Genre pedagogy and literacy across learning

This paper reports on an intervention based on genre pedagogy, in secondary geography and primary 6/7 classes. The intervention resulted in statistically significant impacts on pupil attainment in some contexts, but not all. The paper offers an analysis of the interplay between the affordances and the constraints of the classroom, school, subject and local authority policies which form the contexts for teachers implementing literacy across learning. However it also reports conflicting assumptions made about teachers’ understandings of literacy teaching. The intervention challenged notions of 'good practice' and the study suggests that a more nuanced appreciation of the challenges posed by the call for 'literacy across learning' if it is to be successful.