Literacy Demands in the Australian English Syllabus Essay

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Introduction

The conventional meaning of literacy is the capability to read and write. However, the meaning of literacy has changed over time to the point where it involves the ability to observe, interpret, and use visual methods of communication such as gestures, postures, maps, videos, diagrams, and pictures.

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Due to technological advancement, electronic texts have also become part of the literacy concept. The most important aspect of literacy is the ability to understand the meaning of some form of a text through proper interpretation (Christie, & Misson, 2002). Literacy acquisition starts with perfecting the style of reading and ends with text comprehension. This paper analyses the literacy process using the Australian English Syllabus for the foundation level.

Syllabus Analysis

The Australian English syllabus expects learners to perform certain actions to demonstrate their literacy. Among the expectations is understanding that different people in Australia can speak different languages, and English is only one of them. The term “understanding” is the outcome indicator (ACARA, n.d.).

It implies that learners must read texts and comprehend them. They should study the languages they meet in their daily lives and acknowledge fellow citizens who use those languages. In addition, learners should understand that some reading materials contain standard Australian English while others use its varieties and other languages. Multiliteracies discourage focusing on Standard English alone (Nutta, Bautista, & Butler, 2010).

The syllabus also requires learners to “recognize that stories originate from authors who share experiences that may be similar or different from the students’ own experiences” (ACARA, n.d.). The term “recognize” implies that learners have to read or watch many stories from different authors. According to the syllabus, learners should know that orators exist in every culture. Students should explore online stories and compare the events to their experiences to realize this objective.

The curriculum also requires learners to “explore the difference in the use of English both at home and school, depending on the relationship between the speakers” (ACARA, n.d.). The term “explore” means that learners must read or pay attention to digital sources of information. Such sources are very many, and Christie and Misson propose the term multi-media to cover all of them (2002).

This literacy demand expects learners to note how parents address their children, how teachers talk to their students, and how students speak to each other. Learners also need to know how to use language for academic purposes. Susan Ranney observes that the language that people use in the social context is different from the language they use in academic contexts (2012).

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Another outcome requires learners to “identify, reproduce, and experiment with rhythmic, sound and word patterns in poems, chants, rhymes, and songs” (ACARA, n.d.). The Indicators of literacy outcomes are “identify, reproduce, and experiment. “Identify” may involve reading or watching live or recorded performances before picking out particular aspects.

“Reproduce” may imply writing, role-playing, or imitation of sound patterns after watching or reading them, while “experiment” implies reading or watching performances and imitating them to determine their effectiveness (Verhoeven, & Snow, 2001). Learners should bring poems, chants, and songs that depict their cultures for class exploration. They should learn how to sing, recite, and interpret the songs, poems, and chants that other students bring to class.

Outcome ACELA 1420 requires learners to “understand that language can be used to explore ways of expressing needs, likes, and dislikes” (ACARA, n.d.). The outcome indicator in this learning objective is “understand.” Learners can only understand after reading or watching texts that show the use of language in different contexts.

Learners should know how to express their feelings using gestures, speech, media, and writing. In addition, they should recognize ways of conveying and influencing feelings and emotions through visual media. A good example is advertising, where feelings and emotions influence the viewers or listeners.

Outcome ACELT1577 requires learners to “respond to texts and identify favorite stories, authors, and illustrators” (ACARA, n.d.). The term “respond” may mean writing, discussing, enacting, or asking questions. Learners should talk about the narratives and their writers after choosing their favorite stories and discussing the way the writers think about the occurrences in the stories. They should also engage with the humorous parts in some narratives and repeat the jokes, ideas, and lines that appeal to them. Additionally, they should give reasons for choosing some texts as their favorites.

Outcome ACELT 1580 expects learners to “retell familiar texts through performance, use of illustrations and images” (ACARA, n.d.). The achievement indicator in this objective is “retell.” Retelling entails listening to or watching a performance and reproducing it in the form of diagrams, illustrations, and pictures. The application of diagrams, pictures, and other illustrations is one of the elements of the multimodal method of teaching literacy (Feez, & De Silva, 2012).

Learners engage in role-playing, drawing, labeling, reciting, and performing rhymes. They also need to use digital technologies in retelling occurrences and coming up with new characters from their favorite written and electronic texts.

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The next outcome demand, ACELY 1650, states that learners should “use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently” (ACARA, n.d.). In this objective, the terms “understand” and “discuss” are the outcome demands. Both terms imply that learners should have exposure to both written and digital texts. This literacy objective requires them to discuss the meanings that the texts portray.

