Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

Proposal to the Subject Development Committee.

PUTTING LITERACY DEVELOPMENT SQUARELY ON THE AGENDA

Literacy crises in Australia are real, effecting optimal outcomes in every aspect of todays society from basic literacies for negotiating day-to-day living, through to those required for the workplace and successful social interface. One of societys more critical concerns is the need to achieve better health outcomes through better nutritional awareness, which is a direct consequence of literacy. It is no longer adequate to adopt a simplistic, one-dimensional approach to education in this area. Australians are facing spiralling issues of obesity (Physical Activity Nutrition Obesity Research Group, 2012), diabetes and other preventable diseases (Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, 2013) resulting from poor nutrition. Our students are exposed to tremendous social, cultural and individual diversities, a growing wealth and complexity of information and new language in this area, in addition to dire health indicators which have implications through to adulthood. Students need to be taught outside the [food] pyramid, so that they can better comprehend, question, apply and share their knowledge in their rapidly changing world. It is our necessary role as educators, therefore, to revolutionise a pedagogical approach to literacies across relevant areas of curricula (particularly Science and Health) to make a difference that really counts.

Our Context
The State School of Tomorrow initiative (Department of Education and Training QLD, 2007) has afforded us with modern, purpose-built primary school facilities that provide unprecedented options for educating our students for twenty-first century living. Our philosophy of community involvement and developing strong partnerships ensures the varied working- and middle-class backgrounds of our students inject an important resource and complex mix to our school community. We have a growing, multicultural and multilingual component (10% ESL); students in each year level with learning difficulties; students from single parent/shared custody families; and approximately 10% are economically disadvantaged. Considerable attention is focused upon behaviour management, primarily with male students, typically as a response to low engagement.

Why literacies development should be a priority in this context

The priorities outlined below highlight the weaknesses in our current approach to teaching and learning, and the vital need for a robust and multi-faceted pedagogy appropriate for twenty-first century living. It is important to breathe life back into the curriculum (Charles Darwin University (CDU) On-line Blackboard Curriculum, 2013) looking at food as more than fuel. Indeed, the emotional and humanness of its intended application needs to be put on the table.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

Literacy development must reflect complex, multi-layered worlds Each student brings individual stories to school: their beliefs, values, motivations and perceptions are overlaid with influences of gender, culture, linguistic and physical abilities, socioeconomic status, geography and religion. These are embedded in broader aspects such as community, globalisation and the orientations of: curriculum writers, educational theorists, policy makers, academics, practitioners and families. The ensuing influences, motivations, dilemmas and resolutions (Ewing, 2010) shape learning and teaching in a dramatic way. Unless the student sees their world reflected in whats presented to them in the classroom, learning has little meaning. We need to ensure students are not just engaged, but transformed. As educators, we need to design enriching and meaningful learning environments, focusing on a differentiated curriculum, innovation, creativity, technology, problem-solving and critical thinking, rather than regurgitating textbook content. Computer-mediated forms of representation and communication are at the heart of these changes, and multimodal literacies embody these (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). It is critical, therefore, to embrace the opportunities afforded by the digital revolution if we are to speak Generation Zs language.

Literacy development must serve the future Literacies are central to the fundamental educational objectives of preparing learners for the real world of work and contemporary community life (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). The most important skill set students need to learn in this knowledge economy is to negotiate differences in social languages, dialects, code-switching and hybrid cross-cultural discourses. (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). Local diversity and global connectedness means there can be no single, universal standard for literacy pedagogy. Multi-literate students need to be agents in their own knowledge processes. They need a technical proficiency with different literacies and technologies; flexibility; and an ability to work outside the curriculum. They need to negotiate language in different modalities; consider audience and different contexts; and return to synaesthesia (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). They need to make informed decisions; be critically analytical, open-minded and judicious about what they read; not just interpret, but use and create texts; respond to socially and culturally diverse situations; and be responsible for their own lifelong learning. Meaning-making today is a multi-modal and multi-sensory experience (CDU On-line Blackboard, New Literacies, 2013) - an active way of learning that uses written, oral, visual, audio, gestural, tactile and spatial patterns (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012), providing a broader understanding of communication that goes beyond textual formalities that produce passive learners. Communication today is more autonomous, participatory and socially equal; learning is more individual, informal and self-directed; and reading and writing are fused as integrated practices on social networking sites (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). Literacy development must embrace diversity

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

There are multiple discourses of identity. Experience, interests, values, dispositions, culture and linguistic diversity open new paths to social participation and greater equity outcomes. A Virtuous Cycle of learning and greater educational benefits can be achieved by allowing a students own identity, or voice, to be an integral part of their learning (CDU On-line Blackboard Curriculum, 2013). Literacy must bridge the gap between home, community and school We must bridge the gap between, home, community and school to give further context, purpose and meaning to literacy for our students (Cairney, 2002), and to reflect todays rich fabric of life. There are less distinct parts of our existence, rather, a fluidity of encounters. The return on investment for harnessing these inter-relationships is exponential: from energised, engaged children at school through to producing ambassadors of history, culture and innovation.

