30/8/2013 Week 5
What is literacy and numeracy? I wanted to explore the concepts of literacy and numeracy as they are understood in the early childhood context and to do this through a rights lens was appealing.
What is literacy and numeracy? I wanted to explore the concepts of literacy and numeracy as they are understood in the early childhood context and to do this through a rights lens was appealing.
- Literacy is both holistic (literacy is seen as something that is mainly social) and componential (literacy is an instructed skill).” (p 294 Snow (2004) in Dunphy)
- Numeracy - what people do with numbers in everyday life. “Numeracy forms the basis for realistic engagement with the world – the use of number to apprehend reality” just as important for children as it is with adults. (p 76 Munn)
Both articles explore tensions between formal schooling and
early years contexts and how pushdown curriculum impacts directly and negatively
on young children’s participation rights and a unique and carefully crafted pedagogical approach.
Munn differentiates between education and learning and argues for example that
“…aspects of maths education that relate directly to numeracy – intuitive
understanding, everyday use, connection to local practices and engagement with
number” (p 68) are lost in Early Childhood discourses. Due to this educators
resort to basic number topics and re-label this as numeracy leading to superficial narrow teaching with a focus on content. Young children’s rights
to both a literacy and numeracy ”…curriculum in a form that helps them to
become [literate and] numerate…” is the
key issue for both authors. (p 73 Munn)
There is a clear message for me as an early childhood educator. To ensure
children’s rights are met I need to be engaged,
flexible, and take careful notice of and consider children’s perspectives
including dispositions, cultural contexts and experiences. I also need to ensure reciprocal “relationships,
communication and joint participation in learning experiences [are] … developed
in literacy [and numeracy] related contexts” (p295 Dunphy)
DUNPHY, E., 2012. Children's Participation Rights in
Early Childhood Education and Care: The Case of Early Literacy Learning and
Pedagogy. International Journal of Early Years Education, 20(3),
pp. 290-299.
Munn, P. (2005). YOUNG CHILDREN'S RIGHTS TO NUMERACY. International
Journal of Early Childhood, 37(3), 61-77,125-126. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/194772351?accountid=10910
