EDU8416 Investigating Literacy Practices in Educational Contexts

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

In recent years there has been a substantial change in the theories informing literacy pedagogy. In particular, there has been a move towards sociocultural and critical definitions of literacy, which recognise 'literacies' as social and cultural practices. Additionally, with the increasing diversity of student populations in today's schools, there is a need for teachers to understand how classroom literacy practices might differ from those that students experience in other aspects of their lives, and to recognise the role that literacy pedagogy plays in the practice of literacy in classroom contexts. Such understandings are essential if teachers want to prepare students to be literate citizens for the world of today and the future.

SYNOPSIS

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to develop and apply understandings about literacy as social practice to educational contexts. Students will examine literacy practices, discourses and pedagogical practices, and the way that literacy learners are socially and discursively constructed. They will compare educational literacy practices with the literacy practices of other social settings and consider the potential for literacy learning in a range of contexts. Students will develop skills to analyse their own teaching practices and will consider how educational practices might change to optimise literacy learning.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

identify and explain the characteristics of 'classroom' /educational literate practices (Reflection)

2.

demonstrate an understanding of factors that influence the teaching of literacy in 'classroom'/educational settings (Reflection; Project)

3.

identify and explain the characteristics of some home and community literacy practices (Reflection; Project)

4.

apply knowledge about literacies practices to an analysis of home and community practices (Reflection)

5.

reflect on educational and home/community practices and consider how knowledge about these might relate to educational practices and contexts (Reflection; Project)

6.

draw conclusions and make recommendations about potential improvements to 'classroom' /educational practices and pedagogies (Project)

7.

demonstrate competence in and use of language and literacy (including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing) appropriate to a Masters degree qualification (Reflection; Project)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library/ . The gateway to education resources is here... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Carrington,V 2006, Rethinking middle years: Early adolescents, schooling and digital culture, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.

Comber,B & Kamler,B (Eds.) 2005, Turn-around pedagogies: Literacy interventions for at-risk students., Primary English Teaching Association, Newtown, NSW.

Healy,A (Ed.) 2008, Multiliteracies and diversity in education: New pedogogies for expanding landscapes., Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, VIC.

Healy,A & Honan,E (Eds.) 2004, Text next: new resources for literacy learning., Primary English Teaching Association, Newtown, NSW.

Larson,J & Marsh, J 2005, Making literacy real: Theories and practices for learning and teaching, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Pahl,K & Rowsell,J 2005, Literacy and education: Understanding the New Literacy Studies in the classroom, Paul Chapman Publishing, London.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The USQ library provides advice on how to format information sources using this system. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/apastyle/default.htm

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   As there are no examinations in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Students will need access to, or be teaching in, a classroom in order to complete the assessment for this course.
2. Students must be able to access, use and view multi-modal texts via a range of technologies in order to complete the course; for example, computer, the internet, email, film, television, video and CDROM.
3. Students enrolling in WEB courses MUST have ongoing convenient and reliable access to the Internet in order to access course materials and participate in activities that will affect assessment. The levels of equipment required may change from time to time, with the most recent specification listed at http://www.usq.edu.au/currentstudents/computingstandards/default.htm. You can check whether your computer system meets these requirements from USQAssist (http://usqassist.usq.edu.au/).
4. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html. *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the state of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.