Literacy from Birth to Adulthood

This subject is not offered in 2015.

170 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject will examine changing definitions and conceptualisations of literacy, and map the development of literacy from the early years through to post-compulsory years of schooling. Topics will include areas such as: relationships between language and literacy; social practices of literacy; language and cognitive development; oral and written languages; comprehension; literacy across the curriculum; and in-school and out-of-school literacy practices.

This subject will highlight the importance of planning effective evidenced-based literacy approaches and strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners on a developmental curriculum. It will illustrate how teachers, planners and policymakers can cater for diversity in policy and practice, such as: through 'crafting a mix' of pedagogic approaches in reading, writing, listening and speaking; through authentic and focused assessment practices, including profiling students; and through the use of a wide range of texts and practices in the classroom, multilingual and multidialectal understandings of literacy, and of the context that shapes literacy practice.

Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to:

• Describe the development of language and literacy from birth to adulthood;
• Understand the role literacy skills play in accessing schooling across all learning areas;
• Demonstrate quality literacy teaching practices across a range of literacies;
• Demonstrate knowledge of current research in teaching literacy;
• Cater for diverse student literacy needs.

2,500 word paper on literacy theory, due mid-semester 50%
2,500 word case study of a student, due end of semester 50%

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Report succinctly on a work-related issue
• Work collaboratively to determine a plan of action
• Apply research knowledge to work situations
• Analyse a range of data