Ensuring Equity in Opportunity to Learn

The following are elements that contribute to equality in the opportunity to learn. In an equitable system, all students would have access to:

• Engaged time;
• Quality teaching, resources and environments;
• Safe environments which students are free from harm and discrimination and that their basic needs are met;
• The material, cultural and economic means to achieve;
• Opportunities to practice and to extend practices;
• High expectations that are shared between the school and the home contexts;
• Suitable collaboration between the home and school contexts as well as with the broader community context;
• Schools and communities which are sensitive to the linguistic and cultural diversity of the student population, particularly when a minority of learners come to classrooms with a home language that is not used as the language of instruction;
• Instruction which is suitable to the learners’ stages of development, and learners have been given strategic skills that help them engage in the current and subsequent stages of learning;
• Learning environment which facilitate high challenge/high support instruction so that diverse students can make suitable and competitive progress;
• Special accommodations that have been made to meet the specific learning needs of all students;
• Content which is engaging, relevant, purposeful and that will build on prior knowledge and that will be consistent with current ways of knowing and be applicable to everyday problem-solving.
• An education that responds to individual affinities/talents so learners are able to capitalise on these interests and learning trajectories;
• Effective support in managing transitions between schooling/learning contexts;.
• Every opportunity to achieve, so that children's resilience is being developed and their motivation is fostered;
• Institutions and society that seek to minimise and mitigate the impacts of social and economic disadvantage; and
• People and institutions who keep “a finger on the pulse” of all students at all times. Progress is monitored, opportunities are made available, and extra support is facilitated, where required.

A Mantra For All (Literacy) Teachers

"[Engaged reading] is a merger of motivation and thoughtfulness. Engaged readers seek to understand … [They] are mastery oriented and teachers create contexts for engagement when they provide prominent knowledge goals; real-world connections to reading; and meaningful choices about what, when and how to read.” (Guthrie, 2001)

As literacy teachers, we know that literacy development requires the strengthening of word recognition skills, building of vocabulary; guided reading; guided writing; the shaping of discourse (or oral language); the development of knowledge; the establishment of practices and the fostering of literate identities. This occurs in multiple contexts with others for various purposes across time through coherent and developmental instruction, passionate and visionary teachers, quality materials and resources, and a deep respect for the learners’ cultures, contexts and experiences. We want students to learn, be and become through teaching that is developmentally sensitive, culturally appropriate and aspirational in environments which are safe, secure and free from discrimination and inequity.

We must ensure that there is quality instruction at all levels using quality resources in quality environments through quality relationships with quality opportunities that are carried out in a supportive form of life in that complex stream of living.

In relation to the practicalities of language and literacy development, we encourage instructors, tutors and parents to use simple language to describe best practice. In the end, the best teacher should:

1. talk regularly with learners about things for both their oral language development and their knowledge development; 
2. read to learners, read with learners, and help learners read on their own;
3. write for learners (shared & interactive writing), write with learners (joint construction), and help learners write on their own; 
4. help learners understand phonics, letters, words, and grammar;
5. help them learn about the world and about themselves; and
6. help learners be active in ways that the use language and literacy as tools for understanding, expression and action (Pinnell & Fountas, 1997).

REFRENCES

• Guthrie, J. T. (2001). Contexts for Engagement and Motivation in Reading. Reading Online, 4(8). Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/handbook/guthrie/
• Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (1997). Help America Read: A Handbook for Volunteers. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Welcome to The LITERACY BUG!!

The time has come! We enthusiastically welcome you to something we have been anticipating for some time … the launch for The Literacy Bug. So … please … say “HELLO” to Ludwig, a little bug who always has his head in a book. 

Even though this launch comes with a fair amount of celebration, I must admit that it also comes with a teeny, tiny bit of sadness … not much … just a small morsel of it. I am compelled to remind myself that “we are NOT saying goodbye to Wittgenstein on Literacy or Wittgenstein on Learning.” The core spirit of the old name(s) will remain. It is not possible to severe the site’s deep ties to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. After all, Wittgenstein was deeply fascinated by the diverse ways that language and literacy are used between people in the general course of living, imagining, conceptualising, doing, knowing, speculating, calculating, relating, etc. Perhaps the change of name is just a clever ploy and the discussion will go on as usual. To a certain extent, I think it will.

Nevertheless, exciting possibilities lay ahead. I look forward to expanding the literacy resources available on the site: links to fantastic online resource, lesson plans and ideas, great books for all ages and interests, and tips and tricks to help readers and writers as well as teachers and students. While I will miss having a little corner of the Internet carved out explicitly for the discussion of a certain application of Wittgenstein’s manner of approaching language, I couldn't honestly continue to act under the title Wittgenstein on Literacy/Learning when the conversation was moving more and more into a direct and contemporary discussion of literacy learning and instruction. So I must let the original (2007) premise of website evolve into what we have now and will have in the future.

The truth of the matter is this ... I may - in fact - be allowed to be more Wittgensteinian (without feeling the need to explicitly link observations to Wittgenstein). I may be freed to discuss a range of literature (children’s, young adult and more) with a keen eye on how readers and authors co-construct meaning based on certain shared assumptions. I may be better positioned to marvel at the developmental leaps that learners make as they grow through the various stages of literacy learning. I may be better able to provoke visitors to reconsider how our environments, practices, relationships and politics influence the potential for learners to catch the literacy bug and - thereby -  take charge of their intellectual journey.

In the end, literacy is wide ranging phenomenon. What it means to a two year old and a four year old is different to what it means for a ten year old, a sixteen year old, a twenty year old, a thirty-five year old, a fifty year old and more. What it means now is different than what it meant thirty years ago and what it will mean in forty years time. The shape of literacy practice in urban Chicago is different to the role it plays in remote Australia which is different to the texts, contexts and traditions encountered by present-day youth in Cairo. That said, there is the old saying ... the more thing change, the more they remain the same.

Nevertheless, I am getting well ahead of myself. Welcome to The Literacy Bug … a little creature with the capacity to fly, burrow, nest, transform, whiz about and inspire. Please visit the new home page for a fresh discussion of the road ahead and subscribe to receive regular updates. And whilst you are here, stop by the site’s many familiar places: the themed notes, the key essays, the teaching principles, the reading lists and the glossaries. Welcome! Explore and enjoy!

Some Rough Notes on Certain Elements Contributing to Literacy Learning

 

The following are types of focal learning areas:

1. Word study (including early language and beginning vocabulary development)
2. Vocabulary development
3. Early composition (creating sentences, usually based on some stimulus)
4. Reading practice (for fluency with some comprehension)
5. Reading practice to deploy strategies
6. Close comprehensive reading (and responding)
7. Reading to respond (focus on text type)
8. Writing workshops (with portfolio development and mini-lessons)
9. Writing for a purpose (to real audiences)
10. Facilitating oral language
11. Emphasising oral language in learning
12. Developing skills in specific spoken discourses, genres, contexts and/or registers
13. Academic/disciplinary literacies
14. Anchored learning (instruction)
15. Functional literacy

There following skills areas are developed within and across the above sequences:

• language skills;
• literacy skills;
• knowledge development;
• learning skills (how do I learn? how/why do I remember something? how do I defer gratification?, how do I maintain focus?);
• social and emotional qualities (including trust, confidence and self-concept);
• schemas, routines, habits and practices;
• independence and resilience;
• interests, identities, expertise and careers;
• acumen and awareness of talents/specialisation
• deliberation, familiarity and situated cognition (how to attack and solve problems in context? how do I deploy this strategy in context? and to what effect?);
• critical thinking; and
• cultural and political awareness

We must be mindful of:

• time allocated to learning;
• the richness of the learning spaces/resources;
• the organisation of learning; 
• the appropriateness and challenging nature of the content;
• the available of material conditions and opportunities to practice; and
• issue affecting trust, power and access.

What Have I Been Reading Lately?

Once again, for those who may be curious about the things I have been reading as of late, the following is a list of articles and books that I have scoured in the past few weeks. Regular visitors might notice that there has been a significant focus on all-things-literacy-related, which is another indication of the impending launch of The Literacy Bug website.

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• Allington, R. L. (2002). What I’ve Learned about Effective Reading Instruction from a Decade of Studying Exemplary Elementary Classroom Teachers. The Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10), 740–747. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20440246
• Allington, R. L. (2006). Fluency: Still waiting after all these years. What research has to say about fluency instruction, 94-105.
• Bear, S., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2014). Words their way: word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction (5th edition). Essex: Pearson.
• Blackwell-Bullock, R., Invernizzi, M., Drake, E. A., & Howell, J. L. (2009). Concept of Word in text: an integral literacy skill. Reading In Virginia, 31, 30–35.
• Brandone, A. C., Salkind, S. J., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2006). Language development. In G. G. Bear & K. M. Minke (Eds.), Children’s needs III: development, prevention, and intervention. (pp. 499–514). Washington D.C.: National Association of School Psychologists. Retrieved from http://udel.edu/~roberta/pdfs/Bear chaptBrandone.pdf
• Christ, T., Wang, X. C., & Chiu, M. M. (2011). Using story dictation to support young children’s vocabulary development: Outcomes and process. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(1), 30–41.
• Coyne, M. D., Capozzoli-Oldham, A. & Simmons, D. C. (2012). Vocabulary instruction for young children at risk of reading difficulties: teaching word meanings during shared storybook readings. In E. J. Kame’enui & J. F. Baumann, Vocabulary instruction: research to practice (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
• Fisher, D., Frey, N. & Lapp, N. (2011). What the research says about intentional instruction. In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds), What research has to say about reading instruction(4th edition). (pp. 359 - 378). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
• Flanigan, K. (2007). A concept of word in text: A pivotal event in early reading acquisition. Journal of Literacy Research, 39(1), 37–70. doi:10.1080/10862960709336757
• Flanigan, K., Hayes, L., Templeton, S., Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., & Johnston, F. (2011). Words their way with struggling readers: word study for reading, vocabulary, and spelling instruction, grades 4 - 12. Boston: Pearsons.
• Goldman, S. R., & Lee, C. D. (2014). Text complexity: state of the art and the conundrums it raises. The Elementary School Journal, 115(2), 290–300. doi:10.1163/_afco_asc_2291
• Hawkins, M. R. (2004). Researching English Language and Literacy Development in Schools. Educational Researcher, 33(3), 14–25. doi:10.3102/0013189X033003014
• Hiebert, E. H., & Pearson, D. P. (2014). Understanding text complexity: introduction to the special issue. The Elementary School Journal, 115(2), 153–160. doi:10.1163/_afco_asc_2291
• Hoffman, J., Sailors, M., Duffy, G., & Beretvas, S. N. (2004). The effective elementary classroom literacy environment: examining the validity of the TEX-IN3 observation system. Journal of Literacy Research, 36(3), 303–334. doi:10.1207/s15548430jlr3603_3
• Hsueh-chao, M. H., & Nation, P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403–430.
• Justice, L. M. (2006). Evidence-based practice, response to intervention, and the prevention of reading difficulties. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 37(4), 284–297. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2006/033)
• Justice, L. M., Mashburn, A., Hamre, B., & Pianta, R. (2008). Quality of Language and Literacy Instruction in Preschool Classrooms Serving At-Risk Pupils. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23(1), 51–68. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.09.004
• Kame’enui, E. J. & Baumann, J. F. (2012). Vocabulary instruction: research to practice (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
• Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2007). Breaking down words to build meaning: morphology, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in the urban classroom. The Reading Teacher, 61(2), 134–144. doi:10.1598/RT.61.2.3
• Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2011). Morphing into adolescents: active word learning for English-Language Learners and their classmates in middle school. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(1), 47–56. doi:10.1598/JA
• Kuhl, P. K. (2004). Early language acquisition: cracking the speech code. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 5(11), 831–43. doi:10.1038/nrn1533
• Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A review of developmental and remedial practices. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 3–21. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.3
• Leslie, L. & Caldwell, J. S. (2010). Qualitative Reading Inventory (5th edition). Boston: Pearson.
• Martin, M., Fergus, E., & Noguera, P. (2010). Responding to the needs of the whole child: a case study of a high-performing elementary school for immigrant children. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 26(3), 195–222. doi:10.1080/10573561003769582
• McGee, L. M, & Dail, A. R. (2010). Phonemic awareness instruction in preschool: research implications and lessons learned from Early Reading First. In M.C. McKenna, S. Walpole, & K. Conradi (Eds) Promoting early reading: research, resources and best practices. New York: Guilford Press.
• McGinty, A. S. & Justice, L. M. (2010). Language facilitation in the preschool classroom: rationale, goals and strategies. In M.C. McKenna, S. Walpole, & K. Conradi (Eds) Promoting early reading: research, resources and best practices. New York: Guilford Press.
• McIntyre, E., & Hulan, N. (2013). Research-Based, Culturally Responsive Reading Practice in Elementary Classrooms: A Yearlong Study. Literacy Research and Instruction, 52(1), 28–51. doi:10.1080/19388071.2012.737409
• McIntyre, E., Hulan, N., & Layne, V. (2011). Reading Instruction for Diverse Classrooms: Research-Based, Culturally Responsive Practice. New York: Guilford Press.
• McKenna, M. C. & Stahl, K. A (2009). Assessment for reading instruction (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
• McKenna, M. C., Walpole, S., & Conradi, K. (2010). Promoting early reading: research, resources and best practices. New York: Guilford Press.
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2014). Speech and Language Developmental Milestones [NIDCD Health Information]. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/speechandlanguage.aspx
• National Reading Panel (NRP). (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence- based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
• Olson, C. B. (2010). The Reading/Writing Connection: strategies for teaching and learning in the secondary classroom (3rd Edition). Boston: Pearson.
• RAND Reading Study Group (2002). Reading for understanding: toward an R&D program in reading comprehension. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Reading Education.
• Schmitt, N., Jiang, X., & Grabe, W. (2011). The percentage of words known in a text and reading comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 95(1), 26–43. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01146.x
• Stahl, K. A. D., & Bravo, M. A. (2010). Contemporary classroom vocabulary assessment for content areas. The Reading Teacher, 63(7), 566–578. doi:10.1598/RT.63.7.4
• Stahl, K. A & McKenna, M. C. (2013). Reading assessment in an RTI framework. New York: Guilford Press.
• Taylor, T. J. (2013). Calibrating the child for language: Meredith Williams on a Wittgensteinian approach to language socialization. Language Sciences, 40, 308-320.
• Tyner, B. B. (2009). Small-group reading instruction: a differentiated teaching model for beginning and struggling readers (2nd edition). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
• Tyner, B. B. & Green, S. E. (2012). Small-group reading instruction: differentiated teaching models for intermediate readers, grades 3-8 (2nd edition). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
• Vaughn, M., & Parsons, S. A. (2013). Adaptive Teachers as Innovators: Instructional Adaptions Opening Spaces for Enhanced Literacy Learning. Language Arts, 91(2), 82–93.
• Walpole, S., Justice, L. M., & Invernizzi, M. a. (2004). Closing the Gap Between Research and Practice: Case Study of School-Wide Literacy Reform. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 20(3), 261–283. doi:10.1080/10573560490429078
• Walpole, S. & McKenna, M. C. (2007). Differentiated reading instruction: strategies for the primary grades. New York: Guilford Press.
• Wolfersberger, M., Reutzel, D. R., Sudweeks, R., & Fawson, P. (2004). Developing and validating the Classroom Literacy Environmental Profile (CLEP): a tool for examining the “print richness” of early childhood and elementary classrooms. Journal of Literacy Research, 36(2), 211–272. doi:10.1207/s15548430jlr3602_4
• Zucker, T. A. & Landry, S. H. (2010). Improving the quality of preschool read-alouds: professional development and coaching that targets book-reading practices. In M.C. McKenna, S. Walpole, & K. Conradi (Eds) Promoting early reading: research, resources and best practices. New York: Guilford Press.

Considering Teaching Techniques in Each of the Main Areas of Literacy Instruction

Continuing on from the previous journal entry, the following presents key “activities” that contribute to the development of the core areas of language & literacy development. The activities are mentioned but not defined. An elaboration of the teaching and learning practices will be presented in the future.

ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT - Language Comprehension - The Beginnings of Literacy

1. Identifying target language

2. Modelling & emphasising the target

3. Interpreting & recasting expressions

4. Extending contributions

5. Utilising pause-prompt-praise

6. Using cues/prompts (visual/tactile/etc)

7. Facilitating barrier activities

8. Employing oral cloze procedures

9. Providing choices and other opportunities to extend language

10. Utilising links to first language for English language learners

11. Overall ... shaping discourse

PHONEMIC AWARENESS - Analysing Known Language - Becoming "Word Aware"

1. Clapping syllables (PA)

2. Multi-sensory phonemic awareness / puppet play (PA)

3. Elkonin boxes / sound sticks (PA)

4. Picture sorting / picture blending / picture segmenting (PA)

5. Onset & rime identification (PA)

6. Phoneme isolation & phoneme blending (PA)

7. Phoneme deletion (PA)

8. Phoneme journals / phoneme walls / picture walls

9. Utilising links to first language for English language learners

PHONICS/SPELLING SEQUENCE - Codifying Language

1. Alphabet books / alphabet walls

2. Multi-sensory handwriting practice

3. Picture sorting / picture blending / picture segmenting (PA)

4. Elkonin boxes / sound sticks / Say-It-And-Move-It (PA)

5. Spelling journals / phoneme walls / rule records

6. Word sorts (closed / open) (timed / untimed)

7. Word scrambles

8. Word ladders

9. Word hunts (identifying sounds in texts)

10. Make a word (morphological analysis)

11. Use the Words You Know

12. High frequency words / sight words

13. Invented spelling / tracking spelling skills

14. Games (e.g. memory, bingo, board games)

15. Utilising links to first language for English language learners

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT - Having Something to Talk With

1. Incidental learning (see Oral Language Development)

2. Learning from read alouds (see Read Alouds)

3. Personal glossaries / word banks / word walls

4. Word maps / four square maps / power maps

5. Semantic maps (and other brainstorming techniques)

6. Graphic organisers (hanging diagrams, flow charts, Venn diagrams, etc)

7. Clines, timelines and scales

8. Semantic feature analysis

9. Word analysis / morphological analysis

10. Analysis of dictionary definitions and thesaurus entries

11. Games (e.g. memory, bingo, board games)

12. Cloze procedures 

13. Possible sentences / use in context / extended discussions

14. Utilising links to first language for English language learners

READ ALOUDS - Encountering Literacy in Rich, Meaningful Ways

1. (Where possible) Link Read-Alouds that take advantage of prior knowledge and shared experiences 

2. (Where possible) Utilise links to first language for English language learners

3. Read alouds should be a vehicle to (a) address comprehension-related instructions and support vocabulary, (b) target code-related instruction, (c) support oral language and early writing (e.g. path rough story extensions), and (d) be a catalyst to create a supportive book-reading environment. (Zucker & Landry, 2010)

4. (For meaningful reading) Link read aloud questions to the QARS Techniques (Raphael & Au, 2005)

5. (For meaningful reading) Include read aloud questions that prompt readers to summarise, paraphrase, clarify, identify, interpret, predict, and express opinions (Palinesar, 1987)

6. (For picture books) take advantage of vivid, engaging "picture walks" to build a rich platform for shared, guided reading.

7. Focus on bringing the text to life, exploring rich vocabulary (see vocabulary section), engaging in interpretive questioning, and encouraging enthusiastic shared reading.

8. Encourage post-reading comprehension and composition activities, such as summarisng, retelling, analysing, appropriating, representing and/or responding to the text.

9. Encouraging post-reading word and vocabulary studies.

LANGUAGE EXPERIENCES - Encountering Language & Literacy in Rich, Meaningful Ways

1. Facilitating a rich, meaningful experience;

2. Emphasising target language in context (see Oral Language Development)

3. Documenting experience thoroughly and vividly

4. Revisiting the experience in a jointly constructed recount

5. Display / reinforce vocabulary through word walls, class glossaries, and similar / further activities (see Vocabulary Development)

6. Use written recount as a tool for fluency and revision

7. Expand written genres to include relevant formal genres (e.g. procedural texts)

8. Use shared experience as a launch pad to expand knowledge by reading related material

9. Utilising links to first language and cultural practices for English language learners

FLUENCY - The oft-neglected skills that helps learners move toward independence

1. Practice, practice, practice with texts that are 95% to 98% decodable

2. Use visual and other cues/prompts to assist decoding

3. Use a Vocabulary Assessment Scale to assess unknown words in a text

4. Pre-teach relevant vocabulary to assist with decoding words in context

5. Use running records to document common errors

6. Using word hunts as a pre- or post-reading reading activity

7. Utilising links to first language for English language learners

8. Partner reading

9. Choral reading / echo reading / lead reading / whisper reading

10. Readers' Theatre / performance-based reading

11. Fluency practice with think alouds (for comprehension monitoring)

12. Tape-assisted reading / recording reading to tape

13. Always include brief comprehension questions so attention to meaning is maintained.

COMPREHENSION - Deep, Thoughtful Work

1. Remember that "An engaged reader is one who is motivated, knowledgeable, strategic and socially interactive. The engaged reader is viewed as motivated to read for diverse purposes, an active knowledge constructor, an effective user of cognitive strategies and a participant in social interactions.  (Rueda et al., 2001). 

2. Refer to techniques mentioned in the Read Aloud schedule.

3. Utilise links to first language for English language learners.

4. Utilise elements of the Reading-to-Learn Cycle, including Preparing for Reading, Joint Pre-Writing, Individual Pre-Writing, Detailed Reading, Joint Reconstruction, Individual Reconstruction, and Responding to the Teach (Rose & Martin, 2012)

5. Encourage collaborative teaching g techniques, such as Reciprocal Teaching, Jigsaw Teaching, Book Circle, Reading Workshops, Directed Thinking, and Literature Discussion Circles.

6. Foster the range of comprehension skills: Planning & Goal Setting, Tapping into Prior Knowledge, Asking Questions, Making Predictions, Visualising, Making Connections, Forming (initial) Interpretations, Identifying Main Ideas, Identifying Cause and Effect, Organising Information, Adopting a Perspective (Point of View), Reflecting on Cognitive Processing, Revising Perspective, Seeking Evidence to Justify Viewpoint, Analysing Text Closely, Analysing Style, Taking Stock of Knowledge, Relating the Text to Experience, Evaluating Practice and  Forming criticisms (Olson, 2007)

7. Provide specific scaffolding to encourage disciplinary reading and/or concept formation (Goldman, 2012)

COMPOSITION - Diverse, Explorative Work

1. Utilising links to first language for English language learners

2. Emulating the themes of modelling, joint construction, guided construction, independent practice, and reflective practice.

3. Understanding the diversity of purposes (e.g. describing, recounting, narrating, analysing, explaining, etc), and apprenticing learners into competence at the sentence, paragraph, textual and pragmatic levels.

4. Understanding that any act of composition involve (a) building the field/content of the message, (b) deconstruction the mode of communication, (c) deconstructing the situation/context/audience of communication, and (d) cycling through joint construction, guided construction, independent practice, conferencing, publishing and reflecting. (Martin, 1999)

5. Understanding the writing/composing is multifaceted skills that requires time and guidance.

6. Understanding that writing is a social practice that involves goal-orientated action to purposefully participate in an activity system (or community of practice).

7. Using Writing Workshops and Writing Portfolios approaches can provide learners with opportunities to practice in a range of genres.

8. It is also important to see how experience in writing can be a vehicle for deeper reading ... and visa versa.

9. Recognise that a written task is always an ill-structured task, since a written tasks always requires one to interpret and deliberate over content, context, purpose and audience.

10. Overall ... shaping discourse.

REPRESENTING & REMEMBERING KNOWLEDGE - Isn't this what education is for?

1. Remember that “our knowledge forms an enormous system. And only within this system has a particular bit the value we give it.” (Wittgenstein, 1969)

2. Using graphic organisers and progressive brainstorming as tools for representing knowledge.

3. Organise and categorise information through information grids.

4. Make explicit the disciplinary questions that guide inquiry in important semiotic domains.

5. Provide learners with ample opportunities to retrieve and apply important knowledge and concepts (e.g. pause-prompt-praise)

6. Provide “message abundance”. In other words, reinforce knowledge in a range of media and contexts. Learner should be able access knowledge through a rich reservoir of experience.

7. Foster interests and budding expertise, which is particularly important as children transition into adolescence (Alexander, 2005)

8. Deepen knowledge by adding to a learners' expertise and by providing opportunities for learners to render, process, represent, and extend their knowledge in many, diverse ways.

That's it for us today. In the next entry, we will provide recommended readings in each of the above areas. And - in the future - we will provide examples of integrated teaching and learning. Please explore and enjoy!

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References
Alexander, P. A. (2005). The Path to Competence: A Lifespan Developmental Perspective on Reading. Journal of Literacy Research, 37(4), 413–436.

Goldman, S. R. (2012). Adolescent literacy: learning and understanding content. The Future of Children, 22(2), 89–116. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23057133

Martin, J. (1999). Mentoring semeogenesis: “Genre-based” literacy pedagogy. In F. Christie (Ed.), Pedagogy and the shaping of consciousness (pp. 123 – 155). London: Cassell.

Olson, C. B., & Land, R. (2007). A cognitive strategies approach to reading and writing instruction for English language learners in secondary school. Research in the Teaching of English, 41(3), 269–303. Retrieved from <Go to ISI>://WOS:000244438000003

Palinesar, A. S. (1987). Reciprocal Teaching. Instructor, 96(2), 5 – 60.

Raphael, T. E., & Au, K. H. (2005). QAR: Enhancing Comprehension and Test Taking Across Grades and Content Areas. The Reading Teacher, 59(3), 206–221. doi:10.1598/RT.59.3.1

Rose, D., & Martin, J. R. (2012). Reading to Learn. In Learning to Write/Read to Learn: Genre, Knowledge and Pedagogy in the Sydney School (pp. 133–234). Sheffield: Equinox Publishing.

Rueda, R., MacGillivray, L., Monzo, L., and Arzubiaga, A. (2001). “Engaged Reading: A multilevel approach to considering sociocultural factors with diverse learners”, CIERA Report #1-012, University of Michigan: Centre for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA).

Wittgenstein, L. (1969). On Certainty. (G. E. M. Anscombe & G. H. von Wright, Eds.). New York: Harper Torchbooks.

Zucker, T. A. & Landry, S. H. (2010). Improving the quality of preschool read-alouds: professional development and coaching that targets book-reading practices. In McKenna, M., Walpole, S. & Conradi, K. (Eds), Promoting early reading: research, resources and best practices. New York: The Guilford Press.

Factors Contributing to Comprehensive Literacy Development

Previously, we have alluded to the changing direction of this website; it will focus more space on the many dimension of literacy and less space on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. In an effort to outline the dimensions of factors contributing to comprehensive literacy development, we would include:

1. Robust development of oral language in language-rich and literacy-rich environments;
2. Clear, systematic and intensive development of phonemic awareness (when suitable);
3. Further systematic and progressive development of alphabetic skills, including phonics, spelling and morphology;
4. Wide ranging support of vocabulary development from a very young age;
5. Expert utilisation of read-alouds;
6. Skilled orchestration of language experiences;
7. Substantial time set aside for fluency practice (include time for independent reading);
8. Attention to ultimate goal of reading instruction: comprehension; and
9. Apprenticeship into the craft of composition; and
10. Ongoing and deepening construction of knowledge (the real goal of learning).

The above areas are not mutually exclusive. Ultimately, they should also be unified by thematic investigation(s).

In this pursuit, we want learners to develop:

1. Cognitive skills (e.g. pattern recognition, memory retrieval) and meta-cognitive awareness;
2. Motivation, attitudes, interests and expertise;
3. Non-verbal skills and talents; and
4. Careers and identities.

Therefore, the developing website will come to include specific advice in such areas as:

• Fostering Oral Language;
• Developing Phonemic Awareness;
• Solidifying Alphabetic Knowledge;
• Extending Vocabulary;
• Utilising Read-Alouds;
• Orchestrating Language Experiences;
• Shaping Fluency;
• Ensuring Comprehension;
• Facilitating Composition;
• Integrating Content Learning;
• Building and Representing Knowledge;
• Scaffolding Action;
• Fostering Interests and Expertise;
• Pulling All of This Together Into Integrated Teaching and Learning.

Getting to the Rough Ground of Language and Literacy Learning Through the Language Experience Approach

Early language learners benefit from rich tasks that provide learners with ample opportunities to hear, see, use and manipulate language in contextualised, purposeful ways. The videos to the lower right provide compelling examples of the multiple learnings achieved through a humble kitchen garden project for newly arrived refugee children at a primary school in an urban Australian community. The project illustrates the potential for deep learning when the learning develops from authentic, engaging experiences.

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I'd like readers/viewers to notice how the kitchen garden becomes a central device to develop language, literacy, culture and knowledge. You should notice how language is reinforced through practical activity, how language is assisted visually in the classroom, and how it is transformed into knowledge through writing.

This is an example of a teaching method known as the Language Experience Approach (LEA), which is a catch-all term for teaching that anchors literacy and language learning in shared experiences. In most cases, the “experience” is a physically, shared experience, but there is a more and more avenues to share experience virtually through video, interactive tools and online content (such as web quests). 

The Language Experience Approach emphasises language learning through carefully scaffolded and reinforced language in context and through activity. Teachers and learners diligently document the experience, so the experience can be revisited and developed through further reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and representing in the classroom.

The following are a number of questions to consider when building language and literacy through authentic, mutual practices. Even though we will elaborated on the teaching method in the future, these initial questions illustrate the significance of a number of essential practices in the LEA, such as scaffolded talk, documenting the experience, revisiting the experience in the classroom, pulling out rich vocabulary, expanding the experience through writing, and using the experience for further comprehension and [content] learning. In this system, the teacher must be adept at orchestrating, sequencing and extending a variety practices (often within a tight timetable).

Before and During the Experience

1. What is the experience? Is this an actual or virtual experience?
2. How is joint attention achieved and how is language being scaffolded?
3. How is vocabulary emphasised/reinforced/introduced/recorded during the experience
4. How is the experience being documented (digital cameras, information scaffolds, graphic organisers, scaffolded questions, etc)?
5. How do the instructional conversations that take place throughout the experience build a common discourse and assist learning?

After the Experience

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Students benefit from a variety of activities that reinforce language and literacy in the classroom: word walls, flow charts, exemplary texts and further hands-on learning.

1. Are word walls / glossaries / semantic maps / flow charts / storyboards developed from the experience? Are they prominent, accessible and rigorous?
2. How is the documentation used to help the class jointly and/or individually re-construct the experience? Is the sentence cycle used to generate rich, juicy sentences?
3. How is the joint construction phase used to refresh people’s memory and knowledge of events?
4. Can the newly constructed text(s) be used as “familiar text(s)” that can be re-read as fluency practice?
5. Has the teacher selected a portion of words to use for further word study?