How will addressing these priorities in literacies development promote better nutrition?
Students need to be proficient in the many lifeworlds each of us inhabits, and the many lifeworlds we encounter every day (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). No longer does learning the food pyramid by rote serve a meaningful purpose. We can no longer serve up to students five food groups that we should all eat more or less of. With what goal? On whose value system? Based on which cultural and religious influences? Whose budget? Students need to learn the discourse of food and nutrition; to understand the influencers for different audiences (culturally, historically, commercially, socially, economically, ideologically). They need to take into account the food chain (from farm to processing plant to table) to understand the nutritional value and variations within that food chain (organic, cage fed). They need to understand that foods within a nutritional group (say carbohydrate) are not equal, and the value of food combining. The metalanguage of nutrition is vital, so that packaging can be read for nutritional value and assertions made, based on freshness and quality. They need to be supermarket literate, to be discerning consumers. They need to understand the many purposes of nutrition (energy, growth, muscle development, healthy liver and brain), alongside complexities such as culture, personal ideology (eg vegetarianism), physical demands (allergies, obesity). They need to be able to judge the worthiness of the differing opinions delivered by countless experts. They need to comprehend larger community issues such as body image, childhood obesity, dental health, and healthy hearts and brains. Food as symbolic of tribal connectivity and festivity, and abstract issues such as selfesteem, rewards and punishment are all inextricably interwoven in the subject of nutrition.

The answer is in embracing a hybrid pedagogy, drawing predominantly on Critical Literacies

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

Teachers and students need to take more responsibility for learning by utilising different learningcentred paths for explicitly targeted outcomes in health and nutrition. To enhance accessibility to the curriculum, we must focus on harnessing collective intelligence and negotiating meaning. We need to expose students to new material from different sources of authority, immerse them in the experience (situated practice), encourage them to critically analyse, test and reflect, and transform or apply knowledge in known, new and unforeseen circumstances (Kalantzis & Cope, 2005). Unlike the dominant models of teaching and learning, a Critical literacies approach advances the teacher to a leader of development (Glasser, 2000 in Lyons, Ford & Arthur-Kelly, 2011) and coconstructor of knowledge. Learning is not about simply transmitting (Didactic) or acquiring (Authentic) knowledge. Learning is considered a process of transformation of participation (Rogoff, Matusove & White, 1996 in MyRead, 2002). Students work as a community of learners (MyRead, 2002), as in Authentic pedagogy, placing learners at the centre of the learning environment, and opening up horizontal lines of communication. The Authentic student-run model runs the risk of students charting themselves off-course, resulting in ineffective learning. In a Critical classroom, however, student choice is carefully steered and supported, providing flexibility to cater for cultural, gender, socioeconomic difference, and learning styles, and as a motive for engagement. Anything that is learned must actively be taught. Teaching and learning via Critical literacies is play that does work (Vygotsky, 2009 in MyRead, 2002), having an immediate application, function, and real-world use (MyRead, 2002). Non-routine problems, open-ended tasks and investigations promote risk-taking, engage students in constructing knowledge, acquiring skills, and reflecting on peer understandings. These approaches develop broader skills of problem solving, reasoning, generalising, and applying knowledge. Learning becomes more about what meanings are constructed (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA)). Students become lifelong learners who take control over the conditions of their life (MyRead, 2002). In contrast, a Didactic model teaches facts and authoritative knowledge, conforming to one universal truth (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). A major issue we need to deal with is the consequences of basic skills and high stakes testing (NAPLAN) (Dooley, 2004) which narrow the curriculum (Marsh, 2009), and mediate against innovative teaching. Producers of knowledge are adaptable, mobile and globally minded. Relevant and powerful topics are identified in personal, community or human-interest contexts, then critically analysed and evidenced, with alternative points of view considered, possible solutions formulated, and wellreasoned arguments and conclusions made. A Didactic approach decontextualizes the curriculum (Marsh, 2009), and an Authentic model never critically analyses these discourses.

