Sandra Hesterman

A Contested Space: the dialogic intersection of ICT, multiliteracies, and early childhood

If students are to be equipped with skills necessary to meet the challenging and diverse demands of different forms of communication brought about by the introduction of new technologies, then a broader definition of literacy is required. A pedagogy of multiliteracies recognises that there are multiple modes of representation that communicate meaning beyond language alone. As debate on information and communication technology (ICT) integration and literacy definition intensifies, early childhood teachers contemplate how they will accommodate these changes. How will early childhood education facilitate young childrens use of ICT to support multiliteracies learning? This study investigated how two Western Australian teachers integrated ICT to support multiliteracies learning in early childhood classrooms. Two case studies, constructed over a nine-month period and employing ethnographic methodology, illustrated how different curricular, pedagogical, and classroom designs impact on childrens early literacy experiences. An analysis across the two cases illuminated how different pedagogy, definitions, support, resources and curriculum shaped the dialogic intersection of ICT and multiliteracies in early childhood education.

Time Flies in California: Multiliteracies Bridging Local Diversity and Global Connectedness through a "Reggio"-Inspired Approach.

Abstract A pedagogy of multiliteracies is based on the theoretical perspective that in order to find our way around our mass media, multimedia and electronic hypermedia communication environments and accommodate the realities of increasing local diversity and global connectedness, a broadened definition of literacy is required. New ways of making sense of a diverse world now challenge teachers to reflect critically on how old patterns of teaching literacy can be transformed to provide culturally relevant learning experiences. This research project, documented in a Western Australian independent school over a nine-month period, reports an ethnographic case study of how one teacher facilitated children’s multiliteracies learning to bridge local diversity and global connectedness in an early childhood classroom through a Reggio-inspired approach. Implications for educational evaluation and research are that a pedagogy of multiliteracies, when combined with the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, can optimise children’s achievement of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia outcomes.