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Language, Literacy and Literature: Re-imagining Teaching and Learning Proceedings of the 2013 Annual Conference of The Reading Association of Ireland Editors Niamh Fortune • Aoibheann Kelly Fiona Nic Fhionnlaoich Reading Association of Ireland Language, Literacy and Literature: Re-imagining Teaching...

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Language, Literacy and Literature: Re-imagining Teaching and Learning Proceedings of the 2013 Annual Conference of The Reading Association of Ireland

Editors Niamh Fortune • Aoibheann Kelly Fiona Nic Fhionnlaoich

Reading Association of Ireland

Language, Literacy and Literature: Re-imagining Teaching and Learning Proceedings of the 2013 Annual Conference of The Reading Association of Ireland

Editors

Niamh Fortune Aoibheann Kelly Fiona Nic Fhionnlaoich

READING ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

Published by Reading Association of Ireland c/o Educational Research Centre St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Dublin 9

© Reading Association of Ireland, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-9566446-2-6

Editors: Niamh Fortune, Aoibheann Kelly, Fiona Nic Fhionnlaoich

Origination: Focus Design Limited Dublin Printed in the Republic of Ireland by Casimir Printing Limited Dublin

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CONTENTS Preface......................................................................................................v Conference Papers 1.

Not My Job! Perspectives of Irish Student Teachers on Literacy Development in the Post-Primary Subject Classroom ........................1 Brian Murphy, Paul F. Conway, Rosaleen Murphy

2.

Reading Between the Lines: Interpreting Picture-Text Interactions in Picturebooks ..............................................................14 Ciara Ní Bhroin

3.

Using a Big Book to Teach Essential Literacy Skills........................24 Tara Concannon-Gibney

4.

Repeated Reading-An Examination of the Effects of a Fluency Intervention on Struggling Adolescent Readers ...............................35 Anne Guerin

5.

Challenges and Opportunities in Today’s Changing Classrooms: Planning to Support the Development of Literacy Skills in the Early Years ..............................................................................45 Bairbre Tiernan and Paula Kerins

6.

Someone Else’s Baby? Literacy in Second Level Classrooms ..............................................55 Brendan Mc Mahon

7.

Writing to Learn in the Content Areas ..............................................62 James Johnston

8.

The NBSS Teacher as Researcher Project: Addressing the Academic Literacy Needs of Students through Action Research ...................................................69 Jean Henefer and Fiona Richardson

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9.

Dialogic Story-Reading: A Vehicle to Develop Children’s Oral Language ..............................78 Joan Kiely

10. Re-imagining Instruction in the Computer Lab: Transforming Technology-Based Activities and Teaching New Literacies ...................................................................88 Julia Kara-Soteriou 11. The Teaching and Assessment of Writing in Write to Read Project Schools ........................................................................97 Eithne Kennedy and Gerry Shiel 12. The Impact of Sixth Class Children Working Collaboratively with their Peers to Enhance their Persuasive Communication and Writing Skills ...............................115 Norma McElligott 13. O, Reason Not the Need! Examining Opportunities for a Reciprocal Relationship between Drama and English through the use of a Movie Stimulus for Oral Language Development ..........................................................129 Tríona Stokes

Biographical Details ...............................................................................136

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PREFACE This volume comprises a selection of papers on a range of topics presented at the 37th Annual Reading Association of Ireland Conference in September, 2013. The theme of the conference was Language, Literacy and Literature: Re-imagining Teaching and Learning. This theme provided the literacy community with an opportunity to discuss, debate and reflect on current issues in relation to literacy. The variety of research topics from international and national presenters demonstrates the wealth of quality research in literacy and the commitment to this research. The Reading Association of Ireland maintains its commitment to organising an annual conference which provides an important forum for national and international collaboration and debate on literacy. A recent questionnaire was circulated to all members to illicit feedback on the conference and services RAI provides with an aim to improve and develop these services.

Conference Papers In the first paper Brian Murphy investigates the beliefs, knowledge and experiences of post-primary student teachers about reading literacy. Internationally reading literacy development is now viewed as a core responsibility of all teachers and teacher educators. Recent policy developments in the literacy area in Ireland, especially Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy among Children and Young People propose radical changes in how teachers, including post-primary subject teachers, will be expected to support the literacy development of all students. Gathered data suggests that surveyed student teachers generally revealed restricted understandings of literacy, and narrow conceptions regarding the responsibility for and the pedagogy of literacy development. Results are discussed in terms of the pressing need to deepen and extend student teachers’ understanding, knowledge and pedagogy of literacy development in initial teacher education in order to prepare the student teachers for the reality of literacy development across all subjects in all classrooms at all levels.

