Reading between the lines: Improving the UK’s critical literacy

education

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Travelling Fellowship Report Generously supported by The Mercers’ Company

New Zealand and Australia 2014

Arlene Holmes-Henderson

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Contents What is critical literacy? .......................................................................................................................... 2

Why is critical literacy important? .......................................................................................................... 2

Why Australia and New Zealand? ........................................................................................................... 3

Itinerary ................................................................................................................................................... 3

Major Learnings ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 4

Observed Examples of Best Practice ....................................................................................................... 5

University of Otago/Primary School Project – Reconceptualising literacy: critical multiliteracies for

“new times” ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Secondary School – Scotch College, Melbourne ................................................................................. 6

Assessment Body – Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) ...................................... 8

Learning Pathway – Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)................................................ 9

External Provider – Centre for new public education ....................................................................... 10

Impact of Travelling Fellowship ............................................................................................................ 11

Resources for teachers ......................................................................................................................... 13

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What is critical literacy? The need for this study stems from the increasing use in educational policy documents of the term

'critical literacy'. Presented as a desirable skill for all learners to possess and use, it is poorly

understood by teachers (Reid 2012). Clarifying the meaning of this contested term is of immediate

relevance and value to school leaders and teachers. After significant academic research and multiple

engagements with stakeholders across all sectors of education, I have concluded that critical literacy

lies on a continuum of meaning. At the basic end of this continuum, it means the ability to discern

persuasion in communication and interrogate issues of motivation and power in language. At the

more radical end of the continuum, it includes the critical analysis of communication which

motivates subsequent social or political action to redress inequalities and injustices.

Why is critical literacy important? It is my belief that learners aged 5-19 need to become equipped with appropriate tools and

techniques to enable them to discern truth from rhetorical manipulation since they are continually

bombarded by speeches, advertisements and ‘spin’ in the media and online. Beyond this, though,

they need appropriate opportunities to deconstruct and construct arguments, as well as knowledge

and techniques to help them to make informed and ethical judgements. These opportunities to

listen, critique, analyse and compose will improve their skills of critical literacy, political literacy and

self expression. I am concerned that the conception of critical literacy in UK educational policy is a

diluted one because it is not associated anywhere in policy literature with transformation through

individual or collective action. Critical literacy in its stronger form is, I think, a highly desirable

educational goal for all British learners and fits particularly well with Scotland's democratic intellect

(Davie 1961) and focus on 'responsible citizenship' (Scottish Government 2009b: 2). Learners here,

and in other UK home nations, deserve to be taught by teachers who feel confident and supported

in their delivery of critical skills across the curriculum.

References

Davie, G. (1961) The democratic intellect, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Reid, A. (2012) 'Gaps and silences: perceptions, practice and policy of critical literacy', Critical

literacies: theories and practices, 6, 1, 64-74.

Scottish Government (2009b) Building the curriculum 4: Skills for learning, life and work, Edinburgh.

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Why Australia and New Zealand? 1. Over the last 40 years, Australia has been a pioneering nation in prioritising critical skills in

school education. Peter Freebody and Allan Luke at the University of Sydney created the

four resources model (1999) to help teachers and learners engage more deeply with texts,

developing appropriate channels for critical response. For the last 15 years, this model has

served as an international example of good practice in critical literacy education.

2. The State of Victoria’s Essential Learning Standards (2009) mirror Scotland’s Curriculum for

Excellence in being progressive from ages 3-18. Headteachers and English teachers in

Victoria have learned how to embed and successfully deliver critical literacy skills in a highly

structured curriculum.

3. The New South Wales Literacy Learning and Technology (2010) policy is based on digital

critical literacy. With Scotland’s desire to ‘future-proof’ the curriculum, valuable lessons can

be learned from policy makers, academics and teachers in Sydney.

4. The authors of ‘Planting Seeds - Embedding critical literacy into your classroom programme’,

based at the University of Otago in New Zealand, have helped to raise the profile of critical

literacy as a tool for personal and social change. With Scotland’s aspirations to cultivate

‘responsible citizens’, the ‘planting seeds’ model is an accessible way for teachers in primary

and secondary schools to make small, but significant, modifications to their classroom

practice which can boost learners’ critical skills.

