Literacy and Language

For several years now, the College has been on a journey to enhance the teaching and language and literacy in all classrooms. Since 2022, there has even ongoing professional learning for teachers to enhance the ways students develop their literacy and language skills in classrooms. Each issue, this section will explore teachers' contributions to this journey.

AATE/ALEA 2024 Conference

During the term break, three leaders attended the AATE/ALEA 2024 Conference in Adelaide to engage in professional learning and networking with teachers and literacy experts from around the country. 

Literacy Leader, Mark Howard, presented alongside representatives from Lexis Education on the implementation of the College's whole-school approach to literacy over the past five years. He presented alongside Brian Dare, co-author of the 3L professional learning course run by the College with teaching staff over the past eighteen months, and Dr Gail Forey from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. So far, over 100 teachers at the College have undertaken the 3L course, with 44 having completed the course in its entirety. This has been one of several school initiatives that have led to the record VCE and NAPLAN results of the past twelve months.

The College's English Leader, Laura Priggen, and Humanities Leader, David Thomas, also attended workshops and presentations over the course of the three-day conference. Highlights included previews of AI-driven feedback programs, explorations of the importance of Australian texts in contemporary Australian classrooms, and insights into ways to use student data to inform teaching practice. For Mr Thomas, the trip was a powerful experience: 

The Adelaide conference was a stockpile of educational practice and experience, which validated the work that we've done at EMC, and inspired the work that still lies ahead.

Another particular highlight was a brief reunion with Professor Larissa Maclean Davies, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. She was the co-ordinator of the English program at the University during Mr Howard's and Mrs Priggen's teaching degrees and was even one of Mr Howard's tutors.  

The conference was a valuable experience that generated new ideas and directions for the ongoing development of literacy and language teaching at EMC. It was also an opportunity to establish contacts with leaders at schools in Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland who are pursuing similar goals to improve students' language and literacy outcomes.   

Later this year, Mr Howard and Mr Thomas will be presenting again at Lexis Education's symposium in Melbourne. 

Teacher Spotlight: Mr Campain

Another Maths teacher, Lachlan Campain, was awarded his certificate for completing the 3L language and literacy course last week. Mr Campain has developed several resources and shared them with other members of his teaching teams. 

This term, he has also been involved in an Instructional Coaching team alongside Ms Smith, Ms Klusik, and Ms Hanifah. They have been working with reference chains - the way we connect meanings across texts - to support students with unpacking worded problems in their Maths classrooms.