The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Oct 1, 2005
thousand children in over 100 schools completed the LLANS assessments and their teachers complete... more thousand children in over 100 schools completed the LLANS assessments and their teachers completed questionnaire surveys. Eleven teachers and their classes welcomed the researchers for in-depth video analysis in classrooms and a further six teachers assisted with the public release video. We thank them all for their interest and commitment, and acknowledge that the program of research could not have been undertaken without their generous support. The research, which was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training, sought to identify effective teaching and learning practices that lead to improved literacy outcomes in the early years of schooling. The team commissioned to do the work involved researchers from
This is an intriguing question. In 1995 e-Books were only just beginning to emerge (mostly books ... more This is an intriguing question. In 1995 e-Books were only just beginning to emerge (mostly books on floppy disks), social media had not taken hold of communication, mobile phones were still like bricks and the most sophisticated technology in homes was generally the television and video recorder. Today, the shape of literacy is a much more complex and multimodal experience for all. Children still read books and listen to them, but now they can produce their own with story apps, create original animations in minutes on electronic tablets, communicate with children from around the world in seconds, do group work online, access instant text translation and produce stories that integrate sound, image, video and music.
This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, r... more This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, relating them to the relevant currents of theological thought across the last half century, and articulating the overarching vision which unites the various chapters that make up the book.
Many teachers provide little to help develop children's reading comprehension. Some activitie... more Many teachers provide little to help develop children's reading comprehension. Some activities intended to help, may even reduce a reader's potential for making meaning. Here Cairney describes a strategy that encourages readers' engagement with a text, and concludes with a guide to creating further activities to stimulate critical and creative reading.
It is a truism to state that literacy is important to life; it is impossible to escape it. In an ... more It is a truism to state that literacy is important to life; it is impossible to escape it. In an age where literacy - even just as written text - is delivered via media as diverse as clothing, signs, bodies, music, rap, screens and paper, it cannot be missed. But it is still common when we speak of literacy to assume that we are thinking simply of words in a limited range of contexts and genres. As well, when we investigate it as a practice, we often do so simply in formal and institutional contexts. It is obvious that literacy is embedded in all of life, and that institutional and formal literacy can never be truly separated from the literacy practices of the world beyond school. This is not a new idea, but in the last 20 years, we have developed a richer understanding of what this might mean for the literacy practices sanctioned, supported, and used within schooling. Earlier discussions of the importance of community literacy by administrators, schools, and teachers, were generally framed by a recognition that the literacy experiences of home and community have a significant impact on literacy success at school. But much of this interest has been in how families and their literacy practices serve school agendas, with interest driven by limited definitions of literacy and at times deficit views of learning. This restricted view of the relationship between literacy practices in and out of school, has constrained attempts to build stronger relationships between schools and their communities. As Schultz and Hull state (see Schultz and Hull 2015, “Literacies in and Out of School in the United States,” Volume 2), our students are never simply in school or out of school, for their identities move with them, and their practices are carried with them across contexts. And yet, we still know far less than we need to know about the way literacy touches lives in surprising contexts and in varied forms. There is so much more to know, and hence we require new ways to help us understand literacy’s varied forms, purposes and uses. As well, we need to widen our contexts and arenas for exploration.
The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Nov 1, 1994
This article provides an overview of the field of research on family literacy, and argues that li... more This article provides an overview of the field of research on family literacy, and argues that literacy partnerships between schools and communities can play an important role in improving access and equity for children from diverse backgrounds.
The literacy research indicated that a balanced literacy curriculum improved literacy outcome, th... more The literacy research indicated that a balanced literacy curriculum improved literacy outcome, through inclusion of word and text level knowledge and skills, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and oral language and classroom practice. The effective literacy teachers have a strong literacy knowledge base that they make explicit to their students as well creating and making use of a rich literacy environment.
literacy. Many suggest that illiteracy rates for detainees are considerably higher than those fou... more literacy. Many suggest that illiteracy rates for detainees are considerably higher than those found in the general community (Noad & Hancock 1985; Yabsley 1988; Hallard 1990). Others have cast doubt on the validity of the assumption that detainee literacy is of a lower "standard " than that of the community at
'In this article, Trevor Cairney provides a brief history of the journal', Literacy Learn... more 'In this article, Trevor Cairney provides a brief history of the journal', Literacy Learning: the Middle Years, and its forerunner, Literacy Learning: Secondary Thoughts. 'He then highlights four key characteristics of literacy that should have an important bearing on our considerations of how we support our students in the middle years'.
Theology and the Future : Evangelical Assertions and Explorations
This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, r... more This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, relating them to the relevant currents of theological thought across the last half century, and articulating the overarching vision which unites the various chapters that make up the book.
