Language as a Social Practice EED112 Name: Elizabeth Archer Tutorial Group: 3 Tutor: Vicki Parkes

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Language as a Social PracticeEED112Name
Elizabeth ArcherTutorial Group 3Tutor Vicki
Parkes
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Essay Question

• This subject see language as a social practice
  which is learned as part of the wider socio
  cultural activities in which we engage as we
  become members of our families and communities.
  That is, we learn to do literacy as we learn how
  to behave and belong in families and communities
  (Breen et al. 1994)
• Discuss this statement in relation to the
  concept of Discourse communities and the socio
  cultural approaches to language and learning
  introduced in this subject. How can these
  theoretical understandings be applied ti language
  development and learning in the context of
  schooling?

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Introduction

• Learning and cognitive development are culturally
  and socially based. In other words learning is a
  social process rather than an individual one and
  occurs in the interaction between individuals.
  Learning involves a communicative process whereby
  knowledge is shared and understandings are
  constructed in culturally formed settings
  (Hammond 2001 Vygostky in Hammond 2001 Gee
  1991). This essay will discuss the following
  statement
• We learn how to do literacy as we learn how to
  behave and belong in our families and
  communities (Breen et al 1994)
• And its relation
• Discourse communities
• Socio cultural approaches to language and
  learning
• How these theoretical understandings can be
  applied to the school context.

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Paragraph 1

• Language enables people to interact, communicate
  and make sense of the world. Language is a social
  phenomenon that develops as people participate in
  the world and learn to interact with others.
  Language development takes place across an
  individuals lifetime. As we learn language we
  become members of the first, then several
  discourse communities.

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Paragraph 2 and 3

• Major theme Discourse Communities
• Topic sentence We as individuals can belong to
  primary and secondary discourse communities
• Primary discourse example
• Secondary discourse example
• Referring to Gee Article
• Jacques and example of discourse communities
  Michele Knobel.

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Paragraph 4

• Major Theme Socio cultural approaches to
  language and learning.
• Children become familiar with a wide range of
  literacies undertaken in their families and
  communities (Barrett Pugh 2000). Within their
  families and wider community children encounter
  more than one way of speaking, reading and
  writing. The language used in these different
  literacies give children a variety of different
  experiences.

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Paragraph 5 and 6

• Major Theme Socio Cultural approaches to
  language and learning.
• Topic sentence The socio cultural approach to
  language learning refers to the way an
  individuals society and culture can influence
  what and how they learn language.
• Cultural groups
• Socio economic groups
• Influences
• Participating in a range of activities within
  families and communities

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Paragraph 7

• Major theme Socio cultural approaches to
  language and learning
• Topic sentence The first or primary influence is
  the family and this is the dominant socio
  cultural groups.
• Influence on language development
• Situational and cultural influences

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Paragraph 8 and 9

• Major Theme Socio cultural approaches to
  language and learning.
• Topic sentence In order to function as an
  individual a person needs to use language.
• Using languages for different purposes.
• Different text types
• Selecting the appropriate language forms and
  features for all our different needs and groups.

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Paragraph 10 and 11

• Major theme Theoretical understandings can be
  applied to the school context.
• Topic Sentence There are a variety of learning
  tools that teachers apply and use within the
  schooling context to assist students with their
  language development.
• Zone of Proximal Development and example

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Paragraphs 12, 13 and 14

• Major theme how these theoretical understandings
  can be applied to the school context.
• Points discussed in paragraphs
• Scaffolding and an example of scaffolding used in
  the classroom
• Teaching Learning Cycle and an example of
  Teaching learning Cycle used in the classroom
• Group Work and the importance of group work in
  the classroom an example of group work used in
  the classroom

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Reference List

• Barratt Pugh, C and Rohl, M (eds) 2000,
  Literacy learning in the early years. Allen
  Unwin, Sydney
• Board of studies New South Wales, 1994, English K
  6 Syllabus and support documents.
• Hammond, J (ed) 2001, Scaffolding teaching and
  learning in language and literacy education.
  Primary English Teaching Association, Sydney.
• Knobel, M 1999, Everyday literacies Students,
  discourse and social practice. Peter Lang, New
  York
• Mitchell, C and Weiler (eds) 1991). Rewriting
  Literacy. New York, Beigin and Ganey.