This paper describes how a systemic response to the challenges of the changing nature of Literacy and learning has been developed by the Catholic Education Office, Melbourne (CEOM) in Victoria, Australia. Drawing on current research into Literacy and learning and on insights gained from a highly successful model of teacher professional development for Early Years Literacy educators, the CEOM has developed a new multi-site model of teacher professional development to meet the specific challenges faced by teachers of Middle Years students that cross the traditional boundaries of primary and secondary schooling. Teachers come together as communities of learners at three different sites in three different configurations to meet their needs as learners and leaders of change in Middle Years Literacy. The model combines elements of traditional ‘off-site’ ‘expert-led’ workshop approaches to teacher professional development with a model of ‘teacher-led’ action learning both between associate primary and secondary schools that meet at a ‘cluster-site’ in their local area and ‘on-site’ action learning in school based professional action learning teams. The role of the CEOM is to lead the ‘off-site’ professional development and support the teachers as new communities of learners on their journey to transform Literacy learning at the ‘cluster-site’ and ‘on-site’ in their own schools by fulfilling a similar function to that of a ‘critical friend’ in action research and enabling teachers to experience, conceptualise, analyse and apply new knowledge about Literacy and learning in the Middle Years appropriately and creatively to transform practice for both teacher and student learners.

Keywords

• Literacy and Learning
• Middle Years of Schooling (Yrs 5-9)
• New Communities of Learners
• Teacher Professional Development
• Changing Sites of Learning
• Transforming Schools

(30min Paper Presentation, English)