 |
| This article first appeared
in the June 2003 issue of Literacy
Today (issue no. 35). |
Making
links
Barbara Welford
| Literacy
across the curriculum is essentially about effective teaching and
learning. Members of the Key Stage 3 National Strategy team and Barbara
Welford of the English team explain how Teaching and Learning in the
Foundation Subjects, a key strand of the strategy, fits in. |
Literacy across the curriculum
is not a new idea. Indeed, well before there was a national strategy for
key stage 3 many schools were adopting such approaches as a way of raising
standards across all subject areas.
Literacy Across the Curriculum, part of the English strand of the Key
Stage 3 National Strategy, was rolled out in English schools in September
2001. It encourages all schools to focus on these approaches to improving
literacy. They are supported in this by the combined efforts and activities
of English and foundation subjects consultants, and also by the fact that,
in all strands of the strategy, it is expected that attention be paid
to the literacy needs of pupils and the literacy demands of subjects.
The four underpinning
principles of the KS3 National Strategy
Expectations - creating a can-do culture: schools expect pupils
to succeed, and they mitigate barriers to learning
Progression - ensuring learning is progressive through from
KS1 by clearly defining learning objectives within the strands and
building on the same pedagogies of the Primary Strategy
Engagement - offering teaching which engages pupils, limits
attainment dips and ensures increasing independence
Transformation - transforming the experience of pupils at KS3
to maximise learning and achievement |
The six separate strands of
the Key Stage 3 National Strategy share four underpinning principles (see
above). To translate the principles into classroom action, the Strategy
also advocates key pedagogies which can be used by all teachers, in all
subjects. Some are generic, but part of enhancing all teaching:
- teaching to objectives
- structuring lessons for learning to provide a variety of styles
and a mix of teacher-taught, group and independent learning
- planning speaking and listening for learning
- using assessment to decide on the next steps for pupils' learning.
Some are more specific to
the teaching of literacy as appropriate within subject areas:
- active reading strategies such as text marking, text transformation
and text re-ordering
- using a sequence for teaching writing which moves from identifying
key features through reading to writing a similar text. This provides
pupils with the confidence to produce text independently
- teacher modelling of how to read a text or write a section of
text
- scaffolding pupils' first attempts at an activity: setting pupils
up for success
- teaching spelling, not learning lists of words.
Literacy Across the
Curriculum training material is designed to support all teachers in developing
literacy, for example, through active reading strategies, the sequence
for teaching writing and spelling instruction. It also suggests that schools
set whole school curricular targets, such as securing paragraphing, and
plan these into individual subjects' schemes of work. English Framework
objectives should be planned into subject schemes of work to support the
delivery of literacy in that subject. If the whole school literacy target
is to secure paragraphing, for example, then subject areas should look
to the relevant English objective and build teaching opportunities for
this into their planning to secure that target through Years 7, 8 and
9.
To complement this approach, the training material for Teaching and Learning
in the Foundation Subjects, launched in September 2002, exemplifies in
detail processes such as modelling. Pupils' progress in literacy is related
to their ability to think and learn, their cognitive development. So the
modules in the Knowing and Learning section of the foundation subjects
training folder, which deal with aspects of thinking skills, are particularly
relevant to literacy across the curriculum.
Schools have made good use of the original Literacy Across the Curriculum
training materials, selecting flexibly from the different modules to construct
whole-school approaches. These are still an important resource as schools
build and develop their practice. To consolidate and embed the key approaches,
a series of additional training materials, Literacy in, was developed,
beginning with six subjects: modern foreign languages, physical education,
design and technology, art and design, geography and history. Local education
authorities are using these as part of their training; English consultants
are delivering them alongside teacher/advisers, subject specialist advisers,
advanced skills teachers and respected subject specialists, and often
with foundation subject consultants.
The Literacy in materials exemplify, for example, predominant text
types for the subject and how the sequence for teaching writing might
be used to raise standards in writing. They also show how teachers can
plan speaking and listening for learning and ensure pupils engage with
subject texts in an active way. These are supported by the foundation
subjects material so, for example, geography teachers will be receiving
the same messages from both Literacy Across the Curriculum and the Foundation
Subjects strand.
