Foundations of Language and Literacy

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• The human capacity to create, develop and
  construct language is a reflection of Gods image
  and creative energy stamped in us
• Genesis 127
• John 11
• John 2125

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• The Scriptural mandate to take dominion includes
  naming the world (Genesis 220)
• It also includes all intellectual and creative
  endeavors (Psalm 19)

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Why do humans take on this creative and
  intellectual task? Why did God talk with Adam
  and Eve in the garden?
• To communicate
• Language is social (Vygotsky)
• Language is purposeful and functional (Halliday)

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Communication
• The World of Experience

Receiver
Sender
I talk to you about it
Message
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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Language vs. Literacy
• How are oral language and literacy related to
  each other?
• Conceptualizing
• Experience ? Thought
• Verbalizing Thought ? Speech
• Literacy Speech ? Print

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• How are oral language and literacy distinctive
  from each other?
• Contextualized vs. Decontextualized Language
• time flies you cant they move too fast

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• How do children develop in each of these kinds of
  language?
• Decontextualized
• Conversations with parental support
• Environmental print
• Contextualized
• Listening to stories
• Explanations and personal narratives

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Modes of Language
• Oral vs. written
• Receptive vs. Expressive
• (comprehending vs. composing)

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Humans learn language without direct instruction
  ? Emergent Literacy
• The human quest to acquire and learn language is
  a whole series of little inventions and
  discoveries Luria, 1983

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Cereal Vignette
• Two-year-old Tiffany is sitting in the grocery
  cart as her sister Dawn, age five years, picks up
  a box of Cheerios.
• No, Dawn, says Tiffany as she vigorously
  shakes her head.
• Dawn replies, Well, then, what?
• Tiffany points to a brightly colored box with a
  rabbit gracing the front, Dat.
• Its Trix, Tiffanys favorite cereal. Dawn
  places the box in the cart as Tiffany nods in
  approval.

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Foundations of Language and Literacy
Dawn, Age 4, United States
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Foundations of Language and Literacy
Najeeba, 4, Saudi Arabia
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Ofer, age 4, Israel
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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Constructivist Theory of Learning
• the view that children actively construct
  meaning
• by making connections between new experiences and
  their prior knowledge,
• by making and testing their own hypotheses,
• and by interacting with peers and more
  knowledgeable others

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• A Cognitive process
• All learners are engaged in a continual process
  of perceiving information, interpreting their
  perceptions, making and confirming predictions,
  and generating hypotheses that help them make
  sense of their perceptions. Learners organize
  information into mental structures called
  schemas. (Piaget, and others)

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• A restless Hannah is standing next to her
  mother in the dance studio, eating a piece of
  chocolate. As she begins to take a bite, she
  runs her finger over the raised letters imprinted
  on the candy. Hannah asks her mother, What does
  this say? Her mother replies, HER-SHEY, it
  says HER_SHEY. In a very puzzled voice, with a
  perplexed look, Hannah repeats Her-she several
  times. Then she asks, Mommy, is this a girl
  candy bar?

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• A Social Process
• Learners learn though social interaction with
  more knowledgeable others in their environment.
  More knowledgeable others scaffold learning and
  thus help the learners create a richer knowledge
  base. 
• Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Implications for the teaching of ELA
• Respect for diversity
• Is it a deficit or a difference?
• teaching to childrens strengths
• Assessing childrens learning
• Embedding assessment in instruction
• Assessment is continuous and ongoing
• Authenticity real literacy vs. dummy runs

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Paradigms for Teaching
• Assumptions and beliefs
• Principles and priorities
• Practices for instruction and assessment

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Foundations of Language and Literacy

• Transmission Approach
• or
• Constructivist Approach