Engaging middle years students : literacy projects that matter

Abstract

Students often enter pre-service teacher literacy curriculum and pedagogy classes with conflicting and certainly varied notions about which literacy practices 'matter' in middle years classrooms. Debates about authentic learner-centred tasks versus basic skill acquisition circulate in the media, in school curricula and in the talk of teachers and parents. This article confronts such debates, to suggest that authentic literacy projects can be used to provide students with the experiences, knowledges and literacy skills that will help them to become engaged, successful learners in the middle years. Practical project snapshots using a three-step model of contextualised planning are described to illustrate how teachers can motivate students and intellectualise the curriculum, while at the same time supporting students’ diverse academic and cultural needs and strengths.