literacy impact!

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Literacy Across the Curriculum:

Maintaining the Momentum

Geoff Barton

April 20, 2023

All resources can be downloaded at www.geoffbarton.co.ukAll resources can be downloaded at www.geoffbarton.co.uk



1 Where are we (and where are you) with literacy?

2 Who are your key players and what do you need to do next?

3 Developing practical approaches …

• in Humanities subjects

• in Scientific subjects

• in tutor time

• in speaking & listening

… and how will you measure IMPACT?



The approach …



SECTION 1:

So where are we with whole-school literacy?

Reasonable but horrible

questions …

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are needed to see this picture.

1 - Name one child who has improved their reading or writing

based on a literacy initiative at your school?

2 - If you have a literacy working party, how much money do their

salaries represent?

3 - If I asked 3 of your staff what your whole-school policy said, what

would they reply?

4 - What do your best teachers do to help students read, write, think

and spell better? How do you know?

5 - If literacy is important, is it part of all lesson observations?

Reviews? Performance management?

English Review 2000-05

October 2005: Key findings

English is one of the best taught subjects in both primary and secondary schools.


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


Schools do not always seem to understand the importance of pupils’ talk in developing both reading and writing. 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’. Too many teachers appear to have forgotten that speech ‘supports and propels writing forward’. 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.


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.

NFER 2003: children’s enjoyment of reading had declined significantly in recent years

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’.


The role of teaching assistants was described in the report as ‘increasingly effective’.


Despite the Strategy, weaknesses remain, including:

the stalling of developments as senior management teams focus on other initiatives lack of robust measures to evaluate the impact of developments across a range of subjects a focus on writing at the expense of reading, speaking and listening.

Implications for you …?

Writing: is there an understanding across any teams

of how to develop writing - eg how to get better evaluations, better essays, better scientific

writing?

Reading: Who is teaching reading? Has reading for pleasure slipped

from your radar?

S&L: Does it happen systematically anywhere to

develop thinking and to model writing?

Leadership: Has your leadership team lost interest in literacy? How

will you reignite interest?



What’s the latest news?

LITERACY LATEST!QuickTime™ and a


• The standard of writing has improved in recent years but still lags 20% behind reading at all key stages (eg around 60% of students get level 4 at KS2 in writing, compared to 80% in reading).

• Writing has improved as a result of the National Strategy.

• S&L has a big role in writing - it allows students to rehearse ideas and structures and builds confidence.

• But S&L has lower status because of assessment weightings.

• In teaching writing we tend to focus too much on end-products rather than process (eg frames). We should think more about composition - how ideas are found and framed, how choices are made, how to decide about the medium, how to draft and edit.

• We are still stuck with a narrow range of writing forms and need to emphasise creativity in non-fiction forms.

• We need to rediscover the excitement of writing.

What we know about Writing …

With thanks to Professor Richard Andrews, University of York



• Who’s actually teaching writing in our school?

• Is there a shared understanding of what helps pupils to write?

• How can we teach composition?

• Which teams could have a particular impact if they developed a shared approach to writing?

• How is speaking & listening being used to help pupils to write?

• Is there a school or departmental approach to S&L?

• Where should we start?

Some implications for us …



• Aged 7: children in the top quartile have 7100 words; children in the lowest have around 3000. The main influence in parents.

• Using and explaining high-level words is a key to expanding vocabulary. A low vocabulary has a negative effect throughout schooling.

• Declining reading comprehension from 8 onwards is largely a result of low vocabulary. Vocabulary aged 6 accounts for 30% of reading variance aged 16.

• Catching up becomes very difficult. Children with low vocabularies would have to learn faster than their peers (4-5 roots words a day) to catch up within 5-6 years.

• Vocabulary is built via reading to children, getting children to read themselves, engaging in rich oral language, encouraging reading and talking at home

• In the classroom it involves: defining and explaining word meanings, arranging frequent encounters with new words in different contexts, creating a word-rich environment, addressing vocabulary learning explicitly, selecting appropriate words for systematic instruction/reinforcement, teaching word-learning strategies

What we know about vocabulary …

With thanks to DES Research Unit



• Teach 10 words per week - by whom, when, where?

• Ensure key pupils are read to with vocabulary explanations

• Teach new words in a text prior to reading

• Encourage questions about word meanings

• Display key words and meanings

• Have a glossary in the planner

• See tutor time as a literacy kick-starter each day




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

What we know about students who make slow progress …

With thanks to DfES



• How to get more S&L into their lives?

• How to get them thinking before answering?

• How to get better feedback?

• How to set more challenging targets?

• How to stop them from being invisible?

• Who should be their champions?




