Beyond transition

1. Beyond transition Rowena Harper University of Canberra

2. Academic literacies approach ALL work dominated by an academic literacies approach, as in texts such as: Literacy by Degrees (1988) by Gordon Taylor, Brigid Ballard, Vic Beasley, Hanne Bock, John Clanchy & Peggy Nightingale. Lea and Street’s (1998) ‘Student writing in higher education: an academic literacies approach’ in Studies in Higher Education 23(2) • Avoids deficit models, which locate “problems” with individual students • Moves beyond a skills approach, which sees reading and writing as technical, instrumental and transferrable Focuses on ‘a wider institutional approach to student writing. . . to consider the complexity of writing practices that are taking place at degree level in universities’ and emphasises the ‘cultural and contextual component of reading and writing practices’ Lea and Street, 1998

3. Transition and academic literacy Students experience academic literacy development mainly in moments of transition: • first year, first semester • the first weeks of honours • the first months of a PhD Transition asrapid acculturation: constructs what we know to be advanced literacies as skills, which can and should be picked up in transition. “The curriculum and its delivery should be designed to be consistent and explicit in assisting students’ transition from their previous educational experience to the nature of learning in higher education and learning in their discipline” Kift, Transition Pedagogy,p.41 (emphasis in original).

4. Psychology

5. Management

6. “assessment should increase in complexity from the first to later years of curriculum design” Kift, Transition Pedagogy,p.41.

7. Staged development Develop a conceptual framework for systematically staging students’ academic literacy development through their degree program. • Basis: Research Skills Development (RSD) framework (Willison & O’Regan 2006) • Focus of two ALTC-funded projects • Used in 5 Australian universities • Also adapted as Work Skills Development (WSD) framework (Bandaranaike & Willison 2010)

8. 8 facets of academic literacy A set of skills, capacities or knowledges required to successfully engage in a discipline

9. 8 facets of academic literacy • Reading Studentscomprehenddiscipline-specific information • Recording Studentsextract relevant information from discipline specific resources and make notesusing language appropriate for the discipline • Reviewing Students evaluate discipline- specific information • Responding Students understanddiscipline- specific questions and how to answer them • Researching Students locaterelevantdiscipline- specific information. • Relating Students applyand synthesisediscipline- specific information • Reporting Students organise information and communicateknowledge using discipline-specific genres • Referencing Students acknowledge sources of information using an appropriate referencing style for the discipline

11. 5 stages of academic literacy development • Scaffolded Students develop literacies within a topic areaand Literacies require a high degree of scaffolding • Supported Students develop literacies within a topic areaand Literacies require some scaffolding • Guided Students develop literacies within a topic area and Literacies can do so independently • Supervised Students develop literacies within the disciplineLiteracies and require some scaffolding • Independent Students develop literacies within the disciplineLiteracies and can do soindependently

12. Level 5 – independent literacies Example descriptors: Reading Students comprehend information that requires extensive knowledge of the discipline Recording Students identify key information and make notes by transcribing strategically and summarising/ paraphrasing and elaborating confidently using the language of the discipline Responding Students generate questions based on experience, expertise and literature Relating Students apply and synthesise information to fill self- identified gaps or extend knowledge

13. Level 1 – scaffolded literacies Example descriptors: Reading Students comprehend information that requires little knowledge of the topic area Recording Students identify key information and make notes with a combination of transcribing, paraphrasing/ summarising and expanding using mainly lay language Reviewing Students evaluate information using simple prescribed criteria Responding Students respond to questions arising explicitly from a set task and ask questions of clarification/curiosity

14. Level 1 – scaffolded literacies Example descriptors: Researching Students use prescribed information and/or locate relevant information using simple prescribed strategies Relating Students apply and synthesise information to reproduce existing knowledge Reporting Students organise and communicate information using simple prescribed formats for lecturer/teacher as audience Referencing Students acknowledge sources of information using thereferencing style prescribed by the subject after a process of modelling, practice and feedback

15. How can we use this tool? Are discipline staff aware they require specific communicative practices from their students? If so, how do they understand their discipline’s own communicative practices, and how do they make these explicit for students? How can ALL staff support this?

16. How can we use this tool? • ALL community contribute refinements and challenges to ALDF • Are the facets comprehensive? • Are the facets appropriately worded? • Are the theoretical underpinnings of each facet sound, e.g. Scaffolding reading = considering “assumed knowledge” in a text • Are the levels useful and representative of what should occur? • Is the scaffolding approach to planning student development sound? Does this reflect what we aim to do with students and how we aim to do it?

17. How can we use this tool? • Apply the ALDF as a diagnostic instrument to assessment        

18. Conclusion • Our understanding of academic literacy requires that we move beyond transition as a phase of rapid acculturation • The problem is not with first year units or their assessment pieces, but with coordination across degree programs • Disciplines must consciously map student development in all the necessary skills and literacies • ALL staff may be in a position to facilitate this discussion with regard to academic literacy • The ALDF could be a useful tool in the discussion.