Outcome 4.1

 Portfolio Post

4.1 Critiques other plausible perspectives on early literacy & numeracy awareness & immersion

 

Action Plan

To find out how social processes in relation to children’s home lives and significant others can contribute to literacy and numeracy learning, I was first inspired to find broad definitions for literacy and numeracy learning processes. This led me to DECD’s (2013) ‘Numeracy and Literacy Strategy Birth-18’.  I thought this document was a good place to start as I could determine how DECD’s views of literacy and numeracy fit with my own personal perspectives and critique how my views have changed since engaging in this topic.

 

The definitions provided by DECD (2013) are:

 

 (http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/NumeracyLiteracyStrategy.pdf)

Numeracy: ‘the ability to access, use, interpret and communicate mathematical information and ideas, in order to engage in and manage the mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life’. (OECD as cited in DECD, 2013, p.8)

Literacy: ‘Literacy is the ability to understand, use and reflect on written texts in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate effectively in society’ (OECD as cited in DECD, 2013, p.9)

 The strengths of these views of literacy and numeracy include, in relation to how they fit with my perspectives:

 

 

• awareness of literacy and numeracy being socially constructed
• The decoding aspects of literacy and numeracy, in being able to infer, make predictions, communicate and interpret ideas or concepts within everyday life
•  The recognition of everyday situations as being powerful learning tools in literacy and numeracy
• Literacy and numeracy being practical, integrated skills not only explicitly learning concepts

The weaknesses of these views include, in relation to how they contrast with my perspectives:

• literacy and numeracy being catered towards developing to a point in time, whereas I believe that literacy and numeracy is part of a learning continuum, we never stop learning to use literacy and numeracy processes by continuing to develop and improve our abilities as time progresses
• ‘adult life’/ ‘effective participation in society’ being goals of literacy and numeracy learning, rather than focusing on the development of the individual and literacy and numeracy learning being depending on personal identities and contextualised examples

Therefore, my own understanding of literacy and numeracy has been shaped by my social situations, interpersonal relationships and how I believe these concepts (literacy and numeracy) fit within my world.
 

Consequently children’s immersion in literacy and numeracy can be highly influenced in how their significant others/parents/caregivers and peers:

- communicate with them, the way they utilise words and phrases

- How they use literacy related materials and how they value them within their lives (e.g. reading novels, sourcing information)

- How others exhibit problem solving strategies (making use of tools and thought processes to overcome problems within everyday life)

- Modelling literacy and numeracy skills and processes

- How they respond to social situations using literate and numerate perspectives (e.g. using maps to navigate or maintaining conversations within social roles)

 

 

 

Reference:

Government of South Australia. (2013). Great start, strong foundations, powerful learners: A Numeracy and Literacy Strategy from Birth to 18. Adelaide, SA: Department for Education and Child Development (DECD).