Conversations with Parents Knowing the Tremendous Capacity the Project Would Build
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Acknowledgements The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick Ltd. gratefully acknowledges the following people and agencies who generously contributed to this project and who believed in it so strongly. The Steering Committee: Brenda Boudreau, Perth Andover Community Literacy Committee; Cheryl Brown, President LCNB; Lynda Homer, Associate, Early Childhood Centre University of New Brunswick; Jan Greer Langley, Executive Director LCNB; Anne Leslie, Director of Programs LCNB; Pamela Nuttall Nason, Professor, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Centre University of New Brunswick; Pam Whitty, Director, Early Childhood Centre University of New Brunswick. The Authors: Lynda Homer, Anne Hunt, Jan Greer Langley, Pamela Nuttall Nason, Sherry Rose, and Pam Whitty. The Community Partners: Perth-Andover: Merrill Albert, Brenda Boudreau, Sandra Briggs, Margie Brooks, and Francine St. Amand; Harvey: Francine Bull, Corinne Coburn, Joanne Cole, Patty Goodine, and Beverley Little; Miramichi: Lynda Gould, Catherine Reid, Marcia Smith, Lee Walsh, and Pamela Watters. Project Management: Lynda Homer Support: Tracey Breustedt, Jar Yee Tan, and Connie Locke. Editing: Sabine Campbell, Jar Yee Tan Proof Reading: Glenn Langille Layout & Design: Mandy Wright Thank you to the National Literacy Secretariat for funding Conversations With Parents knowing the tremendous capacity the project would build. A special thank you to the Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament for Literacy in New Brunswick (PGI) — founded by Peter Gzowski — a division of ABC CANADA Foundation, for providing additional financial support. Copyright © 2004 by the authors All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this Guidebook may be made without written permission from the authors. ISBN 0-9682596-. i Table of Contents Introduction Lynda Homer............................................................................................... 1 Theory and Practice Looking at Beliefs, Values and Practices Pamela Nuttall Nason............. ............... 5 Using This Guide Lynda Homer......................................................................... ............... 7 Planning and Conducting a Workshop Lynda Homer................................. ............... 8 Tips for Leading the Session Lynda Homer................................. ................................ 10 Taking the Project to the Community Jan Greer Langley........................... ............... 15 Birth to Five: Mainly Babies Workshops Beginning with Babies Lynda Homer.............................................................. ............... 19 Singing and Dancing Anne Hunt....................................................................... .............. 25 Toddlers and Preschoolers Workshops Language and Literate Play Pamela Nuttall Nason...................................... .............. 31 Literacies in the Home-World Pam Whitty & Sherry Rose.......................... ............... 35 Wiggles & Squiggles, Drawing & Writing Pam Whitty & Sherry Rose......... ................ 45 Predictable Text Lynda Homer.......................................................................... ............. 55 Older Preschoolers: Just before School Workshops Folk and Fairy Tales Pamela Nuttall Nason..................................................... .............. 63 Starting School Pam Whitty & Sherry Rose.................................................... ................ 69 Glossary of Terms.............................................................................................. .............. 77 Notes on the Authors........................................................................................ ............. 79 Illustration & Photo Credits........................................................................................ .. 81 iii Introduction Lynda Homer Conversations With Parents is a joint project of the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick and the Early Childhood Centre, University of New Brunswick. It is intended as a guide for community-based practitioners delivering literacy workshops to parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Rather than presenting a “one-size fits all” model, community practitioners are encouraged to tailor their workshops in response to the needs and interests of their particular group and community. We expect that the audience for the Guide will have a range of backgrounds. Community based practitioners may come from schools, community literacy groups, public health, family resource centres, family literacy programs, libraries, ‘VON Rock and Talk,’ social work, early intervention programs, child care centres, and parent support groups such as breast-feeding clinics and pre/postnatal groups. The workshop sessions are to be implemented in a way that brings together community partners, musters community resources, and builds upon existing community capacity. The Guide draws on the Parenting for a Literate Community Program (PLC), which was developed by the Early Childhood Centre at the University of New Brunswick. Conversations With Parents adheres to the principles of empowerment, and embodies a strength-based approach to family literacy. Parents’ strengths and knowledge are honoured and literacy is viewed in its broadest sense. Using this guide, practitioners are encouraged to build upon parents’ knowledge and the diverse literacy practices of home. The small books highlighted in Conversations With Parents are from the Early Childhood Centre, University of New Brunswick Books for Children and Families series. These books resulted from a request by the Literacy Secretariat to develop parallel accessible materials to the PLC materials. Through the PLC project, it became apparent that many families were hesitant to borrow books, yet if they were given books through book drives, giveaways, or had access to inexpensive books, these items were valued. Each book represents literacy in the everyday, providing readers with 1 Introduction ample opportunities to link daily events in the lives of children to text and illustration. The books were revised by feedback from focus groups where many mothers gave suggestions and directions. They feature NB artists and authors who are well versed in early literacy practices. The process of creating the Guide has been collaborative and consultative throughout. The Literacy Coalition obtained funding for this project via a grant from the National Literacy Secretariat. The Early Childhood Centre at the University of New Brunswick (ECC UNB) was hired to develop the materials. The authors were engaged by the Early Childhood Centre; a project manager was hired, and a joint steering committee provided overall direction. Once the draft materials had been developed, the authors delivered pilot training sessions to the project community partners consisting of fifteen practitioners from three different communities. Along with providing professional development experience, this was an opportunity to receive both written and verbal feedback from practitioners working in the field. “Literacy in the everyday” and “access to books” are the two main themes woven throughout the Guide. “Literacy in the everyday” focuses on literacy events and learning opportunities that are embedded in daily routines and family life. “Access to books” refers not only to the barriers experienced by families because of financial reasons, but includes those that exist due to culture, class, gender and educational background. Children’s books are a central feature, with emphasis on the conversations and interactions surrounding them, as well as strategies for choosing books and sharing them with children. 2 Theory and Practice Looking at Beliefs, Values and Practices Pamela Nuttall Nason... 5 Using the Guide Lynda Homer... 7 Planning and Conducting a Workshop Lynda Homer... 8 Tips for Leading the Session Lynda Homer... 10 Taking the Project to the Community Jan Greer Langley... 14 3 Theory & Practice Looking at Beliefs and Values Pamela Nuttall Nason Conversations With Parents is designed to be flexible and responsive to family In the 21st century priorities and needs. We encourage the community practitioners to shape each program ‘literacy’ is replaced according to the needs and circumstances of their communities, to best help the families by ‘multi-literacies.’ involved in accomplishing their hopes and dreams. In keeping with contemporary approaches to family literacy and community development we: • Honour diverse family circumstances, values and literacies. • Recognize parents as children’s first and most influential teachers. • Celebrate the family’s own everyday experiences and stories, and draw upon resources in domestic and community contexts. • Use what parents and children already know as a springboard to launch them into other literate communities. • Strengthen connections between community-based agencies to provide for effective support and continuities in young children’s literacy development. Contemporary Theories of Literacy The very meaning of literacy is changing. Literacy for the 21st Century is no Literacy is deeply longer just about reading print in books, but about multi-literacies: reading hypertext, embedded in the icons, multiple screens, moving images and moving text on video games, computer fabric of diverse, screens, TV and film. social lives. Literacy is a deeply embedded social practice: actions, relationships, thought, talk, viewing, reading and writing are all intertwined. Practitioners have to understand