LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Geoff BartonHeadteacher

King Edward VI School

Bury St Edmunds

18 April 2023

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Basic assumptions

We are part of the literacy club

Literacy today is different from when we were younger

Literacy is taught - it

doesn’t just happenEvery

teacher in English is a teacher OF

English (like it or

not)

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

Please don't smoke and live a more healthy life

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

PSE Poster

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Sign at Suffolk hospital:

Criminals operate in this area

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

ICI FIBRES

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

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Literacy today is different from when we were younger

•Multi-media dominates

•Most ‘classic texts’ are known through film

•Reading extended writing is rare

•A visual culture dominates

•The notion of ‘accuracy’ is being challenged

•None of this is a bad thing

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Why cross-curricular literacy?

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

The literacy context ...

•A 1997 survey showed that of 12 European countries, only Poland and 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

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

• Nearly 40% of pupils make a loss and no progress in the year following transfer, related to a decline in motivation

• Pupils characterise work in Years 7 and 8 as ‘repetitive, unchallenging and lacking in purpose’

• “Year 7 adds so little value that actually missing the year would not disadvantage some children” (Prof John West-Burnham)

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-and-mouth disease.

Common mistakes

•No motor vehicles - Beware of fast motorbikes

•Wild fowl - Puddles in the road

•Riding school close by - "Marlborough country"  advert

The single greatest influence on learners is teacher expectation

Sylvester and Levithal 1994

Every teacher in English is a teacher of English

George Sampson, 1921

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

So what’s in it for you …?

• Literacy supports learning. Pupils will understand and respond better to your subject

• You’ll see improvements in the quality of their work

• You’ll see increased motivation, especially from boys

• Better literacy increases pupils’ self-esteem and behaviour. It helps them to learn independently

5Things you could do

1Forget literacy:

Think T&L

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

1 • Shift from T to L

• Think pace & variety

• Be clear about satisfactory, good, outstanding

2Re-think Talk

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

2• Ask fewer but better

questions

• Allow ‘rehearsal’ of answers

• Model good talk.

3Re-think Reading

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

3• Focus on key

vocabulary

• Give reading time

• Find alternatives to comprehension

• Demystify spelling.

4Re-think Writing

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

4• Be seen writing

• Be explicit about conventions

• Emphasise sentence variety and connectives.

5Think IMPACT

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are needed to see this picture.

5• Less is more

• Focus on team targets

• Remember the disappeared

• Do something!

LITERACY FOR LEARNING

Geoff BartonKing Edward VI School,

Bury St Edmunds

18 April 2023