1

Assessment 3: Portfolio
Malanie Allison 5849209
Swinburne University of Technology
EDU10002SO Understanding Language and Literacy
Gill Butcher
Word Count 1650
Monday 10th February 2014

Demonstrated throughout is an understanding of the implications of culture and home language for
literacy learning and teaching. An informative newsletter will be presented which will explain some of the
implications of culture and home language for literacy learning and teaching.
Also provided are my suggested resources that can be used to help support childrens literacy
development and guidance about how to engage with children to support language development.
Three SMART target goals will be discussed in detail relating to how I will develop my personal
literacy skills which will be personalised to incorporate into my research and referencing into my teaching
competency. My personal reflective literacy story will be explored in relation to supporting childrens language
development, specifically linking to The Australian Curriculum.

Malanie Allison - 5849209

The
Parental
Chronicle
Supporting
Literacy
Development
Image http://cdn2.edutopia.org/files/imagecache/grid-3-column/slates/burton-literacy-earlychildhood-parents.

IN THIS ISSUE
Issue Date:
Questions
to consider
Implications of culture and home language

Implications
of culture
and
How
can10I thsupport
my 2014
child?
Monday
February
Implications
of
culture
and
home
language
As a multicultural country we need to be conscious in respect that many
home language for literacy
for literacy learning and teaching.
How can I ensure I am creating a
children nowadays (bearing in mind that our population is growing and our
learning
teaching
learningand
andCONTINUED
teaching
inclusive
communities
becoming more multicultural)for
that literacy
children being
raised in andsupportive
by Malanieare
Allison

Resources
that
can be used to
environment?
a culture other than our own may face troubles-when trying to familiarise
themselves to the Australian culture or their home culture or both.
help support childrens
by Malanie Allison
How can my child be encouraged
As a community we need to be aware and responsive to the implications of
literacy bilingualism?
development
to develop
culture and home language for literacy learning and teaching such as:

Guidance about how to

Suggested resources that
How
can
our
families
influence
a
engage
with
children
towill learn
Being bilingual is difficult, but if parents
mix
languages,
children
childs
language
development?
can be used to help
to make a distinction between their home
language
and the
learned language
support language
(Raguenaud,
2009).
Unpredictable levels of English language fluency, occurrences of trauma or
What
can I do to support
support
development
war,
interruptedchildrens
education, the stresses of relocation,
racism
and
In Australia there are several children whose
English
is not their
first
educators
of bilingual
children?
discrimination
(DEECD, 2007)
literacy development.
language. Children learning English may have little or no exposure to
English when starting school. As well as
increasingDates
competency in the
Important
by Malanie Allison
Communication
is one of the most apparentlinguistic
challenges
for of
children
and
facets
English,
children need
to learnDiversity
the diverse
cultural
Cultural
Week,
Victoria
their families from culturally and linguisticallypractices,
diverse backgrounds.
Thereof the Australian
values and beliefs
society
and
school.
15th 23rd March 2014
are a number of things schools can do to break down communication
Cultural Diversity Week features
Some of the implications of these for children
is to:of festivals and events
barriers to better support children and their families.
a program
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Victoria's
cultural,
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a new
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linguistic
and
religious
diversity.
facial
expressions,
recognise
changes
in
stress,
rhythm
and
intonation,
educational support. Children need to have regular contact with their home
differentiate
the cultural
grammical
assembly of the new language, embrace new
language and to completely encompass their
familys
and
Day for jokes,
Cultural
Diversity
ways
of
behaving
and
new
values,
and World
to comprehend
metaphors
and
linguistic backgrounds. Parents need to incorporate their home language on
21st
May
2014
fluent language (Clarke, 2009).
a daily basis for this to be effective.
Chinese New Yea
31st January 2014
If you are unsure on where to get help, speak to your childs teacher.