Itinerary Organisation Contact

Auckland University of Auckland School of Critical Studies in Education

Dr Vicki Carpenter, Dr Georgina Stewart and Claudia Rozas-Gómez

Wellington Scots College Matthew Bertram and Victoria Papadopoulos

Ministry of Education Kiritina Johnstone and Pauline Waiti

Dunedin John McGlashan College Iain McGilchrist

St. Hilda’s Collegiate School Melissa Bell

Ministry of Education Mary Geary, Di Stewart and Trevor McDonald

University of Otago Dr Susan Sandretto

Melbourne University of Melbourne Dr Julie Hamston, Dr Joe Lo Bianco, Dr K.O. Chang-Gossard

Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Jenny Schenk, Cathy Beeson, Sean Tyrell, Phaedra Eayrs, Georgia Shiells and Amy Hughes

Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Dr Joanne Reidy, Sharon Foster, David Gallagher, Jenny Oldfield and Lisa Burgess

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Melbourne Girls’ College Judy Crowe, Sally Sutherland and Deborah Huismann

Camberwell Grammar School John Tuckfield

Catholic Education Office Melbourne

Rosemary McLoughlin

Melbourne Girls’ Grammar School

Chris McNamara

Scotch College Peter Hillman, Claire Von Boxel, Dr Peter Coutis, Barry Burton, and Pino Cutinelli

Canberra Australian Department of Education

Dr David Atkins and Glen Toohey

Sydney COAG Reform Council Michelle Wheeler

ACARA Dr Phil Lambert

University of Sydney Professor Murray Print, Dr Eric Csapo

NSW Department of Education and Communities

Prudence Greene

Centre for New Public Education

Ricky Campbell-Allen

NSW Board of Studies Jill Heinrich

Knox Grammar School Karen Yager

Pymble Ladies’ College Dr Emily Matters, Sally Greenwood, Julia Anstey

Major Learnings 1. Critical literacy is linked in direct ways to participatory citizenship in New Zealand.

2. Critical literacy is firmly embedded in classroom practice in New South Wales, where it is no

longer isolated in policy or practice as a separate skill.

3. In Victoria, critical skills (i.e. critical literacy and critical/creative thinking) are deemed so

important that they will be formally assessed. The tests will measure learners’ critical

awareness and reasoning skills, independent of subject content.

Recommendations 1. UK teacher professional development should be based on Luke and Freebody’s (1999) Four

Resources model (in which learners are taught [1] code breaking and [2] meaning making, to

become [3] text users and [4] text analysts). Subject specialists in UK schools should work

together to identify meaningful learning activities which cultivate critical literacy.

2. UK subject associations (e.g. National Association for the Teaching of English, The

Association for Language Learning, The Association for Citizenship Teaching) can help boost

professional learning of teachers by producing support materials and resources which

integrate critical literacy with subject content.

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3. School leaders should prioritise critical literacy in whole-school development plans. Only

with consistent prioritisation will critical literacy become embedded in UK classroom

practice.

4. Allow local community groups’ interests to fertilise curriculum content wherever possible

(see VCAL below for exemplification).

5. Produce definitions for key terms as an addendum to UK education policy documents (as per

ACARA Civics and Citizenship policy).

6. Increase focus on speaking skills and raise the agency of student voice in schools. This will

provide valuable preparation for argumentation, delivery, employment and citizenship.

7. Careful consideration should be given to the possible use of assessment tools for critical

literacy. Without some method of formal assessment, will critical skills ever attract

importance from teachers and learners?

Observed Examples of Best Practice (For full details of all research engagements, see my Fellowship blog at www.drarlenehh.com. There

follows one example from each educational sector – I found these engagements particularly

instructive and incisive.)

