Education Minister Terry Lister outlined Government?s plans for tackling literacy at a speech to Port Royal Primary Parent Teachers Association last Tuesday night.

Literacy action teams have been set up to bring along struggling students while libraries are being expanded to encourage the joy of reading.

He said the Ministry introduced a literacy initiative three years ago in which all classes followed a common structure of teaching literacy over a 90-minute period.

?Literacy Time was composed of direct instruction, teacher demonstration, guided practice and group and individual work,? said Mr. Lister.

?The structure allowed for both group activities and individual work so students could learn directly from teacher leadership in one part of the lesson and also work independently under teacher observation so the teacher could monitor and correct the learning of each student.?

He said that two-year literacy initiative was completed in 2003 and new action was being taken.

?A literacy action team composed of central office staff is monitoring closely the literacy instruction in primary schools and supporting principals with feedback in order to improve student performance.

?The data collected on literacy performance in Primary One has been reviewed and students not reaching the standard have been identified.

?The literacy action team will then meet with principals to discuss what action must be taken at each school to ensure these students become excellent readers and writers as they progress through the school system.

?We are also expanding classroom libraries so teachers will have ready access to a range of materials to encourage each student to read more and to enjoy reading.

?Classrooms must be places where all students can readily find books that match their reading skills while still providing topics of interest.

?It?s the enjoyment of reading that is the surest way to get students to increase their skills in reading.?

Developing students? writing skills is the second part of the literacy plan, said Mr. Lister, after the first two-year plan focused on training in the reading and writing.

?We all know a society cannot be literate unless its people can write well and can communicate information, emotion or points of view using the written word.

?During the Literacy Time implementation, teachers at the primary level were trained on how to teach fiction and non-fiction writing. This past year the focus has been and will continue to be the Writing Workshop.

?Selected school staff attended an overseas workshop in August of this year and this staff development effort will be continued locally during the November staff development days as well as at school-based sessions throughout the year.?

Mr. Lister said professional development sessions have been a great success with teachers embracing new practices and reaffirming their commitment to reviving old practices that work.

The Minister also said principals are acknowledging an awareness of the shift in mathematics education towards teaching for understanding.

?There is far more evidence of students completing mathematical tasks that involve reasoning and communicating,? he said.

There had been concern over the lack of research-based information about how maths should be taught and reinforced throughout all subject areas, Mr. Lister added.

He said Dr. Lou Matthews, a Bermudian mathematics educator who is lecturing at the University of South Carolina, had been working with the maths officers for the past three years.

Dr. Matthews has researched the methods of mathematics teachers and helped improve them.

During February, 2004, Dr. Matthews provided a week-long session for some of primary mathematics coordinators at the University of South Carolina.

Teachers attended lectures and visited exemplary mathematics classrooms in the area.

Mr. Lister said the Ministry also plans a community outreach initiative for mathematics education which will include parent sessions and displays of student research projects.