Literacy

Australian students’ literacy achievement has remained steady in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results from the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). In today’s article we look at some of the factors influencing year 4 students’ performance on the assessment, and how their results compare internationally.

How can schools encourage students that are capable readers, but have no interest in reading for pleasure, to read more frequently? This is the underlying question that drove the research project of English teacher and 2021 Reading Australia Fellowship recipient Edwina West.

NAPLAN’s National Minimum Standard is the ‘agreed minimum acceptable standard of knowledge and skills without which a student will have difficulty making sufficient progress at school’. Ahead of the 2023 tests, we compare the percentage of male and female students in year 9 achieving at or above the standard in Literacy, over time.

In the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests, the national minimum standard (NMS) is the ‘agreed minimum acceptable standard of knowledge and skills without which a student will have difficulty making sufficient progress at school’. This infographic looks at the performance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in Year 9, over time.

What do you do with copies of old textbooks, battered novels and random pages? While recycling for the benefit of the environment is always a go-to option, Dr Jason DeHart offers some creative ideas for what you can do with old book copies and other ephemera that are lying in classrooms and back rooms.

Student storytelling can often give a glimpse into what’s happening in their lives, their interests and passions, and the issues that are on their mind. The latest instalment of the Australian Children’s Word of the Year reveals online safety is a top concern for students.

Leading improvement in literacy teaching and learning, written by Associate Professor Robyn Cox supports teachers and school leaders in their understanding of the intricacies of teaching literacy and the best ways to improve practices. In this exclusive excerpt from the book, Cox discusses the importance of oral language learning in the early years.

'The importance of establishing strong positive attitudes towards learning – particularly towards reading, which underlies so much of students’ learning – is critical, particularly in view of the past two years.' Ahead of the December release of PIRLS 2021 results, Dr Sue Thomson recaps what 2016 data show about students in Australia.

Public speaking is a daunting prospect for many students. Loreto Normanhurst in New South Wales has developed a Year 9 unit which supports students to research and confidently deliver a speech on a topic they are passionate about.

In their final video in a 3-part series for Teacher, Teacher Librarian Mali Jorm shares the details of the third area in a targeted program, The Three Spheres of Library Skills, which scaffolds students to achieve success in 3 core areas of library skills: Readers, Researchers, and Thinkers.