Early+Years+Learner+-+Survey

Engagement with an early year’s literacy learner [[image:classroom_star_clipart.jpg width="315" height="135" align="right"]]
Name: W Sex: M Age: 6 Grade: 1 Literacy Level: Emergent – Early

W is a 6 year old boy who is in grade 1, he is quite an out going confident child who enjoys school and likes his teacher. His interests include transformers, bakugan and Ben 10. The reading and writing interest survey was conducted with him whilst he was at school and he was excited to do the survey.

The reading interest survey conducted with W, reveled some interesting points about his literacy background and experiences. Family played an important role in his reading experience, he made mention of not only his parents but also his aunty. W made particular note of his grandparents as people who read to him. He noted that his mum and dad read new stories to him and grandma and grandpa read old stories to him. By this he clarified old books that “mummy used to read”. Reading to children from an early age is critical, it promotes an interest in books, “improves pronunciation and comprehension skills and increases vocabulary” (Hill 2008 p 91). W appears to have a rich reading environment supported by all members of his family.

W’s own reading experience was what you would expect from a 6 year old boy. School reader books and words on the TV featured heavily when asked what he read. He suggested that he mainly read at school to his teacher or at home with his mummy. When asked who was a good reader, unexpectedly W said that he was a good reader "because he practices a lot".

Following the reading survey W took part in the writing survey. Unlike the reading survey the responses were a little unexpected. W did not mention, hand writing when asked what he liked to write or when asked what people write. It was clear that his experiences of writing was more using technology than with a traditional pen and paper. When asked who writes in his family he commented that his mum writes, on the computer when she does her assignments and she also writes on her phone, meaning when she sends text messages. I found it remarkable how W instantly thought about writing involving technology before writing using a pen and paper. This is just an indication of how important teaching using technology is as it is so much a part of children's everyday experiences.

W believed that his friend Alex was good at writing, because he was bigger and had been a school longer. He commented that people write so they can get better at writing. I believe this is because he only sees writing as activity with pencils and paper to do at school. Developmentally he has not connected writing on paper with being the same as writing on the computer.