Product reviews for The Secret of Literacy

As an English teacher, I always felt that there was no great secret to literacy. David Didau has shed light into the most obvious places provoking me to address my teaching in a much different way. Didau suggest many ways of improving literacy that can support any teacher, not just those in the English department. His reading skills ladder highlights the importance of asking students to explore their work, not just explain and how they can deepen analysis and understanding as a result.

Ofsted inspector Mary Myatt stated in response to The Secret of Literacy “This book needed writing, the quoin of education has frequently been assumed, glossed over or ignored”. I most certainly agree with this statement further stressing the need for his book to be part of every teachers toolkit. Expectations in my classroom are high and I make no apologies to my students for this, it breeds an engagement in learning that is fresh, creative and stimulating. Literacy is at the heart of these expectations in the way I ask students to present their writing and boy oh boy do they respond in the way Didau outlines. The feedback section of this book brings to attention the importance of using feedback to move learning forward. He points out each stage “specific, clear, limited, kind, balanced and timely” as a feedback fiend, I related so well to this and have already shared this section with colleagues. Didau asks for an end to -˜purposeless' writing in a bid to get students engaged in writing. The idea that just because students are writing means they are busy means they are producing good work. This is false and we should be considering how we help students transcribe their thoughts. Didau suggests that writing alongside pupils is vital to model expectations has many advantages. Read chapter 6 to see how even the most -˜outstanding' practitioners have something to learn. Teachers should be thinking about the importance of literacy. Didau manages to make this minefield accessible to teachers and school leaders. He hits the nail on the head when he demands that teaching should be clear, engaging and practitioners be at the top of their game. He holds us to account in terms of our own practice which is already creeping in to my lessons improving outcomes from my students.