” is for monetary donations only’ LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Literacy today is different from when we were younger Multi-media dominates Most ‘classic texts’ are known through film Reading extended writing is rare A visual culture dominates The notion of ‘accuracy’ is being challenged None of this is a bad thing

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Why cross- curricular literacy?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING The literacy context... A 1997 survey showed that of 12 European countries, only Poland and Ireland had lower levels of adult literacy 1-in-16 adults cannot identify a concert venue on a poster that contains name of band, price, date, time and venue 7 million UK adults cannot locate the page reference for plumbers in the Yellow Pages

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Nearly 40% of pupils make a loss and no progress in the year following transfer, related to a decline in motivation Pupils characterise work in Years 7 and 8 as ‘repetitive, unchallenging and lacking in purpose’ “Year 7 adds so little value that actually missing the year would not disadvantage some children” (Prof John West-Burnham)

BBC NEWS ONLINE: More than half of British motorists cannot interpret road signs properly, according to a survey by the Royal Automobile Club. The survey of 500 motorists highlighted just how many people are still grappling with it.

According to the survey, three in five motorists thought a "be aware of cattle" warning sign indicated … an area infected with foot- and-mouth disease.

Common mistakes No motor vehicles - Beware of fast motorbikes Wild fowl - Puddles in the road Riding school close by - "Marlborough country" advert

The single greatest influence on learners is teacher expectation Sylvester and Levithal 1994

Every teacher in English is a teacher of English George Sampson, 1921

LITERACY FOR LEARNING So what’s in it for you …? Literacy supports learning. Pupils will understand and respond better to your subject You’ll see improvements in the quality of their work You’ll see increased motivation, especially from boys Better literacy increases pupils’ self- esteem and behaviour. It helps them to learn independently

5 Things you could do

1 Forget literacy: Think T&L

1 Shift from T to L Think pace & variety Be clear about satisfactory, good, outstanding

2 Re-think Talk

2 Ask fewer but better questions Allow ‘rehearsal’ of answers Model good talk.

3 Re-think Reading

3 Focus on key vocabulary Give reading time Find alternatives to comprehension Demystify spelling.

4 Re-think Writing

4 Be seen writing Be explicit about conventions Emphasise sentence variety and connectives.

5 Think IMPACT

5 Less is more Focus on team targets Remember the disappeared Do something!

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Geoff Barton King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds 03 June 2015