Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies
Literacy and numeracy both underpin learning in all other subject areas and are required to be functional and everyday life. Standard 2.5 states that I should know and understand literacy and numeracy teaching strategies and their application in teaching areas (AITSL, 2014). Therefore the evidence I have provided includes a personal literacy philosophy statement which identifies my values and aspirations as a literacy educator and my beliefs about 'best' practice in literacy for all learners and examples of some teacher-made numeracy games which can be utilised in intervention to help students progress with the fundamental skills required to be successful in mathematics.
Personal Literacy Philosophy Statement:
Values and aspirations:
As a developing professional, my values and aspirations as a literacy educator stem from my beliefs about what entails effective literacy instruction. Firstly, the experiences we provide should reflect a consideration for children’s different lived experiences of literacy (Bayetto, 2009; Westwood, 2008). I feel that it is important for teachers to consider what each student brings to the classroom in regards to their existing literacy repertoires. It is important to me that children are provided with authentic experiences and quality instruction on the essential skills involved in learning to read, write and communicate whilst also being sensitive to students varying abilities, needs, interests and cultures (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). Literacy is a complex concept and is forever growing and changing (Boche, 2014). It is literacy which underpins the skills required to fully participate in all other subject areas and aspects of life (Browder & Spooner, 2011). Therefore my aspirations as a literacy educator embody a desire to enhance the literacy lives of all individuals. This can be achieved through consideration of the multiliteracies which drive our forever growing understanding of what it means to be ‘literate’. My literacy philosophy strongly respects that with differing needs and abilities, also comes differing means of accessing and utilising literacy. I value that all individuals can become ‘literate’ when provided with appropriate and quality instruction that is tailored to support the needs of all individuals.
Theoretical debates in literacy:
There are many different theoretical perspectives, approaches and debates which influence philosophy development. A considerable amount of research has been dedicated to the field of literacy teaching and learning in regards to the ‘literacy crisis’ (Freebody, 2007). This ‘crisis’ being that there is no ‘best’ way to teach literacy, nor ‘best’ way to define it (Freebody, 2007; Krause, Bochner, Duchesne & McMaugh, 2010).
Skills-based vs. Whole-language:
One of the ongoing major debates in literacy pedagogy is the skills-based approach versus the whole language approach (Konza, 2006; Street, 2013). The skills-based explanation sees literacy as a set of essential skills to be developed which is best achieved through explicit instruction (Altieri, 2011; Westwood, 2008). The whole-language approach however, emphasises that learning literacy comes naturally which is based upon meaning making, with an overall focus on whole texts rather than teaching letters and words in isolation (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014; Krashen, 2002).
Socio-cultural Perspective:
The social-cultural perspective views literacy as a social practice which varies in different contexts in regards to communicative purposes (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014; Street, 2003). This perspective suggests that literacy isn’t purely about acquisition of skills or natural growth; instead it is about children building their own identities and developing as a community (Luke & Freebody, 1999). Luke and Freebody (1992) developed a well-known model called ‘The Four Resources Model’ which is based around four sets of practices which children need to adopt to become independent readers (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014; Serafini, 2012). These include ‘breaking the codes of texts’, ‘participating in the meanings of texts’, ‘using texts functionally’ and to ‘critically analyse and transform texts’ (Ludwig, 2003; Luke & Freebody, 1999). The socio-cultural perspective has had a significant impact upon the way we view literacy in Australia as it is strongly reflected in the current National Australian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014).
Defining ‘literacy’ and what it means to be ‘literate’:
‘Literacy’ is a complex phenomenon. One of the reasons for this may be because of the forever changing definition of literacy in regards to the increasing number of multiliteracies (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). This is has sparked concerns for literacy pedagogy in the view that as the world develops and new literacies emerge, the practices of literacy teaching and learning should too (Altieri, 2011; Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). There is an increasing number of literacies that are needed in today’s society to achieve the status of being and becoming ‘literate’ (Altieri, 2011). Therefore we need to support students to develop these literacies so they can be actively involved in the range of social, technological, linguistic and cultural contexts in which they live (Ludwig, 2003).
The current Australian Curriculum 7.0 (n.d) defines literacy as ‘students involvement in listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying language for different purposes in a range of contexts’ (ACARA, n.d.). They also state that ‘students become literate as they develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to interpret and use language confidently for learning and communicating in and out of school and for participating effectively in society’ (ACARA, n.d.). I adopt this definition to inform my teaching practice as it is highly influenced by the socio-cultural view of literacy which reflects a lot of my values for literacy teaching and learning.
Implications for teaching and learning literacy in the classroom:
The contribution of theories and definitions has shaped my personal philosophy of literacy education which has overall influenced the decisions I make in regards to curriculum and practice. As educators in a fast developing world, I believe it is important to understand where we currently stand in the research of literacy and what approaches have deemed evidence-based to ensure best practice.
