NBSS supports schools in developing effective school-wide, class, group and individual approaches to the teaching of key literacy, language and learning skills and strategies that can help students to become more purposeful, active readers, thinkers and learners. This document provides an overview of this support.
NBSS Level 3 support is concerned with developing interventions necessary for students with multiple and specific challenges to their learning and behaviour. If these students have poor reading skills, one focus of change includes improving reading achievement by teaching students how to read. This report presents the findings from the Catch Up Literacy intervention, a one-to-one structured literacy intervention in NBSS partner schools.
Research points to the importance of recognising the links between behaviour and academic problems and coordinating systems for prevention and intervention in both areas. From NBSS work in post primary schools it is also clear that the strong connections between academic achievement and behaviour can mean that addressing challenges in one area can reduce difficulties arising in another. Teachers in NBSS partner schools have been trained to deliver Catch Up Literacy which is a structured one-to-one intervention for students who experience difficulties with reading. This resource provides an overview of the intervention.
Speech, language and communication skills are an integral part of literacy. The adapted Vocabulary Enrichment Programme (VEP) is a school based, whole class intervention that supports development of oral vocabulary skills in adolescents. This research project aimed to evaluate if the programme would be successful in improving the oral vocabulary skills of first year students in Irish post-primary schools. Four hundred and seven first year students from six NBSS partner schools received the intervention in 2013. This report presents the findings from this research project.
This resource contains numerous ideas on how to develop vocabulary and oral language skills using a variety of games and activities. As part of a lesson games can be motivating and bring variety, fun and flexibility to teaching, creating a relaxed atmosphere where students can absorb and remember more. Contact the NBSS for information on this resource. Contact the NBSS for this resource.
High Interest and Low Readability books can support the development of reading, fluency and vocabulary skills as well as encourage reading for pleasure. This resource provides information on high interest/low readability fiction and non-fiction texts, as well as titles related to subject specific topics.
This resource gives an overview of commercially available programmes and resources that teachers in NBSS partner schools have used successfully to support the development of reading, learning and literacy skills at Level 1: school-wide support for all students; Level 2: targeted intervention for some students; and Level 3: intensive individualised intervention for a few students.
In the Academic Literacy and Learning - Teacher as Researche projectsr section find out how teachers use the resources outlined, with a targeted group of students. More information is also available on the Literacy, Learning and Behaviour section of the website
In NBSS partner schools teachers have the opportunity to become involved in NBSS Teacher as Researcher projects on topics and areas of interest. This resource provides several research instruments that teachers in partner schools use as part of Teacher as Researcher projects that focus on the development of learning, literacy and study skills with students. Find out more about the Teacher as Researcher projects in the Research section of the website. Contact the NBSS for this resource.
To achieve at second level all students need a repertoire of learning, thinking and study strategies that they can apply across all subjects. This resource outlines research-based comprehension, learning and thinking strategies that can be integrated into all subject areas and explicitly taught to students. Classroom posters and printable bookmarks are also available from the NBSS that are designed to supplement the teaching of the strategies outlined in this resource. These are intended as a visual reference for students of the key comprehension and learning strategies all learners need. Contact the NBSS for this resource.
Find out how schools use these resources in the Academic Literacy and Learning - Teacher as Researcher Projects. More information is also available on the Literacy, Learning and Behaviour section of the website
The reading and learning strategies in this resource show students how text features help identify the most important ideas in a text, how information from both the text and the student's own knowledge and experience are important to consider when answering questions, how to summarise the information read and find the main idea. The reading and learning strategies outlined can be introduced to 1st year students as part of a transition and transfer induction programme where students find out about learning how to learn at second-level.