University of Otago/Primary School Project – Reconceptualising literacy:

critical multiliteracies for “new times” Over the course of this two-year project, nineteen teachers and their students from seven schools collaborated to discover ways to enhance students’ critical analysis of multiple types of texts in order to prepare them for a multiliterate future (i.e. one which requires them to be functionally literate, critically literate, digitally literate, politically literate, financially literate etc.). This required supporting students to bridge their in- and out-of-school literacies in preparation for new, unknowable times. The schools included full primary schools, two intermediates and a college, and included both rural and urban sites. This project allowed the participating teachers to form a community of practice and to build capability around critical multiliteracies within and across the participating schools. All of the students of each participating teacher were involved in project-specific whole-class lessons, and five students from each class were involved as researchers examining their own multiliteracies. These same five students were also involved in focus group interviews after each videotaped lesson. The participating teachers:

took part in nine release days over the year (research meetings, training days and collaborative workshops)

conducted an ethnography of the in- and out-of-school literacy practices of one of their students, and

shared these findings at a research meeting with other participating teachers, principals and the researchers

had two literacy lessons videotaped

conducted and participated in an initial and exit interview with other participating teachers

took part in an end-of-year research celebration with students, principals and the researchers.

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The participating students:

conducted a study into their multiliteracies

constructed a poster to share their research findings

participated in two focus group interviews with the researchers after videotaped lessons and

one exit interview conducted by participating teachers.

took part in an end-of-year research celebration with teachers, principals and the researchers

Data gathering and analysis included:

initial and exit interviews with the participating teachers

student focus group interviews after each videotaped lesson and at the end of the year

teacher PowerPoint presentations and audiotaped presentations of the results of the ethnography into the in- and out-of-school literacy practices of one student

student posters presenting their findings of their autoethnography of themselves as multiliterate people

collaborative analysis of videotaped lessons where the participating teachers reflected on the feedback from the student focus group interviews and suggested ways they wished to change their practice

follow-up interviews with participating teachers from 2011 during 2013 to investigate the sustainability of the research findings

transcripts from audiotaped research team working day discussions. Findings:

1. Teachers, researchers and pupils needed to reconceptualise literacy and literacy practices in light of rapidly changing digital, social and educational times. An integral aspect of reconceptualising literacy is the metalanguage that accompanies it. The research team found that teachers and students need multiple opportunities to engage with and adopt the metalanguage of critical multiliteracies. Students suggested that teachers need to explicitly teach and revisit the metalanguage of critical multiliteracies.

2. Pedagogy requires some re-thinking. There is no one right way to teach critical multiliteracies but teachers in this study benefited from trialling new pedagogies and reflecting on the outcomes of those trials with the support of their students. Listening to learners’ feedback is very important.

Secondary School – Scotch College, Melbourne My visit to Scotch College was hosted by Dr Peter Coutis, Director of Research, Learning and

Teaching. I had three meetings: the first with Peter Hillman, Head of Library and Information

Services; the second with Claire Von Boxel, teacher of Classics and the third with Peter Coutis, Barry

Burton, Head of English and Pino Cutinelli, Head of Middle School.

Peter Hillman is a trained de Bono presenter (Edward de Bono developed theories of critical,

creative, effective and lateral thinking which are now taught in the de Bono Institute at the

University of Malta), so much of our discussion was concerned with critical thinking skills, their

cultivation and application. He explained how the Scotch library is staffed with 'teacher librarians'

who, as well as teaching a subject, are also attached to a form and lead a cross curricular unit each

semester. These cross curricular units include a focus on critical literacy through social justice

themes e.g. poverty, famine and sustainability. The materials used for these units include resources

produced by the Victoria Association of Teachers of Geography in collaboration with AusAID and the

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Global Education Project. Titles include 'Geographies of human wellbeing', 'Water and the world'

and 'Water for life'. These published resources include analysis of issues such as human wellbeing,

empowering women and girls, poverty, population and disease. Peter uses a number of approaches

when teaching these cross-curricular units. He feels it is very important for students to explore and

scaffold their thinking around an issue before having to articulate it. To do so, he uses a number of

thinking templates which promote problem solving skills including the P.O.O.CH. (Problems, options,

outcomes, choice) and the S.W.O.T. (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), brainstorming

and tree diagrams. These thinking skills are reinforced across the curriculum through the 'core skills'

program.

