Abstract:
The Department of Education and Children's Services (DECS) South Australia has undertaken the Early Literacy Component (ELC) of the National Equity Program for Schools through collaboration and consultation with three university groups, DECS curriculum officers, teachers and principals, and other personnel.
The project has been informed by a range of perspectives and current national and state initiatives relating to early intervention and literacy. It has taken account of recent work which has argued that literacy is defined by the contexts in which literacy texts are involved (e.g. Baker and Freebody, 1989; Baker and Luke, 1991 )
The ELC project has been designed to provide a resource for classroom teachers, principals and key teachers in literacy to assist them to develop appropriate classroom strategies and school management structures to meet the needs of students in the early years R-3. It has achieved this by developing an Early literacy resource package consisting of practical,, comprehensive classroom strategies and whole school structures and strategies that primary/junior primary schools have set up for this purpose. developing flexible professional development resource to support key teachers and other professional development providers to construct programs which best meet the needs of their school staff. developing a short introductory program for principals and resource teachers in using the professional development materials and the package.
This resource of classroom strategies, whole school structures and critical frameworks will assist school personnel to implement whole school change in the area of literacy. The processes are applicable at any level of schooling.
The project has been informed by a range of perspectives and current national and state initiatives relating to early intervention and literacy. It has taken account of recent work which has argued that literacy is defined by the contexts in which literacy texts are involved (e.g. Baker and Freebody, 1989; Baker and Luke, 1991 )
The ELC project has been designed to provide a resource for classroom teachers, principals and key teachers in literacy to assist them to develop appropriate classroom strategies and school management structures to meet the needs of students in the early years R-3. It has achieved this by developing an Early literacy resource package consisting of practical,, comprehensive classroom strategies and whole school structures and strategies that primary/junior primary schools have set up for this purpose. developing flexible professional development resource to support key teachers and other professional development providers to construct programs which best meet the needs of their school staff. developing a short introductory program for principals and resource teachers in using the professional development materials and the package.
This resource of classroom strategies, whole school structures and critical frameworks will assist school personnel to implement whole school change in the area of literacy. The processes are applicable at any level of schooling.