professional learning course examining the guide: an introduction to quality literacy teaching 1

Professional learning course

Examining the guide:

An introduction to quality literacy teaching

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Acknowledgement of country

We acknowledge the traditional Custodians of this Land, where the Aboriginal People have performed age-old ceremonies of storytelling, music, dance and celebration.

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Elders past and present, and we acknowledge those of the future, for they will hold the memories, traditions and hopes of Aboriginal Australians.

We must always remember that under the concrete and asphalt this Land is, was and always will be traditional Aboriginal Land.

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Standards addressed at Professional Competence in this course include:

1.2.2: Apply research-based, practical and theoretical knowledge of the pedagogies of the content/discipline(s) taught to meet learning needs of students.

6.2.1 Reflect critically on teaching and learning practice to enhance student learning outcomes.

6.2.3 Engage in professional development to extend and refine teaching and learning practices.

Professional Teaching Standards

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• describes the essential components of quality literacy teaching

• provides a foundation for professional learning and further literacy resources e.g. Literacy Continuum

Link to video

This professional learning course examines An Introduction to quality literacy teaching in 3 sessions:

Session 1: Literacy learning

Session 2: Literacy teaching

Session 3: Considerations for literacy learning and teaching

Outline of the course

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Session 1

Literacy learning

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During this session you will:•clarify the nature and significance of literacy learning

•consolidate your understanding of the Literacy Continuum and the eight critical aspects of literacy development

•consider how literacy is integral to all learning areas and needs to be explicitly taught

•consolidate your understanding of the changing nature of literacy learning in the early, middle and later years of schooling

• reflect on how you will apply your new learning when assessing, planning and teaching.

Anticipated learning

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Literacy learning

The nature and significance of literacy learning

The critical aspects of literacy development

The place of literacy in the curriculum

Literacy learning in the early, middle and later years of schooling

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Work individually:

• Read The nature and significance of literacy learning pp. 6-7

• Record key points.

Work in small groups:

• Discuss and select the seven most important points.

• Share with the whole group.

The nature and significance of literacy learning

Task 1

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Literacy: A skill that begets many other skills. (Heckman, 2000)

The literacy continuum: A continuum of the critical aspects of literacy

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Eight aspects supported by research.

Describes knowledge, skills and strategies typically expected of most students.

Maps how each aspect develops by identifying key markers of student progress across the years of schooling.

Markers support teachers to assess, plan and teach literacy.

Other crucial areas such as grammar, spelling, punctuation and listening are developed within a number of aspects.


Vocabulary knowledge

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Comprehension

Reading texts

Aspects of writing

Aspects of speaking

Phonics

Phonemic awareness

Concepts about print

Unconstrained skills

Constrained skills

For each particular critical aspect assigned to you

- define the aspect

- state why the aspect has been identified as critical to students’ literacy success

- share your learning with the group

NB: In relation to the descriptions on pp. 8-10, “text” is inclusive of oral, aural, written, digital and multimodal texts.


Task 2

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Task 2

Literacy knowledge, skills and understanding need

to be used and developed in all learning areas.

Initial and major continuing development will be in

English but the national curriculum will ensure that

this competency is used and developed in all

learning areas.

National Curriculum Board, 2009


Task 3

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Literacy learning across the years of schooling

Early Years (Kindergarten - Year 4)

Middle Years (Years 5 - 9)

Later Years (Years 10 - 12)

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Read through pages 12-13:

• Literacy learning in the early years• Literacy learning in the middle years • Literacy learning in the later years

Consider one unconstrained critical aspect and identify and describe how this aspect develops and expands from the early to later years.

Record this information on your handout.

Share this information with the group.


Task 3

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List four ‘take home messages’ about literacy learning that you think have the greatest implications for your classroom practice.

Rank these in order of importance from 1- 4 (1 being least important).

Discuss with a partner, providing justification for your ranking and identifying which of these you will act on:

• tomorrow

• next week.

Reflection - What is important?

Reflection is not profitable unless it affects practiceEdwards-Groves, 2003

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Task 4

An introduction to quality literacy teaching (2009) Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney, NSW.

Edwards-Groves, C.J (2003) On task: Focused literacy learning, Primary English Teaching Association (PETA), Sydney, NSW.

Heckman, J. J. (2000) ‘The real question is how to use the available funds wisely. The best evidence supports the policy prescription: Invest in the very young’, Irving B. Harris Graduate school of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, viewed 10 July 2009, <http://www.pcanebraska.org/includes/downloads/heckman.pdf>

National Curriculum Board (2009) Shape of the Australian curriculum: English, May, Commonwealth of Australia, ACT.

Bibliography

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End of session1

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Session 2

Literacy teaching

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During this session, you will:•examine explicit, systematic, balanced and integrated literacy teaching

•consider how the Four Literacy Resources model and A process for explicit and systematic literacy teaching assist planning for explicit and systematic, balanced and integrated literacy teaching

•strengthen your understanding of modelled, guided and independent teaching strategies, and consider how these teaching strategies can be used in early, middle and later years classrooms

• reflect on how you will apply your new learning when assessing, planning and teaching.


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Literacy teaching

Teaching makes a difference

Explicit and systematic, balanced and integrated literacy teaching

The Four Literacy Resources model

A process for explicit and systematic literacy teaching

Modelled, guided and independent teaching strategies

Literacy teaching in the early, middle and later years of schooling

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Teaching makes the difference

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The greatest influences on literacy

learning are the teachers and the

quality of the teaching.Hattie, 2003

Link to video

The cornerstones of quality literacy teaching

Explicit Systematic

Balanced Integrated

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Task 1

The cornerstones of quality literacy teaching

Explicit Systematic

Balanced

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Individually read through:

Balanced and integrated literacy teaching p. 16

Explicit and systematic literacy teaching p. 17

As you do, expand your notes to address these questions:

What is it?

