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Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 1 Contemporary Literacy Pedagogies in the Diverse Classroom Ruth Fernandez EDP333: English pedagogies and integrated curriculum

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 2 Contemporary Literacy Pedagogies in the Diverse Classroom Introduction Students with learning differences often see themselves as incompetent in many as- pects of school life (Lavoie, 2005). This can then, in turn, make a student unmoti- vated and unexcited to complete set tasks or to read and write through a fear of fail- ure. This can also decrease students self-esteem and decline social skills. The goal of the expert teacher is to empower students to overcome the barriers that limit par- ticipation and achievement (UNESCO, 2017). This essay will discuss contemporary literacy pedagogies and how they can advan- tage students with learning difficulties through productive and purposeful teaching. The essay will examine didactic, authentic, functional and critical pedagogies. The essay will also demonstrate how the expert teacher uses these pedagogies in the classroom to provide an exciting, engaging and inclusive learning environment for students with learning difficulties. Didactic Pedagogy. The didactic approach to learning came to light in the 16th century and is accredited to French academic, Petrus Ramus. This approach is entrenched in the industrial era of the mass institutionalised schooling system of conformity, obedience, a subordi- nate walk force that follows orders without challenge (Graff; Graff, as cited in Kalantzis, Cope, Chan, & Dalley-Trim, 2016, p. 112). It is closely related to a tradi- tional behaviourist theory where the teacher is in the active role of dispensing knowl- edge through instruction that explicitly transfers skills, knowledge and strategies. This bottom-up approach is communicated to students through highly engaging lessons that are engineered for students success (de Silva Joyce, & Feez, 2016). “The prescribed approach to teaching is tightly paced, linear and incremental, aiming to maximise time on task, and positively reinforce student behaviours” (Luke, 2014, p.g.1). The expert teacher can use this approach to teach students with learning diffi- culties synthetic phonics, reading comprehension, grammar, naming language struc- tures and literature applications (Kalantzis et.al, 2016).

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 4 the teacher as the facilitator, or the activator of learning, providing students with lessons that engage and build on students knowledge, strengths, and interests. The expert teacher empowers students to think more creatively through the context of real-life situations. Students are no longer passive consumers, they are “actively en- gaged learners who construct their own knowledge” (Tompkins, Campbell, Green, & Smith, 2015). For the student with learning difficulties, learning experiences can be written aiming at the students’ interests and what engages them in learning. When teaching students with learning difficulties, engagement is the key to success (Jen- zen, 2019). The expert teacher could use this pedagogical practice in a number of ways in the classroom to assist students with learning difficulties. Planned lessons should em- phasise hands-on learning that teaches by doing. The student’s learning is enhanced through engagement in activities that put their knowledge to use, this in turn, devel- ops greater understanding. Students with learning difficulties will learn to think criti- cally and creativity to reach set goals. The expert teacher is not only concerned with the student becoming a good learner but part of a classroom and school community that works together to collaborative. To assess student’s progression, the students need to have a clear vision about what they are learning. “By engaging students as active participants in assessment helps them develop the capability to analyse their own learning to become self-directed learners” (Phelps, 2014, p.g. 144) Functional Pedagogy. This approach concentrates on the reading and composing of text which empowers students to succeed at school and within society. Functional pedagogy was founded in the 1970 and is based Michael Halliday’s systematic functional linguistics to liter- acy learning (Kalantzis et.al, 2016). Also known as genre pedagogy, the functional approach aim is to assist student’s in understanding the reason why real-world texts exist and how texts are affected. By asking initial questions such as “What is the pur- pose of this text?” and “How is the text structured to meed this communicative pur- pose” (Kalantzis et.al, 2016), questions the students understanding of its commu-

