The home-school connection in developing early literacy is critical. Most educators recognize that children learn in a socio-constructivist way, through making meaning of their world around them. However there is often a mismatch between literacy practices of homes, communities and cultures and those of school (McNaughton, 2011). It is critical that the home-school connection is nourished and promoted. This will lead to students gaining a greater opportunity to learn and extend their literacy skills. This gap between the literacy practices students engage with at home, compared to those of school can be lessened through:
• Promoting the role families play in developing literacy
• Teachers working in collaboration with families
• Educators relating and developing literacy practices that relate to the child understand and interest.
This essay will explore the main points that are essential to developing early literacy, with particular focus on students from indigenous and non-English speaking backgrounds.
Parents are the child’s first and most influential educators
Families play a critical role in promoting the use and development of literacy. The early years learning framework (EYLF) discusses the importance of the influence of families stating that- Parents are their children’s first and most influential educator (DEEWR, 2009). All parents participate in their child’s literacy learning from birth and ultimately want the child to become as literate as possible (Fellows & Oakley, 2010). Research studies suggest that families play a central role in developing literacy skills. A report by the American National Early literacy panel found that families who regularly; engaged children in elaborated conversations, modele...
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...). Literacy in early childhood and primary education : issues, challenges, solutions . Melbourne: Cambridge university press.
McNaughton, S. (2011). Designing better schools for culturally and linguistically diverse children : a science of performance model for research . London: Routledge.
National Early Literacy Panel (U.S.). & National Center for Family Literacy (U.S.). eveloping early literacy report of the National Early Literacy Panel. . Washington D.C: National Institute for Literacy.
Seely Flint, A., Kitson, L., Lowe, K., & Shaw, K. (2014). Literacy in Australia : pedagogies for engagement. Milton: John Wiley and Sons Australia.
Tagoilelagi-Leota, F., McNaughton, S., MacDonald, S., & Farry, S. (2005). Bilingual and biliteracy development over the transition to school. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism , 8 (5), 455-479.
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Jones Diaz, C. (2007). Literacy as social practice. In L. Makin, C. Jones Diaz & L. McLachlan (Eds.), Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice. (pp. 203-216).Marrickville, NSW: Elsevier.
The purpose of this study is to figure out which ways experienced teachers work best with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study illustrates which strategies experienced teachers have found to work best. The diversity in school in the United States has increased each year. This means that there are an increasing amount of students who are learning English, English language learners (ELLs). This article comes from the perspective that each child should be taught to their specific needs. All students deserve a fair chance to learn. Fair means that every student is treated differently, not equally. Every student learns differently. In order to give every student a fair chance at learning, you must teach them according to their needs. An experienced teacher, Tiffany, describes her experiences working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study watches her methods and discusses what works based on data analysis of the success of her students.
Lonigan, C. J., Allan, N. P., & Lerner, M. D. (2011). Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy
The author Maria de la Luz Reyes explains through several characters born and raised in a family that spoke different native languages but he managed to excel in learning English. Biliteracy refers to the ability to communicate and write more than one language and this represents a major achievement because it takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication to realize it. The situation surrounding biliteracy is controversial because some parents appreciate when their children learn more than one language but others are not as Collins explains in the book, Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Biliteracy and its influence differs and Collin Baker identifies that diverse bilingual classes and schools, culture and language, influence dissimilar
National Early Literacy Panel, 2008. Developing early literacy. Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Literacy is used for many purposes across a range of socio-cultural contexts bringing meaning to texts, words and images (ACARA, 2011; Fellowes & Oakley, 2010). Socio-cultural theorist Vygotsky highlights the role of socio-cultural contexts and interactions in children’s learning, stating that children learn literacy through every day social interactions in which they take part such as, viewing and critiquing television programs, playing video games, playing sport and going shopping (Arthur, 2001; Christie, Enz, Vukelich & Roskos, 2013; Hill, 2012). Through these interactions children are developing a wide range of skills, knowledge and understanding from the surrounding popular culture that embraces their interests, while also promoting engagement in areas of literacy such as reading, talking, writing and responding to texts. (Beavis, 2012; Hall, 2011; Lotherington, 2003; Walsh, 2010).
Pinto, L., Boler, M., & Norris, T. (2007). Literacy is Just Reading and Writing, isn't it? The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test and Its Press Coverage. Policy Futures in Education, 5(1), 84-99.
Literacy is defined as “the ability to use available symbol systems that are fundamental to learning and teaching for the purposes of comprehending and composing, for the purposes of making and communicating meaning and knowledge” (Stock, 2012), and it is one of the most essential skills that an early year student will learn. Literacy serves to provide the building blocks for the continued knowledge acquisition and general education of individuals of all ages; by working to understand and identify how and why literacy is taught using the structured literacy block format in Australian schools, and in identifying the benefits of utilizing this type of tool for teaching literacy in student’s early years, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of the organization, planning, and teaching approaches that are used in a literacy block approach. A sample standard literacy block will be provided, offering the means of understanding the applications of the tool, which will serve to further stress the necessity of this tool’s usage.
Kirk, E. W., & Clark, P. (2005). Beginning with names: Using children’s names to facilitate early literacy. Childhood Education, 81(3), 139.
Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (5th ed., pp. 12-286). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
The assessment is to inform a beginning teacher of the most important philosophical and developmental factors which should be considered when planning a literacy rich environment for an early years setting. As children in the early years from aged three to five require a literacy rich environment to learn and develop sound language and literacy skills. A high quality literacy environment is one that includes well designed with literacy materials and resourced, and provides effective teaching and learning practices for children to experience (McLachlan, Nicholson, Fielding-Barnsley, Mercer & Ohi, 2013, p. 102). In addition, the importance of intentional teaching, reading, writing, engaging in multi literacies and teaching approaches that would be suitable to phonological awareness would be considered to design a literacy rich environment. The role of the teacher Educators play important roles in children’s lives in
...S., … Killen, R. (2009). Professional Practice in Primary Education. South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.
Vukelich, C, Christie, J & Enz, B 2002, Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy, Allyn & Bacon, Bosten MA.
“The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children,” a report from 1985 by the commission