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International experts survey new horizons of children’s literacy

September 20, 2006

LenU.thumb.jpgInfluential educationists from around the world will meet at The University of New England next week to discuss approaches to literacy education that embrace new communication technologies.

Delegates from universities in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the UK and the United States, as well as from around Australia, will take part in the conference from Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 September. They will discuss topics such as: “Information and communication technology and literacy learning for primary classrooms”, “visual literacy and children’s picture books”, and “Web-based children’s educational games”.

UNE’s Centre for Research in English and Multiliteracies Education is hosting the conference. The Director of the Centre, Professor Len Unsworth (pictured here), said it would examine “how new technologies allow language and images to make meanings in distinctive ways”.

Titled “Multimodal Texts and Multiliteracies”, the meeting – the 2006 National Conference of the Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (in cooperation with the local branch of the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association) – will involve the presentation of more than 80 papers. “It will bring together eminent people from different but related fields,” Professor Unsworth said – “people who have been responsible for policy directions and literacy education frameworks in schools both here and abroad. They will provide the ‘big picture’ view that’s needed for the continuing enhancement of literacy education.”

For more information on the conference, and registration details, go to: http://www.une.edu.au/campus/confco/asfla2006.

The plenary speakers will include Professor Theo van Leeuwen from the University of Technology, Sydney (an international authority on “reading images”), Professor Jim Martin from the University of Sydney (whose work on text types underpins the K-6 English syllabus in NSW), Professor Peter Freebody from the University of Queensland (renowned as one of the authors of the “four resources” model of literacy learning), and Professor John Stephens, Professor of Children’s Literature at Macquarie University.

“It’s necessary for teachers – and parents – to understand the emerging world of ‘the Net generation’,” Professor Unsworth said. “Children benefit from an adult, ethical ‘take’ on what they’re doing in their digital communication world.”

Len Unsworth, UNE’s Professor of English and Multiliteracies Education, received a national award from the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, last month for his work with teachers and teacher educators on enhancing the literacy skills of Australian schoolchildren. His work has focused on the integration of well-established and innovative teaching strategies - for example, the integration of the traditional focus on printed books and the contemporary fascination with computer-based material. His most recently-published book is E-literature for Children: Enhancing digital literacy learning. In the concluding session of the conference, Professor Unsworth will relate the insights and experience of the presenters to the results of his own research.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at September 20, 2006 11:41 AM