It also requires them to visualize the elements of the text. For example, they could carry out this activity by drawing pictures of the occurrences in the texts they read. The events in the stories they retell should be in their correct sequences. The objective recognizes the contemporary meaning of literacy by using verbs that imply the use of digital texts: “view” and “listen to.”

Extending literacy skills of students about this subject in meaningful ways

According to the NSW Department of Education and Training (n.d.), the contemporary use of the term literacy requires learners to be accurate in their workouts and fluent in reading. This book further suggests that they should be able to use punctuation marks correctly, correct their reading mistakes, pronounce words correctly, have a good vocabulary mastery, be able to understand what they read, spell words correctly, and use digital materials appropriately.

Both the teachers and the learners need to participate in the process of acquiring literacy (Derewianka & Jones, 2012). Among the steps that teachers and learners need to take in dealing with literacy problems include:

  • Practicing vocabulary through word games and matching in teaching vocabulary.
  • Using modeled reading, collaborative reading, guided brainstorming, and watching movies in teaching comprehension.
  • Teachers can also teach literacy using technology. They can refer learners to; specific blogs, YouTube videos, and websites.
  • Learners can also attain literacy through reading many storybooks on their own and consulting their teachers to explain concepts that they do not understand.
  • They can also acquire literacy in handling digital texts through interacting with them without the teacher’s support.
  • Teachers should also apply the multimodal and multiliteracies approach in teaching English. They should use maps, diagrams, and other multisensory media to complement written texts (Whittaker, O’Donnell & McCabe, 2006).

Reflection of contemporary approaches to literacy

According to Ferdi Serim, “technology is the Big Bang that has propelled literacy into an expanding universe” (2004). He goes further to argue that contemporary literacy entails critical thinking, collaboration, and the use of technology. The Australian English Syllabus for level one reflects contemporary approaches to literacy through the encouragement of multimodality and multiliteracies in pedagogy.

The learning objectives require learners to demonstrate literacy through the application of different types of media. They require learners to use websites, videos, charts, written texts, and maps. Literature requires them to use their critical thinking skills in interpreting different texts. Therefore, the syllabus reflects all the aspects of the contemporary approach to literacy.

Incorporating the notions of multiliteracies and multimodality

According to the New London Group, the term multiliteracies refers to two elements of modern pedagogy. The two elements are the recognition of the interaction between people from different cultures and the adoption of new methods of communication in teaching literacy. They argued that the interaction of people from different cultures has made it unnecessary to use standard English in pedagogy (1996).

The ACARA English syllabus reflects these elements by recognizing the presence of many dialects of English and other languages in Australia. It encourages the incorporation of these dialects and other languages in pedagogy. In addition, it proposes the integration of technology in pedagogy.

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Some learning objectives expect learners to interact with websites, videos, maps, and many other visual and audio media of communication that can facilitate learning. The use of channels of communication other than the traditional methods is what scholars call multimodal pedagogy. According to Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis, “multiliteracies is something old as well as something new” (2001).

References

ACARA (n.d.). Australian Curriculum. Web.

Christie, F., & Misson, R. (Eds). (2002). Literacy and schooling. Abingdon: Taylor &Francis e-library.

Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (2001). Putting “multiliteracies” to the test. Australian Literacy Educators’ Association. Web.

Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2012). Teaching language in context (1st ed.). South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.

Feez, S., & De Silva, J.H. (2012). Text-based language and literacy education (1st ed.). Sydney, NSW: Phoenix Education.

NSW Department of Education and Training (n.d.). Programming and Strategies Handbook.

Nutta, J., Bautista, N., & Butler, M. (2010).Teaching science to English language learners. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis e-Library.

Ranney, S. (2012). Defining and teaching academic language: development in K-12 ESL. Language and linguistics compass, 6(9), 560-574. Web.

Serim, F. (2004). Contemporary literacy: Redefining the basics. The Consortium for School Networking.

The New London Group (1996). A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures. Harvard Educational Review. Web.

Verhoeven, L., & Snow, C. (2001). Literacy and motivation (1st ed.). Mahwah (N.J.): L. Erlbaum.

Whittaker, R., O’Donnell, M., & McCabe, A. (2006). Language and literacy (1st ed.). London: Continuum.

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IvyPanda. (2022) 'Literacy Demands in the Australian English Syllabus'. 12 April.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "Literacy Demands in the Australian English Syllabus." April 12, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/literacy-demands-in-the-australian-english-syllabus/.

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