This presentation reports on an ongoing case study exploring professional learning and its implementation in classrooms.
Literature and Latté is the name given to a professional development/research project that incorporates professional learning for teachers, the transfer of strategies to the classroom and pre-service teachers' learning about the teaching of literature.
The Australian National Curriculum for English K -10 is expected to be implemented in each jurisdiction by 2013. The English Curriculum is divided into 3 interrelated strands - one of which is Literature.
Students will be expected to develop an informed, aesthetic appreciation of literary texts including narrative, poetry, prose and plays. The curriculum aims to develop an understanding of literary criticism, heritage and values through texts that promote aesthetic, ethical and imaginative learning experiences. Effective teaching of literature requires teachers and pre-service teachers to have substantive knowledge and understanding of literary texts, aesthetic appreciation, literary theory and criticism. Some teachers may have this knowledge but many will be searching for successful solutions.
Literature and Latté is an innovative professional development project for teachers that provides solutions - teachers meet in cafés and are introduced to the value of book clubs for teaching and encouraging a love of literature. Through the formation of a book club, teachers analyse what avid adult readers do when sharing literature and are shown how to replicate these strategies in their classrooms. Through expert guidance, teachers develop literary concepts and understanding and are shown how to impart literary knowledge and develop an aesthetic appreciation for literature in their classrooms using the real world learning strategies in Literature and Latté. Similarly, pre-service teachers learn about literature using the implementation processes called Linking Literature.
With over twenty years experience in a variety of educational roles including teaching, literacy consultant and academic, the researcher has developed a framework of real world learning elements that acknowledges the complexity of learning yet articulates a succinct, sustainable method for the classroom practitioner. The success of Literature and Latté and Linking Literature is attributed to the Real World learning framework (Jameson, 2009).
This presentation analyses the pedagogic theory underpinning the professional and pre-service learning projects reporting on their success from a qualitative case study perspective.
References:
Jameson, S. (2009). Bringing the real world into the classroom - strategies to motivate learning. In Refereed Proceedings from the Bridging Divides National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy. Hobart, Tasmania: Australia. http://www.englishliteracyconference.com.au/index.php?id=28&year=09