NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

1. NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre Introduction

2. Acknowledgement of Country We acknowledge the traditional Custodians of this Land, where the Aboriginal People have performed age-old ceremonies of storytelling, music, dance and celebration. We acknowledge and pay respect to the Elders past and present, and we acknowledge those of the future, for they will hold the memories, traditions and hopes of Aboriginal Australians. We must always remember that under the concrete and asphalt this Land is, was, and always will be traditional Aboriginal Land.

3. Professional Teaching Standards Standards addressed at Professional Competence in this workshop include: 1.2.2: Apply research-based, practical and theoretical knowledge of the pedagogies of the content/discipline(s) taught to meet learning needs of students. 6.2.1: Reflect critically on teaching and learning practice to enhance student learning outcomes. 6.2.3: Engage in professional development to extend and refine teaching and learning practices.

4. Introduction • During this session, you will: • understand the rationale for Focus on Reading 3-6 • begin to think about changes to teachers and their teaching, students and their learning, the school and its culture • define ‘reading Y3-Y6’ and examine the critical aspects of literacy that apply to reading in the 3-6 years of schooling • be aware of six key strategies that students need to understand and use when comprehending texts.

5. Focus on Reading 3-6 in schools Prerequisite for Phase 2 Phase 2 (optional) - focus on vocabulary knowledge and fluent text reading Phase 1 - focus on comprehension Leading FoR 3-6 in your school program Leading FoR 3-6 in your school program Focus on Reading 3-6 Participant program Focus on Reading 3-6 Participant program • school-paced workshops • school-paced workshops • between-module tasks. • between-module tasks. • Ongoing support • in-school, within your region, NSW CLIC • program support and resourcing.

6. Phase 1 - Comprehension

7. Focus on Reading 3-6 in regions Prerequisite for Phase 2 Phase 2 - focus on vocabulary knowledge and fluent text reading Phase 1 - focus on comprehension Focus on Reading 3-6 Regional Leading Trainer program (initial and ongoing training) Focus on Reading 3-6 Trainer program Focus on Reading 3-6 Trainer program • incorporates Participant and Leading FoR3-6 in your school • incorporates Participant and Leading FoR3-6 in your school • additional literacy research and professional learning. • additional literacy research and professional learning • Ongoing support and professional learning • from NSW CLIC • within and across regions.

8. Focus on Reading 3-6 Participant program overview

9. Leading Focus on Reading 3-6 in your school program Module 1 1 x 2hr Module 2 1 x 2hr Module 3 1 x 2hr Module 4 1 x 2hr Leading FoR 3-6 success Leadership FoR and of 3-6literacy learning Leading FoR 3-6 differentiation Culture FoR 3-6 comprehension Between-module tasks

10. Focus on Reading 3-6 A professional learning program that: • engages participants in opportunities to reflect on their current teaching philosophy and to refine their teaching practice through action learning • provides participants with frameworks derived from research, to construct new understandings about how students should be learning and how teachers should be teaching in the 21st century • supports teachers to understand and deliberately teach reading strategies that will specifically enable students in years 3 to 6 to access the range of texts they are required to comprehend in the middle years.

11. Suggestedtexts Phase 1 Phase 2 Participant Program

12. Setting the scene ‘Breakthrough solutions’ precision personalisation professional learning Moral purpose transforming the working (or learning conditions) of others so that growth, commitment, engagement, and constant spawning of leadership in others are being fostered. contributing to reducing the gap in the larger environment committing to reducing the gap between high and low performers within your school or district making a difference in the lives of students

13. setting the scene‘reflective practice’ Reflect in the present (reflection-in-action) Reflect back (reflection-on-action) Reflect forward (reflection-for- action) Reflect within

14. Setting the scene‘School culture and structure’ Level 1: Tangible elements (the tip of the iceberg) Level 2: Values & beliefs (above waterline and partly visible below the waterline) Level 3: Underlying assumptions (under the water and out of sight)

15. Change practice Learning Teaching Teaching & learning Learning Teaching Teaching & learning Learning Teaching Teaching & learning

16. Connections to DEC initiatives and resources

17. Formative and summative assessment

18. Reading: A valuable tool Reading is a tool not a goal.

19. Making connections Reading and viewing, talking and listening, writing and representing are integrated. The explicit teaching of reading usually occurs during a literacy/English block/session. Many students are beginning to move or have moved, beyond the ‘learning to’ phase of reading development.