By January 2004, the Literacy in material will be extended to the other
subjects: religious education, music, citizenship and maths. Case studies
and examples of effective literacy teaching across the curriculum will
also be available to schools in 2004. In addition, science has its own
Literacy in materials as part of its training programme. Needless to say,
this too promotes the same pedagogies as Literacy Across the Curriculum
and the Foundation Subjects. Foundation subjects are now piloting materials
to exemplify the pedagogies in modern foreign languages and design and
technology. Gradually, teachers will internalise these common approaches
to better support their pupils' learning.
Consultants from different strands of the strategy are beginning to work
together under the management of the Key Stage 3 Strategy managers in
local education authorities. All foundation subject consultants have been
trained on literacy across the curriculum and English consultants have
been trained in foundation subjects material. Some authorities are beginning
to refer to teaching and learning consultants who have a subject specialism
rather than English or maths consultants. In many cases, English and foundation
subjects consultants work together in departments to develop modelling
or questioning.
The table below shows how the various aspects link together and support
each other. It's taken from a leaflet which can serve as a management
guide for schools looking to move further on literacy across the curriculum
and plan for transforming teaching and learning.
Linking the strands
| - |
LAC training
folder |
Foundation
subjects training material |
Science |
Mathematics |
| Planning |
-Module 1,
Whole school implementation
-plus the Framework for teaching English, Years 7-9 |
-Introduction
-Module 3, Planning lessons
-Module 7, Starters -Module 8, Plenaries
|
-Framework
for teaching science, Years 7-9
|
-Framework
for teaching mathematics, Years 7-9 |
| Speaking
and listening |
-Module 7,
Managing group talk
-Module 8, Listening
|
-Module 4, Questioning
-Module 5, Explaining
-Module 10, Engagement
-Module 12, Thinking together
|
-Literacy
in science: session 4 |
- |
| Modelling
writing |
-Module 2,
Writing non-fiction
-Module 3, Writing style
-Module 4, Spellling and vocabulary |
-Module 6,
Modelling |
-Literacy
in science: session 3 |
- |
| Active
reading |
-Module 5,
Active reading strategies
-Module 6, Reading for information
-Module 9, Making notes |
-Module 11,
The principles for teaching thinking
-Module 14, Big concepts and skills |
-Literacy
in science: session 2 |
- |
| Marking
and assessment |
-Module 11,
Marking for literacy |
-Modules
1, 2 and 3, Planning and Assessment
-Module 13, Reflection |
- |
-Using key
objectives, NC level descriptions and NC optional tests at KS 1, 2
and 3 |
There is also a series of
key messages leaflets for foundation subjects, one for each section of
the training folder, which summarise the content of the training module
and identify possible ways of combining this training material with the
modules in the Literacy Across the Curriculum folder.
What might joint working in literacy across the curriculum look like?
The East Riding of Yorkshire, like many local education authorities, has
some good examples. One school is merging the strands by using questioning
and plenaries to enhance the school's earlier work on literacy across
the curriculum. This ensures that speaking and listening is more focused,
pupils are engaged and teachers become much more aware of the questions
they ask - what kind and who of - and how these questions develop understanding
in their subject. The school is now developing coaching as a way of improving
teaching and learning.
The authority is also planning to have teachers who would work as lead
learners, supporting teachers in implementing their teaching and learning
policy. Both the foundation subjects consultant and the English consultant
are involved in training these teachers in aspects of both strands.
In many schools receiving support, the foundation subjects and English
consultants work jointly with the Key Stage 3 Strategy manager to develop
an action plan for raising standards in the school by improving the quality
of learning.
As the national strategy moves into whole school implementation in 2003-4,
all the strands will work together to improve the learning experience
for all children in key stage 3. The aim is to provide pupils with common
approaches to learning that they will meet across the curriculum, and
to ensure that learning is made explicit for all pupils. More and more
schools are recognising that, to raise standards, everyone must be involved;
and that literacy is the key. The end result should be the best possible
outcomes for pupils.
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