Literacy with ICT
Across the Curriculum

A Developmental Continuum

Action Research

In June 2005, each Manitoba school division formed a team comprising a minimum of three educators: one Early Years teacher, one Middle Years teacher, and a school leader. Each team engaged in action research to build capacity for their role as members of their own school division’s implementation team, and to explore the following inquiry questions:

1. What are the most meaningful ways ICT can be infused into learning environments to extend critical and creative thinking?
2. How can teachers use the developmental continuum to plan and shape classroom learning experiences that enhance literacy with ICT?
3. How can teachers use the continuum to portray an accurate image of each student’s literacy with ICT?
4. How can students self-assess and show evidence of their literacy with ICT?
5. In what ways do parents need/want to be informed of their child’s literacy with ICT?
6. In what ways can Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum be implemented by each Manitoba school division?

The 2005-06 year of action research was organized and guided by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. During this time, the Department

• collected feedback to improve the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT and its associated assessment and reporting strategies
• collected classroom-based samples of student work for teachers to examine as they implement Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum
• developed snapshots of how students of all ages are literate with ICT
• designed professional learning strategies and tested them face-to-face and online
• developed an online, interactive representation of the continuum
• set up networks of action research teams throughout the province
• supported all school divisions to build local capacity for the implementation of Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum

Teachers participating in the action research used the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT to plan learning experiences that challenge students to develop and extend both their thinking skills and their ICT skills as they progress through the continuum.

These teachers

• participated in six days of face-to-face professional learning
• engaged their students in learning experiences that develop literacy with ICT
• developed and shared their own strategies for developing student literacy with ICT
• participated in the Literacy with ICT online learning community
• helped students assemble evidence of their literacy with ICT in a portfolio of learning
• used the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT to create profiles that show how individual students demonstrate their literacy with ICT
• assessed and reported on student literacy with ICT
• built capacity as members of their school division’s implementation team for Literacy with ICT