Summarising is a difficult skill but one that has, according to John Hattie, a high effect size (0.63). Other high impact literacy approaches associated with summarising also have similar high effect sizes (note-taking [0.59], organising and transforming notes [0.85], synthesising information across texts [0.63]). Therefore, the ability to summarise information is a worthwhile skill that has a significant impact on learning.
Many schools allocate one or two lessons per week for developing study skills or preparing students for external examinations. A common name for this time is ACCESS.
There are three books in the How to write what you want to say … in the secondary years set and when used together they make it easier for teachers to teach key writing skills or cognitive verbs.
Writing is a task that places a huge cognitive load on the brain - and not just for young writers! In this post, logonliteracy's Pat Hipwell talks about techniques for teaching students to write well.
Teacher as teller is a short talk that provides the background information to the reading or viewing. It ensures that all students approach the reading or viewing with the necessary background information.
It is much easier to understand what we read when we have some knowledge of the topic. This is, of course, something of a Catch 22 as background knowledge is acquired by reading.
When I show teachers this tool, they get very excited because it provides many ways in which vocabulary can be taught and learned.
A great deal of vocabulary in subject specific texts is new and unfamiliar to students. Some words have been heard but not seen in writing, making it difficult for students to recognise and pronounce the word.
