ENGLISH TEACHING BEYOND ‘TRIAGE MODE’: THE ‘IDENTITY TEXT PROJECT’

The ‘Identity Texts Project’ supports teachers who want to improve the literacy and language outcomes of their students especially students who could be defined as having a Language Background Other Than English (LBOTE) or of speaking English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) and therefore speaking one or more languages other than English. 

The project offers insights into the ways that the linguistic and cultural resources students bring to school can be honoured, appreciated and ultimately recognised by teachers as the starting point for the development and mastery of English language and literacy. It seeks to nurture students’ sense of identity and wellbeing in school settings – especially in light of the fact that learning the home or first language is not supported in all schools.

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The ‘Identity Texts Project’ is a professional learning project that emerged from the keen desire of a group of teachers and we, as their University partners, to find creative ways to respond to the perceived pressure of a high stakes testing and eschew the propensity to narrow curriculum and pedagogical repertoire.

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Emphases of the Identity Texts Project

• Acknowledges the skill, passion and resilience of primary and secondary English teachers.

• Founded on professional learning that nurtures ongoing collaboration 

• Employs creative pedagogies with a view to enhancing students’ learning 

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