Early career teacher induction: Literacy and the middle years

Early career teacher induction:

Literacy and the middle years


Literacy middle yearsWorkshop 1

1Workshop 1Early career teacher induction: Literacy middle years


Literacy middle years

Workshop 1Early career teacher induction: Literacy middle years 2

Workshop Title

Workshop 2 Literacy teaching and the Four Resources framework

Workshop 3 Literacy teaching and NSW syllabuses

Workshop 4 Literacy and Quality Teaching

Outcomes: Workshop 1• understanding of the State Literacy Plan

2006-2008 and the Literacy K-12 Policy and application in schools

• understanding of physical, social and intellectual development of students in the middle years, as well as exceptions to general patterns.


Professional teaching

standards NSW Institute of teachers

• 2.2.2 Apply knowledge of the typical stages of students’ physical, social and intellectual development as well as an awareness of exceptions to general patterns

• 6.2.6 Participate constructively in formal and informal professional conversations with colleagues.

• 6.2.8 Demonstrate knowledge of the application of relevant policy documents in schools.


Middle years• Years 5 – 9; 10—15 years old: young

adolescents• adjusting to profound changes: – physical, social, emotional, intellectual– body and brain

• seeking acceptance from peers, and into adult world

• developing own social and personal values


• Work in small groups.• You have a few minutes to come

up with a definition and record it on the page provided.

• Please nominate a spokesperson to share this definition with the whole group in a few minutes.

What is literacy?


Literacy - NSW definition• 1.1.1 Literacy is the ability to

understand and evaluate meaning through reading and writing, listening and speaking, viewing and representing.

NSW Literacy K–12 Policy


State Literacy Plan 2006-2008

Equitable literacy achievement for all students

The plan emphasises• teaching literacy in an explicit, systematic,

balanced and integrated way. • target setting to improve student

outcomes. • updating and producing new literacy

support materials for regions and schools.


State Literacy Plan 2006-2008

Equitable literacy achievement for all studentsStudent achievement indicators• Data demonstrates improvement in Year 3

literacy achievement • Data demonstrates growth in literacy

achievement between Years 3 and 5• Data demonstrates growth in literacy

achievement between Years 7 and 8.


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Literacy teaching1.2.1 Literacy teaching in NSW schools will incorporate explicit and systematic instruction in the skills, knowledge and understandings for students to be literate. Literacy will be taught in a balanced and integrated way.1.2.5 Teachers K-12 will develop and continually refine a broad and responsive set of effective literacy teaching practices to meet the diverse learning needs of students.

Literacy K–12 Policy

Workshop 1Early career teacher induction: Literacy middle years

11

Literacy K–12 Policy Literacy teaching cont’d

• 1.2.6 Teachers K-12, across all key learning areas are responsible for the teaching and learning of literacy skills, knowledge and understandings.

• 1.2.7 Teachers K-12 will allocate sufficient time to explicitly plan, program and teach literacy to ensure students’ achievement of syllabus standards.

Workshop 1Early career teacher induction: Literacy middle years

Middle years and student literacy

developmentOrganisation and curriculum in transitionPrimary school High school

One main generalist teacher Several specialist teachers

Consistent class group Varying class groupOne home room Different roomsMainly integrated curriculum

Defined specialised areas of the curriculum

‘Big fish in a small pond’ at the top of the student population hierarchy

‘Little fish in a big pond’ at the bottom of the student population hierarchy


Middle years and student literacy

developmentOrganisation and curriculum in transitionPrimary school High school

Talking and listening often included as part of learning sequences

Fewer opportunities for students to talk as part of learning

Students often work with one text for a number of lessons

Students may spend only one lesson on a text, and need to quickly switch to work with different texts and teachers from one lesson to another.

Students spend time drafting and rewriting

Students often required to produce writing in one lesson


NSW curriculum• Early Stage 1- Stage 3 (Kindergarten to

Year 6), • Stages 4-5 (Years 7-10)• Stage 6 (years 11-12)

Each key learning area is planned with a continuum of learning from Early Stage 1to Stage 5.


How does the K–6 English syllabus define

literacy?Literacy is the ability to read and use written information and to write appropriately in a range of contexts. It is used to develop knowledge and understanding, to achieve personal growth and to function effectively in our society.

Literacy involves the integration of speaking, listening and critical thinking with reading and writing. (p. 5)


Maths 7–10 syllabus• … Mathematics language is concise and precise.

Students are taught mathematical vocabulary and the conventions for writing mathematics …

• … The growth of technology and information, including visual information, demands that students be critically, visually and technologically literate and can compose, acquire, process and evaluate text in a wide variety of contexts … (p. 10)


History Years 7–10LiteracyHistory is ideally suited to develop students’ literacy skills

including the comprehension of texts, use of specific historical language, analysis and use of sources and historical texts, research and communication.

In Stage 4 Mandatory and Elective, skills to be learnt and developed include:

• using historical language, terms and concepts• organising, recording and presenting material in

different formats• evaluating sources and historical perspectives• constructing a variety of texts for different purposes,

including use of ICT-based texts. (p.19)Workshop 1

Early career teacher induction: Literacy middle years 17

Literacy K–12 Policy Literacy teaching

• 1.2.6 Teachers K-12, across all key learning areas are responsible for the teaching and learning of literacy skills, knowledge and understandings.

• 1.2.7 Teachers K-12 will allocate sufficient time to explicitly plan, program and teach literacy to ensure students’ achievement of syllabus standards.


Continuums of learning K–10

• Select a key learning area continuum to look at in detail.

• Discuss with colleagues:– How does the continuum of learning

build on student prior learning?– How does the learning become more

sophisticated as students progress to Stage 4?


Understanding theadolescent brain

“Those who engage with middle school students would do well to develop their understanding of the adolescent brain,

for it is during this developmental transition that the brain does some

amazing things, all of which have an impact on how these students engage and/or disengage with their learning

environments.” Pendergast, D., Bahr, N. (eds) Teaching middle years: rethinking curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, page

66,Allen and Unwin, 2005, Sydney


Just because they're physically mature, they may not appreciate the consequences or weigh information the same way as adults do. So, [although]

somebody looks physically mature,their brain may in fact not be mature.

Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhDBrain Imaging Laboratory, McClean Hospital Harvard University Medical School

21Workshop 1

Early career teacher induction: Literacy middle years

A three dimensional “map” showing portions of gray matter “pruned” from the brain between adolescence and adulthood. The purple

sections in the two boxes indicate sections that will be discarded from the frontal lobe.

The box on the far right indicates the prefrontal cortex, a subsection of

the frontal lobe that controls judgment.Image adapted from Nature Neuroscience.


Prefrontal cortex section of the brain, showing large areas pruned during adolescence.

NEURONS Neuron(nerve cell)

Axons(transmission lines)


Video on website re teenage behaviour and the adolescent brain:

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/tdc02/sci/life/reg/teenbrain/index.html


Documents

Early career teacher induction: Literacy and the middle years