Instructional approaches
Instructional approaches
Different practices require different instruction. This section shows you what that looks like.
Different practices require different instruction. This section shows you what that looks like.
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Different practices, different instruction
Different practices, different instruction
You've seen the problem: instruction that draws from the same small set of activities regardless of what a learner is trying to do. This section is the response. A learner preparing for a credential exam, a learner navigating a government form and a learner writing their own story are engaged in fundamentally different literacy practices, and they need fundamentally different instruction.
That's what you'll find here: seven practice types, each with a complete practice guide built around what that practice actually demands. The instructional strategies are designed specifically for each practice. They don't rely on one generic set of activities. Reporting is included for a different reason. Describing it helps you see what it demands, where it falls short and how to keep it from crowding out the more valuable and impactful practices.
Use this guide however it serves you. Move through the practice types in any order. Focus on one practice type for the session you need to plan or read across several briefs to rethink a whole strand of your program. Take what fits and leave the rest.
But read it as a guide, not a curriculum. You won't find a lesson sequence or a set of outcomes to march learners toward. It won't tell you what to teach on Tuesday. What it offers is
a clearer view of the practices already at work in your teaching
a way to better recognize the differences between these practices and
a way to take up a practice you haven't previously considered.
How each instructional brief is organized
How each instructional brief is organized
Every practice type in this section follows the same three-part structure.
①
①
Analyse the practice
Analyse the practice
The analysis prompts are applied to a specific practice type — examining its texts, purposes, consequences, thinking demands, response requirements and what it means for learner identity. This is the analytical foundation for everything that follows.
②
②
Develop the practice
Develop the practice
Instructional strategies are designed specifically for the practice type. You won't find adaptations of generic activities, only approaches that emerge directly from what the practice demands of learners and educators.
③
③
Align your role with the type of support needed
Align your role with the type of support needed
Different practices require a genuinely different orientation from the educator. This section names what that looks like for each practice type — what the educator does, how they position themselves in relation to the learner and what shifts in their role.
Instructional approach for each practice type
Instructional approach for each practice type
Go directly to a specific practice-type or review all seven to gain an initial understanding.
Writing and reading that starts with the learners own voice.
The literacy and practice conventions of specific fields — in work and in study.
Navigating the literacy demands of systems — forms, legal documents, benefit applications, etc.
Reading fiction and extended narrative — sustained engagement, fluency and becoming a reader.
Reading to do something — recipes, manuals, how-to guides, safety instructions, etc.
Literacy instruction shaped by the reporting requirements of program funding — where the primary purpose is to demonstrate learner activity and progress to funders rather than to serve learner goals directly.
Literacy organized around a specific goal the learner holds — a credential, a licence, a next step.
REFLECTION
Which current practice do you already teach with some specificity?
Which current practice do you already teach with some specificity?
Before you explore the instructional guides, take a moment and think about your current teaching. Which of these seven practice types do you already teach with some specificity — where your approach genuinely fits what the practice demands? And which ones do you approach the same way you approach everything else? That recognition will help you prioritize how you review the practices and consider a few new strategies.
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