Title: Influences on and from classrooms: Creating individual and global

          literacy in Singapore

Abstract

The development of literacy, along with oracy, has long been a goal of educational programmes, including those for second and foreign language learners. Reading is seen not only as a crucial way to access comprehensible input but also a way to improve overall literacy skills (Krashen, 1989, 2004).  It is also a way to interrogate people and ideas, while building language knowledge (Freebody & Luke, 1990; Rose & Martin, 2012). Similarly, writing has long been seen as a way to enhance thinking skills (Zinsser, 1989), encourage bilingualism (Brisk & Harrington, 2000), and aid second language acquisition, especially when learners engage in collaborative writing (Storch, 2005, 2013). Along with traditional literacy skills, digital literacy is coming to the fore not only as a focus of language/literacy research, but also as a way for learners to engage in meaningful literacy practices (Guikema & Williams, 2014). However, classroom teachers, curriculum planners, and educational policymakers still wrestle with how to integrate literacy in language classrooms and how to develop literacy skills that are not only individual (by which I mean, being able to use literacy skills for communication), but also global (by which I mean, being able to use literacy skills to understand the world).
In this presentation, I’ll talk about links between language and literacy learning for EFL students, as well as implications for teachers, based on classroom practice and educational research in Singapore. I’ll provide a brief overview of the historical development of Singapore’s post-colonial English education, with a focus on the integration of literacy from primary grade 1 onwards and an aim of individual and global literacy for all students. Of central importance are how educational policy and national curricula have influenced classroom teaching, especially in terms of teaching strategies and educational resources. The bulk of my talk will be an examination of English classroom teaching in primary schools. I’ll comment on how I interpret what is going on with reference to a ‘triangle of classroom influence’: national language policy & curriculum, teaching strategies & teacher beliefs, and language & literacy research. Data from classrooms will also invite the audience to make their own comparisons with their own teaching situations.