Title: Literacy: keeping primary pupils engaged
1Literacy keeping primary pupils engaged
2Key issue addressed by the study
- This study investigated
- why pupils were highly motivated and engaged in
some classes, but not others - what causes pupils to go off task
- effective teaching and learning approaches
-
3Approaches found to engage pupils in literacy
lessons
- Choice
- Challenge
- Pupil self control
- Collaboration
- Emphasis in sense making
- Positive consequences
4Keeping pupils on task choice and challenge
- Teachers allowed pupils to select the tasks and
texts they were interested in and found
personally relevant - Teachers regulated the level of challenge by
providing support and structure for pupils
learning which they gradually withdrew
5Keeping pupils on task pupil control and
collaboration
- Teachers involved pupils in decision making and
setting their own goals
- Teachers encouraged social interaction among
pupils which helped them learn from each other
6Keeping pupils on task meaning and positive
consequences
- Teachers helped pupils make sense of what they
were learning by getting them to using the text
to solve problems, and find out new information - Teachers used open questions to invite opinions
so all responses were valid
7What was happening when pupils went off task?
- 82 of off task behaviour took place when
activities - had narrow strategies for success or one correct
answer, for example learning about punctuation
through a worksheet exercise - had no follow up opportunities for pupils to
apply the skills they had learnt - were mostly whole class in which pupils listened
to the teacher or worked independently on
workbook style exercises
8What did children do when they were off task?
- Children showed resistance to engaging in tasks
by - wasting time by going to the toilet, colouring
and losing their place - becoming restless and inattentive
- crying
9Who were the children in the study?
- The children were aged 5-8 years
- They attended 13 different primary schools
10How was the information gathered?
- The researchers
- observed teachers during literacy sessions
- interviewed teachers about their practices
- completed an observation proforma after each
visit to reflect on and quantify what they
observed - The researchers analysed their finding according
to - the activities children were involved in
- the time children spent reading and on isolated
tasks - the time children were off-task
11How can teachers use the evidence in this study?
- Pupils were more engaged in their work when they
were offered some choice about what they were
doing - You might consider having a whole class
discussion about how pupils choosing texts helps
to increase their sense of control and stimulate
their interest at the same time.
12How can school leaders use the evidence in this
study?
- The study identified a range of strategies for
encouraging pupil engagement in literacy lessons - How do you currently assess the range and success
of strategies teachers in your school are using?
You might want to include the strategies in this
study as part of a schedule for observing
literacy sessions in your school.
13Follow-up reading
- Study reference Powell, R., McIntyre, E.,
Rightmyer, E. (2006) Johnny wont read, and Susie
wont either Reading instruction and student
resistance in Journal of Early Childhood
Literacy 6 (1) pp. 5-31 - You might like to read a longer summary of
effective teachers of literacy on the GTC
website http//www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics
/rom_curriculum/literacy/
14Feedback
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- What did you like?
- What didnt you like?
- Any feedback on this Research Bite
- would be much appreciated. Please email
- your feedback to
- research.summaries_at_dcsf.gsi.gov.uk