Readings

Week 5 Reading Blog 

What is Literacy and Numeracy? – To me, to children

Keywords:  Emergent Literacy, Learning Model, Alphabet recognition, School readiness, Numeracy, Mathematics, Parent involvement, Early intervention, Early Childhood Learning

What?

My readings for the first week are the following two journal articles:

·      Developmentally Appropriate Emergent Literacy Activities for Young Children: Adapting the Early Literacy
and Learning Model

o   Elizabeth M. Elliott and Charleen B. Olliff

and

·      How do Parents Support Preschoolers’ Numeracy Learning Experiences at Home?

o   Sheri-Lyn Skwarchuk

I chose two these articles because they give evidence on the importance of early intervention in emergent literacy and numeracy in our young children. 

So What?

Developmentally Appropriate Emergent Literacy Activities for Young Children: Adapting the Early Literacy
and Learning Model - Elizabeth M. Elliott and Charleen B. Olliff

This study states that birth to five years (before children start formal school) is the most important time for children to develop emergent literacy and letter recognition, (familiarization to letter shapes). Some ways to help children develop emergent literacy are, repeatedly singing songs and chanting poems. The Early Literacy and Learning Model (ELLM) is designed to improve the language and pre-literacy skills of young children.  For an hour each day, classroom activities and objectives focus on six emergent literacy concepts: read aloud, independent reading, oral language, phonological awareness, letter and sound knowledge, and development of print concepts. Teacher knowledge of emergent literacy and family involvement were identified as two equally critical factors essential to the adaptation and successful implementation of the program.

Results of the study show the importance to create developmentally appropriate activities across various areas - physical, social-emotional, and cognitive in order to advance in emergent literacy skills of children ages of 2 and 3.

How do Parents Support Preschoolers’ Numeracy Learning Experiences at Home?

This study states that parental experiences and home activities intensify preschoolers’ numeracy knowledge.  Twenty-five parents participated by completing a home activity questionnaire, a 2-week diary study and a videotaped play session.  Parents who spent more time on numeracy tasks and children who are exposed to more advanced numeracy concepts have a higher probability of receiving high mathematics score.

The study maintains that the key to enhance numeracy is early participation in home numeracy, (both basic and complex) activities.

Now What?

Implications for Practice

These two studies have reaffirmed my beliefs that early introduction (via parents) to both literacy and numeracy increases the likelihood of enhanced emergent literacy and numeracy.

Bibliography

Elliot, E. a. (2008). Developmentally appropriate Emergent Literacy Activities for young Children: Adapting the Early Literacy and Learning Model. Early Childhood Education Journal (35), 551-556.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/228493188/14072E10A579A7F7A4/2?accountid=10910

Skwarchuk, S. (2009). How Do Parents Support Preschoolers' Numeracy Learning Experiences at Home? Early Childhood Education Journal , 37, 189-197.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/228490234/14072DEB5434893086C/2?accountid=10910

Week 6 Reading Blog -

User – What do I do with this?

Keywords:  Technology, Emergent literacy, Classroom instruction, learning standards,

Cooperative curriculum approach,

What?

The two reading I have selected for my second week are the following two journal articles:

·      Handy Manny and the Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit

o   Hourcade, J., Parette Jr., Boeckmann, N and Blum, C.

·      Shopping for mathematics in consumer town.

o   Wolff, A and Wimer, N

I chose these articles because they both talk about the practical side of learning and teaching.  Wolff and Wimer said it best when they said, “learners need to know how various concepts learned in class can be applied in the real world”

So What?

Handy Manny and the Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit

Jack J. Hourcade, Howard P. Parette Jr., Nichole Boeckmann, Craig Blum

This article makes an analogy between ‘Handy Manny’ and early childhood educators of today. Manny is the leading character in popular children’s shows; a handyman who uses talking tools to accomplish particular tasks. Manny is a successful handy man because he has a deep understanding of his trade; he knows the individual traits of his tools, and the circumstances in which each tool is to be used.   Today’s early childhood professionals should be like Manny, today’s ‘educational handymen” we should practice and acquire knowledge and skills needed to utilize classroom technology, the hardware and software tools of the technology toolkit, to reinforce emergent literacy curriculum in the early childhood setting. Incorporated in the toolkit are Software and hardware devices that can be used to introduce and improve key emergent literacy skills.

Shopping for mathematics in consumer town.

Ann L Wolff and Nancy Wimer,

This article is about a project, ‘Consumer Town’, which was developed by high school classes, (consumer math and child development) and a preschool class. The teachers joined forces to use a cooperative curriculum approach. The project was designed to stimulate student’s interests (high school and preschool) while they applied their maths skills and integrated the curriculum with other subject areas. Consumer town’s aim was to helped the preschoolers attain learning standards and get involved in hands-on learning while inspiring some high school students to regain yearning to learn.  It is important for learners of all ages to appreciate the concepts learnt in class and apply them to real life situation. This encourages them to be independent, lifelong learners.  Over the entire project was a big success, the children and teachers all learned from each other.

Now What?

Implications for Practice

These two articles, particularly “Shopping for Mathematics in consumer town” have shown me that learners are practical learners. Often times we need to simplify our teaching by showing our students the connection between what they learn at school and the practical, real world application of this knowledge, information.  I really appreciate how the students and teachers “became like a one-room school-house as students of all ages learned from one another”.

While the other article, “Handy Manny and the emergent . . .” showed me the importance of not only being well informed on the subjects that we will be teaching but up-to-date on the other tools that assist us with our teaching. Then knowing the appropriate time to utilize these “tools” (Hardware – videos, computer screens, audio, digital cameras etc. Software- Microsoft, PowerPoint, Clicker 5, etc).

