Young children's literacy learning

Abstract

Many dyslexic children learn to read and write given appropriate early intervention. Assessment and intervention are individually based, but problems exist relating to the detection and definition of dyslexia. This study arose from the question of whether or not mainstream literacy teaching could learn from a successful intervention programme, with the premise that if important elements could be included in mainstream teaching, dyslexic children may have a greater chance of developing literacy skills without falling behind. To address the question, the study looked in detail at mainstream literacy teaching in one reception class in terms of the literacy development opportunities for young children. It looked at how six children, three with apparently strong Baseline Assessment scores in early literacy skills and three with weaker scores, coped with the literacy learning opportunities and how their literacy skills developed, taking into account home support and opinion. The study, adopting a socio-cultural perspective, used neo-Vygotskian constructs to examine the interaction between the literacy learning opportunities and the learners. The same constructs were used in the analysis of a literacy remediation programme, SIDNEY, which shows success, at least in the short term, with young children in year one at risk of literacy difficulties. The main findings are that children's literacy development potential in the short term cannot be easily predicted from school entry assessment. Their progress in class depends on complex relationships between many factors. An important factor appears to be the level of their close involvement in problem solving, their close interaction with the literacy development opportunities within their zones of proximal development. Rates of progress may be partly masked by how well a child fits into the ethos of the classroom. The analysis of SIDNEY identified a pattern of teaching and learning in which the children had a higher rate of active cognitive involvement in the problem solving, and in which a clear process of handover leading to appropriation could be seen. Short periods of closer involvement with a small group in reception led to some children, previously falling behind, overtaking some others in the class. The conclusion attempts to isolate and describe the model of interactive teaching that appears to be an important factor in successful learning, both in the SIDNEY programme and in the most successful elements of the mainstream literacy teaching.

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