Home, school & community partnerships Leadership & co-ordination Strategies & targets Monitoring & assessment Classroom teaching strategies Professional learning teams School & class organisation Intervention & special assistance Beliefs & understandings General Design Approach to Whole School Improvement

The Role of Literacy Co-ordinator Participate in on-going Professional Development Identify the literacy needs of students and the associated professional development needs of teachers Develop and implement a literacy strategy plan Support professional learning teams with a literary focus Meet regularly with KLAs/Subject Co-ordinators and representatives as required

Adolescence is a time of: Potential Enthusiasm Curiosity Eagerness to achieve Growing ability to reflect and think in the abstract Developing a sense of social conscience Interest in participation and decision-making

School related risk factors: Early and persistent anti-social behaviour Academic failure in the middle years Lack of commitment to school Low parental interest in education

Factors that promote resilience in adolescents Having a sense of belonging and connectedness to school Positive achievements in the school setting Having someone who believes in them Having a positive relationship with an adult outside family

Perceptions of school culture: Attitudes to school

Connectedness to school

Perceived treatment by teachers: “my teachers take a personal interest in me.”

Thoughtful classroom, thoughtful schools:

Thoughtful classroom, thoughtful schools: Challenging, interesting work

What does this information tell us?

Student progress in literacy Students make the most progress in learning during the early years and the least progress during the early adolescent years The gap between the top and bottom 10% of students grows rapidly Transition problems are most severe for low- achieving students There is significant underachievement problem among adolescent boys

Engagement Engagement is both an indicator of school culture and a desired outcome of the middles years of schooling

The challenge of engaging students in learning is equally important for effective literacy education for students in the middle years

Conditions to Support Engagement

Middle Years Learners What are the implications for Middle Years teachers? What are the implications for schools?

KLAs / Faculties working together is a medium that may assist in: considering own beliefs and understandings about effective teaching and learning considering own practices considering the nature of change that may be needed developing shared beliefs and understandings posing questions, making connections, considering future actions for professional learning

Roles of KLAs/Faculties A shared understanding of literacy is needed for effective teaching and learning Literacy underpins learning Different contexts require different literacies All teachers are responsible for supporting each student’s literacy development Literacy involves the integration of reading, writing, and speaking and listening processes within cultural and social contexts Each key learning/Subject area places literacy demands on students

What is Literacy?

Literacy is the ability to read and use written information and to write appropriately in a range of contexts. It also involves the integration of speaking, listening, viewing and critical thinking with reading and writing and includes the cultural knowledge which enables a speaker, writer or reader to recognise and use language appropriate to different social situations.

Literacy is a set of active, dynamic and interactive practices that involves making meaning from and constructing meaning through texts. Literacy enables people to understand, to appreciate, to make judgements and decisions, to act to control their lives, and to learn about themselves and the world.

Multiliteracies The multiple knowledge, skills and capabilities required for literate practice in a world characterised by globalisation, cultural diversity, mass communications and digital technologies has led increasingly to talk of “literacies” and “multiliteracies”.

Literacy is critical to everyday life. Students require literacy to support the study of all subjects. Students need literacy to develop the aesthetic and creative appreciation required in the arts. The study of LOTE offers considerable insight into the workings of English (as well as other languages) helping to develop students’ language skills, their use of descriptive metalinguistic tools and their cultural understandings.

Strategies to Improve Literacy Teaching methods Learning sequences Learning activities Whole school approaches Policies aimed at improving literacy

Literacy is improved by: innovation in teaching and learning strategies and methods that engage students increasing the range of teaching and learning activities the process by which students learn rather than the content

Implications for Teachers

Implication: All teachers need to be equipped with literacy knowledge All teachers accept responsibility for teaching literacy A key aspect in improving literacy learning: changing attitudes and beliefs about responsibility for literacy learning

Implication: All teachers understand literacy demands and learning expectations in each key learning area

Implication: Teachers accept responsibility for teaching knowledge about language and curriculum literacies in all curriculum areas

All teachers understand literacy demands and learning experiences in each key learning area Consider the following demands in each key learning area: Reading Viewing Writing Speaking Listening Critical thinking Information research Technologies

Planning for Literacy Learning Classroom organisation Professional Learning Teams Whole School Approach

Classroom Organisation effective learning environment effective lesson structure monitoring and assessment flexible grouping effective teaching additional assistance home/school/community partnerships

Monitoring and Assessment Literacy is a developmental process Teachers need to consider the diverse needs of students when assessing student progress Continuous monitoring and assessment of literacy assists teachers to plan appropriate teaching support for all students Teachers sharing literacy assessment data informs teaching to meet student needs

Recommendation 1: include literacy assessment criteria in key learning / subject areas monitor, assess and report on students’ literacy progress and achievement in all curriculum areas Literacy assessment information needs to be incorporated into curriculum assessment and reporting procedures

Recommendation 2: Teachers monitor students’ development in curriculum literacies and include literacy assessment criteria for assessment tasks in key learning areas Teachers comment on students’ development in curriculum literacies in semester reports

Beliefs and Understandings all students can achieve high standards given sufficient time and support all teachers can teach to high standards given the right conditions and assistance high expectations and early intervention are essential teachers need to be able to articulate what they do and why they teach the way they do

Whole School Approach

Each KLA/Faculty to examine their existing curriculum for literacy skills : What is being taught in literacy? Where in the curriculum is it being taught? How is it being taught? Identify key subject-related literacy skills and the strategies to implement them that engage and enhance student learning A good starting point is the CSF II

Something to think about: X performed reasonably well during the semester. He also performed very well in Analysis and interpretation Sac. His accounting Notes/files is neat but needs some improvement. He need to complete his workbook independently and regularly. He performance in the examination was reasonably good but need improvement. He is easily distracted in class. He is capable of achieving better results. He needs to be serious in class and study systematically to reach full potential.