Investigating the Place of Children’s Home Literacy in the Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum: A Document Analysis

The Ontario Kindergarten programmatic curriculum was examined to determine and articulate how it represents children’s and families’ funds of knowledge and how it relates to home literacy and literacy learning at school. The Kindergarten Program (2016) was the primary source within the document analysis methodology. Funds of knowledge underpins this study as the theoretical framework. This study was driven by three questions: In what ways does programmatic curriculum, The Kindergarten Program (2016), connect (or not) literacy learning with children’s home language and literacy experiences from home? How are families depicted within (if at all) the programmatic curriculum in relation to their children’s literacy? What are some recommendations for programmatic curricula based on the analysis? The findings indicated that The Kindergarten Program had little emphasis on family involvement, home language, and deep understandings of children’s home, culture, and community perspectives. However, the programmatic curriculum document highlighted children’s sense of belonging, and the freedom to express their opinion and ideas. The study recommends that the programmatic curriculum needs to look closely at children’s funds of knowledge and funds of identity to allow educators to include the child as a whole and value the experiences they bring to school from home. Funds of knowledge also give teachers the chance to communicate and create relationships with families that are built on a mutual trust. These relationships between teachers, children, and families contribute to the construction of a concrete bridge between school and home allowing children to value who they are and create a solid basis for being lifelong learners

Using social media to connect families and kindergarten classrooms

Schools are generally disconnected from all other areas of children’s lives and educational institutions have not been successful at integrating school learning with learning that occurs outside the classroom (NRCNA, 2009; Ryan, Adams, Gullotta, Weissberg, & Hampton, 1995). Addressing this problem is vital, because positive connections between school and home can increase students’ motivation to learn, achievement and well-being (Christenson, 1999; Epstein, 1994; Pianta, Rimm-Kaufman, & Cox, 1999; Fan & Chen, 2001). This case study describes a project co-designed with teachers and implemented in kindergarten classrooms that leverages social media to link home and school and increase families’ involvement in their child’s academic learning. Six kindergarten teachers and thirty-two families from a southwestern Pennsylvania lab school participated in the study. I investigated how families participated in and perceived the project, used social media, and interacted with other families. I examined ways teachers used the project to further their learning goals and the extent to which the project strengthened the kindergarten community. Data was collected through classroom, online and home observations, interviews and questionnaires. Results indicated that not all parents felt more involved as a result of the project, but most families had opportunities to be involved in new ways and families thought the project helped to bridge home and school. The project provided access to families’ “funds of knowledge”, which helped to contextualize content learning in the classroom and individualize conversations between teachers and students (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 1992). During the project, participants learned more about one another, which in turn, strengthened the kindergarten community. This study explores a potential way forward for making families’ home culture and experiences a part of academic learning. The project is a model for using technology to support family involvement in classroom instruction and learning. This study contributes to prior literature on the Connected Learning Model (Ito, et al., 2013) by more thoroughly linking the model to learning and engagement theories and describing ways in which the model can be used to design curricular projects that bridge home and school for elementary-school children and their families

Barnes Hospital Bulletin

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/bjc_barnes_bulletin/1236/thumbnail.jp

Innovate Magazine / Annual Review 2009-2010

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/innovate/1002/thumbnail.jp

Graduate Catalog, 2004-2005

https://scholar.valpo.edu/gradcatalogs/1031/thumbnail.jp

The impact of local ICT initiatives on social capital and quality of life

This paper reviews the evidence for the effects of local ICT initiatives (‘community networks’) on neighbourhood social capital and quality of life and has been developed from the public SOCQUIT D11 report (Anderson et al, 2006)

Teaching Literacy Foundations

Goals and Objectives of the Textbook This textbook aims to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to create rich and inclusive literacy learning environments for all students. The specific objectives of the textbook are: 1. To present a historical and theoretical framework for understanding literacy development and instruction. 2. To explore the essential components of literacy instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and writing instruction. 3. To provide practical strategies and activities for teaching and assessing literacy skills. 4. To discuss differentiated instruction and inclusive practices that address the diverse needs of learners. 5. To examine the role of technology in literacy education and offer guidance for integrating digital tools and resources into instruction. 6. To emphasize the importance of family and community partnerships in promoting literacy development. 7. To highlight the role of professional development and teacher reflection in fostering effective literacy instruction.https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_oer/1004/thumbnail.jp

Using Technology Enabled Qualitative Research to Develop Products for the Social Good, An Overview

This paper discusses the potential benefits of the convergence of three recent trends for the design of socially beneficial products and services: the increasing application of qualitative research techniques in a wide range of disciplines, the rapid mainstreaming of social media and mobile technologies, and the emergence of software as a service. Presented is a scenario facilitating the complex data collection, analysis, storage, and reporting required for the qualitative research recommended for the task of designing relevant solutions to address needs of the underserved. A pilot study is used as a basis for describing the infrastructure and services required to realize this scenario. Implications for innovation of enhanced forms of qualitative research are presented