Literacy is fundamental to a student’s ability to learn at school and to engage productively in society. 

In the Australian Curriculum, students become literate as they develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions to interpret and use language confidently for learning and communicating in and out of school and for participating effectively in society. Literacy involves students listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying language for different purposes in a range of contexts. 

Success in any learning area depends on being able to use the significant, identifiable and distinctive literacy that is important for learning and representative of the content of that learning area. 

https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/teacher-resources/understand-this-general-capability/literacy 

Across 2023 and 2024, all secondary teachers are participating in extensive professional learning around developing their capabilities to be more effective teachers of literacy.  Regardless of whether your child is in a Mathematics lesson, involved in a chemistry experiment, comparing famous artists from the past with those from the present or any other curriculum area across Year 7 - 12, the teachers will be better placed after this training to assist all learners to make greater meaning across the specific curriculum areas and to develop their literacy skills, particularly in writing.  These are skills which, once refined, will be of much use as each student enters the world beyond school. This is an evidence-based program which is being introduced across all secondary schools within the Toowoomba diocese. 

What will be the benefits for the learners at St Joseph's School? 

• All teachers will be employing the latest research around furthering literacy skills within the secondary school context. 
• All teachers across the secondary campus will be implementing a common language and common practices around the development of important literacy skills for learners in school and learners in life. The common focus will allow for connections to be made by learners across learning areas and for skills to be consolidated. 
• Where implemented within other secondary contexts, research has shown that the program can lead to significant improvement in students' results. 

This week, a second group of teachers will start the intensive training - Mrs Mahoney, Mrs Ryan, Ms Adams and Mr Hurtz.  This will mean that by the end of this term, ten teachers will have been trained and will be embedding this into the learning programs in their classrooms.