Innovation in Language Learning

Australia’s secondary school academic results have declined on both international and national assessments- a trend recognised across all school sectors and areas of literacy. Tracking cohorts of students over time shows highly able students unable to maintain top levels of proficiency and more students falling further behind, with around one million Australian teenagers on track to illiteracy over the next five years. As English is a morphophonemic language, research acknowledges that teachers must be able to confidently explain how English spellings have evolved to represent sound (phonemes), conventions (orthography), meaning (morphemes) and history (etymology). Doing so will boost reading comprehension, support spelling accuracy and improve writing proficiency in all learners. This research proposes “Linguistic Lenses” as a framework for differentiated, multiple- linguistic word-study instruction for students in the upper primary and middle school years, providing an opportunity for school leaders and teachers to understand how research translates to practice. Firstly, “Linguistic Lenses” will be shared as an instructional framework, translated into practical tools for explicit teaching, to explore a detailed study of words at a metalinguistic level and respond to the needs of different learners, encouraging student talk and to set a foundation for the robust vocabulary and language needed to flourish in and out of school. Then, two linguistic tools will be shared: A Metalinguistic Knowledge Assessment to ascertain the phonological, orthographic, morphological and etymological knowledge of teachers, alongside their ability to apply this knowledge and a Metalinguistic Observation Protocol (MOP) which offers a scaffold to observe teachers’ direct, explicit instruction of the metalanguage used during lessons whilst also acting as a springboard for feedback.

These tools, alongside the Linguistic Lenses, provide a tangible, practical toolbox to encourage school leaders and teachers to bridge the gap between theory and classroom practice. “Linguistic Lenses” are an innovative, original research contribution to the field of language learning.