Historic Australian Conceptualisations of English, Literacy and Multimodality in Policy and Curriculum and Conflicts with Educational Accountability

View/ Open
Author(s)
Cumming, Joy
Kimber, Kay
Wyatt-Smith, Claire
Year published
2011
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Abstract: Attainment of functional English literacy skills by all students has been a focus of Australian national policy since the 1989 Hobart Declaration (MCEETYA, 1989). This focus underpins current educational accountability policy enacted through the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The Adelaide and Melbourne Declarations (MCEETYA, 1999, 2008) maintained focus on English literacy skills but also identified ICT skills as essential for students for 21st century, suggesting teachers should make use of contemporary learning resources to engage students. Literacy, multimodality and ICT have ...
View more >Abstract: Attainment of functional English literacy skills by all students has been a focus of Australian national policy since the 1989 Hobart Declaration (MCEETYA, 1989). This focus underpins current educational accountability policy enacted through the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The Adelaide and Melbourne Declarations (MCEETYA, 1999, 2008) maintained focus on English literacy skills but also identified ICT skills as essential for students for 21st century, suggesting teachers should make use of contemporary learning resources to engage students. Literacy, multimodality and ICT have been intertwined in various definitions of literacy and English in Australian policy and curriculum for some time. This article examines historical and current constructions of English, literacy, multimodality and ICT in policy and curriculum over the last two decades and in current educational accountability practices through NAPLAN. Research on Queensland teacher identification of English literacy skills is reported to show how national educational accountability that fails to reflect policy and curriculum focuses on multimodality may serve to narrow classroom English literacy.
View less >
View more >Abstract: Attainment of functional English literacy skills by all students has been a focus of Australian national policy since the 1989 Hobart Declaration (MCEETYA, 1989). This focus underpins current educational accountability policy enacted through the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The Adelaide and Melbourne Declarations (MCEETYA, 1999, 2008) maintained focus on English literacy skills but also identified ICT skills as essential for students for 21st century, suggesting teachers should make use of contemporary learning resources to engage students. Literacy, multimodality and ICT have been intertwined in various definitions of literacy and English in Australian policy and curriculum for some time. This article examines historical and current constructions of English, literacy, multimodality and ICT in policy and curriculum over the last two decades and in current educational accountability practices through NAPLAN. Research on Queensland teacher identification of English literacy skills is reported to show how national educational accountability that fails to reflect policy and curriculum focuses on multimodality may serve to narrow classroom English literacy.
View less >
Journal Title
English in Australia
Volume
46
Issue
3
Publisher URI
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2011. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. For information about this journal please refer to the journal’s website or contact the authors.
Subject
Curriculum and pedagogy
Education assessment and evaluation
Language studies