What do teachers do?

What does it look like in a literacy lesson?

Compare and discuss your understandings with

a partner or the group.

Explicit and systematic, balanced and integrated literacy teaching

Task 1

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When effective literacy learners interact with texts, they draw on these four resources in an integrated way.

Literacy capabilities

Code-breakingresources

Meaning–making resources

Text-usingresources

Text-analysingresources

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Task 2

• Refer to The Four Literacy Resources model on page 19

• Read, summarise and report on:

- what needs to be taught in relation to each resource

- how teachers can balance and integrate the resource with one or more of the other resources.

Task 2

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A process for explicit and systematic teaching

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Assessment for/of learning

Assessment for/of learning involves frequent formative assessment as well as summative assessment, that:

• uses rubrics

•engages students in the assessment process

•provides feedback to students about what they can do, how their work compares with others and what they can do to improve.

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Task 3

Planning

Planning involves using assessment information, the curriculum, and guidance from the Four Literacy Resources model to:

•establish learning goals for a lesson or a series of lessons

•group students using flexible and fluid grouping

•choose instructional strategies (modelled, guided or independent teaching) that will enable all students to achieve the learning goals.

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Task 3

Instruction

Based on planning decisions, Instruction involves:

•allocating time for focused literacy teaching as part of current literacy sessions/lessons

•beginning with an introduction that clarifies purpose and process, makes links to prior learning, provides an overview, explains tasks and expectations, etc •using modelled, guided and independent teaching strategies to support all students to achieve the learning goals •allowing time at the end for student reflection.

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Task 3

Key literacy teaching strategies

Modelled teaching Guided teachingIndependent teaching

… can be used with whole class, small group or individual students

… scaffold students with temporary point of need support

… move students from dependent learners to independent learners

… require fluid and flexible student grouping 36

Read through pages 23-25.

Describe each teaching strategy in terms of:

• when and why it is used

• what it involves the teacher doing

• what it involves the student doing

• what grouping structures might be used

Modelled, guided and independent teaching

Task 4

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• How do literacy demands change as students move from the early years, into the middle years and through to the later years of schooling?

• How do early, middle and later years teachers use modelled, guided and independent teaching strategies to cater for increasingly complex literacy demands?

Literacy teaching in the early, middle and later years of schooling

Task 5

38Link to video

Refer to the video and/or pages 26-27 of the guide

What - So what - Now what?

WHAT are the main messages from each section of today’s workshop?

SO WHAT are the implications for how I teach literacy in my classroom?

NOW WHAT will I do differently in my classroom as a result of these messages?

Reflection activity- What is important?


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Task 6


Edwards-Groves, C.J (2003) on task focused literacy learning. Primary English Teaching Association (PETA), Sydney, NSW.

Hammond, J. et al., (2001) Scaffolding :Teaching and Learning in Language and Literacy Education, PETA, Newtown, NSW

Hattie, J. A.(2003) Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? University of Auckland, Australian Council of Educational Research Conference on Building Teacher Quality.

Bibliography

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End of session 2

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Session 3

Considerations for literacy learning and teaching

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During this session, you will:•consider the place of technology in quality literacy learning and teaching

•strengthen your understanding of how to use the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) to enhance literacy learning and teaching

•consider how to cater for a diverse student population

• reflect on how you will apply your new learningwhen assessing, planning and teaching.


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Considerations for literacy learning and teaching

Using technology for quality literacy learning and teaching

Using NAPLAN for literacy learning and teaching

Catering for diversity in the classroom

Further literacy resources and professional learning programs

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Appendices

Using technology for quality literacy learning and teaching

Task 1Read: Pages 28-29

Summarise:

How technology can be used as a tool to enhance and extend effective literacy teaching and learning.

What students need to be taught to maximise the teaching and learning potential of technology.

Record and share with a partner:

How does the information in this section align with current classroom practices?

What changes could you make to improve the use of technology in your classroom?

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Work in small groups to discuss and list the ways the school currently uses the SMART package to guide planning for literacy teaching at an individual student, classroom, stage or whole-school level.

Read pp. 30-31.

Identify and discuss additional ways the SMART package could be used at an individual student, classroom, stage or whole-school level.

Using NAPLAN for literacy learning and teaching

Task 2

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Catering for diversity in the classroom

Task 3

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• Read page 32• Reflect on your literacy assessing, planning and teaching in regard to the strategies listed as dot points• Discuss and record the practices that your school currently uses for all students• Discuss and record the practices that your school uses for a group of learners with particular needs, eg. disabilities, ESL, Aboriginal, etc• Indicate the strategies that you will include or further emphasise in future as part of your classroom assessing, planning and teaching.• Discuss in your group what you will include/emphasise and how you will do this.

Further literacy resources

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For information about the most current and up-to-date literacy materials, resources and professional learning programs and packages visit the Literacy website:

http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/literacy/index.htm

Appendices

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Included in the appendices are:

•The NSW Literacy K-12 policy pp. 36-38http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/literacy/index.htm

•Websites for additional information and support p. 39

•Supporting Aboriginal students p. 40.

Reflection activity- What have you learned?


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Use the Reflection task to evaluate your own participation and learning as a result of undertaking this course.

Task 4

Task 4


Edwards-Groves, C.J (2003) on task focused literacy learning. Primary English Teaching Association (PETA), Sydney, NSW.

Bibliography

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End of session 3.

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professional learning course examining the guide: an introduction to quality literacy teaching 1

Documents

literacy learning session

curriculum literacy

literacy resources

place of literacy

learning areas

professional learning

anticipated learning

learning practices