1. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
HGIOS
2.1 – Learners’ Experiences
5.2 – Teaching for Effective learning
The notes section in each presentation is primarily for the facilitator, indicating additional requirements or information. Please go to the following link for further info.
Literacy Across Learning - What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
The objective of this PPT is to explore the research and views around Literacy across learning, in particular listening and talking, and to generate professional dialogue and action relating to this with a view to improving experiences for the young people in school.
This PPT will address the following Quality Indicators from HGIOS 3
QI 2.1 Learners’ Experiences
The extent to which learners are motivated and actively involved in their own learning and development
QI 5.2 Teaching for effective learning
The learning climate and teaching approaches
Teacher-pupil interaction including learners’ engagement
Clarity and purposefulness of dialogue
Judgements made in the course of teaching

2. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Agenda
Activity 1 – Introduction / Starter Activity (5 mins)
Activity 2 – How’s it going / feedback (10-20 mins)
Activity 3 – New Learning (25-40 mins)
Activity 4 – Personal Action Planning (10 mins)
Activity 5 – Summary of Learning (5 mins)
This agenda is fixed and is the same for every presentation in the toolkit.

3. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 1: Voice on the table
In a maximum of 30 seconds, what did you think of when you saw the title What do we mean by: ‘Being Literate’?
To start the session choose an activity which is non-judgemental and everyone can contribute.
“Think of something that happened in a lesson that made you smile. You have 30 seconds per teacher to tell the group what it is. No teacher can ‘pass”
The role of the teachers when it is not their turn is active listening
You may use a stopwatch
Choose respondents to share their opinion -everyone must be involved in this activity
Max 5 Minutes for this activity

4. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Introducing ‘Talking, Listening, Learning’ (TLL)
This video introduces a dialogic approach to learning, promoted by Stirling Council called 'Talking, Listening, Learning' (TLL)
'Talking, Listening, Learning'
The following video is from the Education Scotland website and can be accessed on
The video details the ‘Talking, Listening, Learning’ strategy which Stirling Council have developed to develop listening and talking.
The question ‘How do you currently deliver talking and listening within your classroom?’ can then be posed by the facilitator, and discussed as the group.
5 minutes

5. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 2: How’s it going?
Independently, using a previous plan, highlight where literacy learning has been an explicit focus.
Using a different colour, now highlight where literacy actually features in the learning (but may not have been your primary focus).
Are we missing an opportunity?
Staff to analyse their own planning – analysing the literacy experiences which they have planned for discretely, and those which permeate throughout each of their learning experiences. The facilitator, should in advance either ask staff to bring a photocopy of their short-term planner, or provide copies of short-term planning documents which they have sourced themselves.
Staff to share their responses to the activity – what can they see from the exercise?
Are we missing an opportunity?
If this is the first time you meet, the purpose of this activity is for
staff to share experiences in relation to the issue.
If staff have met before and completed Personal Action Plans –
this should be referred to now.
15 minutes

6. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
“The literacy experiences and outcomes promote the development of skills in using language, particularly those that are used regularly by everyone in their everyday lives They reflect the need for young people to be able to communicate effectively both face-to-face and in writing through an increasing range of media They recognise the importance of listening and talking and of effective collaborative working in the development of thinking and in learning.”
CfE: literacy across learning – principles and practice
Why is it challenging to teach listening and talking?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Why is it challenging to teach listening and talking?
Some of the reasons could include:
Listening and talking seems more difficult to assess than a written outcome
Listening and talking are part of ‘daily routine’ – there isn’t always an end outcome
10 minutes

7. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
“Our ability to use language lies at the centre of the development and expression of our emotions, our thinking, our learning and our sense of personal identity . . .
Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning, as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum . . .
Every teacher in each area of the curriculum needs to find opportunities to encourage young people to explain their thinking, debate their ideas and read and write at a level which will help them to develop their language skills further.”
Building the Curriculum 1
Can you think of a learning experience, in any curricular area, which does not include literacy?
Following on from the previous exercise – the facilitator should share this quote from BTC1.
The following question should be asked:
Can you think of a learning experience, in any curricular area, which does not include literacy?
Staff should be given 2 minutes to discuss their thoughts with a partner; these should then be shared amongst the group.
It will be extremely difficult to identify a planned lesson which does not include literacy. Literacy is used in the instructions we give, in the dialogue we have with one another, in the note-taking we do, in recording our thoughts both verbally and in written form.
5 minutes

8. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Key points
How should our teaching take more account of listening and talking?
Shift the teaching focus of a lesson to listening and talking
Plan with listening and talking in mind - using specific learning intentions and success criteria
Use debate, expert panels, question time, hot seating and role play activities to challenge and extend thinking
Oral outcomes rather than written outcomes
What makes a good listener/talker? – Revisit: looks like, sounds like, feels like to generate success criteria
Use audio/visual texts – both fiction and non-fiction
Facilitator to share some of the ideas to answer the question:
How should our teaching take more account of listening and talking?
Encourage staff to share any other ideas that they may have
5 – 10 minutes

9. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 4: Personal Action Planning
Over the coming weeks, look for opportunities to prioritise listening and talking in your teaching.
Choose one or two elements that you are going to explore and evaluate.
Bring back your findings to the next session
Using the Personal Action plan sheet each teacher chooses one or two elements s/he is going to explore and use during the next month. This may involve doing more of some things and less of others and teachers may need pushing on this.
Activity 4: Personal Action Planning
Have copies of My Personal Action Plan ready to distribute
At this point, the facilitator should highlight the concept of ‘being literate’ with the group. It may have been discussed earlier that ‘being literate’ is being able to access print through reading and communicate through the mode of writing. The facilitator should highlight the importance of talking and listening being as integral to ‘being literate’ as reading and writing.
Pair-share: two minutes sharing your
plan with your partner then swap.
Randomly choose two or three
teachers to share with the group
what their partner is planning
5 – 10 minutes

10. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 5: Summary of Learning
Write your name on the card or post-it and how you now feel about What do we mean by: ‘Being Literate’?
Leave your card or post-it on your way out.
EXIT CARDS
Distribute exit cards( pieces of card or post its) and ask each member to write their name on the card and one thing that they learned in the workshop on the card.
Collect in the exit cards.
Read through the cards so that you can feedback to the group at the start of the next workshop.

11. Literacy Across Learning
What do we mean by ‘being literate’?
Literacy
Toolkit
FOLLOW UP LINKS:
Literacy across learning - Principles and Practice
FOLLOW UP LINKS
The facilitator should refer participants to the follow up links which can be accessed independently for further information.
SSLN - Listening and Talking