SSE Day 1

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Improving Literacy
through the SSE
Process

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Overview of Seminar
Session 1
9.15 – 11.00
• Rationale for school improvement seminars
• School reflection on SSE experiences
• Exploring literacy in a broad sense
11.00 – 11.15 Coffee
Session 2
11.15 – 12.45
• Exploring improvement in literacy using the SSE process
12.45 – 1.30 Lunch
Session 3
1.30 – 3.30
• Exploring improvement in literacy using the SSE process
• Moving forward

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Overview of Days 1 and 2
• Day 1: Exploring literacy improvement and
oral language development using the SSE
process
• Day 2: Exploring improvements in literacy,
using the SSE process, with an emphasis on
aspects of writing

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Day 1 Objectives
• To facilitate reflection on individual school
experiences of SSE
• To provide participants with an
opportunity to explore literacy in a broad
sense
• To explore improvement in literacy using
the SSE process

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School self-evaluation
is a key tool in effective
school improvement
The six steps of the
school self-evaluation
process are continuous
but not strictly linear
School self-evaluation
is an inclusive,
reflective, collaborative
whole school process
Key Messages

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School Reflection

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Successes
Challenges
Possible
Solutions
School Improvement Experience

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Learning to Date

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Voices from Schools

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• Literacy is an essential element in
adolescent learning
• Literacy is the business of all teachers
because it pertains to all students
• A whole school approach to literacy
involves the explicit teaching of literacy
skills across subject areas
Whole School Literacy

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The Literate Student…
• Can listen, interpret, understand, question, make
judgements and respond to what he / she hears
• Can articulate thoughts fluently and confidently
• Can actively and fluently read a variety of texts
• Can ask questions about what they read
• Can communicate confidently
• Can use his / her literacy to access, understand, analyse,
synthesise, compare and evaluate subject content
• Can use his / her literacy to express himself / herself
creatively
• Can write effectively in a variety of genres
• Can navigate the internet and make judgements about
what he / she reads online
• Can participate fully in society

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Strong early reading skills do not
automatically develop into more complex
skills that enable students to deal with the
specialized and sophisticated reading of
literature, science, history, and mathematics
(Perle et al., 2005).
Adolescent Literacy

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Educators and adolescents need support to
ensure appropriate literacy instruction is
implemented throughout the school day and
subject areas to provide continued and
appropriate literacy development in
adolescence (Moje, 2007b, 2008, Shanahan
and Shanahan, 2008)
What Works: Adolescent
Literacy

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Oral
Language
WritingReading
Literacy in a Broad Sense

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• Tasks are set that require students to actively listen
• Students are encouraged to speak in a range of
contexts
• Classroom talk and peer discussion are structured
• Group work and presentation skills are explicitly
modelled and practised
• Student talk is valued
• Strategic questioning takes place
• Subject-specific vocabulary is utilised in multiple
activities
• Feedback is given regularly
What Works: Oral Language
(Speaking and Listening)

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There are four stages through which a
particular text type can be made explicit,
taught to students
1 Building knowledge of the topic
2 Modelling the text type
3 Joint construction
4 Independent writing
Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning
Gibbons, 2002
What Works: Writing

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1. Explicit vocabulary instruction
2. Direct and explicit teaching of
comprehension strategies
3. Provide opportunities for extended
discussion of texts
4. Increase student motivation and
engagement.
5. Make available intensive and individualised
interventions for struggling students, that
can be provided by trained specialists
(M. Kamil)
What Works: Reading

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Reading
Vocabulary Comprehension Motivation Peer Discussion
What Works: Reading
Explicit Instruction

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Three Goals of Vocabulary
Instruction
1. Provide students with skills/opportunities to
learn words independently
2. Teach students the meanings of specific
words
3. Nurture a love and appreciation of words
and their use
"Kindling students' interest and engagement with words is a vital
part of helping all students, but especially less advantaged
students, to develop rich and powerful vocabularies”
(Graves, 2006, p. 120)

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Vocabulary Instruction
(Beck & McKeown,1985)
Tier 3
Tier 2 Words
concentrate, analyse,
justify
Tier 1 Words
chair, happy, bed
totalitarian, cellular
respiration

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• Approaches to develop independent word
learning; dictionary and thesaurus skills
• Approaches to deepen understanding of specific
meanings; peer teaching, demonstration of
concept, acknowledging the word in other
contexts Intentional teaching of selected words
• Repeated exposure and use of words and phrases
(see PDST website for related resources)
What Works: Vocabulary
Instruction

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What Works: Comprehension
Comprehension
Predicting
Inferring
Visualising
Clarifying
Synthesis
Determining
Importance
Making
Connections
Questioning
Gleeson, M., Building Bridges of Understanding, 2013,