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 5 nicative purpose. At its foundation, it ask the student to analyse the purpose of a text and how the text is structured to meet the purpose. Within this pedagogy, texts are examined from a wide perspective then broken down into smaller increments, first by examining students understanding of the topic, then the text as a whole then examined at a structural stages (macrostructure) then fol- lowed by language patterns within the stages (microstructures) (Kalantzis et.al, 2016). Teachers can help students with learning difficulties understanding the decon- struction through discussion or brainstorming activity. To gain a greater understand- ing, students can read multiple texts on the topic (Cummins, 2017). This can be done through a teacher-led reading, shared reading guided or even individual reading, what ever will benefit the students understanding. Students are then asked a series of questions about the characteristics of the target genre, for example, Where have you seen texts like this before?, Who is the intended reader or audience?, How are these books similar? or How is information organised in the text?. Teachers then guide the students with learning difficulties through joint the construction of the tar- get genre using the language and patterns learned (Dirgeyasa, 2016). “This provides students with a scaffold to structure text and sequence text” (Kalantzis et.al, 2016, p.g. 155), it observes the way language is used to create meaning for a purpose (2016). According to Kalantzis et.al, (2016) conferencing with students can prove vital to as- sist students through construction stage which includes spelling, punctuation, vocab- ulary and sentence structure. Through one on one or group conferencing, give stu- dents to ask questions about their work, receive feedback and reflect upon the prod- uct and process. Critical Pedagogy. Critical Pedagogy is an approach associated with the Brazilian educator and activist Paulo Freire. Freire believed that language is not just a means of communication or expression, but a convention which creates and is created through the way language

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 7 Students with learning difficulties need explicit goals or a success criteria so they can have a clear sense of what they are expected to learn. These goals can be set as a class or with groups or individual students. To help achieve these goals feedback is essential and should support further learning. According to Hattie and Timperly (2007 p.g. 101), “teachers need to view feedback from the perspective of the individ- uals engaged in the learning”. It must also be clear and meaningful and “provide logi- cal connections” (Hattie & Timperly, 2007 p.g. 107). Assessment of critical literacy skills should be focused on the dialogic interactions between teacher and student. Teacher-student conferences give the teacher opportunities to engage with students and allow students to present current findings and respond to teacher’s questions. Assessment can also take the form of a speech, project or even journals. Conclusion. This essay has comprehensively analysed each of the contemporary pedagogies; di- dactic, authentic, functional and critical. It also has provided examples of how each pedagogy could look in the classroom and also has discussed the importance of feedback and assessment have to each pedagogy. The essay has also examined how the expert teacher could utilise each of the pedagogies to assist the education of students with learning difficulties. Through the analysis, it could be said that each pedagogy contains essential compo- nents that could be used in the classroom to assist students with learning difficulties and not just one stands out as the best. The expert teachers preferred pedagogical approach to teaching must involve all for pedagogies to create an empowered learn- ing environment that motivates, excites and engages all students.

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 8 References Annandale, K., Bindon, R., Borz, J., Dougan, J., Handley, K., & Johnston, A. (2005). First Steps Writing Resource Book. Addressing Current Literacy Challenges. Dept. of Education WA. Ashton-Hay, Sally (2005) Drama: Engaging all Learning Styles. In Proceedings 9th International INGED (Turkish English Education Association) Conference, Economics and Technical University, Ankara Turkey. Retrieved 5 December 2019, from https://eprints.qut.edu.au/12261/1/12261a.pdf Baker, S. K., Santoro, L. E., Chard, D. J., Fien, H., Park, Y., & Otterstedt, J. (2013). An evaluation of an explicit read aloud intervention taught in whole-classroom formats in first grade. The Elementary School Journal, 113(3), 331-358. Cummins, S. (2017). The Case for Multiple Texts. Educational Leadership , 74 (5), 66-71. Dirgeyasa, I. W. (2016). Genre-Based Approach: What and How to Teach and to Learn Writing. English Language Teaching , 9 (9), 45-51. Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. Hurst, B., Wallace, R., & Nixon, S. B. (2013). The Impact of Social Interaction on Student Learning. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 52 (4). Retrieved 5 December 2019, from https://scholarwork- s.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol52/iss4/5 Janzen, M. (2019). Disney And The Magical World Of Writing; How Combining

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 10 practice. Springer. Stevens, R., Cronley, T., Eckert, A., Kidd, M., Liondos, N., Newall, G., Pilkington, M., Rekic, B., & Ructtinger, L. (2018). Cultivating student engagement – Part 2. Scan 37(10). Retrieved 10 December 2019, from https://education.nsw.gov- .au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-37/culti- vating-student-engagement-part- Tompkins, G., Campbell, R., Green, D., & Smith, C. (2015). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Pearson Australia UNESCO Education Sector. (2017). A Guide for Ensuring Inclusion and Equity in Education. Paris: UNESCO. Vasquez, V. M., Janks, H., & Comber, B. (2019). Critical Literacy as a Way of Being and Doing. Language Arts , 96 (5), 300-311.

