LITERACY FOR LEARNING

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LITERACY FOR LEARNING

• Thinking ? Talking ? Listening
• ? Reading ? Writing ?

GEOFF BARTON
18 September 2020
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
THE FORMAT OF THE SESSION

• 1 The key stage 3 strategy
• 2 The Literacy Club
• 3 Teaching writing
• Recognising good writing
• Teaching it
• How much grammar?

Note Please heckle!
www.geoffbarton.co.uk
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
GROUND-RULE
Think practically - what can I use in my own
teaching?
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
We are part of the literacy club
Literacy is taught - it doesnt just happen
Every teacher in English is a teacher OF English
(like it or not)
Basic assumptions
Literacy today is different from when we were
younger
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
We are part of the literacy club
Language oddities
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
Please don't smoke and live a more healthy life
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
DOGS MUST BE CARRIED ON THE ESCALATOR
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
Sign at Suffolk hospital Thieves operate in this
area
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
ICI FIBRES
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
Churchdown parish magazine would the
congregation please note that the bowl at the
back of the church labelled for the sick is for
monetary donations only
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
GUESS THE TEXT TYPE
ICI FIBRES
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
1
Proud mum in a million Natalie Brown hugged her
beautiful baby daughter Casey yesterday and said
Shes my double miracle.I FIBRES
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
2
The blood vessels of the circulatory system,
branching into multitudes of very fine tubes
(capillaries), supply all parts of the muscles
and organs with blood, which carries oxygen and
food necessary for life.
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
3
Ensure that the electrical supply is turned off.
Ensure the existing circuit to which the fitting
is to be connected has been installed and fused
in accordance with current L.L.L wiring
regulations
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
Literacy today is different from when we were
younger

• Multi-media dominates
• Most classic texts are known through film
• Reading extended writing is rare
• A visual culture dominates
• The notion of accuracy is being challenged

• None of this is a bad thing

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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
Why is literacy such an issue?
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
The literacy context ...

• 7 million UK adults cannot locate the page
  reference for plumbers in the Yellow Pages
• 1-in-16 adults cannot identify a concert venue on
  a poster that contains name of band, price, date,
  time and venue
• A 1997 survey showed that of 12 European
  countries, only Poland and Ireland had lower
  levels of adult literacy

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BBC NEWS ONLINE More than half of British
motorists cannot interpret road signs properly,
according to a survey by the Royal Automobile
Club. The survey of 500 motorists - conducted
to mark the 70th anniversary of the publication
of the Highway Code - highlighted just how many
people are still grappling with it.
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According to the survey, three in five motorists
thought a "be aware of cattle" warning sign
indicated
an area infected with foot-and-mouth disease.
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• Common mistakes
• No motor vehicles - Beware of fast motorbikes

• Riding school close by - "Marlborough country"
   advert
• No motor vehicles except motorcycles - No Ford
  Populars
• Wild fowl - Puddles in the road

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LITERACY FOR LEARNING

• 60 of all jobs now require reasonable reading
  skills (e.g. being able to understand and act on
  written instructions, obtain simple information
  and understand a price list )
• The cost of low literacy levels is over 10
  billion per annum

(Ernst Young, 1993)
ECONOMIC ARGUMENTS
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
The great divide in literacy is not between those
who can read and write and those who have not
learned how to. It is between those who have
discovered what kinds of literacy society values
(and those who have not)
(Margaret Meek)
EQUAL OPPS ARGUMENTS
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
National data on pupil performance

• 11 year olds Key Stage 2
• The percentages of children reaching Level 4 and
  above in 2001 in Key Stage 2 tests by subject are
  as follows
• English 75
• Mathematics 71
• Science 87
• Girls outperform boys in English, reading,
  writing and science by ten, seven, fifteen and
  one percent respectively. Boys, however, have a
  one point lead over girls in mathematics.

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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
National data on pupil performance

• 14 year olds Key Stage 3
• The percentages of children reaching Level 5 and
  above in 2001 in Key Stage 3 tests by subject are
  as follows
• English 64 per cent.
• Mathematics 66 per cent.
• Science 66 per cent.
• Girls have a 17 percentage point lead over boys
  in English and a 2 point lead in mathematics.
  Girls and boys perform at the same level in
  science.

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LITERACY FOR LEARNING

• KS3 results show that pupils
• Are inclined to recount rather than explain
• Are stronger at narrative rather than
  non-narrative writing
• Have difficulties structuring writing
• Only 75 of sentences are properly demarcated
  using full stops

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LITERACY FOR LEARNING
So whats in it for you..?
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LITERACY FOR LEARNING

• Literacy supports learning. Pupils will
  understand and respond better to your subject
• Youll see improvements in the quality of their
  work
• Youll see increased motivation, especially from
  boys
• Better literacy increases pupils self-esteem and
  behaviour. It helps them to learn independently

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TEACHING WRITING
ACTIVELY TEACHING WRITING

• www.geoffbarton.co.uk

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TEACHING WRITING

• How weve often (not) taught writing in the past
• Recognising good writing
• Actively teaching writing

• www.geoffbarton.co.uk