EDEE400 Literacies in Context Peter Crane

Ass.1 Analysis of the literacy demands of the Y7-10 Music Syllabus and support

documents.

Introduction

The Music Years 7-10 Syllabus in its Introduction (Board of Studies 2003:5) notes that it

operates within the parameters of the Board of Studies NSW (BOS) K-10 Curriculum

Framework. This Framework expressly outlines what BOS sees as attributes students should

possess upon completion of their K-10 studies. The ‘broad learning outcomes’ (outcomes) are

all predicated on a robust student literacy.

It is well to consider these outcomes as both part of, yet distinct from, the Y7-10 Music

Syllabus (syllabus). The outcomes are remarkable in their scope. Among its aims the BOS

curriculum seeks to promote in students: an engagement with lifelong learning; a moral,

spiritual and ethical participation in society; an appreciation of social justice and diversity; a

facility with new technology and art; and all within the cultivation of a positive and optimistic

self-image and outlook (Board of Studies 2003:5). Implied within this comprehensive

engagement with the 21st

century is the need for a literacy that can cope with the breadth and

depth of the Board’s vision.

BOS has taken a lofty view of its role and responsibilities in educating the K-10 student

population. The introduction to the syllabus is an appropriate place to record the ideals that the

NSW political/pedagogical complex uses as its foundation. It is this multi-facetted view of the

educator’s role that presages contemporary views of literacy.

Literacy

The NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) Literacy Policy (Policy) states that

‘Literacy is the ability to understand and evaluate meaning through reading and writing,

listening and speaking, viewing and representing’ (DET 2006: 1.1.1). This statement

acknowledges the expanded usages of text by including ‘viewing and representing’ which

includes multi-literate and multi-modal text applications. The Policy is saying that literacy is

about understanding and creating meaning. Spelling, grammar, phonemic awareness and other

language based mechanical components of literacy are treated ‘in the early years.’ Gee (2003:

9) is specific in placing meaning as being a consequence of context: words plus context allows

meaning. The Policy, in viewing all teachers as teachers of literacy, has placed the responsibility

for facilitating student understanding with the teacher. While this may seem an unrealistic

expectation given that the deriving of meaning is a complex yet subjective act, there are two

aspects of the process that teachers can influence. Teachers can give students an appreciation

of context and on a more prosaic level, can ensure students can actually read the material

presented.

Scholarly discourse on meaning, however, needs to be weighed against other

obligations placed on the student. Core syllabus material is predominantly print based and

examinations, especially major external exams, are in the written format. Furthermore, populist

alarm expressed at falling standards of literacy is based on essentially written-format testing

and not on meaning-creation activities. Teachers still have a community-perceived need to

promote a functioning literacy in students.

Syllabus Requirements

The syllabus and its support documents, which would include the Policy, provide

teachers with firm guidelines as to their role in student literacy. Section 6 of the syllabus is

comprised of the Student Learning Outcomes (outcomes). In the table is encapsulated the

reading and writing demands for Stage 4 and Stage 5 students (BOS 2003: 12). A review of the

outcomes reveals the literacy demands and provides insight into the ways teachers can assist

students by designing teaching sequences that address these demands.

4.1 & 5.1 – Performance. Students need to demonstrate understanding of musical

concepts. These concepts are technical terms used throughout music study and they need to be

appreciated both as musical items and as parts of language. Having assisted students to grasp

the meaning and usage of the term the teacher also needs to ensure the word itself is correctly

spelt and that its tenses, plurals and other grammatical aspects are explicitly described.

4.2 & 5.2, also in the Performance section, requires students to perform using various

notation symbols and notation technologies. Whether this is in standard musical notation or

non-standard, the literacies call for symbol literacy and a literacy with ICT technology.

It is in the Listening section of musical skills though that language and especially writing

is emphasized. This area of music study is most closely aligned with musicology. An old story in

music tells of the pop musician looking at a sheet of music with a perplexed expression and

finally saying that although he was fine with the music, he could not read the lyrics. A look at

the outcomes for Listening gives an insight into where the study of music requires literacy skills

like other Humanities subjects.

4.7 – Listening. Students are to demonstrate understanding via: observing; responding;

discriminating; analyzing; and discussing. Outcome 5.7 adds to this by asking for: ‘analysis,

comparison, and critical discussion of music from different stylistic, social, cultural and historic

contexts.’ Outcome 5.8 adds ‘discrimination’ to the requirements. Outcome 5.10 asks students

to understand the influence of technology and to seek an appreciation of the aesthetic in music

(BOS 2003: 13).

