Teachers say literacy training inadequate

MORE than one in three second-level English teachers feel inadequately trained to help tackle the poor literacy level of some students.

Low levels of ongoing training also emerge from a survey of 474 teachers of third-year students at 134 schools where 15 year olds had their reading and comprehension skills tested as part of a global study in 2009.

The test results published a year ago showed that, while their performance was around the average of students across more than 30 OECD countries, Irish scores fell more than anywhere else compared with testing in 2000. The Programme for International Assessment results showed that the proportion of students at the lowest reading levels rose from 11% to 17% between 2000 and 2009.

A range of questions that the Educational Research Centre (ERC) in Dublin asked the students’ teachers during testing included an examination of how they differentiate reading instruction during English classes to accommodate less able readers. Just one-third felt their pre-service training prepared them to differentiate based on students’ literacy levels, while only 61% said they had the skills required to address the needs of those with low literacy levels.

But the ERC reports that teachers of English attend little or no continuous professional development (CPD), although the average uptake of 1.69 days in the previous three years among those in schools with high numbers of disadvantaged students was much higher than in other schools.

Almost 60% of teachers blamed a lack of suitable courses while almost one in three said a lack of time outside school hours prevented them attending courses. Asked what areas they would like covered in future training, most placed priority on help teaching students with special educational needs or whose first language was not English, with the teaching of basic literacy skills also high in their priorities.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland education and research officer Bernie Judge said very significant cuts to the support service for teachers have reduced opportunities for effective and ongoing CPD. She said a requirement in the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy that all teachers take more responsibility for literacy development requires significant CPD support but that damaging poor practices will emerge and be escalated by continued cuts to education, including curtailment of training programmes.

In line with the strategy, the ERC said teachers of all subjects should try to improve students’ literacy by offering supports that cater for their reading needs and interests.

Its analysis also reveals that lower scores were much less common on an electronic reading assessment in which just 12% of boys performed at the lowest levels compared to almost one in four on the pen and paper tests.