The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Oct 1, 2005
thousand children in over 100 schools completed the LLANS assessments and their teachers complete... more thousand children in over 100 schools completed the LLANS assessments and their teachers completed questionnaire surveys. Eleven teachers and their classes welcomed the researchers for in-depth video analysis in classrooms and a further six teachers assisted with the public release video. We thank them all for their interest and commitment, and acknowledge that the program of research could not have been undertaken without their generous support. The research, which was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training, sought to identify effective teaching and learning practices that lead to improved literacy outcomes in the early years of schooling. The team commissioned to do the work involved researchers from
This is an intriguing question. In 1995 e-Books were only just beginning to emerge (mostly books ... more This is an intriguing question. In 1995 e-Books were only just beginning to emerge (mostly books on floppy disks), social media had not taken hold of communication, mobile phones were still like bricks and the most sophisticated technology in homes was generally the television and video recorder. Today, the shape of literacy is a much more complex and multimodal experience for all. Children still read books and listen to them, but now they can produce their own with story apps, create original animations in minutes on electronic tablets, communicate with children from around the world in seconds, do group work online, access instant text translation and produce stories that integrate sound, image, video and music.
This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, r... more This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, relating them to the relevant currents of theological thought across the last half century, and articulating the overarching vision which unites the various chapters that make up the book.
Many teachers provide little to help develop children's reading comprehension. Some activitie... more Many teachers provide little to help develop children's reading comprehension. Some activities intended to help, may even reduce a reader's potential for making meaning. Here Cairney describes a strategy that encourages readers' engagement with a text, and concludes with a guide to creating further activities to stimulate critical and creative reading.
It is a truism to state that literacy is important to life; it is impossible to escape it. In an ... more It is a truism to state that literacy is important to life; it is impossible to escape it. In an age where literacy - even just as written text - is delivered via media as diverse as clothing, signs, bodies, music, rap, screens and paper, it cannot be missed. But it is still common when we speak of literacy to assume that we are thinking simply of words in a limited range of contexts and genres. As well, when we investigate it as a practice, we often do so simply in formal and institutional contexts. It is obvious that literacy is embedded in all of life, and that institutional and formal literacy can never be truly separated from the literacy practices of the world beyond school. This is not a new idea, but in the last 20 years, we have developed a richer understanding of what this might mean for the literacy practices sanctioned, supported, and used within schooling. Earlier discussions of the importance of community literacy by administrators, schools, and teachers, were generally framed by a recognition that the literacy experiences of home and community have a significant impact on literacy success at school. But much of this interest has been in how families and their literacy practices serve school agendas, with interest driven by limited definitions of literacy and at times deficit views of learning. This restricted view of the relationship between literacy practices in and out of school, has constrained attempts to build stronger relationships between schools and their communities. As Schultz and Hull state (see Schultz and Hull 2015, “Literacies in and Out of School in the United States,” Volume 2), our students are never simply in school or out of school, for their identities move with them, and their practices are carried with them across contexts. And yet, we still know far less than we need to know about the way literacy touches lives in surprising contexts and in varied forms. There is so much more to know, and hence we require new ways to help us understand literacy’s varied forms, purposes and uses. As well, we need to widen our contexts and arenas for exploration.
The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Nov 1, 1994
This article provides an overview of the field of research on family literacy, and argues that li... more This article provides an overview of the field of research on family literacy, and argues that literacy partnerships between schools and communities can play an important role in improving access and equity for children from diverse backgrounds.
The literacy research indicated that a balanced literacy curriculum improved literacy outcome, th... more The literacy research indicated that a balanced literacy curriculum improved literacy outcome, through inclusion of word and text level knowledge and skills, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and oral language and classroom practice. The effective literacy teachers have a strong literacy knowledge base that they make explicit to their students as well creating and making use of a rich literacy environment.
literacy. Many suggest that illiteracy rates for detainees are considerably higher than those fou... more literacy. Many suggest that illiteracy rates for detainees are considerably higher than those found in the general community (Noad & Hancock 1985; Yabsley 1988; Hallard 1990). Others have cast doubt on the validity of the assumption that detainee literacy is of a lower "standard " than that of the community at
'In this article, Trevor Cairney provides a brief history of the journal', Literacy Learn... more 'In this article, Trevor Cairney provides a brief history of the journal', Literacy Learning: the Middle Years, and its forerunner, Literacy Learning: Secondary Thoughts. 'He then highlights four key characteristics of literacy that should have an important bearing on our considerations of how we support our students in the middle years'.
Theology and the Future : Evangelical Assertions and Explorations
This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, r... more This is an introductory essay to Theology and the Future, outlining the contents of the volume, relating them to the relevant currents of theological thought across the last half century, and articulating the overarching vision which unites the various chapters that make up the book.
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