Both skills-based and whole-language approaches identify essential aspects to guide literacy learning and teaching (Dahl & Scharer, 2000). Lennox (2012) identified that favouring one approach could lead to a very narrow view of literacy. Therefore, I favour neither, instead place the two in a comprehensive balanced program as first suggested by Pressley (1998) (Pressley, Roehrig, Bogner, Raphael & Dolezal, 2002). I strongly believe that literacy is a social process and that we develop skills in literacy to communicate functionally in different contexts. Furthermore, I feel that classroom practice should promote individual identities, culture and communities. This can be achieved through utilising the four resources model as it reflects well-developed techniques to assist students to become literate (Luke & Freebody, 1999).
I believe that as teachers, we need to be aware of the growing number of literacies that need to be developed in order for children to be prepared to be ‘literate’ in today’s society. In this regard ‘time’ is one of the biggest barriers for primary educators (Altieri, 2011). I believe that to ‘fail’ in literacy is based upon access to resources, texts and exposure to the use of literacy, not individual deficit (Browder & Spooner, 2011). Therefore, in my classroom I will integrate literacy skills throughout subject areas, expand on content specific literacies and promote an overall literacy rich classroom environment (Altieri, 2011). I believe that the foundation for effective teaching of literacy is when educators know student’s current literacy repertoires and are able to be flexible in adapting to student’s needs, abilities and varying means of access to literacy in regards to augmentative and alternative communication.
My passion as a special educator strongly reflects my beliefs in regards to equal opportunities and maintaining high expectations of all students. Literacy is crucial in the promotion of independence and underpins functionality in life (Alfassi, Weiss & Lifshitz, 2009). Literacy learning for students with cognitive impairments was very limited in both teaching and resources; and limited expectations for these students was what followed (Browder & Spooner, 2011; Goldstein, 2011). My classroom will strive to provide equal opportunities through the use of accommodations including both adaptations and modifications to ensure students of all ability levels access appropriate literacy rich teaching and learning.
As a developing professional, my values and aspirations as a literacy educator stem from my beliefs about what entails effective literacy instruction. Firstly, the experiences we provide should reflect a consideration for children’s different lived experiences of literacy (Bayetto, 2009; Westwood, 2008). I feel that it is important for teachers to consider what each student brings to the classroom in regards to their existing literacy repertoires. It is important to me that children are provided with authentic experiences and quality instruction on the essential skills involved in learning to read, write and communicate whilst also being sensitive to students varying abilities, needs, interests and cultures (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). Literacy is a complex concept and is forever growing and changing (Boche, 2014). It is literacy which underpins the skills required to fully participate in all other subject areas and aspects of life (Browder & Spooner, 2011). Therefore my aspirations as a literacy educator embody a desire to enhance the literacy lives of all individuals. This can be achieved through consideration of the multiliteracies which drive our forever growing understanding of what it means to be ‘literate’. My literacy philosophy strongly respects that with differing needs and abilities, also comes differing means of accessing and utilising literacy. I value that all individuals can become ‘literate’ when provided with appropriate and quality instruction that is tailored to support the needs of all individuals.
Theoretical debates in literacy:
There are many different theoretical perspectives, approaches and debates which influence philosophy development. A considerable amount of research has been dedicated to the field of literacy teaching and learning in regards to the ‘literacy crisis’ (Freebody, 2007). This ‘crisis’ being that there is no ‘best’ way to teach literacy, nor ‘best’ way to define it (Freebody, 2007; Krause, Bochner, Duchesne & McMaugh, 2010).
Skills-based vs. Whole-language:
One of the ongoing major debates in literacy pedagogy is the skills-based approach versus the whole language approach (Konza, 2006; Street, 2013). The skills-based explanation sees literacy as a set of essential skills to be developed which is best achieved through explicit instruction (Altieri, 2011; Westwood, 2008). The whole-language approach however, emphasises that learning literacy comes naturally which is based upon meaning making, with an overall focus on whole texts rather than teaching letters and words in isolation (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014; Krashen, 2002).
Socio-cultural Perspective:
The social-cultural perspective views literacy as a social practice which varies in different contexts in regards to communicative purposes (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014; Street, 2003). This perspective suggests that literacy isn’t purely about acquisition of skills or natural growth; instead it is about children building their own identities and developing as a community (Luke & Freebody, 1999). Luke and Freebody (1992) developed a well-known model called ‘The Four Resources Model’ which is based around four sets of practices which children need to adopt to become independent readers (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014; Serafini, 2012). These include ‘breaking the codes of texts’, ‘participating in the meanings of texts’, ‘using texts functionally’ and to ‘critically analyse and transform texts’ (Ludwig, 2003; Luke & Freebody, 1999). The socio-cultural perspective has had a significant impact upon the way we view literacy in Australia as it is strongly reflected in the current National Australian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014).