Background: concerns from employers about GCSE. Key skills effective but not mainstream.

Intention: students won’t be able to get A*-C without mastering level 2 functional elements. Could be standalone qualification. Won’t be solely multi-choice.

Currently: being trialled. Watch this space.

What we know about functional skills …

With thanks to DfES

What we know about Literacy Across the Curriculum



• Good literacy skills are a key factor in raising standards across all subjects

• Language is the main medium we use for teaching, learning and developing thinking, so it is at the heart of teaching and learning

• Literacy is best taught as part of the subject, not as an add-on

• All teachers need to give explicit attention to the literacy needed in their subject.



• Literacy skills are taught consistently and systematically across the curriculum

• Expectation of standards of accuracy and presentation are similar in all classrooms

• Teachers are equipped to deal with literacy issues in their subject both generically and specifically

• The same strategies are used across the school: the teaching sequence for writing; active reading strategies; planning speaking and listening for learning

• Teachers use the same terminology to describe language.

Consistency in literacy

is achieved when …

• Senior managers are actively involved in the planning and monitoring

• Audits and action planning are rigorous• Monitoring focuses on a range of approaches, e.g.

classroom observation, work scrutiny as well as formal tests

• Time is given to training, its dissemination and embedding

• Schools work to identified priorities.


are needed to see this picture. Ofsted suggests literacy across the

curriculum is good when …



KS3 IMPACT!

• What have been the successes in your own school?

• What do you need to do next?

Talking Point

Literacy strategy: The next phase

Self-evaluation:

So where are you up to in your school?

NO PROGRESS

GOOD PROGRESS

0 3 5


Key player Progress rating Priority

Head

You

SENCO

Teachers

Teaching assistants

Governors

Librarian

Tutors



SECTION 2:

Working with the key players

Focus relentlessly on T&L

“Schools are places where the pupils go to watch the teachers working” (John West-Burnham)

“For many years, attendance at school has been required (for children and for teachers) while learning at school

has been optional.” (Stoll, Fink & East)

‘Standards are raised ONLY by changes which are put into direct effect by

teachers and pupils in classrooms’

Black and Wiliam,

‘Inside the Black Box’

Key players

Strategy managerWorking party

Headteacher

Governors

Teaching assistants

Subject leaders

Students!

Librarian

Tutors

Key players

Strategy manager

• Focus, tailor, customise

• See as professional development rather than delivery

• Differentiate training

• Emphasise monitoring more than initiatives

• Use pupil surveys for learning & teaching

Headteacher

Must be actively involved as head TEACHER

Eg monitoring books, breakfast with students, feedback to staff

Must be seen in lessons

Must be reined in to prioritise

Librarian

Key part in improving literacy

Include in training

Part of curriculum meetings

Library should embody good practice - eg key words, guidance on retrieving information, visual excitement

Active training for students, breaking down subject barriers

Get a library commitment from every team

Then sample to monitor it

Governors

Visit library, get in classrooms, talk to students

Clearly signal the “literacy” focus

Emphasise s/he’s discussing consistency

Sample of students and feedback

Part of faculty reviews on (say) how we teach writing

Working party

Maintain or disband?

Less doing and more evaluating - questionnaires, looking at handouts, working around rooms, talking to students

Asking questions: “What do teachers here do that helps you to understand long texts better?”

Work sampling

Creating a critical mass

Students

Tell us how we’re doing

Build into school council

Small groups work with faculty teams to guide and evaluate

Audit rooms for key words, etc

Teaching Assistants

• Make them literacy experts

• Let them lead training

• Make their monitoring role explicit

• Publish their feedback

Subject leaders

• Help them to identify the 3 bits of literacy that will have the biggest impact

• Prioritise one per term or year

• Join their meetings at start and end of process

• Help them to keep it simple

• Provide models and sample texts

• Evaluate

• Build literacy into their team’s performance management

Tutors

• Reconceptualise tutor time as creating an ethos for learning / reviewing targets

• Think therefore how the environment of tutor groups could embody good practice - key words, glossaries, approaches to reading and spelling, connectives

• Reject silent reading and replace with literacy-based quizzes, etc

• Make the school planner a central document for literacy



1. Don’t call it literacy - call it good learning & teaching, or writing, or reading

2. Build it into lesson observation sheets

3. Build it into performance management

4. Keep it in the public eye

5. Emphasise increased student motivation

6. Talk to your Head about core skills for all teachers

Your role …



7 Show before & after models

8 Don’t focus on grammar knowledge needed by staff

9 Show it’s part of a whole-school strategy

10 Celebrate every small-scale success

11 Quote students’ feedback

12 Be consultant, not doer



SECTION 3:

