EDC3004

Language and literacy

Dr B Doecke and Ms Jill Brown

6 points - 3 hours per week - Second semester - Clayton - Prerequisite: Completion of first two years of program

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have developed an understanding of the role which language plays in learning; have developed an understanding of the relationship between language and cultural identity; have become aware of the literacy demands of specific school subjects; have developed an understanding of the differentiated nature of reading and writing across a range of subject areas; be familiar with a range of linguistic theories that describe school literacy (most notably 'genre' theory and 'critical literacy'); be familiar with recent literacy policy documents at both a federal and state level; be able to analyse the literacy practices in classrooms and other school settings; be sensitive to the linguistic diversity of school communities; have begun to develop a capacity to recognise and respond to the literacy needs of secondary school students; be familiar with a range of policy and curriculum initiatives ('middle schooling', 'transition', bilingualism, parent participation, cross-curricular practices) that are intended to enhance the literacy of students.

Synopsis This subject will explore the complexities of secondary classrooms as discursive sites, inviting students to reconceptualise the curriculum as a set of literacy practices that pose varying challenges to secondary students, depending on their backgrounds and interests. The subject is intended to raise students' awareness of the characteristic discourses of specific school subjects, raising questions about the extent to which secondary students are able to meet the literacy demands of key learning areas. By foregrounding the linguistic or discursive nature of secondary schooling, the subject poses a number of significant issues for all teachers. These include: the interface between home and school (the extent to which the language of home allows students to engage in the language of school), the needs of students from non-English speaking backgrounds, the language and literacy of students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, the gendered character of literacy, the relationship between popular (or teenage) culture and the language and culture of schooling. Attention will also be paid to language and literacy in primary school in order to establish a critical perspective on the literacy practices of secondary schooling. In addition, students will be invited to explore a range of strategies for addressing the literacy needs of students across key learning areas, including the links between spoken and written language, the nature of reading, and parental or community involvement in schooling.

Assessment Minor assignment (1500 words): 30% - Major assignment (3500 words): 50% - Weekly contribution: 20%

Recommended texts

Alloway N and Gilbert P 'Everything is dangerous: Working with the "Boys and Literacy" agenda' in English in Australia 119-120, October 1997
Barnes D From communication to curriculum Penguin, 1976
Bull G and Anstey M (eds) The literacy lexicon Prentice Hall, 1996
Clyne M 'Writing, testing and culture' in Responding to students' writing: Idiom special VATE, 1996
Comber B 'Literacy, poverty and schooling: Working against deficit equations' in English in Australia 119-120, October 1997
Emmitt M and Pollock J Language and learning: An introduction for teaching, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, 1997
Garton A and Pratt C Learning to be literate: The development of spoken and written language Basil Blackwell, 1989
Gilbert P and Rowe K Gender, literacy and the classroom Australian Reading Association, 1989
Kress G 'Reimagining English: Curriculum, identity and productive futures' in Reimagining English: Idiom Special No 2, October, 1996
Lightbown P M and Spada N How languages are learned Oxford University Press, 1993
McNamara M 'Down in the swamp: Classroom-based research into the teaching of literacy' in English in Australia 118, May 1997
Tsiolkas C 'Hyphenation: Reflections on language and identity in Australia' in English in Australia 118, May 1997
Victorian Board of Studies Curriculum and standards framework: English VBOS, 1995
Victorian Board of Studies ESL Companion to the English CSF VBOS, 1996

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