Abstract:
This presentation will argue that despite the need to respond to increasingly diverse communication in a digital twenty first century world, schooled literacy in Australia mainly adheres to a traditional print-oriented paradigm. Further, although reformed curricula now acknowledge emerging literacy concepts, empirical evidence suggests that traditional print practices continue to be privileged in curriculum achievement standards, national assessments and large-scale professional learning events. As a consequence, literacy in classrooms is homogenized around ‘back to basics’ focuses. Sociocritical theorists argue that beginning teachers are particularly susceptible to these narrowed visions of literacy on account of standards-aligned induction and appraisal processes. This presentation discusses the need for researcher-assisted spaces to enable graduate primary school teachers to voice, explore and (re) negotiate a range of personal, professional and cultural literacy perspectives. Incorporating multiliteracies theory (The New London Group, 2000) and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Engestrom, 2011, 2011), this PhD study positions literacy as a social practice set in sociocultural, historical and paradigmatic discourses. From this view, participatory professional learning is dynamic, multidimensional and contextualized.
The study involves generation of ‘learning collectives’ in diverse districts of Western Australia. Adopting a qualitative interpretive approach, the project employs a phased multisite case study design. In the first phase, each collective meets regularly over one school year for researcher-facilitated and peer-driven literacy activity. Phase two ‘joins up’ separate collectives in an online space to supported expanded meaning making opportunities. Phase three involves semi-structured interviews, enabling a small number of participants to reflect on their evolving literacy perspectives. Using critical discourse analysis, activity system analysis, and multimodal analysis, the project aims to unveil graduates’ unfolding perspectives, interactions (with concepts, resources and artefacts) and learning processes. Because graduate learning is largely an untapped resource for theorising professional participation in contemporary literacy, the study contributes uniquely to professional, academic and policy-level debate regarding standardised versions of literacy education.
Keywords: participatory professional learning; Multiliteracies; Cultural Historical Activity Theory; new graduate teachers
Short biography: Veronica Gardiner is an experienced primary school teacher, currently engaged in an APA Scholarship-supported PhD study, at the School of Education, Murdoch University in Western Australia. She has an interest in positioning teachers as participatory professionals and informed knowledge workers, presently focused on the area of literacy.
Submission of full conference paper for peer review before presentation: No
The study involves generation of ‘learning collectives’ in diverse districts of Western Australia. Adopting a qualitative interpretive approach, the project employs a phased multisite case study design. In the first phase, each collective meets regularly over one school year for researcher-facilitated and peer-driven literacy activity. Phase two ‘joins up’ separate collectives in an online space to supported expanded meaning making opportunities. Phase three involves semi-structured interviews, enabling a small number of participants to reflect on their evolving literacy perspectives. Using critical discourse analysis, activity system analysis, and multimodal analysis, the project aims to unveil graduates’ unfolding perspectives, interactions (with concepts, resources and artefacts) and learning processes. Because graduate learning is largely an untapped resource for theorising professional participation in contemporary literacy, the study contributes uniquely to professional, academic and policy-level debate regarding standardised versions of literacy education.
Keywords: participatory professional learning; Multiliteracies; Cultural Historical Activity Theory; new graduate teachers
Short biography: Veronica Gardiner is an experienced primary school teacher, currently engaged in an APA Scholarship-supported PhD study, at the School of Education, Murdoch University in Western Australia. She has an interest in positioning teachers as participatory professionals and informed knowledge workers, presently focused on the area of literacy.
Submission of full conference paper for peer review before presentation: No