The Facilitator of Pedagogy at Lumen Christi College, Wendy Mockler is constantly pursuing evidence-based pedagogy to improve student outcomes. Supported by Catholic Education, Mrs Mockler became an early adopter of The Writing Revolution (TWR).

The Writing Revolution provides teachers with an evidence-based and proven instructional methodology, the Hochman Method, an explicit writing instruction program which aims to transform teaching instruction by enabling students to develop the literacy and critical thinking skills to engage in the classroom.

The TWR methodology and resources work across year groups and curriculum areas, which provides a whole school approach supporting targeted literacy interventions.

Since completing the training, Mrs Mockler has shared her new knowledge with her colleagues and formed an innovative working group at Lumen Christi to deliver TWR through the integrated humanities (iHUM) program for Year 7 students.

As a result of implementing TWR, new consistent engagement norms are being used in the classroom in a more coordinated and supported environment. Teachers report students are developing the skills to become competent readers and writers. Teachers and students have begun to use the “Show-me Boards” to check for understanding and provide immediate feedback.

“This way of teaching has helped our students by providing a framework for class discussion, it has also improved in their ability to explain their points, and their punctuation is improving.”

Mrs Mockler encourages schools who are thinking about implementing The Writing Revolution in their classes to take the time to plan out their implementation approach to ensure they are maximising impact for staff and students. Schools need to understand their data and apply evaluative thinking, applying reflective practices to help make good judgements on sound evidence.

“You don’t have to embark on this journey alone. You can pair up with someone who has done this before, or shares your ambition and work through it together. I would also encourage you to reach out and seek assistance where you need it.”

The approach to implement TWR at Lumen Christi was a phased one, where elements of the program were learnt, demonstrated and then practiced in the classroom. Adding more and more elements and resources as teachers became more confident with the program.

Mrs Mockler said some teachers were concerned their creativity could be impacted by using an explicit learning program, however now they have experienced the program, they have found plenty of opportunities to deliver creative and innovative lessons within the framework. The Writing Revolution program starts at the sentence level and builds student capacity to develop a comprehensive piece of writing.

Teachers are working together to determine the level of impact this program is having on student learning. On implementation of TWR, there have been noticeable improvements in the pedagogical practices of the teachers involved, including lesson planning, setting learning intentions, defining success criteria, and implementing new formative assessment strategies.

Lumen teachers have been amazed at the enthusiasm of some of their students who are noticing the impact this program is having on their learning. As more teachers come on board, that enthusiasm is likely to grow.

Find out more about The Writing Revolution (TWR).

To register your interest in the program, contact the Catalyst team.

Teachers at St Joseph’s Bombala have been using InitiaLit to teach literacy in the classroom this year, resulting in improved reading outcomes for their youngest learners.

InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit is a three-year program, covering the first three years of school (Foundation to Year 2). It provides teachers with the methodology, resources, and lessons to teach literacy effectively.

This has resulted in an increase in students applying phonic knowledge to decode words when reading which has improved student motivation and their ability to grasp literacy concepts.

Principal Susan Tighe said St Joseph’s K-2 teachers had built a shared understanding of how to teach systematic and effective reading and writing skills since employing the InitiaLit program.

Using InitiaLit in all K-2 classes has helped St Joseph’s measure and track student performance data, which has helped target specific students to support further using small group intervention lessons.

Mrs Tighe said children who participated in the small group intervention program were having more success picking up core literacy skills which would equip them to become great readers.

“We are also helping parents guide student learning at home by providing instructions to ensure consistency between what the child is learning in the classroom and how they are practicing at home”.

The benefits of explicit instruction and an evidence-based program such as InitiaLit, are already clear with improvements in motivation, recall and engagement in the classroom.

To learn more about the success of InitiaLit at St Joseph’s Bombala, contact Susan Tighe at susan.tighe@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Find out more about InitiaLit.

Principal, Johanna Wain, said the teaching approach has already delivered improved learning outcomes and active participation in the classroom, with noticeable uplift in student engagement.

“Both teachers and Leaders have benefited from this program and are highly motivated to continue implementing high impact teaching strategies in all classrooms to improve student outcomes.”

Over the past 18 months, teachers from St Bernard’s Primary School have been using instructional teaching practices, to improve the literacy outcomes of their K-6 students via programs including Spelling Mastery and Let’s Decode.

As early adopters in the Archdiocese, teachers have been delivering evidence-based reading and spelling instruction to help their students learn specific language and grow their knowledge and understanding of phonics and spelling.

Since participating in training with Associate Professor Dr Lorraine Hammond, teachers have begun collaborating and sharing resources to ensure all classrooms at St Bernard’s are working from the same knowledge base.

Teachers have also begun using a specific technique to check for student understanding known as TAPPLE, where they –

1. Teach First
2. Ask A Question
3. Pause, then Pair-Share
4. Pick a Non-Volunteer
5. Listen
6. Effective Feedback

TAPPLE, combined with the Daily Review process (the high Impact practice of retrieving previously learned content), has seen students further develop their literacy skills.

Teachers have also begun filming their lessons so they can receive coaching advice and feedback from instructional coaches.

St Bernard’s Teacher using TAPPLE

Mrs Sarah Davis planned an interactive noun lesson that involved using tone and connecting body gestures to the definition of nouns to aid student’s memory and recall. She applied TAPPLE by teaching the concept first, then asking her students to name the nouns without instruction.

Watch Mrs Davis’ noun lesson

Mr Tony Ward implemented a syllable lesson, instructing his students to sound out the syllables of each word in a fun and interactive way. He used the TAPPLE model to teach first, then picked a volunteer to speak out loud in the class, listening to their responses and giving them feedback.

Watch Mr Ward’s syllable lesson

Mrs Jane Hardman used TAPPLE to teach compound words. She instructed her students to sound out the sentences before testing students individually on the definition of compound words.

Watch Mrs Hardman’s compound words lesson

Mrs Claire Campbell conducted a spelling exercise with her class, using the same teachnique-teaching first before picking a volunteer, listening and giving feedback.

Watch Mrs Campbell’s lesson