Writing

The support document ‘Advice on Programming and Assessment’ requires student

responses in oral, but particularly in written form (BOS 2004: 17). Whether assessment is

interpreted in its common usage as ‘exams to be passed’ or seen as integral to the learning

process as ‘assessment for learning’, the written exam or task is still an essential tool in the

teaching and learning process. The outcomes, in the Listening section especially, is where the

need to write essays and demonstrate higher level thinking is most clearly evident. The writing

of an essay which poses: an argument for or against an aesthetic, or cultural or social justice

component; which incorporates a historical context and a glossary of technical terms; is a

challenging work for a Y7-10 student. Researching the topic will also need teacher assistance to

indicate standards appropriate and how to incorporate research material into an essay. The

School Certificate mark in music is assessed and awarded by the school so it is appropriate and

achievable that students have very clear ideas of what is expected from them in terms of the

standard of their work.

Scaffolding and Support

The teacher needs to incorporate teaching sequences that cover researching a topic and

the art of writing. This writing may be of a short form but will focus on the formal essay. The

library is part of the research process and the students need to be made aware of how to

effectively use the resource. Referencing sources is an integral part of researching and explicit

demonstrations of procedure and conventions will be necessary. An introduction to style could

be useful as there are choices as regards citing. Music in particular has its own citing style and

students should be made aware of this.

Just as writing needs to be practiced, it needs to be practiced correctly. The outcomes,

when allied with assessment, ask students for written observations, responses, analysis,

discussion, critical discussion and appreciation of historical, cultural and aesthetic qualities

found in music and its study. The texts: Writing Skills (Feez & Joyce 1998) and Genre, Text,

Grammar (Knapp & Watkins 2005) give explicit instruction in text types that correspond to

those sought in the outcomes. Outcome 4.7 seeks a response and four types of written

response are explained and modeled for the student (Feez & Joyce 1998: 39). In Knapp &

Watkins, the genre of arguing is examined especially in light of written argument as exemplified

by the school essay (Knapp & Watkins 2005: 187). Grammar and form are explained to provide

teacher and student with models of the essay that can be practiced to maximize student facility

both for assessment and lifelong learning. All of the text types alluded to in the outcomes can

be found in the two texts where they are comprehensively explained and demonstrated.

It is also important on an everyday level that the teacher models Standard English and is

seen to refer to a dictionary to check spelling and meaning as a matter of course.

Conclusion

Although professional usage of the term ‘literacy’ has expanded far beyond ‘reading and

writing’ it is well remembered that much common usage of the word does in fact focus on a

person’s reading and writing capabilities. Standards-based testing, school examinations and job

applications still require and evaluate a person’s writing and in some cases, their handwriting.

Popular debate, which seems to enjoy its adverse criticism of literacy and numeracy standards,

supports its discourse with written-test results and statistics. Notwithstanding expanded views

on literacy, it is still important that educators value common literacy skills and its teaching. At

the very least, students should have the common literacy skills that are appropriate for their

post-school endeavours. For students who see tertiary education as an option the more

modern application of literacy, which includes understanding, meaning making and multi-

literacies would be better suited. This latter application of literacy requires teaching that

reflects the fuller view. Whether teachers find themselves coaching spelling or brainstorming

understanding of aesthetics in art music, the Policy is specific in requiring all teachers to be

‘responsible for the teaching and learning of literacy skills…’

References

Board of Studies 2003, Music Years 7-10: Syllabus, Board of Studies, Sydney.

Board of Studies 2004, Music Years 7-10: Advice on Programming and Assessment, Board of

Studies, Sydney.

Department of Education and Training 2006, Literacy K-12 Policy. Retrieved 10.03.2011 from

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/literacy/PD20050288.shtml

Gee, J. 2003, ‘Literacy and Social Minds’, in: The Literacy Lexicon, 2nd

ed. eds G. Bull & M.

Anstey, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, p.9.

Feez, S. & Joyce, H. 1998, Writing Skills, Phoenix Education, Albert Park, Victoria.

Knapp, P. & Watkins, M. 2005, Genre, Text, Grammar, University of New South Wales Press,

Sydney.