Dr Louise Long, assistant project leader in a joint Stranmillis/St Mary's Special Educational Needs/Continuing Professional Development (SEN/CPD) literacy project, has had a paper published in the most recent edition of the journal Literacy.
The research was carried out in collaboration with Dr Therese McPhillips of Saint Patrick's College Drumcondra and Dr Michael Shevlin of Trinity College Dublin. This study aimed to explore the consultation experiences of pupils who have additional needs in literacy. A representative sample of eight schools – four in Northern Ireland and four in the Republic of Ireland – were chosen by the researchers. Pupils selected for this study were receiving additional literacy support. Focus group discussions and arts-based creative methodologies were used through which visual and verbal stimuli supported and extended the narratives of the children.
The findings showed that pupils have a capacity for self-reflection and metacognitive talk around literacy. They had a keen awareness of their specific difficulties and the reading strategies they use. However, they wished for greater choice in how literacy support is organised and for more information about individual reading targets and scores. There was a great desire among pupils for consultation at meetings concerning their progress. Involving pupils in planning and evaluating their literacy learning needs as a fundamental right raises questions about teachers’ current protectiveness of pupils with additional needs.
Ref: McPhillips, T., Shevlin, M. and Long, L. (2012). A right to be heard: Learning from learners with additional needs in literacy. Literacy 46 (2): 59-66.