Dive into the transformative world of literacy with this range of blogs. Explore how literacy transforms lives, empowers minds, fuels creativity, and fosters critical thinking. It explores disciplinary literacy as well as skills across all phases of education. These blogs cover key topics, such as reading, writing, vocabulary, and oracy. They tackle literacy challenges, including literacy barriers such as dyslexia, whilst offering lots of practical literacy strategies to improve learning.
Shy pupils can easily, often unnoticed, slide to the sides of lessons. Supporting such pupils, who are nervous to talk with their peers or in front of the class, can be a tricky business but also vital for both their well-being and their learning. The quiet, and seemingly passive, behaviour
"As pupils progress through an increasingly specialised secondary school curriculum, there is a growing need to ensure that pupils are trained to access the academic language and conventions of different subjects. Strategies grounded in disciplinary literacy aim to meet this need, building on the premise that each subject has
We are in an age of communication. We are connected more than ever before: with the ability to talk to friends and family across the world in an instant. You can publish your unfettered views on X, you can talk about and share your best life on Instagram, or create
How pupils read, write, talk, and the vocabulary they use in every classroom is specialist and unique. There are general words and literacy strategies to deploy, but as pupils move up through school, the language they use gets more specialist and subject specific. As a result, the language of the
Is oracy the next big thing? Are we destined for interminable arguments about it in the coming months or is there a healthy debate to be had about oracy? I have lots of questions. For me, as a former English teacher, it feels like oracy – or speaking and listening – is
Dyslexia is an issue that can evoke a mix of fear and some confusion for teachers. Every teacher can recognise the crippling damage wrought by struggling to read, but, as a label, dyslexia is too often a mystery. As a result, teachers may miss the opportunity to make a positive
They say that interests and trends in education come and go in cycles. Depending on your attitude, it beckons the disagreeable return of a fad, or it is the timely return of a vital aspect of education. ‘Oracy’ is one of those touchstone trends that comes and goes in cyclical
There are a vast array of barriers and problems that attend literacy development. In Part 1, it was tricky to limit it to only ten! And yet, the gains from developing literacy are so significant – for many pupils they can prove genuinely life-changing – that we keep making literacy a significant
Developing literacy is difficult. Like most school improvement efforts, it is beset by challenges, barriers, and limits of capacity and time. Rather than gnash our teeth, it is helpful to confront these issues and understand the likelihood of failure. In doing so, we can attempt to carefully plot our way
This blog is based on my talk entitled, ‘Why Literacy Fails (And What To Do About It)’, at the researchED National Conference, in a baking-hot Camden classroom! It will be the first part of a short series of blogs. I’ve never found a teacher who disputes the importance of
There are few simple solutions in education. If you are being promised one, it is at best a hopeful fib, at worst a deceptive sales-pitch. But there are some helpful principles that can guide our actions. A useful one I think could help improve literacy in primary and secondary schools:
A vital factor for inclusion in schools is pupils’ literacy skill. Put simply, reading, writing, and communication are the cornerstones of school success and prerequisites for inclusion. Consider the inferences and implications of the following: ‘Only 14% of adults in the prison population have GCSE level or equivalent in English