1. How important is literacy to student success?

2. Queensland Education describe literacy as the ability to read, view, write, design, speak and listen in a way that allows us to communicate effectively and to make sense of the world. Literacy is what allows us to decode text, pictures, maps, audio, signs etc. to be able to understand the meaning attached to message. Literacy can be broken down into five types:- - Multiliteracies referring to multiple kinds of literacies being used. - Visual Literacy meaning the understanding of visual texts - Critical Literacy involving the questioning, analysing and critiquing of texts - Subject-specific Literacy meaning understanding the specific vocabulary and linguistic features commonly used in each subject. - Technological Literacy meaning the ability to be able to construct, deconstruct and reconstruct text using the new technologies (Wing Jan, 2011). 3. Dimension 4 is the stage after we acquire the knowledge and how we then use this knowledge meaningfully to assist in making informed decisions. By involving students in this process allows for their own personal growth and the greater the motivation the higher the proficiency and understanding related to that knowledge. Dimension 4 is broken up into six reasoning processes these are - Decision Making - Problem Solving - Invention - Experimental Inquiry - Investigation - System Analysis The process which we will look at further is the Investigation process. 4. Help students understand the process of investigation Give students a model for the process of investigation, and create opportunities for them to practice using the process. Help them focus on critical steps and difficult aspects of the process. Provide students with graphic organisers Use teacher-structured and student structured tasks 5. What value do you place on literacy concerning education? Do you feel that literacy is an important component for every subject? Does literacy assessments help identify areas of concern? Does a literacy assessment reflect literacy inadequacies across a range of subjects? Are there any suggestions as to how you might improve the system? 6. Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success? Question 1: What value do you place on literacy concerning education? Known or Agreed Upon: Literacy is what our community and social life is based upon. Literacy is used throughout every subject without it they can not perform the tasks or improve their own knowledge. 7. Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success? Question 2: Do you feel that literacy is an important component for every subject? Known or Agreed Upon: Literacy is used in every subject and everyday lives. Literacy is vital for decoding messages. Every subject has its own literacy but are linked through common elements. Literacy is used throughout every subject without it they can not perform the tasks or improve their own knowledge. Literacy is across all the KLAs 8. Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success? Question 3: Does literacy assessments help identify areas of concern? Known or Agreed Upon: All assessments help to gather information but not all are diagnostic. Running records and comprehension assessments help to gather information about the students individual needs. 9. Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success? Question 4: Does a literacy assessment reflect literacy inadequacies across a range of subjects? Known or Agreed Upon: Can do depending on how they are set up especially through using comprehension questions or types of written reports. 10. Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success? Question 5: Are there any suggestions as to how you might improve the system? Confusion/Contradictions and Resolution: Focus more on literacy within the subject not the knowledge content. Allocation of time does not always allow for the added extra benefit of exploring the literacy within each subject. Literacy circles have helped to identify areas of concern and work towards goals. 11. Assessments are used to measure a class/students growth within a particular subject with the information gathered it is then used to either compare performances across class, school, state or even national level as to then provide feedback both to teacher, student and parents. This however is not its main or only function which is to allow teachers to use the information gathered to map student progress, planning of the subject in terms of pace and complexity and if there are any special needs required. 12. Formative Assessments - is to gather feedback that can be used by the learning manager and the students to guide improvements in the ongoing teaching and learning context Summative Assessments - is to measure the level of success or proficiency that has been obtained at the end of an instructional unit, by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. Diagnostic Assessment is a type of formative assessment used to identify a students level of competence or establish if there are learning disabilities. 13. Formative Summative Diagnostic Observations Performance Task Naplan Questioning Written Product Running Records Discussion Oral Product Think Pair Share Test (Unit) Peer/Self Assessments 14. With the release of the C2C in Queensland schools there has been a push for content to be taught and due to the time constraints put on teachers to complete modules there leaves little time to reflect and focus on the literacy aspects within each subject thus leaving a gap within the students learning progression. Schools within the region have begun to focus on using reading groups that are conducted in some schools from 3-5 days a week which can focus on anything from English based work to literacy skills. Some ideas being used in reading groups are as below: Literature circles Comprehension skills Writing Tasks Reading groups are not the only strategy that can be employed within the classrooms but other activities can also be incorporated within your daily lessons like below: Word Walls Rhyming Games Think alouds Concept maps Summarizing 15. The government has also reorganised the English curriculum into three closely interrelated strands: Language (Knowing about the English language), Literature (Understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literature), and Literacy (Growing a repertoire of English usage)(Winch, 2011). Students are now becoming regularly in contact with a variety of literature such as novels, poetry, short stories, plays, fiction, picture books and multimodal texts. It is through this contact that students are able to build upon their own critical understandings such as :- The social, historical and cultural contexts of texts The texts formal, creative and aesthetic qualities Ways in which argument and viewpoint are presented and supported through a text How a texts features reflect the perspectives from which it can be interpreted How different perspectives are associated with different uses of language (Winch, 2011). 16. The Year 2 Diagnostic Net is a process of assessment and intervention to support children's literacy and numeracy development during the early years of schooling in Queensland. It identifies and provides additional support for, those children who are experiencing difficulties in literacy and numeracy (Education Queensland) This program has four steps that are involved these being:- observe and map children's progress using developmental continua for literacy and numeracy involve identified Year 2 children in specifically designed assessment tasks and identify children who require intervention provide support to children requiring additional assistance report to parents about their child's development in literacy It is through these observations that teachers are then able to monitor a childs progress through aligning with key indicators that are grouped into phases to identify where each student is along the reading or writing developmental continuum. 17. Literacy is pretty much everything, without literacy you can not do anything(Dianne Philp) which is why it is vitally important that these skills are constantly monitored and assessed as to continue to provide planning for both class and individual student progress. Literacy is linked to individual success as it determines a students ability to be able to communicate and interpret information which is a necessary skill within any environment be it school or everyday life. 18. Marzano. R.J, (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Aurora: McREL Brady. L, (). Assessment and Reporting. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Australia Winch. G, (2011). Literacy reading, writing & childrens literature. Melbourne: Oxford University Press Wing Jan. L, (2011). Write Ways. Melbourne: Oxford University Press Qld Government. (2012) Year 2 Diagnostic Net. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/students/policy/assessment/y2dn/ Qld Government. (2012) Literacy and Numeracy Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/literacyandnumeracy/pdf/factsheet- l-n.pdf