National Sorry Day

26th May 2014

Your childs teacher can offer you help about how to develop your childs
literacy skills. You could discuss your childs level of achievement on
literacy tasks, the goals your child is working towards and how you as
a parent can support your child to achieve these and some strategies
you can use to assist your child in areas that he or she finds problematic.
There are various advantages to working within a partnership with your
children and their teachers, which will encourage everyone involved to
enhance literacy and language development.

Suggested resources that can be used to help

support childrens literacy development CONTINUED by Malanie Allison

Discussed in this newsletter are some resources that you can use to begin and sustain a practical and respectful
partnership which will consequently enhance the outcomes for your childs literacy and all facets of your childs
learning.
When teachers and parents work together there are many positives for both your child and the family as a whole.
At home family literacy can be combined through experiences such as reading the mail, writing a shopping lists or
birthday cards, following street signs or following recipes when cooking.
There are a number of government, community and educational programs, books, music, language schools and
cultural events established throughout Australia (please see below):
Brimbank City Council Community Wellbeing Guide:
Brimbank multicultural community choir (03) 9249 4600
English as a second language (03) 9249 4800
Horn of Africa Parent support group (03) 9367 6044
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development:
Reading Recovery Program reading.recovery@edumail.vic.gov.au
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/pages/readrecovery.aspx
English as a second language (ESL) program 1800 809 834
To improve support for refugee children, DEECD has developed Strengthening Outcomes for Refugee Students in
Government Schools, which contains information for schools and other service providers about the range of
resources available to support students from refugee backgrounds in Victorian schools.
www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/programs/esl/refugees/default.htm
The Guidelines for Managing Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Schools provide an
overview of Government policies and DEECD initiatives in relation to the prevention
of discrimination and harassment. These guidelines also include a range of learning
materials. www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/programs/multicultural/schoolleaders.html

Reading research indicates that many childrens reading abilities decline between the end of one school year and
the beginning of the next. This phenomenon can be offset by reading as few as 4- 5 books across the summer break
(Rinn, 2006).
The website links below provide more information about activities running during the summer break, including a
Summer Reading Club at Deer Park Library that aims to encourage a continued love of reading and ongoing multiliteracy skills development among children and young people during the summer holidays.
http://www.brimbanklibraries.vic.gov.au/
http://www.summerreadingclub.org.au/
http://www.melton.vic.gov.au/Out_n_About/Libraries_and_learning/Libraries

Guidance about how to engage with children to support language

development.
When children mature in an environment where they are able to witness family members occupying themselves in
reading and writing duties such as reading the newspaper, reading the television guide, or the public transport
timetable, writing a thank-you note or a shopping list or writing and receiving party invitations, the groundwork
for literacy development is placed.
When family members read and talk about stories with children and involve them in games, songs, activities and
rhythms with a precise focus, their awareness will further develop (Swinburne Online, 2014).
Some guidance principles on how to engage with your child to support their language development journey such
as:
children need to be active members in their own learning, have their own learning approaches and involvement
signified, sustained and extended, have numerous occasions to interact with delicate and helpful adults, have many
chances for play and talk, be in an environment that imitates their social and cultural identities, be in an
environment that is rich in a wide variety of materials, encouraged to use non-verbal motions and to develop their
language and literacy in an expressive and cohesive way (Whitehead, 2009).

Image http://www.paulnewmansown.com.
au/images/10-chefs-charitieslogos/australian-literacynumeracy.png

Image - http://www.betterbeginnings.com.au/sites/default/files/resources/images/LegoWords.jpg

Image
-http://www.curriculumsupport.e
ducation.nsw.gov.au/literacy/asse
ts/images/nln/aust_govt_logo.jpg

