In the Classroom: Literacy

Dean Butler, literacy leader and primary school teacher, demonstrates the teaching of synthetic phonics, a systematic and explicit approach aimed to improve students’ phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary skills within a Year 3/4 literacy lesson.

Dean implements a diverse range of learning activities that consolidates students’ prior knowledge whilst introducing new challenges that aim to expand on core literacy concepts. In supporting student learning, Dean creates an engaging learning environment through the use of visual teaching tools such as sound pack cards, individual whiteboards and ‘finger spelling’ that promotes student voice and agency in their learning.

The strategic use of teaching tools enables Dean to check for student understanding, gathering observations to determine which students may require additional support or to arrange a learning intervention in small groups or individually in consolidating their knowledge.

Watch the teacher interview video with Joe Quinn, Principal and Dean Butler who unpack their whole-school approach to improving student literacy, focusing on evidence-based practices and gathering assessment data to inform their direction.

Joe and Dean share their insights on using an explicit instruction model that assists teachers in their understanding of teaching literacy concepts.