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Each subject or discipline, such as Mathematics or Visual Arts, has its own distinctive language and literacy demands (Christie & Derewianka, 2008). Show
Teachers who can incorporate the literacy of their subject areas into their day-to-day teaching enable students to become independent and successful learners (Plaut, 2009) and improve student knowledge and learning outcomes across discipline areas. The Literacy Teaching Toolkit for Levels 7-10 provides teachers with strategies to support the development of literate practices within 7 learning areas of the Victorian Curriculum:
Literacy is the: “ability to interpret and create texts with appropriateness, accuracy, confidence, fluency and efficacy for learning in and out of school, and for participating in Australian life more generally” (VCAA, 2016). Much more than being able to read and write, being literate also means:
Literate practices are:
The literate practices we use vary depending on the type of text being read or produced; for example, print, digital, oral, or multimodal. Expert videoIn this video, Prof Joe Lo Bianco challenges us to reappraise our understanding of literate practices in an increasingly digital society. He argues that teachers should regularly discuss the literacy challenges their students must meet. Prof Lo Bianco refers to semiotic systems, which is another way of saying meaning-making systems. Teacher prompts:
The strategies outlined in the toolkit:
Using the Teaching and Learning Cycle to Support Student Writing (Love, Baker & Quinn, 2009). This image was created through online software. The strategies should be used in a recurring way to support students to
develop, enact and test their growing content knowledge. As students progress within a discipline area, they will continually use different literate practices to move between the stages of the Learning and Teaching cycle. Expert videoIn this video, Professor John Hattie talks about teaching literacy as fundamentally important to learning in all secondary school subjects. Teacher prompts
Six principles of the literacy teaching toolkit for levels 7-10
Expert videoProf Lorraine Graham discusses some of the literacy challenges in the secondary school and the interrelationship between the language modes (speaking and listening, reading and viewing, and writing).
The structure of the toolkitWithin each of the seven learning areas, literacy strategies are grouped based on their primary purpose:
Each strategy combines the language modes to promote student learning. Where appropriate, the modes being used are indicated. The final section of each learning area is 'putting it together'. This section includes:
Expert videoIn this video, Professor John Hattie talks about integrating the literacy modes of reading, writing, speaking and listening and the importance of using exemplars to develop literacy skills for all secondary students.
Teacher prompts
Disciplinary literacyDisciplinary literacy refers to the learner’s ability to read, write and speak in ways that are valued and used by people in a given discipline (Moje, 2007). That is, to “think like mathematicians, read like historians and write like scientists” (Lee, 2004, p. 61). Disciplinary literacy:
The toolkit embraces a disciplinary literacy approach to simultaneously engage with:
What about languages?Across government primary and secondary schools, Victorian students are learning 24 languages, with the Victorian School of Languages provides out-of-school-hours and distance education programs in fifty-two languages. The Literacy Teaching Toolkit provides strategies and resources for English literacy across the Victorian curriculum. While students develop literacy skills in the language/s they are studying, these are
commonly at a different level to the Curriculum areas using English as the medium of instruction. Languages are a key learning area. Languages teachers are highly proficient in devising teaching and learning programs, which expertly support students in not only accumulating knowledge, but also developing literacy skills and reading and writing practices specific to the language. Rather than providing teachers with resources for their core curriculum expertise, the Toolkit’s
purpose is to demonstrate that literacy is core to Curriculum knowledge for Australian students. You are encouraged to visit the Language teaching resources page to explore an in-depth range of resources. Further information and is available through the
Languages landing page. Supporting diversity and differentiationStudents come from diverse backgrounds and have a range of learning needs, requiring differentiated and targeted learning activities, to support their diversity within the classroom. Some of the student groups teachers need to consider include:
The evidence-based teaching strategies contained in the toolkit support teachers to scaffold and differentiate to meet the skills and capabilities of all students in their classroom. Expert videoProf Lorraine Graham discusses some the practical strategies teachers can use to support diversity and differentiation in the classroom. Teacher prompts:
Multimodality and 21st century learningMultimodal texts take a range of forms such as posters, infographics, picture books, textbooks, video, animation, interviews, oral presentations and diagrams (Anstey & Bull, 2006; Bull & Anstey, 2010; Kress, 2010; Zammit & Downes, 2002). Digital texts may include:
Live texts, such as dance, performance and oral storytelling convey meaning through various combinations of semiotic systems including gestural, spatial, audio, and spoken language. In all disciplines, students need to compose and make sense of multimodal texts—texts which use two or more semiotic (meaning-making) systems to convey meaning. These include written language, still image, and spatial design in paper-based forms. Teaching students to effectively read and compose forms of multimodal texts used in each discipline is essential to develop their understanding. For example:
Teaching multimodal texts for 21st century learning should also prepare students for their future careers. Prof Lesley Farrell discusses how our understanding of literacy has changed with the development of new technology. Expert videoShe relates this to the importance of literacy for students once they enter the workplace. Prof Farrell refers to semiotic systems which is another way of saying meaning-making systems. Teacher prompts:
Genres in secondary schoolGenres are the types of texts we create to achieve particular purposes (Derewianka & Jones, 2016, p. 7). Texts of similar genre tend to follow similar structural patterns or generic structures (Butt, Fahey, Feez & Spinks, 2012, p. 251). In addition to understanding the structure and features of various genres, secondary students need to be familiar with the language features of the texts. For example, arguments typically use a range of connectives and/or conjunctions to organise the text and connect ideas, such as ‘to begin with’, ‘in conclusion’ and ‘however’. Students will read and write texts with one genre, as well as texts with multiple genres. For example:
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Watson, S.M.R., Gable, R.A., Gear, S.B., & Hughes, K.C. (2012). Evidence-based strategies for improving the reading comprehension of secondary students: Implications for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 27(2), 29–89. Wigglesworth, G., Simpson, J., & Loakes, D. (2011). NAPLAN language assessments for Indigenous children in remote communities: Issues and problems. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 34(3), 320–343. Zammit, K., & Downes, T. (2002). New learning environments and the multiliterate individual: A framework for educators. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 25(2), 24–36. What can teachers do to support students literacy development?8+ Ways to Support Literacy Skills Development. Capture children's interest before you read. ... . Introduce vocabulary during a read-aloud. ... . Share the see-show-say strategy with families. ... . Highlight children's favorite books. ... . Establish read-aloud routines. ... . Read in small groups. ... . Support children who are learning two languages.. What strategies are effective in teaching literacy?8 Proven Literacy Strategies. Text Annotation. ... . People Over Programs. ... . Freedom of Choice. ... . Chat About Data. ... . Reward Reading. ... . Be Seen With a Book. ... . Use Data to Make Decisions. ... . Let Instruction Drive Implementation.. What can schools and teachers do to promote literacy development at school?Elements of a Comprehensive Action Plan. Strengthening development in all classes.. Creating and implementing interventions for struggling students.. Revamping policies and culture to support literacy efforts.. Developing a shared leadership foundation.. Offering instructional support for teachers.. How do elementary teachers teach literacy to learners?They need instructional guidance on how to read critically, understand the material and implement what they have learned. As a teacher, you can provide the necessary framework using concepts such as previewing text, reading with a purpose, predicting and making connections and the use of graphic organizers.
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