Extending the Experience

1. Can you link new readings to the shared experience? For instance, now that we have explored the world of the garden, can we explore:
   • poetry about gardens or which use gardens as a motif;
   • procedural/information texts about gardening;
   • stories and/or picture books which takes place in a garden; and 
   • news articles about community gardens?
2. Can the writing be extended to the inclusion of the writing of recognised genres related to the experience? (procedural texts, brochures, etc)
3. How have non-verbal knowledge, expertise and attitudes been fostered through the activity?

Final Note

The Language Experience Approach (LEA) does not replace systematic, intensive instruction in word study, nor does the LEA replace the importance of regular shared and guided reading of age- and skill-appropriate texts. That said, shared and guided can be incorporated into the LEA. The LEA provides an important avenue for the exploration of guided and extended writing and language learning. Within the LEA, there are many micro-teaching moments which should take advantage of best practice language and literacy methods.

Further Reading

Au, K. H. (1979). Using the Experience-Text Relationship Method with Minority Children. The Reading Teacher, (March), 677–679.

Labbo, L. D., Eakle, A. J., & Montero, M. K. (2002). Digital Language Experience Approach: Using Digital Photographs and Software as a Language Experience Approach Innovation. Reading Online, 5(8), 1–19. Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/labbo2/

Landis, D., Umolo, J., & Mancha, S. (2010). The power of language experience for cross-cultural reading and writing. The Reading Teacher, 63(7), 580–589.

Moustafa, M. (2008). Exceeding the standards: a strategic approach to linking state standards to best practices in reading and writing instruction. New York: Scholastic.

Nessel, D. D., & Dixon, C. N. (2008). Using the language experience approach with English language learners: Strategies for engaging students and developing literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Wurr, A. J. (2002). Language Experience Approach Revisited: The Use of Personal Narratives in Adult L2 Literacy Instruction. The Reading Matrix, 2(1), 1–8. Retrieved from http://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/wurr/?collection=col10460/1.

An Ode to the Sentence: A Vehicle to Express Thought

It might sound a bit pompous, but we do like the elegance of the Commanding Sentences quotes/notes on this site. Also, we’d like to say that the notes section is a part of the site that probably does not get as much attention as it deserves. In fact, the collected quotes/notes is where everything started in the first place.  

In relation to Commanding Sentences, Wittgenstein exudes a respect for the sentence (or proposition), particularly in his early work. There is a respect for the ability of a sentence to capture, express and shape meaning. In fact, there is also a respect for the time and care that one takes to reconstruct experiences and ideas for re-examination. 

“PI 280: Someone paints a picture in order to show how he imagines a theatre scene. And now I say: “This picture has a double function: it informs others, as pictures or words inform — but for one who gives the information it is a representation (or piece of information?) of another kind: for him it is the picture of his image.”

However, the time necessary to attend to our words can be lacking in the stream of language and living. Even though we speak regularly and often, it is important to draw a distinction between sentences and proposition. We speak lots of sentences, but not every sentence proposes a state of affairs worthy of reflection.

“TLP 3.141: A proposition is not a blend of words. — (Just as a theme of music is not a blend of notes.) A proposition is articulate.”

There is something admirable about the time one takes to arrange  sentences in such a way that they represent the inter-relationships amongst ideas, events, actors, and more. 

If you have the chance, please visit the Commanding Sentences notes/quote section. To help guide you, the following represents the logical sequence of the categorised quotes:

• Introduction: We start with the recognition that a sentence has the capacity to “communicates a situation to us”;
• Picture Theory: That in a proposition “a situation is, as it were, constructed by way of experiment”;
• Decoding/Projecting/Processing: However, a proposition stands in need of decoding and processing, since “a sentence is given [to] me in code together with the key”;
• Reasoning: Every sensical sentence expresses a sense but it is up to us to determine “its truth or falsity” and to decipher its purpose/intention;
• Making Meaning: It is up to use to determine the meaning of a sentence, and “some sentences have to be read several times to be understood”;
• Discussing & Discourse: To understand a sentence, we must also appeal to the conversation it is part of, because if you are to “understand anything in language, you must understand what the dialogue is, and you must see how understanding grows as the dialogue grow.”
• Linguistic & Intellectual Turns: We come to develop a rich set of grammatical forms that allow us to make intellectual moves, since a “discipline in form is a discipline in thought” (also see Building knowledge through discussion); and
• Action: We apply these sentences to get things done, since “*speaking* of language is part of an activity, or of a life-form”. Therefore, “reading and writing in any domain … are not just ways of decoding print, they are also caught up with and in social practices.”

I welcome you to explore and enjoy!