Genre & the Curriculum Cycle: Teacher strategies explained...

Vygotsky’s term “scaffolding” is useful to describe the ways in which students are taught how to learn within a “zone of proximal development”.  It is about understanding what students can do with a more capable peer (or teacher) before being able to achieve it independently. Think about how babies learn to walk and talk. They have more capable models of talkers and wakers around them and as they attempt to walk or talk, the more capable adult will guide and assist and feedback (e.g. hold their hands, re-state what they are trying to say, give instruction etc.) as they become more competent. This is an important concept for all teaching and learning.
(Lawson, 2011, week 10)

Think of a text type (genre) that would be taught in your subject/work area. You can use the following checklist as a guide:

• Literary narratives (novels, short stories, legends and yarns)
• Literary non-narratives (diary entries, poems, personal recounts)
• Expositions (persuasive essays or articles, analytical writing, writing for information and research)
• Reports (news, business, scientific, social, environmental)
• Procedures (manuals, projects, recipes, instructions)
• Transactions (flyers, posters, memos, letters, receipts)

(Lawson, 2011, Week 9)

The Curriculum Cycle helps students at all levels to learn through and about language using a balance of talking, listening and writing skills.  The 3 stages involved are:

1. Preparation: Building up the field (Shared writing strategies)
2. Joint construction of text (Guided writing strategies)
3. Independent construction of text (Independent writing strategies)

Important:  At each stage talking, listening and writing are interrelated.

• Preparation: Building up the field

Writers cannot simply sit down and write.  They need something to write about.  This is "building up the field".   A non-exhaustive list of teacher strategies to help students achieve this are listed below.  Lot's of talking and listening should be used in these processes.  Teacher should introduce a new genre as required to extend student learning as complexity increases while "building up the field (topic)". 

1. Field trips
2. Reading to students
3. Expert guest speaker
4. Video
5. Internet or library time for research
6. Group discussion
7. Brainstorming
8. Predicting outcomes
9. Referring to diagrams, pictorials and other visuals, texts, videos etc.
10. Observation of worldly activities / existence.
11. Gathering, selecting ,organising and recording information (directed or modeled by teacher)
12. Any activity that may "Spark creative thinking" for an individual

• Joint construction of text

1. Next stage is to engage students in group writing activities (scaffolding).  
2. Grouping:
• Whole Class
• Small Groups
• 1 to 1:  Teacher to Student (Concentrated assistance)
3. Talking & listening are integral part of this process as students discuss, select, organise and record (if required) information appropriate to the "genre / text type"selected.
4. Students may research topic, build up data banks for use in later composing or development of writing skills.
5. Teacher may guide students with appropriate language skills used to discuss, argue and negotiate.
6. Teacher will act as a guide and allow for every student to contribute and participate in the joint construction of the text. Students must be able to freely contribute or comment on the structure and content of the joint text.
7. Teacher may record the text to allow student and open mind to concentrate on the meanings they are creating.
8. Finally, revision and editing should be modeled here by the teacher so students understand how the text may be modified to make improvements and re able to engage the same principles when involved in their own writing.

• Independent construction of text 

This is the final stage that allows students to "have a go".  A process needs to be followed:

1. Motivation to write
2. Pre-writing or preparing
3. Drafting or translating onto paper
4. Revising or editing and publication

NOTE:  writing is not always linear as per these steps.  Some people may revise, edit as they are composing text in short bursts, pauses, restarts and so on.  This is quite normal.  

(Ljungdahl & March, 2010, pp. 437-439)

Lillian from David Allibon on Vimeo.


Karen from David Allibon on Vimeo.


Alistair from David Allibon on Vimeo.


Alison from David Allibon on Vimeo.



John Munro:
High Reliability Literacy Teaching Procedures : A means of fostering literacy learning across the curriculum (Munro, 2002)

REFLECTION - My Discovery of Literacy and Future Plans

Before engaging with this course I held a shallow view of the meaning of literacy and numeracy.  I believed literacy simply focused upon the structure of written or spoken languages and numeracy involved knowing one’s time’s tables or knowledge of how to perform more complex mathematical calculations.  I believe this view will be shared by almost all of my future students.   

