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What is Accelerated Literacy? AND What other Commercial Programs are available?

Overview
This handout provides an overview of research based commercial programs and professional learning programs that are used in schools to teach literacy and numeracy.

This handout:
Outlines the benefits of the programs and strategies for implementation Provides links to further information on the programs

ELEMENT 1 1.1.2 Knowledge of pedagogy


Demonstrate research-based knowledge of the pedagogies of the content/discipline(s) taught.

Benefits: Provides strategies for explicitly teaching students talking, viewing, thinking, reading, writing and spelling skills, in the 60 90 minutes literacy block (Cowey, 2007). How it works: Text selection is a key component of AL teaching. The text should encompass literate language, be age-appropriate and engaging for the class. 4 teaching strategies are usually followed sequentially during the lesson: 1. Literate Orientation: pre-reading strategy used to build a common knowledge of the text and model how to interpret a text. 2. Transformations: involves analysing a text to consider how meaning was created. In other words, reading as a writer. 3. Spelling: words from the study text are selected and strategies such as text segmentation and visual patterning are used. 4. Writing: students apply the acquired skills to create a text. (Cowey, 2007).

Underpinning theorists: 1. Vygotsky's social constructivism: students learn through social interaction; the learning environment should combine high challenge with adequate support. 2. Bruner's scaffolding: support is gradually withdrawn from the learner as they develop control over the skills and knowledge. 3. Halliday's systemic functional linguistics: provides a framework for the explicit teaching of grammar in context (DECD, 2011).

Worth a Visit!
http://www.nalp.cdu.edu.au/documents/TeachingSequence300407.pdf This PDF file provides a comprehensive description of AL and its implementation in the classroom (Cowey, 2007).

Benefits: A research-based Professional Learning Program, that provides teachers with explicit strategies for teaching reading (NSW DET, 2010). This program is found in National Partnerships Schools. See document on National Partnerships for more information. How it works: The Super Six comprehension strategies form the basis of the program: 1. Making Connections 2. Predicting 3. Questioning 4. Monitoring 5. Visualising 6. Summarising

The 6 steps for implementation include: selecting a text, explaining the strategy, modelling the strategy, providing guided support, independent practice and concluding with a reflection.

Making Connections in action: Coding Strategy: As students read, they stop at each sentence and use a symbol code (e.g. star or question mark), to represent if they dont understand the information or already know it.

Watch this!
This u-tube clip shows a teacher modelling to students how to make connections http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kacBJAgs02U

Worth a Visit!
This PDF file provides a comprehensive description of the Super Six comprehension strategies and their strategies for implementing them in the classroom (NSW DET, 2010).
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/literacy/assets/pdf/packages/comboo k.pdf

Benefits: Is a research-based program that places emphasis on explicitly teaching students how to say and write the 44 phonemes Teaches specific strategies such as blending, segmenting and decoding. Linked to the Australian National Curriculum (Get Reading Right, 2012) How it works: Synthetic Phonics is a commercial program that schools may adopt as their wholeschool approach to phonics instruction.

Worth a Visit! www.getreadingright.com.au This site provides greater detail on the synthetic phonics program, including an explanation of all of the strategies used and a range of free resources to download.

References
Cowey, W. (2007). The Accelerated Literacy Teaching Strategies. Australia: The National Accelerated Literacy Program. DECD (Department of Education and Child Development). (2011). Accelerated Literacy. [Online]. Available URL: http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/literacy/pages/Home/accelerated_literacy/ (accessed 12.8.12) Get Reading Right. (2012). Synthetic Phonics. [Online]. Available URL: http://www.getreadingright.com.au/synthetic-phonics/ (accessed 18.8.12). NSW DET (Department of Education and Training). (2010). Teaching comprehension Strategies. Australia: NSW DET.

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