The library staff members also lead sessions on digital critical literacy which aim to help students

understand that information found online may not always be reliable. In English lessons, library staff

lead other critical literacy-related activities including: cover and picture analysis of graphic novels

(one example being Art Spiegelman's, 'Maus'); reading the text and pictures of comics separately

then evaluating their richness when read together; asking what gaps and silences appear in texts;

watching and critically responding to book and movie trailers, then producing their own; structuring

critical engagement with novels by discussing whether the blurb did a good job and whether the

protagonist would be a classroom friend or foe if he/she existed in real life. At Scotch, the librarians

lead and support the development of critical literacy, especially for students in years 7-10 (ages 11-

15). It is clear that they play a vital role in embedding critical skills across and beyond the subject-

based curriculum.

Scotch makes generous provision for teachers’ professional learning and development (PLD)

including providing two meetings for form teachers in the Middle School who team-teach critical

thinking. This opportunity for collaborative learning with the ‘core skills’ program leader is a valuable

and informal PLD activity. At these meetings they may discuss how best to deliver topics such as

'CoRT thinking strategies', 'Herrmann Brain' and 'Digital Citizenship'. The school is currently trialling

an assessment partnership project run by Professor Patrick Griffin at the University of Melbourne. Its

aim is to get teachers to challenge their own perceptions of students and their diverse abilities

across the curriculum. It will involve approaching assessment with new aims, professional dialogue

and more focus on differentiated learning, ensuring that the most able students are sufficiently

stimulated and challenged. This PLD will attract Masters credits for teachers who wish to continue

with the academic elements of the program. This approach could be a model for raising teachers'

engagement with, and competence in, critical literacy education.

Barry Burton gave an overview of the ways in which critical literacy is taught in the Senior Secondary

phase (Years 11 and 12). As part of the VCE English course, students must study the use of language

to persuade. To do so, they use a textbook (Using Language to Persuade) written by a member of the

department, Ryan Johnstone. This includes the analysis of visual language, writing formal analyses of

newspaper articles and commercial advertisements identifying purpose, audience and effect. In Year

12, students must write and deliver a persuasive speech which is an assessed part of their English

course. This is a valuable exercise not just for public speaking practice but also as preparation for life

as a citizen. The need to formulate an ethical and informed position on an issue then justify it

through oral communication is closely linked with participatory and deliberative conceptions of

citizenship. Scotch is committed to preparing young men who are aware of their civic rights and

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responsibilities so they recognise the importance of equipping boys with skills to think critically and

to take action which will benefit communities, near and far.

The boys are already involved in two such projects. The first is a partnership with a school in the

Northern Territory. Through this partnership, Scotch College provides funding for the education of

aboriginal children in an area of socio-economic disadvantage. Scotch teachers and boys visit the

school to work on various development and sustainability projects. For many boys, this is a life-

changing experience as their privileged Melbourne lifestyle is set in a wider human context and they

are caused to critically reflect on their ability to exert positive impact on communities across

Australia. The second project is a camp at which the boys who have just left school look after

disabled young people for three days to allow their parents and carers temporary respite. The

responsibilities which boys assume require them to see the world from a different perspective and

this makes them more aware of disability issues in society.

