Kate Morris running the Year 9 literacy programme
“We give the boys tools to use so they can fully engage in classwork, making sure we troubleshoot each boy’s individual needs...” KateMorris
and work out what is required.
“While we look at rules and phonological approaches to
spelling where necessary, mostly we target high-use words, using dictation to find out which words are most often misspelt. We can help build the boys’ vocabulary to make them more independent writers. Reading is another key focus. We use a mixture of new technologies alongside tried and true reading strategies. Our aim is to increase each boy’s fluency and to increase their overall level of comprehension. “Understanding what you read is, of course, crucial for academic success. In order for each boy to be his best, we need to meet him at his starting point and develop strategies from there.” Kate Morris says the results of the literacy programme this term have been pleasing, and the future of the programme is promising for both College and the boys involved.
not that different from anyone else here at College. Every boy has areas where there is room for improvement. For these boys, that area is literacy. We introduce them to strategies and technologies that they might not have been taught, or had access to, in the past. “We give the boys tools to use so they can fully engage in classwork, making sure we troubleshoot each boy’s individual needs. We give him the appropriate skills to deal with what lies ahead in his learning. If boys are having trouble in one of their classes, they can bring their work along. Usually it’s a matter of not completely understanding what is being asked of them in a project, so we can talk it through
English classes, but we don’t do that, we give them a skills top-up three times a week so they can remain with the rest of their year level doing the same curriculum. “There is no doubt that coming to grips with these skills gives the boys more self-esteem and confidence,” she says. “They say they no longer feel they are out of their depth or they are the only one who doesn’t know things. Being in a small group also helps them realise other people have challenges in their learning and may be just as reluctant to ask for help, or say they don’t understand something.
“We help them realise they are
College Issue 32 2017
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