Early+years+teaching+practices+and+intergrating+theory+and+practice

//Early years teaching practices and // //intergrating //// theory and practice. //

'Literacy is the capacity, confidence and disposition to understand and produce the English language accurately, fluently, creatively, critically and effectively in a range of modes and digital settings and in texts designed for a range of purposes and audiences.'(DEECD, 2010, p.4)

There are two literacy teaching approaches, the literacy block and play based/ developmental language experience approach (Paatsch).


 * The Literacy block is the scaffolded approach. This is chosen to suit the individual’s needs of each student. This includes the use of task boards, whole/ small/ whole group work and is quite often the first two hours of the day when children are more alert. (Paatsch). 'In a scaffolded approach to literacy there is a place for the teacher to model, share and guide and encourage independence in reading and writing.' (Hill, 2006, p.72).


 * The play base / developmental language experience approach is the way of explaining and exploring key concepts, understandings of sounds and word structures as well as skills for reading and speaking (Paatsch). 'Language experience comes from the experiences of children, their homes and communities.' (Hill, 2006, p.84)

Graph 1:- Comparison of classes teaching approaches in Reading Table 1:- Reading Approaches
 * < Approaches ||> .........Evidence  ||||> ................................Analysis..................................  ||

, || Class D did modelled reading in small groups – According to Hill (2006) it is usually done as a whole group. The ‘Ziptales’ program enabled the students to practise their phonology as the program modelled how a story is to be read. || Scaffolding helps the students within their learning development, by the teacher giving prompts, reminders, encouragement and assisting the students learning. (Paatsch, Lecture 4).Which was present in Class E || In class A. The method that was used for shared reading used was choral reading. This is common approach within the literacy block approach to guided reading. ||  || This was observed in the four class rooms in different ways. ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">From readings || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Examples from observations || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Similarities between readings and observations || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Differences between readings and observations ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Modelled reading
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Teacher reads to students aloud, modelling how to read aloud a range of different texts. (Hill, 2006, p.72) || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Class A, D and E were the classes that the teachers did modelled reading or used technology for modelled reading.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The teacher in Class A modelled how to read with different punctuation marks.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class D used a program on the Net Books called ‘Ziptales’ to read and listen to stories in small groups.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The teacher in Class E modelled Grammar a lot by using THRASS throughout the teaching block. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm -14.65pt 0pt 0cm;">Hill (2006) believes that modelled reading “provides syntax models, vocabulary and meanings that children may not hear in everyday conversations but which then become part of their talk and writing” (p.73).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Teacher in Class A asked lots of questions to do with voice changes at talking marks and punctuation marks, by using literal and interpretive questions for the students to explore the text further.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Shared reading
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Teacher uses an enlarged book to explore the different text types. This is usually done as a whole group. (Hill, 2006, P.73) || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Shared reading was observed in all of the classes (A, B, C, D, E).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class A used a smart board and CD-ROM for their shared reading as a whole group.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class B used an enlarged book – “The terrible tiger” for their shared reading as a whole group.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class C used an enlarged book - “Who sank the Boat?” as a whole group.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class D used an enlarged book Notes 4, 2011, p. 9).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class E used THRASS CD – rap and sequence. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">The enlarged books was used to help develop syntax (which Hill describes as ‘the grammar or the rules by which words as organised in to sentences’ (2006, p. 22).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Classes D and E encourage the students to verbally practise certain language features and their inter-relationship along with aiding participation in chanting phrases (ECL210 Lecture 4, 2011, p. 9
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Using a pointer, the students read aloud to the story as Mrs Smith pointed ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Guided reading
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Teacher assists small group reading individual text at the same levels as each other. Opportunities on working on comprehension. (Hill, 2006, p.82) || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Guided reading was observed in Classes A, B, C and D.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class A, B, C and D all observed a similar thing - a small group of <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">students read the text aloud, they went through and looked at the pictures, identifying difficult words and using the pictures to figure out what these words might be. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Hill (2003) believes that guided reading assists the students in incorporating a range of different problem-solving strategies to assist them in reading the text (p.80).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Independent reading
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Used to build on students fluency and motivation for reading. (Hill, 2006, p.83) || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Classes A, B, C and E observed independent reading.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In class A, some students were called up (one at a time) to read to a mother helpers. They read the book aloud whilst the helper took notes on the students’ abilities.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class B started the day with independent reading as other students come in and got settled.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In class C and E, students read quietly to themselves when they had finished their other work. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">‘The child is challenged to read on their own (at their reading level) for a period of time’ (Hill, 2006, p. 83).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 115%;">According to Susan Hill (2006), some of the ideas related to shared reading are to assist in teaching the students different methods of solving problems in identifying various words, learning how to read various text types and recognizing the alternative ways punctuation and grammar can be used to communicate different meanings (p. 73).

