Literacy Links
Robert Scholes accurately captures the critical importance of reading and writing in the secondary school context when he states: ‘Reading and writing are important because we read and write our world as well as our texts and are read and written by them in turn. Texts are places where power and weakness become visible and discussable, where learning and ignorance manifest themselves, where the structures that enable and constrain our thoughts and actions become palpable. This is why the humble subject ‘English’ is so important’.
At the heart of our work as English teachers is the goal of empowering our students to leave our classrooms capable, confident, articulate, discerning and empathic people, well-prepared to meet the complex challenges of living and working beyond school. Our legacy to each of our students is far more than the measurable set of knowledge and skills that are assessed and reported on throughout their secondary education. As English educators we are intent on inspiring a love of language and learning, a passion for reading and writing, and a boundless capacity to think critically, to imagine and to wonder.
In equipping our students with a rich repertoire of reading and writing capabilities, we are, according to the new English 7 – 10 syllabus, creating a culture within which ‘students learn to appreciate, reflect on and enjoy language, making meaning in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive, critical and powerful.’ The development of a responsive, literate community of confident and competent readers and writers will see our young people grow and flourish. The most important thing that teachers, parents, and carers can do, is to model these two very important practices. In our busy, distracted and ‘noisy’ world – with technology affording us ways to take shortcuts, multitask, skim, scan and spot – the need to be counter-cultural has never been greater.
Clare Murphy
English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach