Understanding Languages and Literacy

Question: Write an essay about the 'Understanding Language and Literacy'. Answer: Brief Description of the book Tanias Diwali Celebration The book primarily focuses on an Indian festival known as Diwali. Tania, the main character in the book, takes part in various rituals including making sweets, decorating their house, and lighting crackers. Her parents expose her to these activities so that she can understand her culture well and what needs to be done on various occasions. The Aim that I need to Achieve by Using the Book The aim that I need to achieve from the book is to show students that people are brought up differently based on their cultures. For instance, there are families that require children to understand their culture, customs and religion in-depth as in the case of Tania. Additionally, some cultures forbid children dressing in a certain way and to always respect their elders. Therefore, through this book, children will be able to identify distinct attributes of their cultures. Explaining How the Book Acknowledges the Importance of Cultural and Home Language for Childrens Literacy Learning and Teaching The book acknowledges the significance of home language and culture for children based on Tanias activities during the festivals. Being an Indian, Tania is introduced to what she needs to do during Diwali festivals. She is taught how to prepare sweets and decorate the house to meet Diwalis expectations. For bilingual children, the text causes them to comprehend the significance of understanding different languages and their culture as well. Analysis of the Book and How it Would beUsed to Support Literacy Teaching and Learning for Children from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds and Home Languages Despite the fact that Australia is a culturally and linguistically diverse country, the population is expected to be conversant with the Standard Australian English, which is the official language (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). Learning and achievement in Australian schools are demonstrated and accessed via the English language. However, more support is required for students whose English is an additional dialect or language (EAL/D). The primary objective of offering support to these students is to develop their English skills so that they can effectively communicate and fit in the Australian curriculum. Therefore, teachers are expected to utilize the Australian Curriculum design to satisfy the learning needs of individuals whose English is an additional dialect or language (Australian Curriculum, n.d). Examples of learning experiences that could use the book within the educational setting are as detailed below: Learning Experiences Given the fact that Australia is a country of diverse cultures, early childhood educators often receive students from distinct cultural backgrounds. For this reason, they are expected to know these children families cultural backgrounds, community values and communication practices (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). Children social practices, values, and language are shaped by their family and community experience as evident in the book as Tania is exposed to the cultures of her community. Therefore, the book provides a good platform to understand students cultures and values. For instance, the teacher can read the book to the class after which they should be asked to identify distinct attributes of their culture. Children can be asked to highlight how boys and girls in their culture are expected to dress, treat their elders, and their roles in the family. For those who do not know details about their culture, the teacher should give them some time so that they can go and ask the older member s in their families. Accordingly, the teacher can ask students to state unique celebrations that their cultures values and even come with photos of their families when attending those celebrations. Through these activities, students will have an opportunity to embrace individuals from distinct cultural backgrounds. Describing Different Ways to Adapt and Extend the Strategies to Include the Diverse Interests and Needs of Children and Cater for Different Age Groups Informed and systematic teaching is paramount for EAL/D students, especially those who want to enhance their English proficiency (Australian Curriculum, n.d). Some of the strategies that teachers can utilize to include the diverse interest and needs of children and cater for distinct age groups include: Utilizing the EAL/D learning progression to identify the degree of language proficiency of each student. Utilizing the cultural understandings of each student. Teaching explicitly. Enhancing shared knowledge. Utilizing cross-curriculum priorities. Showing value for individuals native language and acknowledging that its use influences confidence as well as second language learning and cognitive development. Making sure that the designed learning program is inclusive and equitable irrespective of the children language or cultural background, age or English proficiency. While using the above strategies, it is important that teachers comprehend that students from diverse cultural backgrounds might be struggling with English language or are already accustomed to various languages but not English. Additionally, they might be having limited education and their literacy in first language literacy skills is excellent. As such, their life experience and cognitive development might not relate with their proficiency in the English language (Australian Curriculum, n.d). Therefore, the parent and student must be consulted to ensure that the needs of the student are met. Justifying the Learning Experiences Identified by Referring to the Australian Curriculum and Relevant Research Literature Understanding children from distinct linguistic and cultural backgrounds is important in meeting their individual needs in the classroom. Approximately 200 languages are utilized in Australia, and 50 of these languages are categorized as Aboriginal languages (Fellowes Oakley, 2014). For this reason, children in Australia commence learning English as their second language after enrolling in a school or child care program. Besides, children are often exposed to multiple languages while at home, the reason the Australian Curriculum puts emphasis on the importance of children learning about differences in the utilization of English in Australia. For instance, children at the Foundation Level are expected to comprehend that English is utilized for communication purposes in addition to other distinct languages utilized by the community, classmates and family. References Tillmann, A. (2012). What We See and Why it Matters: How Competency in Visual Literacy can Embrace Student Learning. Topiel, E. (2015). The Need for Visual Literacy Instruction in K-12education. Retrieved from, Zane Education. (2015). What is Visual Learning?: Discover the Educational Benefits of Visual Learning and its Value to Students in Education.