As I began to read further into the topic I was astonished by the depth and breadth that literacy covers.  Virtually, every minute of one’s active day, they are likely to be engaged in some form of literacy or numeracy.  This could be within personal conversations, telephone calls, writing, texting, surfing the internet, playing games - electronic or otherwise, sports, banking, cooking, knitting, and inclusive of thinking.  Each one of these activities, and thousands of other unmentioned examples, involve the need for literacy or numeracy skills. 

During this course I have discovered how literacy and numeracy activities arise from social and cultural interactions with others through their need to communicate and create some form of symbolism, sound or gesture to interpret and make sense of their experience.  I can now understand more clearly how difficult it must be for people; particularly, whose English is their second language, to grapple with an educational system offering learning experiences similar to the way I experienced literacy and numeracy more than thirty years ago.  I can also see that today’s students’ are required to internalise and communicate using many more literacy technologies than I had as a student; furthermore, they are also required to extend their knowledge across a much broader range of cultures due to globalisation bought about via the rapid increase in literacy technologies over the past two decades. 

As a future teacher I am responsible for students’ individual development of literacy and numeracy.  I feel I need to prepare a simple learning experience template that will both capture the experiences of my students’ as well as to allow me to plan lessons that use these student experiences to my best advantage.  I want my students to make sense of information and relate to real life experiences in their own world or socio-cultural environments.  I also want to develop a repertoire of teaching strategies aimed at guiding and scaffolding students to engage with as many different literacy technologies as possible as well as to understand how literacy and numeracy may exist in many similar and completely different forms, applications and meanings as a result of the many cultures that exist worldwide.             

Socio-cultural Practices in Literacy & Numeracy

Emmitt and Pollock (1997, as cited in Lawson, 2011, week 5) describe ‘culture’ as being, ‘the ideas, customs, skills, arts and tools which characterise a given group of people in a given period of time’.  Therefore, for a culture to develop, individuals must socially interact and communicate in some way that allows them to establish ideas; create their own customs; produce works of art and apply select communication tools in their own way.  This communication is the language upon which one may begin to understand how literacy is shaped by views of how people interact socially within a cultural paradigm. 

The formation of a family unit is an example of this.  When a child is born and raised within a family, his/her literacy will be predominantly influenced as a result of the family social and cultural experiences.  These experiences will provide the opportunity for the child to engage with the family sharing ideas, interests, language, gestures, beliefs and skills.  As the child develops he/she will rely upon this socio-cultural environment to shape their literacies, similar to that of their family unit, and begin to making sense of the world they are within.  Lev Vygotsky's (1896-1934) social constructivist or social-cultural theory suggests that a child will learn from 'scaffolding and guided discovery, continuing interaction between the child and its environment to facilitate the child's understanding of the world about them' (McInerney & McInerney, 2006, p. 62).  

A child’s cognitive development is elastic and may take many different paths dependent upon the experiences a child is exposed to within his/her sociocultural environment (McInerney & McInerney, 2006, p. 62).  For example, language is attached to sounds or images.  At the simplest level, noises made when people are in pain or happy are universal; however, complications emerge as different languages in different cultures produce different meanings for the same sounds or images. A simple example of this may be taken from different cultural perspectives of the meaning of ‘air’.  Children developed within the Indonesian culture and language ‘Bahasa’ understand the word “air” to mean “water”: whereas, children experiencing an Australian and other English language based culture understand the same word in a totally different context (White, 1994, p. 112). 

For the aforementioned reasons teachers should take into account what students already know from their own experiences in socio-cultural settings.  This gives a broader and varied opportunity for students to make sense of their own world.  As expressed in another way by Winch & Holliday (2010, p. 98), ‘A sociocultural view of literacy maintains that comprehension must be seen in its social and cultural setting’. 

References

Lawson, J. (2011, November 28). Week 5: Socio-cultural practices of literacy &

numeracy. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDVT12015 Adolescent & Adult Literacy & Numeracy, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?Id=

238204

McInerney, D. M., & McInerney, V. (2006). Educational psychology: Constructing

learning (4^th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

White, I. J. (1994). Bahasa tetanggaku: A notional-functional course in Bahasa

Indonesia (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Addison Wesley Longman Australia Pty Limited.

Winch, G., & Holliday, M. (with Johnston, R. R., March, P., & Ljundahl, L.). (2010). 

