A popular method for teaching students to read and write in ACT public schools "leaves learning to chance", according to a leading reading academic.
A Canberra Times analysis of 65 public school websites found at least 19 schools were using a reader's and writer's workshop model to teach core literacy skills to primary school students.
A further 13 schools' websites mentioned they used a balanced literacy approach but did not elaborate on the teaching methods used in the classroom.
Macgregor Primary said it prioritised explicit instruction, while Majura Primary said it used the Sound Waves - a systematic, synthetic phonics program - for students in kindergarten to year 6.
But for 31 public primary schools, there was little public information about the classroom instruction methods beyond referencing the Australian curriculum or the ACT's 10 essential literacy practices.
Some school websites mentioned explicit teaching but did not have details about how this was implemented in the classroom, while other schools talked about inquiry-based and play-based learning.
A small number of schools said they used systematic, synthetic phonics programs, such as MultiLit, as an intervention for some students.
An Education Directorate spokesman did not directly respond to questions about how many schools used the workshop model and balanced literacy approaches.
"The Education Directorate continues to look at ways to improve the public availability of information to more effectively communicate the great work being done by our teachers and students across ACT public schools," the spokesman said.
Workshop model
The reader's and writer's workshop begins with a "mini lesson" which is usually a short lesson where the teacher gives explicit instruction on an aspect of reading or writing.
Then students spend the next 35 to 45 minutes working independently on a task while the teacher goes around to speak to individual students. The teacher may also use this time to work with a small group of four to six students.
At the end of the lesson, students reflect on and share their learning.
Education consultant Christine Topfer, who has delivered training in literacy to ACT public school teachers since 2017, said the workshop model worked very well.
"The workshop model makes sure that children are engaged in the learning intention for that lesson, the children practice and then that lesson is closed at the end of that time with a reflection on how did we go with what we learned today and what we used," Mrs Topfer said.
"The workshop model is actually very powerful and can be used ... in the science of learning."
Mrs Topfer said small group instruction was important to differentiate learning based on the needs of every student and that teachers could decide what they would cover during the explicit instruction component of the lesson.
However, Edith Cowan University associate professor in education Lorraine Hammond said she would not recommend the workshop model.
"While the workshop model can be teacher-led, it can also be students working individually or in small groups. This, unfortunately, means the teacher is working with one group of young children while the remainder are working independently," Associate Professor Hammond said.
"If there are five groups, this means for four days children are working alone. This leaves learning to chance and assumes students can teach themselves."
Associate Professor Hammond said the workshop model was based on "balanced literacy". This broad approach came from "whole language" in the 1990s and assumed that children would learn to read and write by observing a teacher model these skills.
Associate Professor Hammond, who has been involved in the Canberra Goulburn Catholic Education Catalyst initiative, said the "balanced literacy" approach was not sufficient for many students.
"For example, while reading a story to the class, a teacher might point out the capital letter at the start of a sentence as a reminder about punctuation then tell children that the words 'play' and 'stay' end in 'ay' and rhyme before asking students to find another word in the story that also rhymes," Prof Hammond said.
"This kind of incidental instruction is not sufficient for many children, nor is it necessarily targeted to the precursor skills of reading and writing and the practice required to learn them."
She said current research, including the 2005 national inquiry into literacy in Australia, showed that explicit and structured instruction was essential to ensure all students learned to read and write.
Parent backlash
A post on the ACT Public Schools Facebook page about phonics instruction sparked debate from parents who claimed it misrepresented how literacy was taught in all schools.
The post showed a photo of kindergarten students at Fraser Primary School doing a phonic lesson focusing on the letters a, i, m, s and t.
"Our schools provide a systematic, evidence-based approach to early literacy instruction which includes the explicit teaching of phonological awareness and letter-sound relationships in the early years, as seen at Fraser," the post said.
However, several parents commented that not all schools were following a systematic, evidence-based approach to literacy.
"We would LOVE to see this program at our school - it would be awesome if EVERY school in the ACT had access to evidence based teaching not just a couple where the principal has made it happen - almost worth moving to Fraser to go here," Canberra parent Stephanie Sleen said.
Sue White, who previously spoke about homeschooling her son when he failed to learn to read, said: "This is an incredibly important issue - literally with the power to change the life of a child - and parents' questions should not go unanswered, nor should comments be hidden."
The directorate spokesman did not respond to a question about whether the Facebook post would be amended based on the parent feedback.
"The ACT government has set up an independent inquiry into literacy and numeracy performance in the ACT," the spokesman said.
"An expert panel will give the Minister for Education and Youth Affairs independent advice on opportunities for strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes for all ACT public school students, with a particular focus on equity."
