Professional learning in a scaffolded 'multiliteracies book club' : transforming primary teacher participation

In response to rapidly changing communication practices in an increasingly technological world, evolving literacy concepts such as multimodality, are now acknowledged in the new Australian Curriculum. Ironically, primary school teacher professional development in Western Australia remains closely ti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Issues in educational research 2013-01, Vol.23 (3), p.357-374
Main Authors: Gardiner, Veronica, Cumming-Potvin, Wendy, Hesterman, Sandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
21st century
Attitude Change
Australia
Book clubs
Case Studies
Clubs
Collaboration
Communities of Practice
Cooperation
Critical thinking
Curricula
Education reform
Educational Environment
Elementary School Teachers
Faculty Development
Focus Groups
Foreign Countries
Government schools
Group discussion
Knowledge
Learning
Learning communities
Learning Processes
Learning strategies
Literacy
Literacy Education
Multiple Literacies
National Curriculum
Participation
Pedagogy
Postsecondary education
Primary school teachers
Professional development
Public schools
Qualitative Research
Scaffolding (Teaching Technique)
Teacher Attitudes
Teachers
Text Structure
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Summary:In response to rapidly changing communication practices in an increasingly technological world, evolving literacy concepts such as multimodality, are now acknowledged in the new Australian Curriculum. Ironically, primary school teacher professional development in Western Australia remains closely tied to a mono-modal, print focused paradigm. This study integrated the multiliteracies and communities of practice frameworks, aiming to generate participatory professional learning about new literacy concepts. The qualitative case study explored how one group of seven public primary schoolteachers from outer metropolitan WA, collaboratively transformed their literacy learning during a scaffolded 'multiliteracies book club'. Spanning six months and including five book club meetings and two focus groups, teachers collaborated with the researcher-facilitator (first author) in multimodal practices using diverse text formats and resources. This article presents early thematic analysis of book club discussions, finding evidence for teachers' shift towards multiliteracies' perspectives, within a community of practice. The study highlights how the participative features of a multiliteracies book club model can support literacy transformation. [Author abstract]
ISSN:1837-6290
0313-7155
1837-6290