All teachers are in a position to make important contributions to developing and reinforcing young people’s literacy skills.
What is meant by literacy?
In defining literacy for the 21st century we must consider the changing forms of language which our children and young people will experience and use. Accordingly, our definition takes account of factors such as the speed with which information is shared and the ways it is shared. The breadth of our definition is intended to ‘future proof’ it. Within Curriculum for Excellence, therefore, literacy is defined 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.
The literacy experiences and outcomes promote the development of skills in using language, particularly those that are used regularly by everyone in their everyday lives. These include the ability to apply knowledge about language. They reflect the need for young people to be able to communicate effectively both face-to-face and in writing through an increasing range of media. They take account of national and international research and of other skills frameworks. They recognise the importance of listening and talking and of effective collaborative working in the development of thinking and in learning.
In particular, the experiences and outcomes address the important skills of critical literacy. Children and young people not only need to be able to read for information: they also need to be able to work out what trust they should place on the information and to identify when and how people are aiming to persuade or influence them.
How is the literacy framework structured?
The framework opens with a set of statements that describe the kinds of activity which all children and young people should experience throughout their learning to nurture their skills and knowledge in literacy and language. Teachers will use them, alongside the more detailed experiences and outcomes, in planning for learning and teaching.
The three organisers within the literacy framework are the same as those used in the literacy and English, literacy and Gàidhlig, Gaelic (learners) and modern languages frameworks:
- listening and talking
- reading
- writing.
Within these organisers there are a number of subdivisions.
Enjoyment and choice experiences and outcomes highlight the importance of providing opportunities for young people to make increasingly sophisticated choices.
The tools sections include important skills and knowledge: for example, in reading it includes such important matters as reading strategies and spelling.
The sections on finding and using information include, in reading, critical literacy skills; while the understanding, analysing and evaluating statements encourage progression in understanding of texts, developing not only literal understanding but also the higher order skills.
Finally, the creating texts experiences and outcomes describe the kind of opportunities which will help children and young people to develop their ability to communicate effectively, for example, by writing clear, well-structured explanations.
The statements of experiences and outcomes emphasise that learning is an active process: for example, the outcomes stress making notes, rather than the passive activity implied by taking notes. Experiences represent important continuing aspects of learning such as exploring and enjoying text, and outcomes describe stages in the development of skills and understanding.
The experiences and outcomes have been written in an inclusive way which will allow teachers to interpret them for the needs of individual children and young people who use Braille, sign language and other forms of communication. This is exemplified in the words ‘engaging with others’ and ‘interacting’ within the listening and talking outcomes.
The level of achievement at the fourth level has been designed to approximate to that associated with SCQF level 4.
What does this mean for learning and teaching?
For teachers and other practitioners, it means asking the question, ‘How am I meeting the literacy needs of the learners in front of me?’ It means thinking about the kinds of literacy experiences provided for young people. It doesn’t mean that every practitioner will teach everything that a secondary English teacher does. These experiences will sometimes be provided through collaborative working with other departments; but the greatest impact for learners will come from all practitioners, in all learning environments, including rich literacy experiences as part of their day-to-day learning and teaching programmes.
