Supporting older struggling readers & writers

New Zealand intermediate and secondary schools teachers are eager to learn more about the science of reading and what changes they can make to their classroom practices and learning support initiatives. They want to know how to better support those adolescent students who arrive in their classrooms with very poor reading and writing skills. So where can they go to learn more?

While the government has announced some support for teachers and students of these year levels (for example, rollout of Structured Literacy PLD to Y3-8 and additional targeted support for 160 secondary schools) there are informal support networks out there that can help intermediate and secondary teachers map out a plan about how to implement an effective multi-tiered system of support approach to help older struggling students catch up.

These include a 6,000 strong New Zealand based Facebook Group - Structured Literacy for Older Learners (NZ) who run periodic webinars where teachers get to share what they are doing in their schools and seek feedback and support from others.

Another, very active group is the Australian based Literacy Intervention in Secondary Schools (LISS) Network. Established by Jessica Colleu Terradas (Senior Officer Teaching and Learning Literacy Specialist and Instructional Coach, Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education) and Marley Collins (Literacy Learning Specialist at Somerville Secondary College) in reponse to the unique circumstances facing educators and specialists delivering literacy intervention in secondary settings. They hold an online meeting once a term. It is a place to network and share best practice.

Jessica has also created a series of free online modules providing an overview of adolescent literacy and why some students have difficulty with reading and what teachers can do to implement an effective Multi-Tiered System of Support in secondary settings. These modules (2 hours in total) provide a great starting point for getting started.

You could also check out a webinar we recorded in 2021 of using Structured Literacy with older students. It features Betsy Sewell from Agility with Sound, Janice Langford from Freedom Literacy, Katie Tomkins from Wakatipu High School and Carla Davidson from Chisnallwood Intermediate.