Practical approaches

Book sampling…

Name Year / Set

Teacher Cover clean Y N

Homework evident

Y N

Homework marked

Y N

Presentation G F P

Types of writing General comments

Kate Elsom HISTORY

9

WD

Y

Y

Y

G

• Thinking • Notes • Extended

Clearly sequenced, challenging, high-level; exemplary feedback –

positive, precise, personal

Thomas Robotham HISTORY

9

WD

Y

Y

Y

G

• Thinking • Notes • Extended

V different ability of student – but same strong

expectations; tangible progress in student’s

work; supportive, positive marking

Chesney Ward? GEOGRAPHY

9

YE

Y

Y

Y

G

• Notes • Exercises

Good positive feedback; evidence of regular

marking; good range of writing

Scott Simpson GEOGRAPHY

9

HS

Y

Y

Not

consistently

G

• Notes • Exercises • Some extended

work

Clear and well-used overall; good to note some

extend worrk; marking appears to end in late Sept

1 What grade did you get in English? ®English Literature? ®

2 Think of all the subjects you studied last year. Circle one of the numbers below to show where you would place English in a rank order of the subjects you studied

1 (high) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (low) 3 Without naming teachers, please name ONE thing you liked most about English lessons 4 Without naming teachers, please name ONE thing you liked least about them 5 Looking back, how did you feel about your usual group for English for …

(a) getting on with other people? (liked it a lot) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (liked it a little)

(b) learning effectively?

(liked it a lot) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (liked it a little)

Student perception interviews Year 9 4 girls 4 boys Sets: 1 4 2 3 1 3 2 Rank order: 8 7 3 3 9 3 10 3 What do you like about MFL lessons? What activities do you enjoy? Why?

• Fun, li ke ICT interactive whiteboard, playing games, practical and group work What activities do you not enjoy? Why? What do you find difficult? What would help?

• Tests – some are useful and some are not • Practical lessons are good • Don’t li ke teachers constantly talking in French. I get behind and de-motivated • Don’t li ke having to speak in front of the class – feel under pressure and worried • Panic when asked to speak and don’t know how

How do you learn best? What helps you learn in other lessons?

• Objectives are sometimes set – but doesn’t make any diff erence • I li ke to have some group work and some formal writing • Reinforcing the talking with writing rather than just talking and then moving on and talking

some more • Group work • Games • When behaviour is good. Behaviour is good in languages

How do you feel during MFL lessons? What makes you feel this way?

- Bored – 1 student - Interested – 1 student - Enjoy – 1 student - Tired – 1 student - Don’t know – 4 students

Consensus from interviews - languages is “ok” but not a subject which students would wish to choose to take further. Group consensus that about 30% of the lessons are enjoyable. Most students preferred languages in the Middle School – more practical, games, etc

Of all the ways the teacher gets you to learn about things which do you enjoy the most?

• Activities – not writing, nothing intimidating. More discussion, needs to be variety (maths now = all from books)

• Biology = copy from board – don’t even read it • VA Ki in French to analyse own learning • If teachers drone on = some of us don’t have the attention span • Unfairness about time given to complete coursework ie some = meet deadlines. Others = 3 months

late so have extra 3 months to work on it • Too many tests in short space of time • Would help if dif ferent subject teachers could talk to each other so we do not get all coursework

assignments at the same time. Of all the ways the teacher gets you to learn about things, which do you enjoy least?

• Vague questions that you don’t know what it means • I think we should be setted for English because it could be more challenging too long on one piece

of work would be helpful, disruptive people were in difficult group • Humanities – go round and round in circles because don’t have specialist teachers. Spend time

trying to manage behaviour


IMPACT!



• General teaching approaches to writing, handouts, vocabulary development

• Specific approaches in humanities / scientific teaching?

• Culturally - in S&L, tutor time, the physical environment

What are the core literacy skills needed by teachers?

Reading Writing Speaking & listening Use layout and language to make texts accessible –

eg white space, typographical features,

summaries, bullets, short paragraphs

Be clear and explicit about the conventions

of the writing you expect from students – eg audience, purpose,

layout, key words and phrases, level of

formality

Using a variety of groupings for structured

talk – pairs, same-sex, friendship, triads, ability

groups

Using a range of strategies to support students’

reading – eg reading aloud, key words and glossaries,

word banks, display, paired reading, talking about texts

before answering

Providing assessment criteria and models of appropriate text types

Setting objectives for talk and providing language

models – eg level of formality, key words and

phrases

Spelling – marking no more than 3-5 key

spellings per work, writing the correct spelling in the

margin with the error identified; students putting these into spelling pages in

the middle of exercise books; using starters /

word games / mnemonics / display / rules / words

within words to support students’ spelling

Using shared composition to show students how to write

Providing alternatives to traditional Q&A

approaches – eg open questions, thinking time, big questions, no-hands, paired consultation time,

dealing with answers, prompts, answer starters

Essential literacy rooted in professional development

An example …



WRITING

Teaching sequenceKey conventions

Connectives Sentence variety



1

Know the writing sequence:1. Establish clear aims

2. Provide examples

3. Explore conventions of the text

4. Define the conventions

5. Demonstrate how it is written

6. Compose together

7. Scaffold first attempts

8. Independent writing

9. Draw out key learning



2Know the dominant text-types for your subject:

Purpose: What is its purpose? Who is it for? How will it be used?

