Abstract
In England statutory expectations for literacy education place little emphasis on contemporary modes and media of communication and, as such, are out of step with contemporary life. We explore how open-ended, collaborative pedagogies can provide rich contexts for authentic everyday communication even in the context of such reductionist curriculum and assessment frameworks. This leads us to claim that the success of such approaches depends on the enthusiasm, experience and creativity of teachers and that remembering longstanding professional commitments in language and literacy teaching is at least as important as rethinking the curriculum when advocating for literacy provision more suited to current times.
Highlights
Compulsory education in England is strongly shaped by state mandated curriculum and assessment and a pervasive culture of accountability, propped up by rhetoric about raising standards
In curriculum guidance on English and literacy education the lack of emphasis given to current, everyday modes and media of communication is one of a number of concerns
21st Century Literacies Rather than embarking on proposals for a wholescale restructuring of curriculum or an approach that frames new literacies as a set of skills and competencies, through various publications the Charter for 21st Century Literacies attempts to tease out principles or characteristics of new media practices that are both applicable to classrooms and generic enough to be adapted to local contexts (Burnett, Davies, Merchant and Rowsell, 2014; Burnett and Merchant, 2015; Burnett and Merchant, 2018)
Summary
Compulsory education in England is strongly shaped by state mandated curriculum and assessment and a pervasive culture of accountability, propped up by rhetoric about raising standards. 21st Century Literacies Rather than embarking on proposals for a wholescale restructuring of curriculum or an approach that frames new literacies as a set of skills and competencies, through various publications the Charter for 21st Century Literacies attempts to tease out principles or characteristics of new media practices that are both applicable to classrooms and generic enough to be adapted to local contexts (Burnett, Davies, Merchant and Rowsell, 2014; Burnett and Merchant, 2015; Burnett and Merchant, 2018) These principles constellate around the idea of classrooms as places for developing shared meanings and contexts for making a variety of texts. We should facilitate opportunities for experimentation that recognise that meanings are made in the moment and do not always result in finished products
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