Multicultural Literacy StrategyDesigned for Stage 1Hebersham Public School

Hebersham Public SchoolBe a Learner; Be Respectful; Be Safe

Enrolment is currently 58049% of students from non English

speaking backgrounds11% from an Aboriginal background. 22 mainstream classes and three support

classesHPS is on the priority schools program

and included in the Low SES School Communities National Partnerships initiative

Literacy, numeracy and student welfare are key focus areas.

Something to RememberLearn English, learn in English

and learn about English to participate.

Some have Literacy skills inown language, some do not.

Obstacles in Your Classroom?

ObstaclesAbsence of culturally specific resourcesClassroom culture = lack of confidenceWide range of languages Students at different EAL literacy phasesLimited communication = no sense of

belonging Not all same language speakers have

the same world knowledgeMonocultural syllabus

Aim of this StrategyNot to disregard or ignore students’

culture, rather allow students the ability to identify and interact with the English language to their full potential.

Equity in DiversityESL students should be encouraged to

use English when interacting in the classroom – practice, practice, practice!

Provide a range of multiliteracies

Aim of this StrategyRecognising that students are NOT

illiterate … many students are literate in their first language

Acknowledge that ESL learners come to school with existing language skills, cultural knowledge, social knowledge and cognitive abilities

* Use ICT to engage ESL students* Support ESL students in mainstream

classrooms as much as possible

Aim of this Strategy

To use a range of ESL teaching odesMainstream ClassroomsDirect Teaching

◦Tutorial, Elective, ParallelCollaborative

◦Joint Teaching, Group TeachingResource Based

◦Culturally specific, ICT

Outcomes to AchieveListening, Speaking, Reading &

Writing

THROUGH CommunicationSocio-cultural understandingsLanguage structures and featuresLearning how-to-learn

Thinking Specifically about ICT

ESL Literacy Strategies – Phase 1(English limited in all social and educational situations)

PurposeIncrease confidenceDevelop initial skills in English

language for use within the culture of the school and the community

Initial skills in learning-how-to-learn skills, ie managing the classroom environment, social skills and early literacy skills.

ESL Literacy Strategy – Phase 1Storyline OnlineHelps students understand that

illustrations and pictures convey information and add meaning

ability to identify parts of the book and handle books appropriately

Related activities appropriate across language diversity in the mainstream classroom

Maintains a balanced appraoch

ESL Literacy Strategy – Phase 1Turtle Diaryability to identify parts of the book and

handle books appropriatelyknowledge of print conventions, eg left

to right, word spacing, knowledge of sound

Reading EggsLetter / sound correspondenceSymbol recognitionPhonological awarenessAvailable for use at home

ESL Literacy Strategies – Phase 2(Progressing, but limited to a range of familiar social and educational situations)

Using a program called “Clicker”, students are able to “write with pictures”

This allows the student to writes short stories, using the pictures to both prompt and reinforce their words

This helps the students to take familiar concepts and place them into stories, creating their own context.

Literacy Strategies – Phase 3(Generally function fluently in English, occasionally requiring assistance.)

Student are to write a newspaper report about anything at all. It can be something in another country, something within the school.

The idea of this activity is to encourage and allow all students to participate in the activity and cultural diversity to be embraced

http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp

Differentiation Adopt an inclusive and equitable

classroom environment Maintain your class as a whole as

often as possible, just differentiate the content for ESL students

Allow students to select subject areas

Peer support – encourage students to work together

ReadingThe aim for reading is to enable students to

help each other out, as well as further their knowledge and literacy ability. Various strategies can be put into place such as;◦ Reading Groups◦ Activating prior knowledge◦ Make predictions◦ Group summarising ◦ Developing Sight Words (on the wall, in the

classroom) This also helps them when writing. Familiarisation with the words

WritingWriting is a great activity for ESL students, at

it allows them to formulate their own context and ideas, while assessing their knowledge of words and basic grammatical concepts.◦ Brainstorming◦ Visualisation using pictures (including ICT clicker

activity)◦ Re-Reading

The basic idea for these strategies is to allow students to come up with their own ideas, share them, and then build on each others. When this is done, cultural diversity is embraced

ICT Multiliteracy Strategies

Television (IWB)◦Cultural news◦Listening skills ◦Visual Explanation

Internet Research – Webquests ◦Reading Skills◦Culturally specific information

Pop Culture Music for listening comprehensionGames

ICT Multiliteracy StrategiesSing and listen to songs in other

languagesRead bilingual books. Have

students read in their native language.

Don’tTake up all of the talking time.Be inconsistent with classroom

management. Forget cultural differences. Forget to know students

backgrounds and needs.

For ParentsSetup an online parent

community / Blog◦Post links/resources that will help

parents with their own language development

Keep parents active◦Allow them to make suggestions ◦Invite them to help in the classroom

Invite parents to a workshopUse Google translator to

communicate

Where to Start …… OxfordUniversitypress (elt.oup.com) Englishgrammar.org Eslpartyland.com Eslvideo.com Pinkmoney.com Brighthub.com Dictionary.com Usingenglish.com

Remember ESL is a schoolwide adaptation, not an

additional department.A little knowledge about your students’

lives can go a long way. All teachers must view improvement in

all language domains for all students as the responsibility of all teachers.

There is a world of difference between a student who does not speak English and a student who is illiterate in his or her native language.

References Bremner, S (2004) Talking and listening activities for ESL students, Primary English Teaching Association,

PEN143, Sydney.

Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (2000) Multiliteracies. Literacy learning and the design of social futures. Routledge, New London Group.

Cricksoft. (2013) Word Processor. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cricksoft.com/us/products/tools/clicker/home/writer.aspx. [Accessed 02 October 13].

Dooley, K. (2008) Multilitereacies and Pedagogies of New Learning for Studens of Enlighs as an Additional Language. In Healy, A (Ed.) Multiliteracies and Diversity in Education, New pedagogies for expanding landscapes. Oxford University Press

Hill S, (2006) Developing early literacy: assessment and teaching, Eleanor Curtain Publishing, Melbourne.

Killen, R. (2005) Programming and Assessment for Quality Teaching and Learning. Southbank Victoria: Thomson Social Science Press.

Mu, Congjun (2005) A Taxonomy of ESL Writing Strategies. In Proceedings Redesigning Pedagogy: Research, Policy, Practice, pages pp. 1-10, Singapore

NSW Department of Education & Training. Quality Teaching in NSW Public Schools Discussion Paper, May 2003. Retrieved August 2012 https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/proflearn/docs/pdf/qt_EPSColor.pdf

NSW Department of Education & Training. English as a Second Language Cultural Diversity and community Relations Policy. Guidelines for Schools. Retrieved September 2013 https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/equity/comm_rela/d04_23_ESL_Guidelines.pdf

NSW Institute of Teachers Professional Teaching Standards. Retrieved August 2013 http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards/

NSW Department of Education and Communities. (2005). Multicultural Education Policy. Retrieved August 2013 https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/equity/comm_rela/PD20050234.shtml?level=Schools&categories=Schools%7Caccess+%26+equity%7Cmulticultural

NT Department of Education and Children’s Services. (2012) Teaching Multilingual Learners Program. Retrieved August 2013 from http://www.education.nt.gov.au/parents-community/students-learning/tml-program

NSW Department of Education and Communities. (2005). Multicultural Education Policy. Retrieved August 2013 https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/equity/comm_rela/PD20050234.shtml?level=Schools&categories=Schools%7Caccess+%26+equity%7Cmulticultural

NT Department of Education and Children’s Services. (2012) Teaching Multilingual Learners Program. Retrieved August 2013 from http://www.education.nt.gov.au/parents-community/students-learning/tml-program