Literacy (4th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

  

Socio-cultural view of Literacy

Definition: Culture - may be described as the ideas, customs, skills, arts and tools which characterise a given group of people in a given period of time (Emmitt & Pollock, 1997 in Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Numeracy EDVT12015, 2011).


Socio-cultural view of literacy=  This means that the language and mathematical concepts and processes that we use to engage in living in society are given meaning only if they are located within the cultures and social contexts in which they occur (Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Numeracy EDVT12015, 2011).  


Click here for HD LINK:    Example:"Literacy & Numeracy Demands in ITD Abacus Project"

Oakhill and Beard (1999) as cited in Winch et al.(2010, p. 98) argue that literacies are not a plural; that is,they do not equate with various cultures as this would mean that their are as many literacies as there ae cultures throughout the world.  Oakhill and Beard (1999) believe that teaching literacy is about teaching the skills of reading and writing and once learnt may be applied in many ways to cover the broad definition of literacy.  The skills referred to enable people to decipher the writing systems and systems that they need to use in their socio-cultural experiences.  Oakhill and Beard's view is very much influenced by cognitive psychology and its origins from Vygotsky.  Vygotsky's social constructivist or socialcultural theory suggests that a child will learn from 'scaffolding and guided discovery, continuing interaction between the child and its environment to facilitate the child's understanding of the world about them' (McInerney & McInerney, 2006, p. 62)

Teachers adopting a Vygotskian Social Constructivist Perspective for Education:
Teachers should:

1. develop students'personality
2. facilitate creative potential of students
3. actively involve each learner
4. guide individual activity of students and do not dictate or force own will upon them; rather,adopt collaborative approach where authentic teaching and learning arise from a collaboration between adults and students
5. align teaching strategies that support individual characteristics and development recognising a uniform approach is not adequate
6. provide tools that learners need to internalise the ways of thinking central to participation in the social and cultural world around them.

(McInerney & McInerney, 2006, p. 62)

Sommerville (2009) as cited in Winch et al. (2010, p. 98) believes the variations in languages, symbols and gestures' are in fact 'processes of translation' giving meaning to literacy as being linked in some way across all boundaries.  I do not agree with Sommerville's view that the concept of multiliteracies in a sense militates against this by encouraging teachers to add all sorts of different literacies believing they are all distinct from each other.  I agree that all literacies have a common foundation however and may be further linked as they are orchestrated in a socio-cultural manner by individuals.  

This can give rise to literacy theory as stated by Winch et al. (2010, p. 98-99), 'Literacy throws light on the nature of comprehension and the locus of meaning', nevertheless, 'in the balanced approach to reading ... the importance of the reader, the writer, the code, and the sociocultural context of the text are all considered important in finding meaning and teaching children to read.' 

Teaching writing in the classroom:

Focus on:

• effective use of language
• purpose of the writing (audience intended)
• teaching strategies include: Modelling Writing; Imitating Written texts; Guided Writing (joint construction of texts with peers or teacher); Independent Writing (assisting student to become a confident and accurate writer).  
• Recognising texts are socially constructed 
• Texts are written for a social purpose (instruction, argue a point, report on a topic or incident, tell a story ...)
• Texts are read within a social context.
• The critical importance for a teacher is to 1) understand the social importance of texts and 2) understanding of language are essential. 
• Sociolinguistic approach : emphasises the purpose of a text will determine: Structure, Grammar, Layout and Vocabulary required.  
• Recognition of students' social language experiences: Home; Community; Online & School formal and School informal.  These social contexts will provide most of the text types or genres students will be engaged in.   

Definition: Genre - 'refers to any staged, purposeful cultural activity, and this includes oral language genres as well as written language genres.  A genre is characterised by having a schematic structure - a distictive beginning, middle and end' (Deakin University, 1984, p. 25, as cited in, Winch et al., 2010, p. 424). 

NAPLAN Nightmares

24^th November, 2011.

To the Editor,

I am responding to your article titled ‘NAPLAN nightmares’ posted within the Education Review on the 11^th August 2011 (Appendix A).  I have two main concerns about the NAPLAN testing and reporting as I perceive this to affect students.  First, prevent the publication and use of NAPLAN data for general public misinterpretation or misuse.  Second, ensure the student environment remains the focal point whereby their level of awareness and preparation allows for individuals to perform at their best without excessive pressures.   