Graph 2:- Comparison of classes teaching approaches in writing Table 2:- Writing Approachs
 * < <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Approaches ||> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">.........Evidence  ||||> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24px; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">................................Analysis..................................  ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">This is consistent with Hill and is the only class observed to lead onto guided writing from this activity. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class B rather than being a continuation of the enlarged book as suggested in Hill (2006 p.88), it was more a follow up to another daily ritual the class had called ‘Brain food’. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Approach of making the connections between oral language and writing language. (Hill, 2011, p.87) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">THRASS comes under this heading. THRASS is the teacher modelling the sounds that the letters make for example <span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">“ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">ch <span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">sound in Chair and watch. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class E was the only class to observe this approach. Examples observed included <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">*This approach was good for Class E as there was quite a few students with language delays. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">THRASS is a certain teaching approach that aims to assists students to achieve an understanding of the ‘building blocks’ to literacy. (Fewster, 2005, p.3). <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">According to Hill sharing time and show and tell are both strategies used to develop a student’s language. (p.44). <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">These both were observed within class E. ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">From readings || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Examples from observations  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Similarities between readings and observations  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Differences between readings and observations  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Modelled writing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Teacher demonstrates on a whiteboard or a chart how the student can use words, sentences and other text types to record ideas. (Hill, 2011, p.87). || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Only in classes A and E were modelled writing observed.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class A, the teacher modelled on the whiteboard how to write the letter of the week K.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class E, the teacher drew upon Goal writing || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In both the classroom observations the whiteboard was used to model the writing and ideas. ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Shared writing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Teacher with the students as a whole group explores the ways to write various text types for example descriptions. (Hill, 2011 .p.88).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Shared writing also builds confidence in the young writers (ECL210 Lecture Notes 4, p. 10), it can also be the ‘starting point for guided writing’ (Hill 2006, p.88 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Classes B, C, D and E shared writing were observed within the lite racy program.
 * Class B the teacher made spelling mistakes on the daily timetable for the students to pick up and correct, ‘Brain food’.
 * Class C, the teacher gets the students to brainstorm words that describe spiders.
 * Class D, the teacher got the students to think of more ‘juicy’ describing words to make their stories more interesting.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class E, the teacher drew upon Goal writing, by writing up the student ideas for their goals. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Classes D and E showed similarities to the readings in that the teacher ‘lead the class in exploring ways to write various text types, construct more complex sentences and check spelling and grammar’ (Hill, 2006, p.88).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class C, the teacher uses a text type of a poem about an animal only using adjectives/ describing words. The class then begin to create a poem together on the white board
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Guided writing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Usually done within small groups or individual. Guided writing is linked to reading and various texts. Students may use templates as a scaffold for writing. (Hill, 2011, p.88). || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Only class C observed guided writing within the literacy block.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">A small group of students stay on the floor and create a poem with the teacher. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The teacher provided a mini short lesson to demonstrate a particular aspect of text type, (in class C case it was a poem) grammar, punctuation or spelling (Hill 2006 p.88). ||   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Independent writing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Used to build on students fluency and motivation for writing. Is also a time for the student to express themselves. (Hill, 2011, p.83) || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Classes A, C, D and E all observed independent writing.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class A after the teacher had modelled the letter writing, the students then worked in their writing books to do the letter.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class C the group of students not doing guided writing with the teachers went to work on their own creative poem.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class D, it was observed that being a prep class some students found this difficult.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class E, the students worked on their goals for learning putting some of the brainstorming ideas down into sentences. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">In four of the five classes’ modelled writing, shared writing and guided writing all led onto Independent writing to allow students to express themselves. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Class B did not do independent writing on the day of observation.  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Language experience
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Show and tell.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Thrass CD