Literacy

Literacy is an important focus for St Joseph’s College because it is integral to effective learning in all curriculum areas and across all phases of learning. Literacy is essential for students' life-long learning and for their active participation in work, family and civic life in a highly complex and networked world. Literacy is at the heart of a student’s ability to learn and succeed in school and beyond. It is essential we give every student from Year 7 to Year 12 the best chance to master literacy so they can meet the challenges of 21st century life.

The notion of Literacy is distinct from the more traditional definition of English in that literacy encapsulates practices and competencies required for the effective teaching and learning of all subjects. Essentially Literacy is concerned with the way in which we communicate via spoken language, print and multimedia. The term is being increasingly used by researchers to highlight the growing range of skills and situations in which aspects of reading, writing, talking and listening skills are used. Literacy empowers the learner to utilise language in order to enhance their capacity to think, create and question effectively in a range of contexts.The way in which we communicate changes as society changes and preparing our students with language and critical thinking skills to deal with the demands of an increasingly technological future is part of what we are trying to achieve at St Joseph’s College.

The fundamental aspect of obtaining good academic results across the curriculum rests in literacy. Language capacity is the root of all student performance and is the key to success of any classroom learning experience. Whether it is listening to directions, reading a passage, writing a response, or discussing a point of view, the individual student’s ability to perform and advance in a classroom environment rests squarely on his or her corresponding language capacity. The reading, writing, speaking, and listening strategies necessary for student engagement cut across disciplines. In the world of formal education, these strategies are requisite at every level.

At St Joseph’s College we have a planned whole school approach to address this dynamic skill set of literacy. We ensure that literacy skills are taught and assessed consistently and systematically accross the curriculum. All teachers are equiped to deal with literacy issues in their subject area and there are consistent expectations in relation to terminoligy, standards of accuracy and presentation. All teaching programs explicitly cater to offering students the opportunity to achieve excellence in literacy. In collaboration with the Occhiena Centre, specific intervention is discussed and planned for students who may experience difficulty in this area.