Foremost, I agree that the government has a duty to establish a set of key performance indicators (KPI’s) to analyse service levels offered across each of its educational facilities and provide management and other stakeholders with relevant information.  I do not believe on balance that the present NAPLAN measurement and My School publicised information is significantly increasing the improvement of student outcomes. Remuneration or funding should not be attached to NAPLAN results.  Any inconsistency or external influence out of one’s control will result in disheartenment and subsequent system failure.  A point we are currently approaching.  How this is best completed is another debate. 

There is no need for this amount or type of data to be made public via the ‘My School’ website allowing for misinterpretation or misuse. The free market should be encouraged to play its role in shaping public opinion of an individual schools performance in a way similar to other products or services in a free market economy.  The government should focus on packaging and marketing their educational services and resources at two levels:

1.    National level - refining resources and standards to support teachers, E.g.: The Australian Curriculum and strategies to meet future economic demands.

2.    Local level – support individual or collective groups of schools to engage directly with industries and communities.  Change local perceptions of so called underachieving schools through unique insights and opportunities. 

Presently, the government is attempting to educate the majority of the population about how to interpret complex NAPLAN data and to attempt to compare schools differing in geographic and demographic structure.  Each student requires teaching, learning, assessment and communication at a local level.  The Federal Government cannot administer programs at an individual level and should explore a framework to pass authority to each school to enable localised engagement and communication of all stakeholders. 

A leader of a group of individuals within any workplace, students or otherwise, aims at fostering an environment where individuals may perform at their best.  False positive and false negative results are currently being recorded as the extreme focus is creating unnecessary pressure upon students, teachers, schools and local communities.  When it comes to NAPLAN testing, a teacher should explain the full reasons for the test to students, including parents/carers, in terms of preparing them for their future; that is, to inform students it is likely they will be exposed to some form of KPI throughout their working life and this is a perfect example to be discussed.  They need to know who, what, where, when and how; but, the emphasis and preparation should not exceed any other examination normally undertaken and should be administered under usual school practice with a high degree of confidence in the teachers, as well as, bestowing a high degree of confidence in those being tested.   

The Wellington Point sub branch of the Queensland Teachers Union, highlighted seven key issues in its response, NAPLAN Senate inquiry submission (2010) (Appendix B).  The issues stated at points one and seven are similar to the concerns raised herewith.  I also note of the seven points listed, these are the only two directly related to student environment involving administration of the test and results; as opposed to, the structure and purpose of the NAPLAN.

Peter Spencer

4^th year Bachelor of Learning Management (Secondary & VET).

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

NAPLAN Senate enquiry submission document.

Putting it together

Steps	Things to consider
1.    Develop an action plan	• What are we trying to do? • What needs to be accomplished? • What literacy skills should we focus on in our ITD programs? • What resources are available to the faculty? • Where will we start? • How will we know that we are making a difference?	Discuss in faculty meetings. Link in with the whole-school literacy plan.
2.    Start with a current unit of work	• What do we expect students to be able to do at the end of the unit? • What literacy skills are needed to achieve the outcomes? • What literacy strategies are already in place? • Where could other literacy strategies be included in the unit? • What assessment methods can be incorporated? • How will we monitor the unit?	Revisit ITD outcomes and identify literacy strategies.
3.    Strengthen other units of work	• What unit of work will we work on next? • Who will be responsible for rewriting each unit? • What is our timeline for development? • How will we monitor each unit?	Discuss at regular faculty meetings. Allocate tasks within faculty. Use ITD or literacy

MAKING LITERACY & NUMERACY WORK:

Steps	Things to consider
1.       Implement the units of work		Teach the units of work.
2.       Collect evidence	• How best can we use student work samples? • What types of anecdotal evidence can we collect? • What formal assessment tasks should we include in each unit? • What other types of information can we collect about student achievement?	Identify formal and informal assessment strategies.
3.       Evaluate the units of work	• Do the literacy strategies relate to the unit outcomes? • Have we addressed all literacy areas (reading, writing, talking and listening) in our units? • Have we catered for all students? • How much time is spent on developing literacy in the ITD unit? • Has students’ achievement of outcomes improved? • What can we do better next year?	Use pre-planned evaluation strategies. Discuss at faculty meetings. Link to whole-school plan.
4.       Some personal reflection	• Where have I focused my development in literacy? • What do I already know? • What have I overlooked? • What skills do I have in the literacy field that will be of benefit to others? • What skills and knowledge of literacy do I need in order to do my job better?	Take time for some individual reflection.