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Drawing on picturebook and reader response theory, Ciara Ni Bhroin aims to examine the interaction of text and image in a range of classic and contemporary picture books that allow children to explore concepts such as narrative perspective, dual or multiple narratives, the unreliable narrator, subplots, irony and intertextuality. Implications for teachers and teacher educators regarding choosing and evaluating literature for children are considered. Ciara highlights in her paper that children need to develop skill in reading between the lines not only to interpret but also to interrogate the ideology of visual and printed texts in order to become active creators of meaning rather than passive consumers of it. Tara Concannon-Gibney’s paper discusses how to teach early literacy skills using a big book. These reading skills include the ‘five pillars’ of reading instruction outlined by the National Reading Panel (NRP)- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension (NRP, 2000) and also other important aspects of reading development such as developing concepts about print (Snow, Burns and Griffin, 1998). This paper highlights how the big book can be used as a meaningful context encouraging children to see the usefulness of learning these skills as well as engaging them in the lesson. This paper outlines how to maximise student learning in a shared reading situation while tracking development from junior infants to first class. The research by Anne Guerin examined the implications of a seven-week programme of repeated readings on the fluency levels of three struggling adolescent students. This paper explores how such a broad consideration of the variables involved in reading impacts on the fluency of struggling adolescent readers. In addition to improved levels of fluency, the findings indicate that success also lies in the potential of such instructional programmes to enable students to uncover meaning in text by becoming more strategic as readers through increased levels of self-directed learning, and demonstrates the necessity for practitioners to observe caution in the assessment and instruction of reading. The next paper ‘Challenges and Opportunities in Today’s Changing Classrooms: Planning to Support the Development of Literacy Skills in the Early Years’ focuses on supporting literacy development for all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or special educational needs

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in their early years at school. Early literacy skills that are needed to support literacy development are highlighted. The paper addresses the practical issues central to planning for literacy development in mainstream classes, so as to meet individual learning needs and facilitate greater access the curriculum for all. This paper will be of particular interest to those supporting the development of early literacy skills. This next paper by Brendan Mc Mahon is the second paper to examine literacy development at second level in Ireland. Consideration of literacy in Irish secondary schools has traditionally been overshadowed by attention to literacy at primary level and predominantly located within deficit discourses which emphasise students’ difficulties and needs. This paper draws on data from a research study on disciplinary literacy undertaken in secondary schools in 2010 and focuses specifically on the attitudes and practices of subject teachers with regard to supporting literacy in the classroom. Findings are examined in relation to actions outlined in Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life (Department of Education and Skills, 2011), and in the context of proposals at wider policy level. Challenges to achieving pedagogical change are identified and implications for initial teacher education, continuing professional development and policy implementation are outlined. James Johnson discusses the differences between teaching writing and using writing to learn in his paper. The introductory part will discuss major reasons for the use of writing in the content subjects including History, Science, Mathematics, and the arts subjects. Different techniques are examined to integrate the use of writing as a learning tool into the various subjects: quick writes, journaling, admit and exit slips, poetic forms, public writing, performance poetry, Readers’ Theater, commercials and posters. In 2008, the NBSS introduced the Teacher as Researcher Project, an action research literacy and learning initiative. Teachers in partner schools have piloted a vast range of literacy interventions, programmes and resources, gathering and analysing data throughout. Some have focused their work on whole year groups explicitly teaching students reading comprehension, writing and study skills while others have concentrated on developing key reading skills with targeted groups or individual students. This paper presents an overview of the NBSS Teacher as Researcher Project

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highlighting the range and creativity of the work conducted by the teachers as well as findings from their research. Joan Kiely evaluates a research-based parental story-reading project targeted at 3-5 year old children in an area of socio-economic disadvantage. The paper will focus on the literature review for the research project, establishing what the research suggests is the best modus operandi for home-based parental story-reading. Implications for the running of a parental storyreading project will also be described as part of the paper. The purpose of the paper by Julia Kara-Soteriou is to discuss how teachers can best use their school’s computer lab to introduce activities that were inconceivable without the use of technology and to help students develop new literacies skills (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, & Cammack, 2004). This paper will especially appeal to classroom teachers and technology coordinators who are interested in developing their students’ new literacies skills. The next paper by Eithne Kennedy and Gerry Shiel examines the assessment ofwriting as part of the Write To Read research initiative. This intervention includes a writing workshop as one of its key components and is being implemented in socioeconomically disadvantaged primary schools in Dublin (Ireland), at all class levels. The workshop includes self-selection of topics for writing, the use of mini-lessons to teach key writing strategies, and extensive feedback during teacher-pupil conferences We are delighted to include an RAI thesis award winner in this year’s proceedings. Norma McElligott’s research examined the impact of sixth class children working collaboratively with their peers to enhance their persuasive communication and writing skills. The motivation for this study arose when the researcher noted that the pupils in her classroom encountered a number of difficulties with writing persuasive texts such as organising ideas, expressing viewpoints and structuring the layout. This encouraged the researcher to explore relevant research and to design an intervention that promoted pupils working collaboratively with their peers to enhance their persuasive communication and writing skills. The final paper by Tríona Stokes examines the potential for English and Drama to work as equal partners through subject integration. With the

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development of oral language as the key outcome of the work, the paper examines how the English Primary School Curriculum (1999) can promote specifically, Receptiveness to language and Emotional and imaginative development through language. The 2010 Pixar animation movie, Up is used as a stimulus for the exploration of the theme of ageism. Overall, this volume presents a valuable sample of papers covering a number of the most topical concerns in the field of literacy.

