How important is literacy to student success?

Queensland Education describe literacy as the ability to read, view, write, design, speak and listen in a way that allows us to communicate effectively and to make sense of the world.

Literacy is what allows us to decode text, pictures, maps, audio, signs etc to be able to understand the meaning attached to message.

Dimension 4 is the stage after we acquire the knowledge and how we then use this knowledge meaningfully to assist in making informed decisions. By involving students in this process allows for their own personal growth and the greater the motivation the higher the proficiency and understanding related to that knowledge.

Dimension 4 is broken up into six reasoning processes these are - Decision Making- Problem Solving- Invention- Experimental Inquiry- Investigation- System AnalysisThe process which we will look at further is the Investigation process.

Help students understand the process of investigation

Give students a model for the process of investigation, and create opportunities for them to practice using the process.

Help them focus on critical steps and difficult aspects of the process.

Provide students with graphic organisers

Use teacher-structured and student structured tasks

What value do you place on literacy concerning education?

Do you feel that literacy is an important component for every subject?

Does literacy assessments help identify areas of concern?

Does a literacy assessment reflect literacy inadequacies across a range of subjects?

Are there any suggestions as to how you might improve the system?

Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success?

Question 1: What value do you place on literacy concerning education?

Known or Agreed Upon:

Literacy is what our community and social life is based upon.Literacy is used throughout every subject without it they can not perform the tasks or improve their own knowledge.

Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success?

Question 2: Do you feel that literacy is an important component for every subject?

Known or Agreed Upon:

Literacy is used in every subject and everyday lives.Literacy is vital for decoding messages. Every subject has its own literacy but are linked through common elements.Literacy is used throughout every subject without it they can not perform the tasks or improve their own knowledge.Literacy is across all the KLA’s

Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success?

Question 3: Does literacy assessments help identify areas of concern?

Known or Agreed Upon:

All assessments help to gather information but not all are diagnostic. Running records and comprehension assessments help to gatherinformation about the students individual needs.

Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success?

Question 4: Does a literacy assessment reflect literacy inadequacies across a range of subjects?

Known or Agreed Upon:

Can do depending on how they are set up especially through using comprehension questions or types of written reports.

Concept/Scenario: How important is literacy to student success?

Question 5: Are there any suggestions as to how you might improve the system?

Resolution:

Focus more on literacy within the subject not the knowledge content. Allocation of time does not always allow for the added extra benefit of exploring the literacy within each subject. Literacy circles have helped to identify areas of concern and work towards goals.

Formative Assessments - is to gather feedback that can be used by the learning manager and the students to guide improvements in the ongoing teaching and learning context

Summative Assessments - is to measure the level of success or proficiency that has been obtained at the end of an instructional unit, by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Diagnostic Assessment – is a type of formative assessment used to identify a students level of competence or establish if there are learning disabilities.

Formative Summative Diagnostic

Observations Performance Task Naplan

Questioning Written Product Running Records

Discussion Oral Product

Think Pair Share Test (Unit)

Peer/Self Assessments

Literature circles

Word walls

Reading groups

http://education.qld.gov.au/literacyandnumeracy/pdf/factsheet-l-n.pdf

Marzano. R.J, (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Aurora: McREL

Brady. L, (). Assessment and Reporting. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Australia

Winch. G, (2011). Literacy reading, writing & children’s literature. Melbourne: Oxford University Press