Text level: Layout? Structure?

Sentence level: Prevailing tense? Active/passive? Sentence types and length?

Word level: Specialist vocabulary?



3Know 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



4Encourage sentence variety

1. Start with an -ing verb (Reaching 60 these days is ..)

2. Start with an -ed verb (Frustrated by ….)

3. Start with an adverb (Well-done chicken leads to …)

4. Start with a preposition (Within the city limits you will …)



5

Students must see you writing



KS3 IMPACT!



Talking Point



READING

Subject-specific vocabulary

Approaches to reading

Active research process, not FOFO Using DARTs



Subject-specific vocabulary:

• Identifying

• Playing with context

• Actively exploring

• Linking to spelling

6



Approaches to reading:

• Scanning

• Skimming

• Continuous reading

• Close reading

• Research skills, not FOFO

7



Using DARTs:

• Cloze

• Diagram completion

• Disordered text

• Prediction

8



Speaking & listening

Break tyranny of Q&A

No hands up

Thinking time

Get teachers watching teachers who manage S&L well

Reflective groupings

Rehearsing responses

Key words / connectives



KS3 IMPACT!



Talking Point



Better Handouts



BetterHandouts

Readability …

Morphine, C17H19NO3, is the most abundant of opium’s 24 alkaloids, accounting for 9 to 14% of opium-extract by mass. Named after the Roman god of dreams, Morpheus, who also became the god of slumber, the drug morphine, appropriately enough, numbs pain, alters mood and induces sleep. Morphine and its related synthetic derivatives, known as opioids, are so far unbeatable at dulling chronic or so-called “slow” pain, but unfortunately they are all physically addictive. During the American Civil War, 400 000 soldiers became addicted to morphine.

Morphine is a powerful sleeping drug. It is named after Morpheus, the Roman god of slumber and is famous for numbing pain, changing our moods and making people sleepy. With its related forms (known as opioids) it is unbeatable at dulling severe pain. However, it is also highly addictive and in the American Civil War 400 000 soldiers became addicted to it. Morphine is also known as C17H19NO3 and is made from an extract of opium (a seed in poppy plants).

17 14



BetterHandouts

Layout guidance …

Aim for:• spacious presentation (as much

white page as black text)• use of typographical features:

• headlines and subheadings• bold, italic, underline,

different font styles and sizes (though not too many in a single document)

• boxes, shaded panels, vertical lines to add visual interest

• use of columns to make reading more efficient

• short paragraphs • glossary of key words

Avoid:• densely-packed writing• cramped margins• excessive use of upper case

lettering• poor reprographics • lack of images / typographical

features• excessive use of colour (which

can actually prove distracting)



So what would you suggest …?



1 Mention big picture / purpose

2 Flag first task in advance

3 Highlight key words

4 Add more visuals



5 Use small-scale questions to build comprehension

6 Give guidance on the style and conventions of the writing task

7 Provide sentence starters / connectives

8 Give some indication of how the task will be assessed



For teachers of humanities subjects …

1. Readability through questions, subheadings, layout

2. Use of connectives like later, despite this, although

3. Formality (eg essay style that avoids “I” and emotion)



For teachers of Science subjects …

1. Demystifying complex vocabulary (making connections between words)

2. Modelling an impersonal style (including passive v active)

3. Teaching causal connectives



A Culture for Literacy



Creating a literacy culture …

1. Have core skills for all teachers

2. Have specific skills for specific teachers / TAs

3. Focus on library and tutor time

4. Have simple principles on speaking and listening - why it’s important; how it helps students to learn; what good teachers do

5. Build into school systems



Final Thoughts

1. Small steps

2. You’re coordinator … not doer

3. Work with key players

4. Focus on impact and evaluate endlessly (involving students)

5. It’s all about learning and teaching, not literacy



Literacy Across the Curriculum:

Maintaining the Momentum

Geoff Barton

April 20, 2023

All resources can be downloaded at www.geoffbarton.co.ukAll resources can be downloaded at www.geoffbarton.co.uk

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