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• Meaningful learning goals
• Positive learning environment
• Literacy experiences relevant to students’
lives
• Collaborative learning to increase
engagement for students
(Kamil et al, 2008)
Student Motivation

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What does a school community
that values literacy look like?
Parents
Students
Teachers /BOM
Classroom

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Building Blocks of SSE

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Gather the
evidence
Analyse the
evidence
Draw
conclusions
Write school
self-evaluation
report
Devise school
improvement
plan
Implement and
monitor
improvement
plan
The 6 Step
Process

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Learner
outcomes
(Attitudes, Skills
& Knowledge)
Learning
experiences
Teachers’
practices
Targets Actions
Teaching and Learning Framework

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Exploring the School
Improvement Process

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• What does the data tell us?
• What does the data not tell us?
• What else do we need to know?
Data Analysis

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Draw Conclusions

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Learner
outcomes
Learning
experiences
Teachers’
practices
Targets Actions
Teaching and Learning
Framework

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Where To Next?

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• Establish/refine school structures to sustain
improvement
• Explore ‘big picture’ literacy
• Consider possibilities for data gathering
• Engage in data gathering
• Engage in data analysis
• Make judgements based on the evidence
• Other?
Moving Forward…

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Video: A School’s Experience of
the SSE process

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• www.pdst.ie www.schoolself-evaluation.ie
Resources

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Subject Specific Resources to
Support Literacy
(www.pdst.ie/node/465)
Graphic Organiser
Reflection Template and Circle of Concern
Semantic Map and Peer Teaching
Cooperative and Group Role Cards
Vocabulary Vignettes and Graphic Organiser
Vocabulary Guidelines and Prefixes
Martin Luther Text
Speaking and Listening Checklist
Reading Checklist
Vocabulary Knowledge Checklist
Writing Checklist
Calendar of meetings
Literacy Link Minutes and Agenda Template
Common Greek and Latin Morphemes
Morphemes in Science
Website referred to on the day

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School-Self Evaluation
Teaching & Learning Framework; 6 Step SSE Process; gathering, collating & analysing relevant data; implementing the SIP for
literacy, numeracy and any other area of teaching & learning.
Assessment for Learning (AfL)
Learning outcomes/context of learning/success
criteria; effective feedback; questioning; Bloom’s
Taxonomy and self & peer-assessment strategies e.g.
rubrics.
Integrating ICT
eAssessments & ePortfolios – Mahara, Google Apps for Education...
ePlanning & Collaboration – Google Apps for Education.....
Tablet Technology Integration – Effective use, pedagogy......
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) – Google Classroom, Edmodo
SSE – On-line tools for gathering, collating & analysing relevant data
Visual - Visualisers, Animoto, Wordle, Tagxedo, Photo-story....
Auditory – Audacity, Vocaroo, Audioboo......
Reading comprehension – Freerice, Studystack, Quizlet......
Kinaesthetic – Tarzia, Cube Creator......
Subjects /Programmes & Generic Support
Health & Wellbeing – PE, SPHE, mental health, anti-
bullying and promoting the welfare & protection of
students
Junior & Leaving Certificate subject support & planning
JCSP, TY, LCA & LCVP programme support
School planning (policies)
Co-operative learning
ICT for teaching & learning
Differentiation/mixed ability teaching
PDST Websites
www.pdst.ie
pdsttechnologyineducation.ie
scoilnet.ie (portal for resources)
teachercpd.ie (on-line courses)
PDST Leadership Programmes
Misneach.....New Principals
Tánaiste.......New Deputy Principals
Tóraíocht.....Aspiring Leaders accredited by
Maynooth University
Forbairt .......Experienced Principals & ALNs
Spreagadh...NAPD & PDST collaboration
Overview of PDST Post-Primary Supports for Leading Learning in the 21st Century
www.pdst.ie/schoolsupport
Models of support: whole staff days (circular 002/2014), Croke Park hours, subject departments/groups of teachers/co-ordinators (circular 0043/2014)
It is essential to fill out the on-line application form @ www.pdst/schoolsupport in order for your application to be considered
Numeracy
SSE & strategies for implementing
problem solving, estimation, a
common approach to maths language
and a numeracy rich environment
across the curriculum.
Literacy
SSE & strategies for improving
oral language, writing,
reading comprehension, and
the use of broadcast /digital
media across the curriculum.

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The PDST is funded by the Teacher Education Section (TES)
of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and is managed
by Dublin West Education Centre
FísFoghlaimForbairt
This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0
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Please cite as: PDST, PowerPoint Presentation Title, 2014
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