(Education NSW, n.d., pp. 8-9).

Literacy Staff Survey

(A)1: Literacy survey of staff

Name: ___________________________________________________________________

Remember: Literacy includes reading, writing, speaking and listening in a range of contexts.

1. List any formal training qualification in literacy
(a) Preservice ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

(b) Inservice _____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

2. Do you have any other relevant training that could be useful in the literacy area at this
school? e.g. public speaking, writing, acting, computing…
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. In the area of literacy, list any skills that you feel would be of value to others in the work
place. _______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. Are you a member of any professional organisations that have literacy as a component?
If so, please list.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

5. List any literacy resources and/or strategies of which you are aware that could be used to
benefit teachers and students at this school.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

6. What classroom literacy activities do you use in your classroom?
Sometimes Often Regularly

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(a) What literacy programs or strategies do you think have been successful at this school?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

(b) Why?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

8. (a) What literacy programs or strategies do you think have not been successful?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

(b) Why? ___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking time to complete this survey.

Lit/Num. Demands in Secondary Schooling & ITD

Word Splash #1- 
Literacy & Numeracy Demands in Secondary:

Word Splash #2- 
Literacy & Numeracy Demands in ITD:

Literacy & Numeracy in an Occupation: Professional Sports Representative

Occupation/job/work area:  Professional Sports Representative

Literacy & numeracy requirements ·         Reading ·         Writing ·         Speaking ·         Listening ·         Mathematical thinking ·         Mathematical reasoning, ·         Calculations ·         Technologies ·         Software	Specific examples of the use of these in particular situations encountered as part of this occupation/job.
Reading	At times high profile players may be required to participate in advertising campaigns for either their sport, as with the rugby League NRL / State of Origin advertisements or brewery and other sponsor advertisements on TV.  Players must be able to read cue cards or teleprompter scripts to deliver their required lines.  Professional players are also required to enter into complex workplace agreements, read and understand the terms of their contract.  They are also required to read and understand the rules of their sport.
Writing	Most professional sporting players know their time at an elite level in a sport is limited due to the physical demands of the position.  As such, players also engage in other work activities in preparation for their retirement as a player.  Many write columns for sports magazines and newspaper articles.  Some participate in commentary on TV networks or gain positions as public relations officers and sales representatives for sponsor organisations.  Regardless, each of these positions will require a player to be skilled in writing and many require a high level of academia associated with various styles of writing (reports, proposals, autobiographies, columns, commentaries, executive briefs and summaries to name a few).
Speaking	Player accessibility is vital to a clubs fan base and corporate sponsorship; thus, players are frequently engaged as guest speakers for corporate events and other public forums to speak and interact with fans and sponsors.   Sideline interviews are usually sought by media following an event and a player, whether on the winning or losing side, is expected to conduct themselves as a professional at all times.  One’s speech must be fluent and appropriate for general broadcasts.  It is not appropriate for a player to simply stumble through an interview with words like “yah mate, tis all good buddy, got a flogging this arvo; but we’ll kick some #*^&@ next time”.   Why?  Because professional sponsors demand more and the general public also require players to be role models particularly for younger generations.
Mathematical Thinking, Reasoning & Calculations	Players become engaged in mathematical thinking both on and off the field.  A player thinks about the current scores in a game.  They must use basic mathematical calculations to inform their decisions.  Is it better to play for field position for a single point field goal or do we need to go for more?  A footballer will want to know how much time is remaining and how many plays might we have left in that remaining time.  A cricketer might need to know what the average run rate required per over remaining is. These are a few of the calculations and mathematical reasoning necessary for a professional sports representative.
Technologies & Software	Today, sporting personalities  are required to engage with fans and promote corporate sponsors and political messages across a variety of media, including new technologies such as Twitter and Blogs.  Computer based literacies require a person to capable of reading and interpreting language in a number of forms; such as in, speech, text, SMS format,  icons  and other pictograms.  For a sporting personality today, it is no longer good enough to simply read or write using traditional forms of communication such as pen and paper.  Today they must be multiliterate and engage in the use of multimodal literacies available through new and developing technologies