By Dr Tracey Baxter
Research shows that ‘the strongest factor affecting pupils’ science scores is their literacy levels’ (EEF and the Royal Society, 2017)
In a curriculum packed with content, practical skills, maths skills and application skills, the thought of developing literacy skills as well can feel overwhelming. But, by shifting the focus away from science and literacy as two separate entities, we can develop effective ways to develop both the science and literacy at the same time.
Why is it so important to support literacy in science?
We know that literacy is a major barrier to students’ learning in science. We see this in our classrooms as well as in feedback from GCSEs year on year.
Improving the ability of students to read, write and talk about scientific ideas improves their understanding. This will, without a doubt, improve attainment in exams; this benefits the students, as they leave school with better life chances, and benefits the school in terms of results and inspection. But, aside from that, a focus on literacy supports students in wider learning and helps to prepare them for life beyond our classroom. It almost feels a moral duty to support students to become more confident and able with literacy.
What are the barriers to developing literacy in science lessons?
1. ‘We have a whole school literacy policy, so I don’t need a science approach’
We are in a unique position in science in that ‘literacy’ often involves number, data and diagrams rather than just text. Taking ownership of literacy development in a science context can be extremely powerful. It can avoid those ‘square peg, round hole’ situations where, as science teachers, we feel that strategies or approaches used in other subjects that are not appropriate or helpful in science are forced upon us. And developing approaches in science together as a department means that we can support and learn from each other and as a result, our confidence in delivery grows.
2. ‘I am not a literacy expert, how can I teach literacy skills?’
We may compare ourselves to teachers of English and feel that we can’t possibly have that depth of knowledge of literacy. Many of us don’t have that depth, but we are the experts in what is needed in science and where the challenges are in science and so we are in the best position to teach science-relevant literacy skills.
3. ‘I don’t have time’
But if we can plan activities that develop science understanding at the same time as developing an aspect of literacy, we don’t need to make that choice of one or the other. And as improving the ability to read, write and talk in science will deepen understanding, time spent on literacy is well spent.
How can you easily implement strategies to support literacy?
1. Acknowledge that literacy is more than words…..but words are a good place to start
Many of us focus on keywords and definitions, shared with students, stuck in books, possibly displayed on walls. But rather than just rote learning spellings and definitions, we need to promote use of these words in context. It can be an easy tweak of our existing activities to ensure a focus on actually using these words, rather than just matching definitions, for example.
2. Break down the different aspects of literacy
We can visualise words as the bricks to build a house. They are a great start but without construction skills, we can’t do a lot with them. The construction skills are what helps us to construct sentences or organise text into longer responses.
Approaching different aspects of literacy, such as words, sentences and longer text, separately is beneficial for both students and teachers, providing more manageable chunks, which supports increasing confidence of both us and students. This is the approach used in the AQA GCSE Science Now Teacher Resource Pack which strives to boost attainment at GCSE by systematically improving students’ understanding, vocabulary and literacy in science.
3. Don’t forget the importance of talk
Focused talk allows students to rehearse and plan what they might write, which not only improves the quality of written work that follows but also encourages an environment of ‘have a go’; talking in pairs/ small groups is less threatening than writing for many. Listening into group talk can also give you some quick feedback on what students are thinking, allowing you to quickly address any misunderstanding.
4. Ensure lesson objectives are focused on literacy
If you really want to develop an aspect of literacy, make sure that you include literacy-focused lesson objectives. For example, objectives such as, ‘read and interpret information about an electromagnetic device’, ‘use key words to describe properties of electromagnetic waves’ or ‘construct a method to investigate the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis’ helps to focus us as the teacher on the teaching and assessment of reading comprehension, using keywords in context or writing, in these examples, rather than on just the science. Having this top-level focus on literacy skills also demonstrates to students that this is just as important as the science knowledge and understanding.
5. Start small and early and focus on obvious challenges
If buy in or confidence of staff is an issue, start with tackling areas that we already agree are challenges. For example, start with developing sentence structure to respond to those command words that students find tricky, such as describe and explain, compare and evaluate; or focus word-level tasks on using disciplinary terms in context, such as variables, accuracy and precision and anomalies. And think about the bigger journey: if you have great strategies that work well in KS4, ensure you introduce these same strategies at KS3.
Developing literacy through science supports wider development of students, alongside supporting attainment and achievement in science, win-win. Strategies and approaches that are consistently used across a school or department will have more impact, but even subtle changes in approach for us as individual teachers can help.
Notes:
AQA GCSE Science Now provides student and teacher-facing resources for each GCSE unit focused on: word level, sentence level, whole text level, reading comprehension and wider application activities.
There are also activities to support some of the more common and challenging disciplinary terms in more depth and wider application activities, focused on current issues.
The ‘Introduction’ provides further guidance on teaching strategies and teaching points for individual aspects of literacy.
Dr Tracey Baxter is as an Independent Science Consultant. She works with the National Network of Science Learning Partnerships, supporting their offer to schools. Tracey works with multiple exam boards, and has authored a number of secondary science titles.