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 11 Appendices Appendix 1 Year 5 Literacy Block. 90 Minutes Term 1 Thursday Week 6 English Outcomes NSW Curriculum Term 1 Writing and Representing 1 Responding and Composing Expressing Themselves EN3-2A composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts EN3-5B discusses how language is used to achieve a widening range of purposes for a widening range of audi- ences and contexts EN3-8D identifies and considers how different viewpoints of their world, in- cluding aspects of culture, are repre- sented in texts Reading and Viewing 1 Grammar, Punctuation and Vocabu- lary Reflecting on Learning EN3-3A uses an integrated range of skills, strategies and knowledge to read, view and comprehend a wide range of texts in different media and technologies EN3-6B uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary to respond to and compose clear and cohesive texts in different media and technologies EN3-9E recognises, reflects on and assesses their strengths as a learner. Speaking and Listening Thinking imaginatively, creatively and interpretively EN3-1A communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes us- ing increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features EN3-7C thinks imaginatively, cre- atively, interpretively and critically about information and ideas and identi- fies connections between texts when responding to and composing texts Time TeachingLlearning experience Organisation Assessment

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 13 Writing Task. 15 mins Writing Task. • Place students in predetermined mixed ability groups. • explain to the students that they are now going to, as a group, pick a displayed image and create their own sentences. • Explain that they need to use powerful verbs and the correct punctuation. • Students will work as a team to create character description. • Tell students they will need a min. of 5 sentences. Large sheets of pa- per writing material Teacher will walk the room and assist when needed. Students can quickly read their character description. images and descrip- tions can be dis- played around the room. Daily 5 Literacy Choice Students select different group each day. All work must be presented at the end of the week for marking (assessment) Read to self Read to Someone Listen to reading Work on Writing Word Work 25 mins Using iPads, and se- lected text and record yourself reading. Ask yourself questions, Would my reading engage an audience? How could I fix how I read? Am I reading with feeling? Write your thoughts in your literacy jour- nal. List any words your not familiar with. Use GR books on Japan. take turns with a partner to read the text. Swap partners until you have read to ev- eryone in your group. Teacher will pick students to read with her. Write about your how you felt reading to others in your group. List any words that you and your partner are not familiar with in Literacy journal. Using laptops visit Epic Reading web - sitehttps:// www.getepic.com/ app/explore-topics/ 193 and select a book you wish to listen to. Use your head- phones Write about your book in your literacy journal. Add a list of words that you are not familiar with or list some interesting words. 321 Thinking about any the texts that you have read or listened to from the last 2 days. It could be any text, for example, an im- age, a birthday card, a website. In your Literacy jour- nal, with 3 things you learnt from the text. Write 2 things that you enjoyed about the text. Write 1 feeling you ex- perienced while read- ing/listening to the text Think about any pas- sage or phrase or words that you may not have understood. Look back through your reading journal for in- spiration. Ask yourself, ‘How can I gain understanding’? Think about what you could use, for example, laptop, dictionaries. Do an investigation into into passages, phrases or words you wish to understand. Write about what you found in your reading journal. Independent skill Work Group 20min Writing/ Reading Groups 1 and 3. • In pairs, each person takes a turn to describe the image with out mentions what it is. • Student that which needs to guess images, must write down all the description words your partner gives you. Write down the correct answer. Was correct description given? • If not, work together to come up with a correct description. • Repeat . Laminated images of Japan. (appendix 2) reading Journals writing material Discuss if the class thinks the description words are accurate in ‘Literacy roundup’ Writing/Reading Groups 2, 4 and 5 • Each student selects a text and is given 10 mins (timed) to skim and note important facts. • The Envoy then rotates through group gathering a sentence form each member. Envoy has 5 mins (timed) and can rotate through the group until timer has gone. - teacher selected books 4 per group - timer - students books - writing material Presentation of work in ‘Literacy roundup’

Assignment 1 Fernandez,R 10482102 14 • The group then has 5 mins (timed) to place gathered information in sequence and prepare a mini presentation that will be presented by an elected speaker, or speakers, at the end of literacy groups in the roundup Literacy Roundup. (assessment) 10 min Students come back to the floor to discuss the last 2 activities. Students present word descriptions to all students Students present mini information report to all students.