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5. Literacy Demand 2 : Collaborative Learning

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5. Literacy Demand 2 : Collaborative Learning

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Collaborative Learning forms a huge part of 21st Century society, including education settings, it is imperative that students leave school equipped with the necessary skills to work collaboratively with others in order to be effective members of society and the workforce in the future. The Year 6 Literacy Curriculum, particularly ACELY1709 (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017b) ensures that students develop skills such as questioning, rephrasing and critical thinking in order to be active contributors to discussions.  ACELT1603 from the Year 4 Literature Curriculum (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017c) encourages students to work with others to listen, develop and express opinions. Students work both together and individually to link literature to their own lives and use a variety of modes to share these experiences including in written form, digitally and orally.

While collaborative learning is an element of the education system, and society as a whole, that is not going anywhere, it’s important to take into consideration that not all students will learn well when working in small or large groups, particularly if they are struggling to grasp a concept or are quite shy. This issue needs to be taken into account when planning and implementing literacy programs in order to ensure that all students are getting the most out of their education.

Green’s 3D Model of Literacy is easily linked with the collaborative learning demand, without the ‘code-breaking’ knowledge of the operational stage, students would not be able to communicate effectively with others or interpret literary texts. If not for the cultural dimension students would not have the necessary skills or knowledge of the contexts of language, therefore they would not be effective communicators nor comprehend the content of literary texts. And finally, the critical dimension, this dimension requires students to understand that although a text can demonstrate one viewpoint that is not the only point of view or message on the issue. This understanding is imperative as children learn to question, consider and ultimately draw their own inferences from a text or conversation (Ludwig, 2003).

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2. Literacy Demand 1 : Socio-cultural Aspects

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2. Literacy Demand 1 : Socio-cultural Aspects

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There are many socio-cultural aspects that influence the way in which classroom planning and teaching takes place. With the ever-growing social, cultural and economic variances of society being increasingly reflected in the classroom, it is essential that the teaching of literacy is accessible for all. Ensuring all students have equal access to an engaging literacy education can be challenging, however, with the fast paced nature of the 21st Century it is imperative that students develop a variety of skills that can be utilised across multiple areas of literacy.

Not all families have access to electronic resources due to cultural or socio-economic issues and therefore assuming that all students should be digitally literate outside of the education setting can be dangerous (McLachlan, Nicholson, Fielding-Barnsley, Mercer & Ohi , 2014). The literacies that students experience in their own homes and communities may be vastly different to what is encountered at school and this must also be taken into account when planning for the English curriculum.

The socio-cultural literacy demands link to Year 4 Language; Content Descriptor ACELA1487 of the Australian Curriculum, which acknowledges the important role of social and cultural diversity on the Australian English language (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017). Content Descriptor ACELT1608 of Year 5 Literature looks at identifying social, cultural and historical contexts in literacy, particularly within literature and how these can be conveyed utilising multimodal approaches (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017a).

This demand can be addressed through the use of Green’s 3D Model of Literacy with each dimension being evident in the implementation of a socio-cultural conscious literacy program as students utilise their knowledge and understanding of the ‘codes’ of language and interpret them to develop meaning. The cultural aspect of the model looks at what is familiar to students and prompts them to create links in their ‘real world’ to literature through what they know about using language. The critical dimension encourages students to understand that texts demonstrate a particular point of view, however this is not the only one. Drawing on their own social and cultural knowledge students may develop an alternative point of view from what is demonstrated in the text (Ludwig, 2003).

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(Marsh [Screenshot], 2015)

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(Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017d)

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(Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017d)

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(Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017d)

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(Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2017d)

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Whilst the traditional core elements of the English Curriculum remain important, literacy in the 21st Century has been, and continues to be, adapted to reflect the constant social change that is occurring (Primary English Teaching Association Australia [PETAA], 2015). With reliance on digital technologies at an all time high, and multimodal sharing of information and communication considered a normal part of our day to day lives, equipping students with knowledge and skills to adapt to this constantly evolving world is imperative.

It is essential that as educators we assist students to become multiliterate so that they are able to move confidently, efficiently and ethically between a wide range of text types including written, visual, print, live and digital (PETAA, 2015) in order to be considered literate in modern society as well ensuring they are desirable candidates for future employers.

The Australian Curriculum: English, has seen changes in order to accommodate the changes in literacy demands with a focus on creating multimodal learning opportunities and learning outcomes specifically targeting digital literacies just for starters. The curriculum also has specific general capabilities relating to literacy and digital technologies/ICT skills, which reinforces the importance of such learning areas within the classroom and ultimately in the broader community.
However, Kevin Donnelly (2015) questions if our reliance on digital technology is impairing our 'lower-order skills' development, and this is something that as educators we need to be mindful of and not lose touch with. Fundamental literacy skills such as handwriting and spelling must not be left to go by the wayside, with word processing software and predictive text available on most digital devices, planning and teaching of literacy must be careful to include these core skills to ensure students have the basic skills to move forward and complete higher order and more complex tasks (Donnelly, 2015).

Through encountering literacy in school myself, in Early Childhood as an educator and now within my Bachelor of Education I believe there is a fine line between over-exposure to digital technologies and equipping students with necessary skills to be successful 21st Century learners. I agree with Donnelly's statement about the importance of lower-order literacy skills for students and will be mindful of implementing this within my future classroom, while also ensuring my students are multiliterate to allow them to be well-rounded members of the literary community and broader society.

There are many demands which influence the planning and implementation of literacy and the English Curriculum including socio-cultural issues ranging from religion, culture and socio-economic status to spoken and written language, values and politics just to name a few. The emphasis on collaborative learning in the 21st Century also plays a role in determining the planning, development and implementation of literacy education with educators needing to find the balance between learning with and from others, and developing individual learning skills in order to create and foster a love of, and engagement with literacy, not just ‘tick the boxes’ against curriculum learning outcomes.