Bibliography

Hourcade, J. P. (2010). Handy Manny and the emergent Literacy technology toolkit. Early Childhood Education Journal (27), 483-491.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/228490016/fulltextPDF?accountid=10910

Wolff, A. a. (2009, May). Shopping for mathematics in consumer town. Young children , 34-38.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/197640000/fulltextPDF?accountid=10910

Week 7 Reading Blog

User – What do I do with this?

Keywords: Numeracy, Toddlers, Infants, Technology, Picture books, Oral language, literacy development,

What?

The two reading I have selected for my third week are the following two articles:

·      Using Picture Books to Support Young Children’s Literacy

o   Janis Strasser, Holly Seplocha 

·      More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way

o   Jan Greenberg

I chose these articles because

So What?

Using Picture Books to Support Young Children’s Literacy

Janis Strasser, Holly Seplocha 

This article highlights the importance of classical and new picture books and reading aloud to children in supporting literacy during their early years. “The single most important activity for building . . . understandings and skills essential for reading success appears to be reading aloud to children” (p8) (Neuman, 2000). They define picture books as books where text and pictures are of equal value; you cannot have one without the other. (Norton, 1999). Picture books, whether factual, fictional, historical or cultural have the potential to weave interesting stories that can stimulate children’s minds and make them reflect, ponder, and laugh. Pictures may take the form of photographs, paintings, drawings, black and white line drawings, unusual designs, woodcuts or collages. Oral language in the form of text is another valuable aspect of literacy development. Reading and encouraging young children with activities on expressive language, phonological awareness and high level thinking is critical for emerging skills and traits necessary for reading and writing. 

More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way

Jan Greenberg

This article highlights that within a child’s first year of life, math concepts, ideas and skills has begun to develop. Math is everywhere and a vital feature is language. We may have been using math and math language without being aware of it. Young children know to sort and classify, when they differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar faces, spatial relationships and patterns, when they sing songs and repeat reading stories aloud. Components of Math are; Number and operations, shapes and spatial relationships (geometry), measurement, patterns, relationships and change, collection and organizing information. Infants and toddlers use math to make sense of their world, parents and families are their main and primary teachers, the more talk math and share they experience the higher their chances of a optimistic attitude towards math and learning in general.   

Now What?

Implications for Practice

I enjoyed reading the two articles. Both are informative and practical. The article; “Using Picture Books to Support Young Children’s Literacy has strengthened and backed up the belief of reading aloud of picture book to infants and toddlers. While “More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way” has reinforced how infants and toddlers might develop math concepts etc. The concepts in both articles are easy to understand and practical to incorporate and conduct with young children and their families.

Bibliography

Greenberg, J. (2012). More, All Gone, Empty, Full: Math Talk Every Day in Every Way. Young Children , 67 (3), 39.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/1019288580/fulltext/1408C0B8DCD5B078B5/6?accountid=10910

Neuman, S. B. (2000). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. National Association for the Education of Young Children .

Norton, D. E. (1999). Through the eyes of a child: An introduction to children's literature (5th edition ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.

Strasser, J. a. (2007). Using Picture Books to Support Young Children's Literacy. Childhood Education , 83 (4), 219-224.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/docview/210390785/fulltext/1408C58F411B4DEE82/11?accountid=10910

Week 8 Reading Blog

Participant - What does this mean to me?

Keywords: Literacies, technoliteracies, Mathematisation, connections, argumentation, number sense, special thinking,

What?

The two reading I have selected for my fourth week are the following two articles:

·      A Is for Avatar: Young Children in Literacy 2.0 Worlds and Literacy 1.0 Schools

o   Karen E. Wohlwend

·      What did you do in mathematics today?

o   Bob Perry & Sue Dockett

I chose these articles because during tutorials last term we discussed how children made meaning of mathematics and literacy in their day to day activities. 

So What?

A Is for Avatar: Young Children in Literacy 2.0 Worlds and Literacy 1.0 Schools

Karen E. Wohlwend

This article scrutinizes the link/conflict between literacy, play and technology in early childhood classrooms to appreciate how meaning-making opportunities offered to the children are a reflection of how educators see them. They revealed alternative ways for young children to understand and approach literacy with the use of technology (with images on a screen rather than print on the page). By adapting to the new forms and bringing together old forms of literacy so that children have a “literacy of fusion”. While observing how children interact with dynamic literacies to obtain a greater understanding of how to better prepare them for their future. As educators we should embrace policies that support literacy curriculum that inspires young children to express their cultural resources while in school, use digital technologies and popular media. (Wohlwend, 2010)

What did you do in mathematics today?

Bob Perry & Sue Dockett

The data collected in this study is not statistically significant. Although this article does surveys the changes that children go through, particularly in their mathematics experience, when they move from prior school setting to formal school setting. Mathematical ability of children was observed prior to school settings (homes and preschools) and school. Children experience mathematics and mathematical language before they start school, (families, daycare, preschool). The author of the study encourages early childhood educators to acknowledge the mathematical abilities of children and to cultivate it to its fullest potential.  (Perry)   

Now What?

While I was looking for readings I tried to find articles where children used mathematics and literacy in their daily activities. The article on literacy was particularly interesting to me because they talk about the use of technology and how it is beneficial to young children. So when I interact with young children I can appreciate the advantages they receive from having technology readily available to them. The mathematic article has help me to realise  that as educators we can help young children in their maths simply by being encouraging listening and observers.

Bibliography

Perry, B. &. Dockett, S. (2005). What did you do in matematics today. Australian Journal of early childhood , 30 (3), 32-36.

Wohlwend, K. E. (2010). A is for Avatar: Young children in literacy 2.0 worlds and literacy 1.0 schools. Language Arts , 88 (2).