In concluding our discussions, two caveats were issued. Barry was uncomfortable in some ways with

the critical literacy policy agenda. He dislikes the notion that students are made to be 'suspicious of

everything' and thinks that templates for critical analysis can reduce rich literature to nothing more

than a mechanical process. The second caveat was issued by Peter Coutis who was concerned at the

tension which comes with the separation of critical literacy from good teaching. He thinks that good

teachers teach critical literacy through their subject discipline and that the learning experience is

more holistic if they do so without artificially introducing critical literacy as a separate skill. These

caveats caused me to reconsider my long-held beliefs about the role of critical literacy in secondary

education and strongly influenced the recommendations I made above for critical literacy education

in the UK. Assessment Body – Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) Of particular interest in AusVELS (the hybrid of the Victorian curriculum and its new national

counterpart) is the fact that learning is separated into three strands: discipline based learning;

interdisciplinary learning; and physical, personal and social learning. Alongside these three strands

are seven general capabilities:

Literacy Numeracy Information and communication technology (ICT) capability Critical and creative thinking Personal and social capability Ethical understanding Intercultural understanding.

The seven general capabilities underpin learning in every area and are at the core of the learning

continuum. Teachers of all subjects are expected to seize opportunities to cultivate these capabilities

in their classrooms. To help them do so, the curriculum has a key which identifies content and

learning standards which are suitable for cross-curricular development.

Victoria is the only state which intends to assess the general capabilities and report against the levels

of achievement. In order to do so, Victoria has contracted the Australian Council for Educational

Research (ACER) to create assessments which will be fit for purpose in measuring students’ general

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capabilities. Taking the ‘critical and creative thinking’ capability as an example, learners have four

skills to develop: inquiring- identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas; generating

ideas, possibilities and actions; reflecting on thinking and processes; and analysing, synthesising and

evaluating reasoning and procedures. Within each of these skills areas, there are three outcomes to

achieve e.g. within generating ideas, possibilities and actions, the outcomes are: imagine possibilities

and connect ideas, consider alternatives and seek solutions and put ideas into action. These critical

and creative thoughts and actions require learners to make judgements and consider possible

courses of actions arising from those judgements. The ACER has developed 31 items which can be

used to test critical and creative thinking and their suitability for use has been trialled and tested by

VCAA in a pilot project. Teachers in schools will administer these tests by linking three tasks

together, allowing for summative and diagnostic feedback (the tasks do not require any content

knowledge, they are carefully written to avoid being subject specific). Teachers will be given clear

instructions, marking rubric and will be supported in their initial assessments by specialists from the

ACER and VCAA. This attempt to measure and report on critical capability represents a great stride

forward in the learning and teaching of critical skills. The UK waits with bated breath to see how the

first state-wide implementation of this testing strategy progresses in 2015-2016. Ongoing

cooperation between Victoria and the UK is likely to be mutually beneficial for those involved in both

policy and implementation. Learning Pathway – Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) David Gallagher, VCAL Manager at the VCAA explained that VCAL was developed in response to the

Kirby report (2000). Kirby identified that the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) was an excellent

qualification but was not meeting the needs of all learners. As a pathway to University, the VCE

provided good preparation for around 30% of learners but those teenagers who wished to progress

into employment were poorly serviced by the traditional (since 1856) academic pathway. The VCAL

sought to combine assessment in industry-specific skills, work related skills, literacy and numeracy

skills and personal development skills. In 2013, there were 22,853 students enrolled on the VCAL,

with 445 registered providers.

The VCAL is designed for maximum flexibility in delivery and assessment. Developed at three levels

(foundation, intermediate and senior), learners can work at whichever level they feel is appropriate

for their ability and employment aims. At all levels, learners enjoy multiple learning contexts – it

would be usual for a learner to spend one day at college, three days at school and one day in the

workplace. There are a number of employers who regularly offer work placements to VCAL students

and these placements are co-ordinated by providers in partnership with regional VCAL support

officers. Critical literacy is inextricably linked with civic responsibility and social action in the VCAL.

