Subject Discipline Literacy - Day 1 and 2

During the last two days of Term 1, a number of secondary teachers started the Subject Discipline Literacy training process with Anna Jones, Tracey Cullinan, Claudia Villari, Grace Coxon, Sandra Ellis and Phoebe Johannesen being the first teachers to get involved. The conversation across the two days focused on:

• what we are currently experiencing with secondary learners in regard to reading and writing.
• how the program can empower teachers at St Joseph's to then empower learners to be able to better comprehend and compose using the specific literacy demands of each subject area.
• how the training can be implemented in the classrooms of those teachers involved.  
• the connections made to Visible Learning such as teachers having clarity around the curriculum, the role of explicit teaching of skills, how feedback and the setting of goals can move students' learning forward and the role of will and thrill as well as skill in the learning process.  It was also clear that a consistent approach to language will be necessary moving forward so that our learners have clarity.  This is something we have discussed as a staff many times in respect of our learning community.
• implementing well - and for sustainability - which means starting small and building on those initial successes.
• being able to measure the impact of this intervention so that what we do is evidence-based.

This term, planning has commenced around how the learning from those two days can be implemented in the classrooms.  A further two days of training will occur later in the term, followed by a new group of teachers embarking on the training in Term 3.