Accelerated Literacy Pedagogy at Batemans Bay Public School

1. Accelerated Literacy Pedagogyat Batemans Bay Public School Batemans Bay Public School is a P to 6 school with a student population of around 500 of which approximately 18% are Aboriginal students. The school has two support classes, and a significant number of students with identified support needs in mainstream classes. Many of our students come from a low-socio-economic background in a coastal town with a transient population. Our staff consists of 21 classroom teachers and 8 support teachers.

2. Accelerated Literacy Pedagogyat Batemans Bay Public School Research based on Effective Classroom Teaching conducted by Brian Gray and Wendy Cowey places Accelerated Literacy Pedagogy at the cutting edge of effecting change in classroom practice that ensures success for all. IT HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES.

3. The jobs a pedagogy has to do Peter Freebody 2004 • Manage the bodies and the props • Manage the attention of the students • Deliver the syllabus • Allow for self-expression • Protect all individuals • Monitor student progress • And many others • A pedagogy must be able to provide access to all these imperatives. • However, if the teaching theory does not enable the teacher to manage the bodies and the props (the students and the materials) and student engagement, then it will be difficult to do the rest. This is highly significant in our work in Literacy at BBPS.

4. Implementing Accelerated Literacy Pedagogy at Batemans Bay Public School Our goal • Supported by the Principal and Executive Staff and through a combination of in-school and regionally-based training, we are working to ensure that all teachers at Batemans Bay Public School are trained to implement the pedagogy to the highest level in classroom literacy sessions. • This will require ongoing development of teacher knowledge and understandings.

5. Before Accelerated Literacy - pre 2007 • Our Literacy Programs relied heavily on reading schemes, supplemented by good literature. • Despite good teaching using ‘best practice’ and thousands of dollars worth of ‘levelled’ reading materials, many of our students were not achieving expected outcomes in literacy. • In addition, while many students learned to read, they did not comprehend text well and were not as successful with learning to write and spell. • In classes across the grades teacher talk was focussed on regulatory language to manage student behaviours rather than on the language of explicit teaching and learning.

6. Initial implementation – immediate impact • Teachers began to observe changes in students’ literacy engagement and talk about text, in students’ attitudes and understanding about learning, especially in writing and spelling, as well as in general classroom behaviour. • Parents noticed and commented on how their children were learning. • Attendance – children were motivated to come to school so they wouldn’t miss out on the text.

7. The ongoing impact of implementation • Gives teachers a ‘way of talking’ about their teaching through collaborative planning and dialogue; • Gives students a ‘way of talking’ about their learning through a common language in the classroom and through the grades; • Increased teacher knowledge of English K-6 syllabus and related documents; • Increased development and use of criteria-based assessments; • Teachers able to see the links between the syllabus and the AL pedagogy.

8. The ongoing impact of implementation • Children requesting their parents purchase texts they are studying in the classroom program; • One local bookstore owner (also a casual teacher) reported that she always knew what books were being used in the classroom because students came looking for them; • Parents revealing at parent-teacher interviews that they wished they had been taught this way when they were students themselves; • SLSO’s observations of ways students are engaging in literacy; their own realisations of how texts work; a comment to a teacher ‘I could have listened to you all day.’

9. The ongoing impact of implementation But more than that is • the depth of understandings, passions and feelings of children for quality literate texts; • the recognition of patterns through texts written by the same author; • the connection with the language and inferences (visual and written) contained within the text; • the conversations between teacher and child, between children and between teachers; • the teacher recognition of the powerful role of literate texts in classroom.

10. The journey – training teachers • 2006-07: 2 Classroom and 3 Support teachers attended Regional Accelerated Literacy Training in Wollongong • 2007-08: 3 Stage One Classroom Teachers attended PSP Initiative Regional Training program organised by Sue P in Batemans Bay • 2007-2008: 3 Stage Two Classroom teachers attended Regional Training in Queanbeyan • April 2008: Sue Purcell and Elaine Seymour trained as In-School AL Tutors in the first round of AL Tutor Training in NSW staged in Wollongong • May 2008 – Sue P and Elaine conducted the first in-school training at BBPS with ongoing support for 3 Early Stage One and 2 Stage One classroom teachers, and 3 regular casual teachers. Community members attended Module 1.