20. Adolescent literacy In recent years adolescent literacy has been rated as the ‘hottest’ topic in literacy education. Cassidy & Cassidy, 2007 (cited in Wharton-McDonald & Swiger, 2009)

21. Decline in motivation and achievement By the time students reach high school, they are less likely to: read on their own be interested in reading be proficient in reading. These declines in motivation and achievement seem to have their origins in upper primary grades. Cassidy & Cassidy, 2007 (cited in Wharton-McDonald & Swiger, 2009)

22. Decline in motivation and achievement Brainstorm What might be the reasons for this decline?

23. What the research says about ‘the fourth grade slump’ Move from an emphasis on strategies for decoding and fluency to an emphasis on using reading for understanding new concepts and ideas. Students are expected to read and learn about unfamiliar topics (unfamiliar vocabulary, complex linguistic structures). Comprehension is more challenging. Implications for your teaching?

24. The critical aspects of literacy that apply to reading in Y3-Y6 Constrained skills: Phonemic awareness Phonics Concepts about print Unconstrained skills: Comprehension Vocabulary knowledge Reading texts

25. Readings Reading Y3-Y6 In pairs read one of the articles on pages 11 to 16. Identify key points for: Comprehension Vocabulary knowledge Reading texts. With these key points in mind, record your group definitions on page 17 of your workbook

26. What do Y3-Y6 readers need? Recognise words on the page automatically and can decode unfamiliar words quickly. (Ehri & Snowling, 2004; Rasinski et al., 2005 cited in Wharton-McDonald, R. & Swiger, S. 2009) Read text fluently. Have a repertoire of comprehension strategies and know when and how to combine them. Employ metacognition to monitor their reading processes. Know a lot of word meanings (vocabulary). Know a lot about the world. (Anderson & Freebody, 1981 cited in in Baumann)

27. Definitions p. 17 Focus on Reading 3-6 (FoR 3-6) This professional learning program will focus on: Reading texts Phase 2 Vocabulary knowledge Phase 2 Comprehension Phase 1

28. Why include reading texts? Readers need access to the words on the page – quickly and accurately. Students who lack fluency and automaticity read less and avoid difficult materials. This affects not only comprehension but also restricts one of the avenues of learning. (Allington, 2006; Rasinski & Hoffman, 2003 cited in Wharton-McDonald & Swiger, 2009)

29. Why include Vocabulary knowledge? In relation to the ‘fourth grade slump’ … students’ decline began not in overall comprehension, but with a slip in word meanings, evident in fourth grade. (Chall & Jacobs, 2003 cited in Wharton-McDonald & Swiger, 2009) Word knowledge is cumulative. (Stahl & Nagy, 2006 cited in Wharton-McDonald & Swiger, 2009)

30. Why include Comprehension? Skilled readers: construct meaning using metacognitive strategies, for example: predicting, visualising, questioning, summarising, making connections, monitoring (Pearson, 2009)

31. A final note on comprehension instruction Durkin 1979 found that in the 4 469 minutes of reading instruction she observed, 10 minutes were devoted to teaching comprehension. (cited in Wharton-McDonald, R. & Swiger, S. 2009) Taylor & Pearson 2002 report that even in exemplary classrooms, very little comprehension instruction takes place. (cited in Wharton-McDonald, R. & Swiger, S. 2009)

32. The strategies pinwheel

33. Between session task Read at least two of the readings provided about comprehension Record your thoughts in your workbook on page 24 and 25 as you read. Complete the Teacher comprehension survey. Bring your thoughts to the next session.

34. Committing to reducing the gap between high and low performers Contributing to reducing the gap in the larger environment Making a difference in the lives of students Transforming the working conditions (or learning conditions) of others so that growth, commitment, engagement, and constant spawning of leadership in others are being fostered. Reflection What do these statements mean to you?

35. Bibliography Baumann, J. F. (2009) ‘Vocabulary and reading comprehension: The nexus of meaning’, in Israel, S. E. & Duffy, G. G. Handbook of research on reading comprehension ,Routledge, New York, pp 323-346. Fullan, M., Hill, P. & Crevola, C. (2006) Breakthrough, Change Forces, Education in Motion. Hoyt, L. (2009) Revisit, Reflect, Retell: Time tested strategies for teaching reading comprehension, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH. Paris, S. G. (2005) ‘Reinterpreting the development of reading skills’, Reading Research Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 2, April/May/June, pp. 184–202. Pearson, P.D. (2009) ‘The roots of reading comprehension instruction’, in Israel, S. E. & Duffy, G. G. Handbook of research on reading comprehension, Routledge, New York. Professional Teaching Standards, NSW Institute of Teachers, located on website viewed 16 September, 2009. <http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/Professional%20Teaching%20Standards.pdf> Wharton-McDonald, R. & Swiger, S.(2009) ‘Developing higher order comprehension in the middle grades’, in Israel, S. E. & Duffy, G. G. Handbook of research on reading comprehension. (2009) Routledge, New York, pp. 510–530. York-Barr, J., Sommers, W. A., Ghere, G.S., & Montie, J.(2006). Reflective Practice to Improve Schools An Action Guide for Educators, Second Edition Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.