Throughout ETL 402: Literacy Across the Curriculum unit, I have found myself reflecting on my experience as a student and as a teacher in the classroom. At times I found myself reflecting on the reading of my own children in relation to the readings and my changing understanding of literature. At school I remember literary texts of picture books and fiction only in primary school and secondary English lessons. Whilst I attempted to incorporate a variety of literature into my teaching, I must say it had not done justice to the valuable literary texts that exist. I know I focused very heavily on “getting through the curriculum” and fell into the trap that exists in teaching content, that I understand I over looked the value of stopping direct content learning to read a story. In the classroom I spent a lot of time modelling the skills students required to successfully navigate literacy, however this now seems less adequate (McMaster, 2020a). Students learning through diverse literature genres and mediums is of crucial importance to forming students skills as flexible, knowledgeable students’ able to manipulate multiple literacies in order to create and communicate (Anstey & Bull, 2006, p. 19).
Throughout this unit I have been considering what constitutes literacy in my classrooms that I have previously been in, as I have previously mentioned I now believe it was lacking in some areas. I considered how prior to the expansions of access to fiction through mass production, digitalisation and online access there was a limiting nature in my schooling years. With the increase in accessibility just prior to the beginning of my teaching career, there has been a usability of many literary texts able to be more readily incorporated into student learning (McMaster, 2019a). This multiliteracies approach drives change and is now a key feature of the Australian Curriculum requiring students to develop a more diverse range of skills to access, explore, understand, create and communicate (ACARA, 2019b; Anstey & Bull, 2006).
Fictional literature is not to make students improve reading skills. Its a method of constructing understanding of the world, their lives and the people they interact with through the use of their imaginations (Cornett, 2014; McMaster, 2019b). Through literature students become storytellers, able to create an engaging scene through language and images, their creativity giving voice to characters and the story itself (McMaster, 2020b, McMaster 2019c). Fictional literature is a way to engage students in accessing their skills in multiple critical and creative aspects of learning.
Having now studied ETL 402, I have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the impact a story can have on a students’ ability to understand, reflect and respond to literature and how it influences the skills they need in society, beyond the classroom. A big regret (something I hope to rectify in future classrooms) is that having taught students in the areas of History, Geography and Religion and the priority cross curriculum area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture (ACARA, 2019a), I over looked using Marsden and Tan’s “The Rabbits” (1998) and missed the opportunity to explore the diverse non-fiction picture books available for supporting the curriculum. As a high school teacher in history and geography I had the unique opportunity to include this as a key piece of literary learning through unpacking the subtext of the stories, the images and the relatability of the story across many areas of the curriculums. The inclusion of various literature is now essential and I hope to inspire others to include it within their classrooms, regardless of the curriculum area or focus.
Reference List
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2019a). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures (ATSIHC). Cross-curriculum priority. Sydney, AUS: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2019b). Literacy. General Capabilities. Sydney, AUS: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy/
Cornett, C.E. (2014). Integrating the literary arts throughout the curriculum. In Creating meaning through literature and the arts: arts integration for Classroom teachers (5th ed.) (pp. 144-193). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
McMaster, E. (2019a, November 4). Vision of Future Children’s Literature. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/elysemcmaster/2019/11/04/vision-of-future-childrens-literature/
McMaster, E. (2019b, November 18). Why Read? [ETL 402 Forum Post]. Retrieved from: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38049_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74552_1&forum_id=_177192_1&message_id=_2579884_1
McMaster, E. (2019c, Novermber 25). RE: Picture Books for Older Readers [Forum Post]. Retrieved from: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38049_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74552_1&forum_id=_177193_1&message_id=_2575374_1
McMaster, E. (2020a, January 15). Theoritical stance and evidence in practice [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/elysemcmaster/2020/01/15/theoritical-stance-and-evidence-in-practice/
McMaster, E. (2020b, January 7). Difference between Storytelling and Storyreading [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/elysemcmaster/2020/01/07/difference-between-storytelling-and-storyreading/