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By Susan Hill Oral language and written language are different linguistic modes and both are important in their own right. This article briefly describes oral language from linguistic, social interactionist and cognitive development viewpoints as each view highlights different aspects of oral language. An example of a play based developed oral language program is provided […]

By Sue Heyson Welcome to the Dolphins Class (Transition/Year 1) at Warruwi School in the Northern Territory. We are buzzing with excitement in our class because the students love to read. But firstly, here is a little bit about our school and community contexts. Our school is on a remote island located in Western Arnhem […]

By Robyn Ewing (University of Sydney) and Marguerite Maher (Notre Dame University) Controversies about the most effective ways to help children’s literacy learning have raged throughout our careers as literacy educators. This is partly because of misconceptions of what ‘literacy’ means. The Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2014) defines literacy as encompassing: […]

By Robyn English The ultimate aim of all teaching of literature should be to instil in children a love of stories and reading. Sadly, many students will claim that this love has been destroyed by the insistence of teachers that they ‘study’ the book. This activity is a strategy that can be used to generate and […]

Parents and carers can have a big impact on their children’s education. By providing learning opportunities and support at home you can help encourage learning from an early age, right through to high school. Here are some fantastic literacy tips and inspiring ways parents and carers can be more involved in children’s learning. 1. Make […]

Reading has great benefits for children, but with the rise of educational games, apps and YouTube, fewer kids are reading in their spare time. Education writer Marianne Stenger suggests how you can encourage children to read more. A recent survey from the National Literacy Trust found that secondary school students, and boys in particular, are […]

By Georgina Barton Reflecting back on my teacher training in English there was limited information presented on how to interpret modes other than language, such as image and sound. I do recall one course or subject on media literacy where we would discuss fervently a range of advertising materials – our lecturer always saying that ‘sex’ […]