11. The journey – training teachers • February 2009 - Sue P and Elaine conducted a second round of in-school training at BBPS with ongoing support for 3 Stage Two classroom teachers and 1 Stage One classroom teacher, 3 support teachers and 4 regular casual teachers. Community Members attended Training Module 1. • Teachers in grades undertook corporate planning underpinned by the AL pedagogy for each study text led by Elaine or Sue. • 2009:Elaine attended a two-hour Factual Writing workshop and a day-long Grammar Workshop at Barrack Heights Public School at the invitation of Marianne Bunt, Regional AL Facilitator.

12. The journey – expanding our focus National Partnerships in Literacy and Numeracy 2009-11 • Despite pressure to focus our two-year funding on Numeracy in 2009, we decided to continue on our journey with Literacy. • We believe that teacher quality is the most important factor in student outcomes therefore our focus has been on building teacher capacity to build student capacity

13. The journey – towards sustainability Sustainable gains actually require that teachers, curriculum planners, school leadership get on the same page with a common vocabulary, a common dialogue and a common development vision of how literacy should be articulated across the whole of the years of your primary school. Allan Luke (Queensland University of Technology) We are well on the journey to sustainable gains.

14. The journey – review and refine • February 2010: Sue P and Elaine completed AL training with Marianne Bunt using her revised and new modules developed in response to previous participants’ feedback. • Terms 1 and 2 2010: Elaine conducted training for 5 Stage Three teachers, a Stage One teacher new to the school and 3 regular casual teachers using Marianne Bunt’s revised and new Training Modules. • Previously trained teachers were updated with practical elements of the pedagogy and resources to support classroom implementation.

15. The Journey – training mentors To maintain the consistency and integrity of the pedagogy the need arose to have mentors at each grade level: • March 2010: Sue Purcell, Elaine Seymour, Wendy Attwood and Susan Maxworthy attended ISER Regional Mentor Training conducted by Marianne Bunt in Wollongong. Sue P and Elaine assisted Marianne. This was the start of our Literacy Leaders group, but here was an urgent need to expand the group to support teachers at classroom level: • October 2010: Leesa Tillott, Marion Yates and Michelle Hovatta attended ISER Regional Mentor Training conducted by Marianne Bunt assisted by Elaine Seymour in Wollongong.

16. The journey – review and refine Updated knowledge for mentors • In 2010 Sue Purcell, Wendy Attwood and Susan Maxworthy attended Regional Training in Queanbeyan, at the invitation of Marianne Bunt, Regional AL Facilitator, to update their training on revised and new modules developed by Marianne and teachers • Terms 3 and 4 2010 Ongoing whole staff professional learning led by Literacy Leaders during RFF, in Grade, Team and Staff meetings and School Development Days to enable teachers to effectively implement AL pedagogy in classrooms throughout the school.

17. The journey – increasing knowledge • Parents and members of the community have been involved through P&C Meetings, AECG meetings to create awareness among Aboriginal Parents, open classrooms and demonstration lessons for parents, regular parent newsletters and updates on our school website. • Teachers from Moruya Public School visited to observe Sue P and Elaine teach literacy sessions in classes across the grades. • Other schools regularly contact Sue P and Elaine for assistance.

18. Major shifts • We don’t ‘teach AL’, we teach literacy as mandated by the English K-6 syllabus and supporting documents, using the pedagogy of Accelerated Literacy. As a staff, we talk about literacy sessions and study texts. • A major shift in thinking has occurred, one that has united us as teachers with a common goal. It has begun to eliminate confusions that exist around ‘teaching AL’; what can I or can’t I teach? • Teachers plan literacy programs in grade groups supported by a tutor or mentor and are able to revisit parts of the training modules as needed, or introduce new information in modules Marianne Bunt has developed in response to teacher needs eg Grammar, Factual Writing, increased understanding of PQR.

