John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach, is known for two things: winning seven consecutive NCAA championships between 1967 and 1973, and being one of the greatest inspirational leaders basketball has ever produced. The first lesson he taught his players was to tie their shoelaces. His reasoning was: “This is a game played on your feet. If you get blisters, you can’t play the game”.
For him, it was about getting the groundwork right, and laying the foundation for his players to develop all the skill sets they needed to become champion basketballers. The same can be said for becoming literate.
Language underpins everything – concepts, ideas, making meaning and communication.
To become literate, children need to recognise and produce symbols – the 26 letters of the English alphabet. They must be able to manipulate them, to construct words and combine them with others to create meaning. To do this accurately, they must know the different sounds and patterns letters can make – on their own and in combination with others. And they need to be aware that parts of words can have their own meaning too.
To become literate, children need to recognise and produce symbols – the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
We all have our own unique bank of words – more commonly known as vocabulary. We access or recognise vocabulary whenever we read and listen. We produce and use our bank of words whenever we speak and write. And when we produce them accurately we make sure others can create meaning from our intended message.
While it is true there are many philosophical approaches to learning and teaching, there is no escaping the critical need for the fundamental principles of the English language. Language underpins everything – concepts, ideas, making meaning and communication.
So next time you hear discussions about the ‘basics’, replace the word with ‘fundamental principles’. It’s about getting the groundwork right, and laying the foundation for our children to develop all the skill sets they need to become competent, confident communicators.
Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Lacey All rights reserved.
Parent, educationist and advocate of agitating change in Australian education. By raising the bar we can face any global challenges facing Australia and Australians.
Contact Cheryl on cheryl@cheryllacey.com
