RT : Lit Whitiora Cluster Schools Vision:

Making a positive difference with schools developing sustainability with Resource Teachers: Literacy supporting teachers to implement high quality literacy practices.

The fundamental purpose of RTLit is to design and implement support that accelerates literacy learning, so that the students can access the same classroom curriculum as their peers.

Tier 1 = within class.
Tier 2 = within the school which may be, RR, small group intensive support within class or withdrawn, Learning assistant support, etc.  
Tier 3 = RT: Lit, RTLB, + other external support/referral service.

“In schools, RT:Lit work with teachers and school leaders to provide reading, writing, and oral language support to students, either directly or indirectly, through a capability-building process. While RT:Lit contribute their specialist expertise, so, too, do teachers and school leaders. In particular, they contribute their deep knowledge of the learner.”

There are two ways in which literacy support may be delivered: 

“RT:Lit collaborate with teachers to understand the practices and strategies that are currently in use and to make refinements to pedagogy in response to evidence of its impact. Where a strategy has not worked, time is taken to understand why. A new strategy is tried that is expected to be more effective.”

  • The provision of intensive specialised teaching to students on an individual or group basis to accelerate progress and close the gap between achievement of the target students and their cohort.

    Direct specialist support is used less frequently. It is useful: * for diagnostic purposes when the RTLit wishes to gain greater insight into teaching and learning * when a short period of intensive teaching is required to break a pattern of ineffective learning behaviour.  Direct support may or may not occur within a classroom. Regardless, it should be balanced carefully with the need to enable the student’s learning to take place within the normal classroom setting as soon as possible. An effective transition back into the classroom involves the RTLit supporting the teacher to provide literacy instruction that  ensures the rate of progress is maintained.

  • The provision of advice, modelling, and guidance to classroom teachers to enable students on the RTLit roll to experience effective literacy teaching within the classroom. This support may also be given to a group of teachers, where these teachers all have students requiring RTLit support.”

“Tasks that are not part of the RTLit role It is important that RTLit focus on their core function: providing specialist literacy support for students and their teachers. To ensure these students get the best service possible, the following tasks are not part of the RTLit role:

» teaching a particular subject or course for a class

» acting as a remedial teacher of students with additional learning needs

» working as a teacher aide or reliever 

» taking responsibility for a special class or unit

» carrying out routine school duties (for example, playground or bus duty)

» working as a Reading Recovery teacher.”