Meeting the DET interview panelThe Literacy Project: possibilities and parameters The purpose The parameters The possibilities An Action Research Project A case study An invention Steve’s Literacy Project: in tutorials

Possibilities and parameters

 to bring theory and practice together, i.e. to test in the real world what you are learning in ELPC G2  to better understand the reading process, through either close observation or thorough research  to learn useful strategies to help students read better.  to share thoughts and refine ideas with each other in tutorials, online and in the presentations

Teaching literacy: Is this just a distraction from my core disciplinary business? Traditional literacy How has literacy traditionally been defined? How do we best encourage our students to read and write? What’s my core disciplinary business? My discipline’s literacies What’s my core disciplinary business? What kinds of literacy does each of the disciplines value? What’s the link between literacy and community? Should we think of literacy as including all ways of representing thoughts, perspectives, experiences and feelings? Adopting other disciplines’ literacies What kinds of literacy does each of the disciplines value? Should we think of literacy as including all ways of representing thoughts, perspectives, experiences and feelings? Digital literacies How might new technologies impact on our teaching of literacy? Are ideas like ‘writing to learn’ and ’21 st Century skills’ just fads?

 to bring theory and practice together, i.e. to test in the real world what you are learning in ELPC G2  to better understand the reading process, through either close observation or thorough research  to learn useful strategies to help students read better.  to share thoughts and refine ideas with each other in tutorials, online and in the presentations The interactions online & in tutorials Discussions with experienced teachers Cris Tovani Authors on our reading list Tutorial and lecture input Present your work in one of the tutes in Weeks 5 -9

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The student You find a student to work with and have a minimum of three sessions with that student. The sessions In the first session, you closely observe him ‘reading a text’. In particular you see what strategies he/she uses to make sense of the text. In the second session you help the student with a text (either the original one, or a new one). You do the same in the third session. Your posts Write before and after each session, documenting the sessions and your developing understanding. 1

1. Identification 2. Reflection 3. Planning 4. Acting 5. Analysis 1

Identification: talk with your student about disciplinary texts that are ‘hard’ Reflection: Write a report on the conversation, and speculate on a suitable challenging text to use. Planning: find a suitable text and arrange a time Acting: present the text and observe (don’t teach or help!) Analysis: Write a report on what you’ve learnt from your observation 1

Identification: Based on your Cycle 1 observation, identify what you see as being the challenge for the student Reflection: Write down your thoughts as you begin to prepare for your second session Planning: Plan your session with your student Acting: Conduct the session Analysis: Write an analysis of what happened 1

Identification: Based on your Cycle 2 analysis, identify what you see as being the challenge for the student Reflection: Write down your thoughts as you begin to prepare for your third session Planning: Plan your session with your student Acting: Conduct the session Analysis: Write an analysis of what happened 1

The subject You find someone (family member, someone you know, yourself) who has had literacy challenges. The sessions You interview the person, both listening carefully to the story they tell and also reflecting on their experience in the light of what you’re learning in ELPC G2. Your posts Write regular posts documenting the sessions and your developing understanding.

The subject Invent someone (family member, someone you know, yourself) who has had literacy challenges. Your literacy project You create a believable project, either in the form of an action research project or a case study. Your posts Write regular posts as you create your project and develop your understanding.

Q: What do we mean by ‘read a text’? A: Each discipline has different kinds of texts that need to be read. A text in English might be a poem. In a Movement class it might be a dance. In Art, a painting. In Industrial Arts, a blueprint. In Maths, a graph. In Science, an experiment. And so on.

Q: Can I use this work as my event in my Assessment 3? A: This will work if run a minimum of three sessions with a secondary student working on texts relevant to your discipline.

Q: If I do the action research project, how long do the sessions have to be? A: There is no stipulated length. This will depend very much on what you’re planning to do, the age of the student, etc.

Q: Does it have to be three sessions? For the student I’m working with, it would work better if I rolled Sessions 1 and 2 together. A: You can be flexible, as long as you keep your eye on what we’re trying to achieve (Slide 2).

Q: Can we work in pairs or in small groups on this? A: Yes, though you would want to plan your roles carefully. (A tutorial session with three teachers and one student would be daunting. A session where one was the teacher and the other recorded it – even filmed it – would have many benefits.

Q: What kinds of permissions do I need to get? A: If you’re wanting to work through a school, you should get the permission of the relevant teacher (who will advise you about whether further permissions need to be sought). Parents and the students themselves need to give permission.

Q: What other protocols need to be followed? A: No real names are to be used, nor any identifying details about schools, teachers etc. If you are writing about your sessions in a public forum (blogs, Ning), you should not write about the sessions in ways that could be open to misinterpretation or being taken out of context. It might be prudent, as well, not to use your own name.