eBook downloads, eBook resources & eBook authors
Provides a comprehensive, reader-friendly introduction to literacy teaching and learning, exploring both theoretical underpinnings and practical strategies.
"Literacy in early childhood and primary education provides a comprehensive introduction to literacy teaching and learning. The book explores the continuum of literacy learning andc children's transitions from early childhood settings to junior primary classrooms, and then to senior primary and beyond. Reader-friendly and accessible, this book equips pre-service teachers with the theoretical underpinnings and practical strategies and skills needed to teach literacy. It places the 'reading wars' firmly in the past as it examines contemporary research and practices. The book covers important topics such as literacy acquisition, family literacies and multiliteracies, foundation skills for literacy learning, reading difficulties, assessment, and supporting diverse literacy learners in early childhood and primary classrooms. It also addresses the challenges that teachers may face in the classroom and provides solutions to these."--Back page.
"Literacy Development in Early Childhood: Reflective Teaching for Birth to Age Eight "offers a comprehensive look at literacy development, from infancy and through the primary grades. Organized developmentally, chapters on the "signs" of early literacy behaviors are followed by chapters on "enhancing" those behaviors. Assessment topics, including observation forms for classroom use and developmentally appropriate strategies, are integrated throughout. The role of oral language as a foundation for literacy, home--school connections, and cultural influences on literacy development are also emphasized. This text will help teachers serve as thoughtful mediators in children's transactions with literacy. Provides Teachers with Tools for Reflective Literacy Instruction. The text's organization and narrative encourages preservice teachers to become reflective decision makers who select and implement instructional strategies based upon their knowledge of individual children's emergent literacy behaviors and needs. Explores Literacy Strategies Through Classroom- and Home-Based Examples and Vignettes. Numerous vignettes and teacher--child interactions throughout the text demonstrate literacy scaffolding in an applied and authentic manner. Supports Teachers in Multicultural and Urban Settings. An emphasis on linguistic and cultural diversity is woven throughout-including an array of strategies for English Language Learners-to provide today's teachers with the knowledge to help "all "children succeed. " "Instructor Resources: Online Instructor's Manual and Online Test Bank, test management software, WebCT and Blackboard cartridges, Online PowerPoint slides.
It is important to consider definitions of literacy across the life span of the individual from 'womb to tomb' (Alexander, 1997). Definitions of literacy should encompass the cognitive, affective, socio-cultural, cultural-historical, creative and aesthetic dimensions. Three important international assessment initiatives, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC) all emphasise constructivist interactive processes of reading, where readers actively construct meaning from text.They recognise the importance of literacy in empowering the individual to develop reflection, critique and empathy, leading to a sense of self-efficacy, identity and full participation in society.The PIRLS definition also refers to the development of a community of readers within schools, where social interactions around text encourage both the development of habits of mind (Brunner & Tally, 1999) and positive attitudes towards reading within the classroom learning ecology.
Early years and primary are often seen as very separate stages of development, although children are expected to progress from one key stage to another in a seamless way and the historical and philosophical ideas underpinning practice at the different stages are often the same or similar. To be fully effective professionals need to understand and reflect on both children’s experiences before and after the stage they are currently working in and the historical and current ideas and practice. The current drive is to equip professionals working with young children with higher level understandings and skills and this involves consideration of the key historical and current theories and the development of the conceptual and philosophical frameworks which positively impact on current practice. The strengths of this book are that it develops the necessary understandings and skills and closes the gap between professionals working together to support children holistic development. It also provides opportunities to engage in critical debate on current issues in professional practice, as identified in national and international reports and develop their skills through this engagement. It will be of benefit to a range of students on Initial Teacher Education, Education Studies and Early Childhood Studies programmes, as well as professionals working with children from birth to 11 years of age (from early career to leaders) and lecturers teaching HE courses.
Written by an author with more than 25 years of experience in the emergent literacy field, this popular text provides a comprehensive overview of literacy development from infancy through the primary grades, emphasizing the role of oral language as a foundation for literacy, home–school connections, and cultural influences on literacy development. Chapters follow a logical sequence, from identification of the signs of early literacy behaviors to developmentally appropriate strategies for enhancing those behaviors. Observation and assessment forms for classroom use are integrated throughout. This highly regarded guide helps teachers become thoughtful mediators in children’s transactions with literacy. Additional features: Provides teachers with tools for reflective literacy instruction. The text’s organization and narrative encourages pre-service teachers to become effective decision makers who select and implement instructional strategies based on their knowledge of individual children’s emergent literacy behaviors and needs. Explores literacy strategies through classroom- and home-based examples and vignettes. Numerous vignettes and examples of teacher–child interactions demonstrate literacy scaffolding in an applied and authentic manner. Supports teachers in multicultural and urban settings. An emphasis on linguistic and cultural diversity—including an array of strategies for English language learners—provides today’s teachers with the knowledge to help all children succeed.
This book summarizes aspects of reading and writing in primary schools, interest to educationists in the UK. It outlines the general process of reading comprehension into different levels.
This book provides pre-service and practising teachers with an integrated approach to language and literacy learning in early childhood. Written by leading academics in the field, it explores how children learn to talk, play using language, become literate and make meaning - from birth through to the pre-school years. Emphasising the importance of imagination and the arts in language learning, this book addresses a wide range of contemporary issues, highlights the impact of diverse socioeconomic, language and cultural backgrounds on young children's language and literacy development, and shows how early childhood teachers can effectively partner with parents and caregivers to help children learn through and about language. Case studies, interviews, reflective questions, clear links to the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum, and a rich array of practical and creative activities for use in early childhood environments help students connect theory and current research to practice.
The importance of the early years in young children’s lives and the rigid inequality in literacy achievement are a stimulating backdrop to current research in young children’s language and literacy development. This book reports new data and empirical analyses that advance the theory of language and literacy, with researchers using different methodologies in conducting their study, with both a sound empirical underpinning and a captivating analytical rationalization of the results. The contributors to this volume used several methodological methods (e.g. quantitative, qualitative) to describe the complete concept of the study; the achievement of the study; and the study in an appropriate manner based on the study’s methodology. The contributions to this volume cover a wide range of topics, including dual language learners; Latino immigrant children; children who have hearing disabilities; parents’ and teachers’ beliefs about language development; early literacy skills of toddlers and preschool children; interventions; multimodalities in early literacies; writing; and family literacy. The studies were conducted in various early childhood settings such as child care, nursery school, Head Start, kindergarten, and primary grades, and the subjects in the studies represent the pluralism of the globe – a pluralism of language, backgrounds, ethnicity, abilities, and disabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.