Defining ‘literacy’ and what it means to be ‘literate’:
‘Literacy’ is a complex phenomenon. One of the reasons for this may be because of the forever changing definition of literacy in regards to the increasing number of multiliteracies (Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). This is has sparked concerns for literacy pedagogy in the view that as the world develops and new literacies emerge, the practices of literacy teaching and learning should too (Altieri, 2011; Cope & Kalantzis, 2009). There is an increasing number of literacies that are needed in today’s society to achieve the status of being and becoming ‘literate’ (Altieri, 2011). Therefore we need to support students to develop these literacies so they can be actively involved in the range of social, technological, linguistic and cultural contexts in which they live (Ludwig, 2003).
The current Australian Curriculum 7.0 (n.d) defines literacy as ‘students involvement in listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying language for different purposes in a range of contexts’ (ACARA, n.d.). They also state that ‘students become literate as they develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to interpret and use language confidently for learning and communicating in and out of school and for participating effectively in society’ (ACARA, n.d.). I adopt this definition to inform my teaching practice as it is highly influenced by the socio-cultural view of literacy which reflects a lot of my values for literacy teaching and learning.
Implications for teaching and learning literacy in the classroom:
The contribution of theories and definitions has shaped my personal philosophy of literacy education which has overall influenced the decisions I make in regards to curriculum and practice. As educators in a fast developing world, I believe it is important to understand where we currently stand in the research of literacy and what approaches have deemed evidence-based to ensure best practice.
Both skills-based and whole-language approaches identify essential aspects to guide literacy learning and teaching (Dahl & Scharer, 2000). Lennox (2012) identified that favouring one approach could lead to a very narrow view of literacy. Therefore, I favour neither, instead place the two in a comprehensive balanced program as first suggested by Pressley (1998) (Pressley, Roehrig, Bogner, Raphael & Dolezal, 2002). I strongly believe that literacy is a social process and that we develop skills in literacy to communicate functionally in different contexts. Furthermore, I feel that classroom practice should promote individual identities, culture and communities. This can be achieved through utilising the four resources model as it reflects well-developed techniques to assist students to become literate (Luke & Freebody, 1999).
I believe that as teachers, we need to be aware of the growing number of literacies that need to be developed in order for children to be prepared to be ‘literate’ in today’s society. In this regard ‘time’ is one of the biggest barriers for primary educators (Altieri, 2011). I believe that to ‘fail’ in literacy is based upon access to resources, texts and exposure to the use of literacy, not individual deficit (Browder & Spooner, 2011). Therefore, in my classroom I will integrate literacy skills throughout subject areas, expand on content specific literacies and promote an overall literacy rich classroom environment (Altieri, 2011). I believe that the foundation for effective teaching of literacy is when educators know student’s current literacy repertoires and are able to be flexible in adapting to student’s needs, abilities and varying means of access to literacy in regards to augmentative and alternative communication.
My passion as a special educator strongly reflects my beliefs in regards to equal opportunities and maintaining high expectations of all students. Literacy is crucial in the promotion of independence and underpins functionality in life (Alfassi, Weiss & Lifshitz, 2009). Literacy learning for students with cognitive impairments was very limited in both teaching and resources; and limited expectations for these students was what followed (Browder & Spooner, 2011; Goldstein, 2011). My classroom will strive to provide equal opportunities through the use of accommodations including both adaptations and modifications to ensure students of all ability levels access appropriate literacy rich teaching and learning.
"I believe that to ‘fail’ in literacy is based upon access to resources, texts and exposure to the use of literacy, not individual deficit"
Word walls:
Throughout my instruction I have used multiple strategies to enhance literacy in all subjects, as it is what underpins success in other subject areas (Altieri, 2011). Word walls is one of these strategies. I use word walls often when beginning a new topic to help me to gauge what students already know about a topic and what there interests are in relation to the topic. I find that these are great and it sparks some great conversations and often this sort of activity is student directed where the children are solely learning from one another. Word walls support the content specific literacy development and can be used as a supportive tool in the classroom when writing (Altieri, 2011).
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Enhancing Numeracy Development with Maths Games:
Throughout my professional experience, I have found that mathematics is a subject which causes many students to become anxious. Throughout my studies at university I was able to undertake a 'Students with Numeracy Difficulties' topic which we developed mathematics games to support students in developing some of the fundamental concepts and skills in learning mathematics. Math games are very motivating and exciting for some students and can be used as an effective additional strategy to support numeracy intervention for hesitant learners in Mathematics (Booker, 2011). The following images below are some of the games I have developed and used in classrooms as effective tools to enhance numeracy development.