19. Major shifts • Teachers have been supported in this planning by Departmental Initiatives like Best Start Assessment and ‘a continuum of critical aspects of early literacy development’ K-2 and the early learning plans literacy in monitoring and tracking student outcomes • The newly released draft literacy continuum K-6 and developing support documents will enable Stage 2 and 3 teachers to monitor and track student progress and cater more effectively for them.

20. The challenges for teachers • As teachers-in-training change the way they teach, the Teaching Sequence occupies a large section of the morning literacy session. Some previous practices have to be shed in favour of implementing the sequence. • Teachers need to understand that parts of the Teaching Sequence can be employed to teach skills and strategies they would previously have taught in other ways e.g text deconstruction for writing. • As teachers gain experience with the pedagogy, time spent on each set of strategies is reduced, allowing greater time for other ‘good practices’ during the literacy session.

21. The challenges for teachers • ‘The Hand’ developed by AL Expert group has assisted teachers in recognising opportunities to further support the learning modelled during the teaching sequence. • Developing and using supplementary activities that are high quality, purposeful and support students in guided and independent practice. • Analysing data from a number of sources (NAPLAN results and school-based assessments)and applying information to the teaching-learning cycle.

22. The journey – tighten the teaching 2011 • SLSOs given a snapshot of the pedagogy as well as ideas for practical ways to assist in supporting teachers and students in classroom literacy sessions. • Ongoing professional learning in School Development Days, Extended Staff Meetings, Grade Planning Sessions and RFF focussing on • Spelling • Grammar • Lesson Observations • Questioning Strategies • A Teaching and Learning Cycle • Text Purposes with appropriate stage-based resources.

23. Ongoing Impact of the Pedagogy – students and parents • Increased levels of student engagement with lesson processes, content and concepts, leading toimproved on-task behaviour of all students during literacy sessions. • Observations of students engaging in class discussions about their literacy learning. Students have clear lesson goals and overall text goals to support them in regulating their learning. Students want to know the purpose of learning experiences and how these contribute to the overall focus of the study text. • Parent feedback has indicated that students are motivated to engage with the techniques used by authors. Students are taking home their new learning and sharing it with their families. Children are wanting to write at home like ‘Roald Dahl’.

24. Ongoing Impact of the Pedagogy - teachers • Increased levels of professional dialogue around teaching, learning and assessment. This dialogue is occurring during team meetings, staff meetings and during general staffroom conversation. • The AL pedagogy, as well as teachers’ increased understandings of the Syllabus and the Quality Teaching Framework, has provided the common ground for such dialogue. • The teaching sequence firmly embedded in the pedagogy has provided teachers with the platform from which to explicitly teach the content of the syllabus. • Challenges and successes are shared by all teachers in an environment of professional acceptance.

25. Ongoing Impact of the Pedagogy - Preschool • Mundarra students are familiar with the Low Order Literate Orientation and Book Reading sections of the AL Teaching Sequence, and are confident to speak about authors and books and how they work. • They share their understandings of themes and illustrations in texts with excitement and enthusiasm. • Students sit for increasing amounts of time engaged in literate discussion of texts.

26. Ongoing Impact of the Pedagogy - Preschool • Teachers have witnessed an increased readiness for school in students who feed into our Kindergarten classes from our Mundarra Preschool each year. Those 30-35 Preschoolers set the benchmark for other students and assist in creating a more settled start to Kindergarten. They are familiar with the ‘big’ school, the canteen, Library, playground and Kinder classrooms. They have regularly visited Kindergarten classes and had Kindergarten classes visit them in the Preschool. • They also carry with them to school an expectation that books will do something for them, are excited by texts and have no fear of ‘getting into books’.

27. Future directions The challenges • Analysing assessments to better inform teaching • Short sharp focus of sessions in small group interventions • Continuous updating of teacher knowledge particularly for Literacy Leaders • Changing the mindset – what kids can’t do • Staff changes through retirement and grade changes • Training casual teachers • Sustainability in the face of no funding beyond TPL • Innovative practices for sustaining the pedagogy regardless of staffing challenges

28. Our belief If we empower teachers and build capacity, this in turn ensures that the curriculum needs are met, all students are engaged and outcomes are high …

29. our journey continues ... Batemans Bay Public School Literacy Team August 2011