The following SMART goals will support my personal literacy development: to be responsible for
experiential and authentic learning opportunities in every unit, use reliable learning materials and resources in
every unit, learn and provide opportunities for myself to practice self-regulation skill including: setting goals and
monitoring progress towards achieving them, assessing and reflecting critically on strengths, needs and interests
and identifying learning opportunities, choices, and strategies to meet my personal needs, to extend my
understanding of the texts, analyses evaluate and respond to all discussion board posts giving my point of view in a
specific form to my targeted audience. I will be able to consistently apply correct referencing in accordance to the
academic standards as well as my spelling, grammar and sentence structure will be logical and accurate.
Teaching is a rewarding career which will allow you to engage with students, their families, the school
community and the wider community exploring the language variation. Teachers are faced with successes and
challenges that they need to embrace or analyse in order to continue along their path as an educator. It is these
successes and challenges that help an educator grow, develop and gain experience as they aspire to engage students
in a love of learning (ACARA, Language ACELA1426, ACELA1428).
Supporting childrens language development will be accomplished through creating an environment where
students have the ability to create their own learning, based on their interests and ideas about the real world
(ACARA, Language ACELA1429). This will be a place where students can work individually, in pairs, as groups
and as a whole class to reach conclusions about issues that are important in their own lives and in society
(ACARA, Literacy ACELY1784). It will be characterised by an atmosphere where students arent afraid to have a
say, have a go or make a mistake, as they know that this is part of the learning process. I will aim for a classroom
without boundaries, where students learning will be personalised, based on their ideas and opinions (ACARA,
Literacy ACELY1656). This learning will be supported, not directed, by myself, which in turn will enable students
to have a sense of ownership over their learning.
As a facilitator of learning, I will give students the opportunity to experiment with technology in the
classroom. I will encourage them to trial new ways of researching, exploring, presenting and communicating,
utilising the digital age we live in. I will go on this learning journey with my students, gaining knowledge of new
technologies as we learn from each other as a community of learners (ACARA, Language ACELA1433).

As a partnership, the students and I will work together to create a classroom environment that works for all.
I will ask for students opinion on learning and working areas, taking into consideration their views on how they
learn best. Within this partnership, I will appreciate where the students come from in terms of their prior
experiences, their families and cultural backgrounds (ACARA, Literacy ACELY1655). I will be accessible to
families and consult families on their childs education. I will do this because I value the families as primary
educators of their children. I believe that creating partnerships with families is vital in ensuring the success of the
students I am working with.
In summary, I now have a better understanding of how to provide a supportive and inclusive environment
for children and their families who are learning English as an additional language or who come from a diverse
cultural background.

References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d). Content structure. Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Content-structure
ACARA. (n.d.) English. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10?
y=F&y=1&y=2&s=LA&s=LT&s=LY&layout=1
ACARA (n.d.). Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum. Retrieved from:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10?
y=F&y=1&y=2&s=LA&s=LT&s=LY&layout=1
ACARA. (n.d.) Language. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Language
ACARA. (n.d.) Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Literacy
Clarke, P.D. (2009). Supporting Children Learning English as a Second Language in the early years (birth
to six years). Retrieved
from http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/earlyyears/supporting_children_learning_esl.pdf
Department of Education & Early Child hood Development. (n.d.). Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.
Retrieved January 29, 2014, from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/divequity/pages/culture.aspx - See more
at: http://reffor.us/index.php#sthash.PXa0qrNo.dpuf
Raguenaud, V. (2009). Bilingual by choice: raising kids in two (or more!) languages. Retrieved from
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/28522551?q=isbn
%3A9781857885262&c=book&sort=holdings+desc&_=1390953048139&versionId=197040278.
Swinburne University of Technology. (n.d.). Week 11, Working with families to support language and
literacy. Retrieved January 29, 2014, from https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?
tab_group=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2FdisplayLearningUnit%3Fcourse_id
%3D_148997_1%26content_id%3D_3738767_1%26framesetWrapped%3Dtrue
Whitehead, M.R. (2009). Supporting Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years. (2nd ed).
Open university press. Retrieved from http://swin.eblib.com.au.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/patron/Read.aspx?
p=480637&pg=99

Image http://www.paulnewmansown.com.
au/images/10-chefs-charitieslogos/australian-literacynumeracy.png
Image - http://www.betterbeginnings.com.au/sites/default/files/resources/images/LegoWords.jpg