LITERACY FOR LEARNING Geoff Barton Headteacher King Edward

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Geoff Barton Headteacher King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds 22 February 2021

LITERACY FOR LEARNING 3

LITERACY FOR LEARNING 1 How can we reinvigorate whole-school literacy?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING 2 What are the important bits of literacy?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING 3 What could we do to have an impact?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING We are part of the literacy club Every teacher in English is a teacher OF English (like it or not) Basic assumptions Literacy is taught - it doesn’t just happen Literacy today is different from when we were younger

LITERACY FOR LEARNING We are part of the literacy club We forget our own privilege at our peril

LITERACY FOR LEARNING GUESS THE TEXT TYPE

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Proud mum in a million Natalie Brown hugged her beautiful baby daughter Casey yesterday and said: “She’s my double miracle. ”I FIBRES 1

LITERACY FOR LEARNING The blood vessels of the circulatory system, branching into multitudes of very fine tubes (capillaries), supply all parts of the muscles and organs with blood, which carries oxygen and food necessary for life. 2

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Ensure that the electrical supply is turned off. Ensure the existing circuit to which the fitting is to be connected has been installed and fused in accordance with current L. L. L wiring regulations 3

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Language oddities

LITERACY FOR LEARNING DOGS MUST BE CARRIED ON THE ESCALATOR

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Please don't smoke and live a more healthy life PSE Poster

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Sign at Suffolk hospital: Criminals operate in this area

LITERACY FOR LEARNING ICI FIBRES

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Churchdown parish magazine: ‘would the congregation please note that the bowl at the back of the church labelled ‘for the sick” is for monetary donations only’

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Why does literacy matter?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING The literacy imperative. . . • A 1997 survey showed that of 12 European countries, only Poland Ireland had lower levels of adult literacy • 1 -in-16 adults cannot identify a concert venue on a poster that contains name of band, price, date, time and venue • 7 million UK adults cannot locate the page reference for plumbers in the Yellow Pages

BBC NEWS ONLINE: More than half of British motorists cannot interpret road signs properly, according to a survey by the Royal Automobile Club. The survey of 500 motorists highlighted just how many people are still grappling with it.

According to the survey, three in five motorists thought a "be aware of cattle" warning sign indicated … an area infected with foot-andmouth disease.

Common mistakes • No motor vehicles - Beware of fast motorbikes • Wild fowl - Puddles in the road • Riding school close by - "Marlborough country" advert

English Review 2000 -05

October 2005: Key findings English is one of the best taught subjects in both primary and secondary schools.

October 2005: Key findings r Standards of writing have improved as a result of guidance from the national strategies r Some teachers give too little thought to ensuring that pupils fully consider the audience, purpose and content for their writing.

October 2005: Key findings q Schools do not always seem to understand the importance of pupils’ talk in developing both reading and writing. q Myhill and Fisher: ‘spoken language forms a constraint, a ceiling not only on the ability to comprehend but also on the ability to write, beyond which literacy cannot progress’. q Too many teachers appear to have forgotten that speech ‘supports and propels writing forward’. q Pupils do not improve writing solely by doing more of it; good quality writing benefits from focused discussion that gives pupils a chance to talk through ideas before writing and to respond to friends’ suggestions.

October 2005: Key findings q The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2003: although the reading skills of 10 year old pupils in England compared well with those of pupils in other countries, they read less frequently for pleasure and were less interested in reading than those elsewhere. q NFER 2003: children’s enjoyment of reading had declined significantly in recent years q A Nestlé/MORI report : ‘underclass’ of non-readers, plus cycles of non-reading ‘where teenagers from families where parents are not readers will almost always be less likely to be enthusiastic readers themselves’.

October 2005: Key findings Despite the Strategy, weaknesses remain, including: q the stalling of developments as senior management teams focus on other initiatives q lack of robust measures to evaluate the impact of developments across a range of subjects q a focus on writing at the expense of reading, speaking and listening.

LITERACY IMPACT

LITERACY IMPACT! Key conventions Demonstrate writing. Link to speech Teach composition Importance of reading Sentence variety Connectives

Know your connectives Adding: and, also, as well as, moreover, too Cause & effect: because, so, therefore, thus, consequently Sequencing: next, then, first, finally, meanwhile, before, after Qualifying: however, although, unless, except, if, as long as, apart from, yet Emphasising: above all, in particular, especially, significantly, indeed, notably Illustrating: for example, such as, for instance, as revealed by, in the case of Comparing: equally, in the same way, similarly, likewise, as with, like Contrasting: whereas, instead of, alternatively, otherwise, unlike, on the other hand

LITERACY IMPACT! Read aloud. Demystify spelling Teach and display subjectspecific vocabulary Teach research skills, not FOFO Reading needs teaching: skimming, scanning, analysis Use DARTs: prediction, jumbled texts, pictures and graphs Presentation and framing can make texts more accessible

LITERACY IMPACT! Break tyranny of Q&A No hands up Thinking time Key words / connectives Rehearsing responses Reflective groupings Get teachers watching teachers who manage S&L well

LITERACY IMPACT! Remember “the disappeared”. Use students and TAs for feedback Use visuals to circumvent the teacher Less is more for teachers Don’t call it literacy Know your key players Build into school systems Less is more for students

LITERACY LATEST! “The Disappeared …” Characteristics: 2/3 boys. Generally well-behaved. Positive in outlook. “Invisible” to teachers. Keen to respond but unlikely to think first. Persevere with tasks, especially with tasks that are routine. Lack self-help strategies. Stoical, patient, resigned. Reading: they over-rely on a limited range of strategies and lack higher order reading skills Writing: struggle to combine different skills simultaneously. Don’t get much chance for oral rehearsal, guided writing, precise feedback S&L: don’t see it as a key tool in thinking and writing Targets: set low-level targets; overstate functional skills; infrequently review progress

Essential literacy rooted in professional development An example …

So … 1. Which bits of this are relevant to your school context? 2. What’s going on at your place that’s effective in developing literacy skills? 3. What will you do tomorrow?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING Geoff Barton “Every teacher in English is a teacher of English” (George Sampson, 1922) geoffbarton@mac. com