Many charities and public organisations have produced teaching resources, mapped to the VCAL

standards, to raise the profile of their work with younger generations (e.g. Worksafe, Vic Roads,

Scope, Big Deal and others). For example, in Senior Unit 2.1.2., a learning standard is ‘Critically

analyse a community problem or issue.’ The Salvation Army, in its VCAL support materials suggests

that learning program managers focus on homelessness as the content for this standard: ‘Analyse

the different ways homelessness is presented in the media’. Students could be asked to summarise

common themes, descriptive words and images in a ‘think, pair, share’ activity. The Salvation Army

organises a homelessness night walk for students around the city of Melbourne during which they

are given opportunities to serve in soup kitchens and talk to homeless service users. Upon

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completion of community engagement, students are asked to critically reflect on their original

position and offer some suggestions for ways in which homelessness might be alleviated. The

personal development skills criteria require that students consider civic and civil responsibility and

value civic participation in a democratic society. The literacy learning standards require that students

‘read and write for public debate’. There are many outstanding examples of learners raising the

profile of social injustice within their community and taking steps to remedy societal ills. There are

also touching stories of VCAL students organising charitable events which have raised huge sums of

money for local charities.

The combined assessment of critical reading, text analysis, public debate and civic participation

makes for a well-rounded education and cultivates skills vital for living in the 21st century. The VCAL

places citizenship and participation in community affairs at the core of the curriculum while in the

VCE it receives scant attention because it does not contribute to ATAR (University entrance) scores.

In practice, this means that there is a great deal of pressure on teachers and learners to cultivate

critical literacy and responsible citizenship in AusVELS (until Year 10) as it disappears from the formal

curriculum thereafter. However, learners arguably need skills of self representation and critical

awareness most as they prepare to leave school and move to further study or work. If the UK were

to accredit critical literacy and social agency skills for learning, life and work, as VCAL does, it could

propagate a more active, informed and ethical citizenry. The VCAL represents an excellent model not

only for vocational education for the education of the ‘whole person’. External Provider – Centre for new public education The Centre for New Public Education (CNPE) is an advocacy initiative dedicated to building a fairer

and future focused education system for all young Australians. It works for change by using a range

of strategies, including stakeholder engagement, policy analysis and convening alliances. It believes

all young people, regardless of their background, should have access to an education which gives

them the skills, knowledge and capabilities to thrive in their future life and work. CNPE works

tirelessly to promote the idea that young people are partners in learning and that they ought to

actively shape their education at a classroom, school and system level.

The Student shout-out (SSO) campaign consulted and engaged 4,500 students across Australia,

enabling them to ask questions of key stakeholders and decision-makers in Education. The students’

perspective was communicated through a detailed findings report presented to a Senate Inquiry

Committee. As a result of the significant interest in the report, SSO students appeared as witnesses

to the Senate hearings. This was the first time that students appeared before a Senate Inquiry as

expert witnesses on education.

The SSO consultation model pilot in 2012 revealed there is an appetite from government for more

student engagement in, and consultation on, education. This indicates a greater recognition of

students as a key stakeholder group that can be leveraged to instigate change at the classroom,

school and system level. This aligns well with CNPE’s goals to make education fairer, more learner-

shaped and future-focussed.

The CNPE also offers workshops for learners in schools to learn about increasing their agency and

running a campaign. These can either be delivered face-to-face or online and ask students to identify

a school-based or general education issue upon which they then have six weeks to enact change.

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They are encouraged to engage with media, local officials and government representatives. This very

active and participatory approach to citizenship allows students to exercise critical skills both in the

deconstruction of communication but also in the construction of their campaign content. Ricky

Campbell-Allen explained that some of these campaigners go on to become ‘young people pioneers’

who empower other young people to become involved in social enterprise, to ‘galvanise the

potential of their communities’ and to enact social change. It is these young people who are best

equipped to cause systemic change later in their lives.

For teachers to insist on perpetuating the status quo is to do an immense injustice to young people,

and to limit their future potential as leaders for educational and social change. It is true that

engaging an external non-profit organisation like CNPE is certainly one alternative to compelling

teachers to cultivate critical skills across the curriculum, but if the students are to derive greatest

benefit from this civic and social education, they must have opportunities to exercise their self-

representation in school. Workshops delivered in a discrete and isolated way will only work if they

are carefully and explicitly linked to existing ‘student voice’ initiatives in school.

