National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions:

Friend or foe

Learning progressions are intended to be valuable teaching resources. But constant change without consultation only adds to workloads.

Educators are masters of change. As schools responded to the coronavirus pandemic, the switch from face-to-face teaching to remote learning and back again is ample evidence (if anyone needed it) of the flexibility, adaptability and professionalism of teachers.

Pandemics aside, the pace of change in education over the past decade or more has been relentless. Teachers are constantly expected to adopt new educational initiatives, often before they’ve finished properly implementing and evaluating the last batch.

There is no doubt that some change is worthwhile and supported by teachers. The current reviews of the Australian Curriculum and NAPLAN will hopefully provide educators with the autonomy to determine the best way to cater for the needs of students, and address issues of equity, student readiness and time for consolidation that pose such a challenge in classrooms.

In the meantime, the National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions are in development and have already been trialled in some schools. Teachers who have worked with the Literacy and Numeracy Continuums will recognise the National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions as an expansion of these resources. Currently up to Version 3, the progressions have undergone various iterations.

Throughout this development, the expressed intention has consistently been to provide resources for teachers to focus on specific areas of student need, whether that be for remediation or extension.

Teachers should be consulted about the timing and extent of implementation of any new resource into their classrooms.

Unfortunately, teachers have frequently experienced the transformation of a useful resource into a checklist that needs to be completed for every student – thus weaponising the resource and reducing it to nothing more than an unnecessary burden for teachers.

As always, teachers should be consulted about the timing and extent of implementation of any new resource into their classrooms. Members who are concerned that the method of implementation at their school may negatively impact on their core work of teaching should seek assistance from their IEU organiser.

The National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions should be a useful resource for teachers – provided teachers have appropriate control over how they are used.

Veronica Yewdall
Organiser