Niamh Fortune Aoibheann Kelly Fiona Nic Fhionnlaoich The Reading Association of Ireland

Language, Literacy and Literature: Re-imagining Teaching and Learning

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1. Not my job! Perspectives of Irish Student Teachers on Literacy Development in the Post-Primary Subject Classroom Brian Murphy, Paul F. Conway, Rosaleen Murphy1 Introduction The challenges of teaching literacy, while typically unappreciated, remain significant in post-primary schools. These challenges include the demands of ‘content-laden’ textbooks, reading and writing in different genres (e.g. ‘narrative’, ‘informational text’, ‘graphical’), and ensuring all students are competent in and taught literacy skills (Rowe, 2005; Lewis and Wray, 2001). As such, while it is not necessarily a widely held belief, we argue that all post-primary teachers need to see their important and inescapable role in addressing literacy in line with the views of Shanahan and Shanahan (2008). Such a stance reflects a broad conception of literacy going beyond functional understandings of literacy competence. Contemporary interest in the teaching of literacy in post-primary schools is fuelled by a number of issues including concerns about static or falling literacy standards generally (Perkins et al., 2012; Jacobs, 2008) as well gender differences in literacy attainment (e.g. as indicated in PISA [OECD, 2010] and other literacy studies), concern about economic development allied to the need for high levels of literacy in a knowledge society and the changing nature of literacy as new/digital literacies broaden the boundaries of literacy definitions (Lankshear and Noble, 2006; Kress, 2007; Lei, Conway and Zhao, 2008; Conway and Freeman, 2009). The importance of literacy has been further highlighted by the publication of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (DES, 2011) in Ireland, which has officially placed literacy on the agenda of all post-primary schools for the first time.

Adolescent Literacy Development Recent OECD (2006) work on literacies has focused on what students need to know in terms of three literacies (i.e. reading, writing and scientific) that will help them to adapt and to live productive lives, in and out of school. Of these, reading literacy has particular importance given its close association 1

Address for correspondence: School of Education, UCC, Cork.

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Perspectives of Irish Student Teachers on Literacy Development

with conventional literacy (i.e. reading and writing). Based on the assumption that the 15-year-old student could technically read written text, the reading literacy assessment in PISA (OECD, 2006) assessed rather the ability of the students to understand and reflect on a wide range of written materials in a variety of situations, which the students were likely to come across both in and beyond school. It functioned on a broad definition of literacy at this adolescent stage as: The individual’s capacity to understand, use and reflect on written texts, in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential and to participate in society. (OECD: PISA, 2006, p. 15) In so doing, it emphasised the vital role of reading literacy for learning across all curriculum domains and indeed for later life. Similarly, the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence defines literacy as: the set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and in learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful. (Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2008, p. 1) Texts are further defined as “the medium through which ideas, experiences, opinions and information can be communicated” (ibid. p. 2). This broad definition encompasses the diverse ways in which communication takes place, going beyond the traditional written or print form and including various forms of multimedia and electronic communication. A recent report on literacy takes this further, defining 21st century literacy as “the set of abilities and skills where aural, visual and digital literacy overlap” (New Media Consortium, 2005, p. 2). At primary level, the acquisition of literacy is one of the main aims of the Irish Primary School Curriculum (DES/NCCA, 1999) and much of the work of the primary teacher is directly related to the development of language and literacy skills across the curriculum (Flynn, 2007). Being able to read effectively is “an essential requirement if the child is to benefit fully from the educational process, to develop his/her potential and to participate appropriately as a citizen in society” (Primary Curriculum: English, p. 2). As children become more skilful and fluent readers, they begin to engage with a variety of texts, developing skills of comprehension and information retrieval in different contexts across the curriculum (Moje, 2006; Moje et

Brian Murphy, Paul F. Conway and Rosaleen Murphy

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al., 2005). It is generally assumed that the majority of students will have acquired basic literacy skills by the time they enter post-primary schools. However, this is not always the case (DES, 2010). In the post-primary context, increasing student diversity, inclusion of students with SEN, and a considerable range in reading achievement by the time students reach postprimary school all mean that literacy is or will have to be a salient feature of every teacher’s work in post-primary settings (International Reading Association, 2012; European Commission, 2012; Carnegie 2010). The Scottish Curriculum for Excellence emphasises that: Competence and confidence in literacy, including competence in grammar, spelling and the spoken word, are essential for progress in all areas of the curriculum. Because of this, all teachers have responsibility for promoting language and literacy development. Every teacher in each area of the curriculum needs to find opportunities to encourage young people to explain their thinking, debate their ideas and read and write a...