The learning activities offered by CNPE are incredibly inspirational and their success to date is

testament to the vision, creativity and passion for public education of all the staff. CNPE has charted

new waters in the field of student engagement, social justice and democratic education – I am

inspired to set up a branch (Foundation for Young Britons?) in the UK as school leaders, staff and

pupils could benefit greatly from this type of additional training and support. A first step in this

direction will be to develop a model which works in one Scottish school then look to expand its

regional impact in collaboration with partners such as Education Scotland, Young Scot and the

Scottish Parliament. Such an initiative may enjoy national uptake if appropriate bodies in England,

Wales and Northern Ireland share its aims, objectives and agenda for change.

Impact of Travelling Fellowship Professionally, I increased my knowledge of education systems in New Zealand and Australia and

was particularly struck by the similarities between Victoria and Scotland in their approaches to the

design and implementation of policy, curriculum and assessment. As an education professional with

multiple roles in curriculum and assessment design, I look forward to using my experience and

knowledge of literacy policy in New Zealand and Australia for the benefit of learners in the UK. I

hope, too, that my students and colleagues may choose to connect and collaborate with some of

those I met on my travels. I am hopeful that my work on critical literacy will have a discernible

impact on educational policy and practice in the UK, as it will be disseminated through a number of

local and national channels, both academic and professional.

Personally, I derived enormous enjoyment from my trip to Australasia. I would like to thank the

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for allowing me to undertake such an exciting project. The Trust’s

staff members have been incredibly kind, patient and supportive right from the application stage to

report completion. On my travels, the individuals I met, and the institutions I visited, were warm,

welcoming and receptive to my requests for collaboration. I found colleagues in schools, universities

and government departments to be passionate about creating the best possible education for

learners –their commitment, drive and energy were inspiring. In addition to maintaining new

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friendships and continuing international collaboration, I look forward to reciprocating their generous

hospitality in the UK very soon.

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Resources for teachers Ashton, K. and Jones, C. (2013) Geographies of human wellbeing, Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria, Melbourne.

Catholic Education Office Melbourne (2010) Speaking and listening: learning to make meaning, NEALS, Melbourne.

Cloonan, A. (2013) Collaborative literacy learning communities research report, Deakin University and Catholic Education Office, Melbourne.

de Bono, E. (1985) Six Thinking Hats, Penguin Books, London.

Evans, S. (2012) Through the literacy looking glass: critical theory in practice, New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English, Wellington.

Halliday, M.A.K. (1978) Language as social semiotic: the social interpretation of language and meaning, Routledge, New York.

Johnstone, R. (2013) Using language to persuade, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

Mellor, B., Patterson, A. and O’Neill, M. (2000) Reading Fictions: applying literary theory to short stories, National Council of Teachers of English, Perth.

Mellor, B. and Patterson, A. (2001) Investigating Texts: analyzing fiction and non-fiction in High School, National Council of Teachers of English, Perth.

Mercer, N. (2000) Words and minds: how we use language to think together, Routledge, London.

Moon, B. and Mellor, B. (2001) Writing Critical essays: a practical guide, Chalkface Press, Perth.

New Zealand Ministry of Education (2003) Effective literacy practice in Years 1 to 4, Learning media, Wellington.

New Zealand Ministry of Education (2006) Effective literacy practice in Years 5 to 8, Learning media, Wellington.

New Zealand Ministry of Education (2007) The New Zealand Curriculum, Learning media, Wellington.

Robinson E. and Robinson, S. (2003) What does it mean? An introduction to text, context, values, McGraw-Hill Australia, Sydney.

Sandretto, S. with Klenner, S. (2011) Planting Seeds: embedding critical literacy into your classroom programme, NZCER Press, Wellington.

Sandretto, S. and Tilson, J. (2013) Reconceptualising literacy: critical multiliteracies for ‘new times’, Teaching and Learning Research Initiative, Wellington.

Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (2008) Curriculum Planning Guide: literacy skills units, Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Melbourne.

Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (2011) Curriculum Planning Guide: personal development skills, Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Melbourne.

Wineburg, S. (2011) Reading like a historian, Teachers College Press, New York.