Undergraduate - UnitEDF1030 - English and literacy learning

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Education
Offered	Berwick First semester 2015 (Day) Peninsula First semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Ms Kelly Carabott (Berwick); Ms Tracey Cronin (Peninsula)

Synopsis

This unit builds students' understanding of the discipline of English and introduces them to the multifaceted, diverse worlds of children's literacy learning spanning home, community and formal school contexts. Engagement with contemporary research literature assists students in their exploration of English language and literacy concepts and theories, leading to their development of pedagogical practices that support children's literacy learning in multiple contexts. A strong emphasis is given to understanding the four elements of English language development required by the literate person in relation to speaking, reading, writing and listening. Students learn to appreciate the importance of respecting the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on students and their literacy learning.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

develop their expertise and understanding of the discipline of English
understand the connections between home and community literacies with special focus on verbal and non-verbal language in context
recognise how key literacy concepts are practised in early learning settings such as homes, communities, childcare, preschool and primary school
analyse and critique literacy skills such as phonemic awareness, semiotic theory, text genres, morphology, phonics, consonants, syntax, phonology and semantics
engage with contemporary theories and research related to English language and literacy learning and development from birth to 12 years
demonstrate understanding of key curriculum principles and strategies relating to English language and literacy for young children
develop an understanding and appreciation of inclusive and diverse practices to support and engage children from a range of language heritage backgrounds, including bilingualism and multilingualism, which leads to an awareness of the cultural construction of English language development.

Assessment

Research paper as a poster presentation on a key literacy topic (1600 words, 40%)
Portrait of a literacy learner: observation and critical written analysis of an everyday
literacy scenario for a young child (2400 words, 60%)

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

2 hours per week

(b.) Additional requirements:

10 hours of independent study per week

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Early years education
Early years and primary education