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= ECL410 Assignment Two = **Engaging Early Years Students in Literacy ** By Leah Cunningham, Emma Haines, Samantha Lewis, Samantha Quinsey, Rachel Wood

 As an effective teacher of literacy, it is important to be informed and up to date with current issues, trends, research and strategies which relate to teaching and learning in literacy. The teacher profession is dynamic and frequently changing therefore it is important for teachers to embrace the research and consider the implications of these findings, when planning and practising their teaching. Part of this assignment required us to access recent journal publications which provided findings from case studies about current issues in teaching and learning literacy. As identified by Bickley (2004) in //‘////A whole-school literacy pedagogy: The Victorian Early Years Literacy Program and its implications for the teaching and learning of literacy////’//, “Students’ literacy standards have over the last two decades been identified as an area of educational policy focus” (Bickley, 2004, p. 1).

As a group our combined experience and knowledge have led us to believe that literacy teaching requires there to be a greater emphasis and practice of engaging early years students in literacy in schools. We have all had various experiences of teaching students in the early years, and the implications that are present in these classrooms. This issue in the literacy classroom is one that we thought had merit for further investigation because:

- //Early years education builds the foundations needed to support and scaffold future student learning.// If students are engaged early on in their education this helps to build a foundation of basic literacy skills which can be further developed. If they progress through school not having a sound understanding of literacy concepts, they will be reluctant to learn further, as they do not have the ‘base’ understanding to build on. In the early years they also develop the awareness of how to use their acquired skills and knowledge to develop strategies that help to decode new content and connect with what they already know.

- //Student engagement will foster a positive attitude towards learning// // When // students are engaged in learning through high quality learning experiences they develop a positive attitude towards learning, are eager to learn more and have a zest for learning and knowledge. Using engaging resources and materials in learning experiences will help to students to associate learning as being a positive experience.

- //Individual student needs and interests are accommodated for thus creating meaningful learning experiences.// Making curriculum content personable to the students in our classroom demonstrates that learning is all around them and that there are connections between what they are learning and the real world; in particular in their life.

 Motivation

Linking Home-School-Community

Technology

Teacher Interview

References