TASK A: Overview

Overview of Articles and Book Chapters

Ordinarily defined as being able to ‘read and write,’ the collection of articles and book chapters suggest that the true definition of literacy is much more complex (Santoro, 2004) and each author has their own ideas on how to successfully teach students to become literate, or in some cases, multiliterate.

The four resources model (code-breaker, text participant, text user and text analyst) (Santoro, 2004) used for the assessment of students appeared frequently throughout the chapters and articles as well as the four elements (situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformed practice) (Kalantzis & Cope, 2000) and the five modes (visual, auditory, linguistic, gestural and spatial) (Mills, 2008). These were common themes in most articles and chapters which suggest that these approaches are critical to successful literacy education. Critical thinking (Green & Cochrane, 2003), metacognitive skills and comprehension strategies (Mills, 2008) were also frequent throughout the research process suggesting that they are key aspects of teaching literacy. Information communication technologies (ICTs) and digital literacies also appeared which leads to the assumption that they are an important feature, according to Yelland, Lee, O’Rouke and Harrison (2009) and Henderson (2008), in developing students’ literacy skills for the 21st century.

With these resources and strategies in place there needs to be a dynamic pedagogy to engage the students and authentic and real-world tasks for learning to become relevant to students’ lives. Anstey and Bull (2006) discuss the importance of a dynamic pedagogy whilst Yelland, Lee, O’Rouke and Harrison (2009) and Thwaite (2007) communicate the need for authentic tasks and real-world literacy.

With a dynamic pedagogy and authentic and real-world tasks at hand, teachers need to begin planning for diversity and the classroom discourse. Working with indigenous students may require more planning as read in Thwaite’s article (2007) and transforming a classroom discourse requires time and planning to be effective.

Multiliteracies, however, was the main theme across all articles and book chapters and transforming from the olden style of literacy to the new, which will require finding the “gaps” (Henderson, 2008) in a students’ learning using problem-based multiliteracies and strategies for practicing multiliteracies. (Stewart-Dore, 2003).

The collection of book chapters and articles will enable teachers to:
1) Learn important approaches to assessing and teaching literacy;
2) Implement digital literacies and ICTs;
3) Create a dynamic pedagogy, plan for diversity and transform their classroom discourse and
4) Learn the benefits of the multiliteracies pedagogies.
Each article and book chapter provides another step in the process of becoming a successful literacy teacher in the future. However, none of the authors identified the three approaches (traditional, progressivist and cultural/critical) but rather as changing from traditional literacy education to new.

Literacy, seen as one of the most important subjects at school “is they key to the rest of the curriculum” (Hannon, 1995, p. 5) and is used in everyday life. As learnt through reading the literature and engaging in the course, literacy plays a major role in developing students for the 21st century.

Hannon, P. (1995). Literacy, home, and school: research and practice in teaching literacy with parents. Great Britain: Falmer Press.

ANNOTATIONS CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://edx3270assignment1taska.blogspot.com/2010/04/task-annotations.html