This book will make for useful reading for teachers with responsibility for subject literacy, and provides a good reference point for further reading and research.
The secret of literacy: making the implicit, explicit
Synopsis
Didau argues that there is no such thing as literacy: there is just good teaching and learning, which includes how to read, write, speak and listen. Over the course of the book, he explores why this new concept of literacy is important; how to get pupils to value writing; and how good feedback can help improve pupils’ literacy. Didau provides a clear rationale for all teachers with responsibility for developing literacy in their area, with practical ideas and examples from blogs and the latest literature.
One of the fundamental premises of the book is that schools need a coherent policy on developing literacy in all subjects, and that explicitly teaching academic literacies is an essential task for schools and teachers.
Didau is keen on ensuring meaningful feedback from pupils so teachers can be sure that they learning. He feels that teachers often assume that pupils are learning when they are not, and that teaching needs to be rethought to take into account this feedback.