Children learning diverse scripts: Synergy or two solitudes ?

L'apprentissage de différents systèmes d'écriture par des élèves : une synergie ou deux solitudes ?

Conférence avec Andy Hancock - Enseignant chercheur à l'Université d'Edimbourg

Mardi 17 avril 2012

• Voir la CONFERENCE

Biography

Dr Andy Hancock teaches in the Institute of Education, Teaching and Leadership at the University of Edinburgh. He is Director of the MEd 
programme Additional Support for Learning (Bilingual Learners) and Co- Director of the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland 
(CERES).

He has many years experience working as a teacher in multilingual classrooms in England, Scotland and Zimbabwe and as a  Manager of a local authority Bilingual Support Service. His PhD focused on the biliteracy development of Chinese children in Scotland  and his other research interests include teacher education and multilingual classrooms.

  Abstract

This presentation takes a socio-cultural view of literacy learning and demonstrates how in a Chinese complementary school in Scotland, spaces are created for children of primary-school
age to participate in various literacy practices. Drawing on observations of three classrooms, supported by interviews with teachers and conversations 
with children, it is argued that there is a need to re-examine the assumption of mundane pedagogical practices frequently associated with learning Chinese literacy. 

It illustrates how activities around reading and writing are often not only a product of the teachers’ own experiences of education but are also influenced by the children, who draw on a range of bilingual and biliterate resources at their disposal.

The study highlights the need for further research to investigate how children’s engagement with diverse literacies helps shape their emerging and dynamic learner 
identities.The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.