Multimodal learning (including digital resources) has wide appeal, particularly for boys (Australian Government report Motivation and Engagement of Boys: Evidence-Based Teaching Practices (2006), and caters to cultural diversity, ESL learners and mixed-ability classrooms.
Technology/digital media (Wikis, vlogs, YouTube, online interest communities etc) create a willingness to learn by doing (Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education, 2009). These powerful sites of meaning-making activity minimise barriers to learning by allowing infinite

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

approaches to knowledge and deep, complex thinking, even past the school gates. Students participate in their own scaffolding, while escalating their Zone of Proximal Development. Teachers using Critical literacies pedagogy ensure that multiple subcultures can co-exist, avoiding the elitism delivered by the Didactic literacy pedagogy. Students many voices and languages are appreciated, each learning from a melange of cultural traditions, new media, popular culture, and different perspectives in real-world texts. A hybrid pedagogy, predominantly drawing on Critical literacies, provides the benefits from each pedagogical learning path. Didactic literacy provides basic literacy skills (but only one proper way of doing things); Functional literacy provides understanding of language and meaning in text for different genres and social purposes, promoting functional grammar, metalanguage and conceptual development. Critical literacies builds on engagement of students personal/individual interests and choices (Authentic) by utilising students communal and social interests (Vibert & Shields, 2003). It develops an understanding of the complexities of translation, unpacking multiple layers of meaning, to develop adept meaning-makers in the new world (STELLA, 2002).

Summary
We need to think big when it comes to achieving outstanding outcomes for literacy in our school. It is our obligation. Our educational legacy in health and nutrition should be profound and enduring. If learning is about enhancing performance, confidence, capabilities and sensibilities (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012), then it is vital as twenty-first century educators, to commit to a new paradigm and implement innovative, practical strategies that will not only make our students literate, but powerfully multiliterate. Given our unprecedented access to human knowledge, it is essential learners have critical thinking skills to refine, decode, filter and utilise that knowledge. These skills must be modelled authentically, taught explicitly and draw on a broad range of tools and principles to give purpose and meaning to students across all domains of learning. The new basics will produce creative risk-takers who negotiate diversity, navigate uncertainty and who are capable of applying divergent ways of thinking (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012).

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

References Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education (March, 2009). Technology, Pedagogy and Education: Why do some student teachers make very good use of ICT? An exploratory case study. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14759390802704097#preview Australian Government Department of Education Science and Training (2006). Motivation and Engagement of Boys: Evidence-Based Teaching Practices. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/BoysEducation Cairney, T. H. (2002). Bridging Home and School Literacy: In search of transformative approaches to curriculum. Early Child Development & Care, 172(2), 153-172. Charles Darwin University On-line Blackboard (2013). Curriculum. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from http://online.cdu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_4_1&url=%2Fweba pps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_24045_1%26url%3D Charles Darwin University On-line Blackboard (2013). New Literacies. Retrieved March 28, 2013, from http://online.cdu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_4_1&url=%2Fweba pps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_24045_1%26url%3D Department of Education and Training, QLD (2012). Student Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Framework. Retrieved March 25, 2012, from http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/healthy/framework/index.html Dooley, K. (2004). How and why did literacy become so prominent. New questions for contemporary teachers: taking a socio-cultural approach to education, 55-69. Ewing, R. (2010). Curriculum & Assessment: A narrative approach. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1

Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2005). Learning by Design. Melbourne, Victoria: Victorian Schools Innovation Commission in association with: Common Ground Publishing Pty Ltd. Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2012). Literacies (2012 ed.). Port Melbourne, Victoria Australia: Cambridge Universtity Press. Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011). Classroom Management: Creating positive learning environments. South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd. Marsh, C. (2009). Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. MyRead Website (2002). Department of Education, Science and Training. Australian Goverment. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from http://www.myread.org/index.htm Physical Activity Nutrition Obesity Research Group, prepared for NSW Ministry of Health (PANORG) (2012). Evidence update on obesity prevention across the life-course. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/public-health/panorg/researchthemes/intervention/Obesity%20Review_2%20May%2012_for%20website.pdf Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA) (2002). Teachers know how students learn to be powerfully literate: The Accomplished Teacher in the English/Literacy Classroom. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://stella.org.au/pdf/languagemodes.pdf Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (2013). Poor diet seriously affects teens liver health. Retrieved April 8, 2013 from http://www.childhealthresearch.org.au/news-events/mediareleases/2013/april/poor-diet-seriously-affects-teens%E2%80%99-liver-health.aspx Vibert, B., & Shields, C. (2003). Approaches to student engagement: Does ideology matter?. McGill Journal of Education, 38(2), 221-240.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Cusack | Student Number s239335 | ETL411 Teaching the Curriculum 1 | Integrating Literacy | Assignment 1