Case Study One
Digital Language Experience Approach
Jan TurbillUniversity of Wollongong
Case Study One
Digital Language Experience Approach
Jan TurbillUniversity of Wollongong
What is DLEA*
• Based on Language Experience Approach– What can be said can be written down– What is written down can be read– Children drew/painted, teacher scribed– DLEA introduces the digital camera to capture the
experiences– Images downloaded into powerpoint to make
digital books– These can be put into school’s intranet for all
classes to read
*Labbo, Eakle and Montero (2002)
Meet KD
• Kindergarten D is one of 5 Kinders in a large multicultural urban school
• Most children come from non-English speaking backgrounds
• Most begin with little or no English
Using DLEA in Green Week with KD
• Mrs D uploaded each photo into Powerpoint• She printed hard copy with only the photo and no text• A copy was made for each of the four literacy groups• Citation: Turbill, J. (2003, March). Exploring the potential
of the digital language experience approach in Australian classrooms. Reading Online, 6(7).
• Available: http://www.readingonline.org/international/inter_index.asp?HREF=turbill7/
Group work
• Mrs D placed the hardcopy sheets randomly on floor for group to see
• With teacher support children ordered the sheets, constantly talking about the experiences they had had
• Children helped the teacher create a caption • Children observed teacher modeling the writing of
their captions• Mrs D worked with each group to create their own
digital book
• NB all pictures of children have been removed from this powerpoint
We needed a knife to add the cream cheese to the celery boat. Then we put in a toothpick for the mast.
The affordances of DLEA
• Digital books can be added to class website• Children choose to read and re-read books• Children learning more technology skills • Teacher creating activities using digital books- sequencing activities- Word recognition, phonics
Traditional literacy skills being learnt
• Reading and writing are connected• ‘Concepts of print’ • Reading is a meaning-making process• Letter/sound relationships (phonics)• Vocab development• English grammatical structures and word order• Using context (visual images) to predict words/word
meanings• Oral language development• And more!!!!
We needed a knife to add the cream cheese to the c_ _ _ _ _ _ boat. Then we
put in a t_ _ _ _ _ pick for the mast.
Everyday technologies provide many ‘affordances’
• Digital cameras (have to work and be charged!)
• Powerpoint program• Printer (has to have ink and paper!)
Provide many new practices for enhancing literacy learning
What is slowmation?
• Adapted from animation process - claymation
• Involves researching, planning, storyboarding, sequencing frames
• Designing models in 2 dimension• Taking digital photos using tripod• Working collaboratively• Using Quicktime Pro to make the movie
Garry Hoban’s Slowmation site UOW
• http://edserver1.uow.edu.au/slowmation/
• Garry’s site has examples and a Manual
• The class teacher was part of an Action Learning Team exploring ‘engaging students’ learning in subject English’
• We used the materials to learn how to ‘do’ slowmation
Meet Ms Jane from Sunny Beach School
• 30 Grade 5/6 children in beachside suburb - mixed ability
• Teacher’s focus was a unit on Natural Disasters• Literacy focus: writing a factual report, researching,
notetaking …• Children had been grouped to research a specific
aspect - eg. tectonic plates, earthquakes, the core of the earth, volcanoes
• They used internet and library to gather information• With teacher modeling and support, children wrote
group reports on their particular focus
Getting Grade 5/6 Started
• Mrs Jane shared with her students the slowmation movie she had made
• Shared with students that they were going to make a movie that represented the report they had researched and written
• Each group given sequence chart to develop their storyboard
• Sequence is 2 frames per second - so lots of photos needed to create animation
• Materials provided - large coloured cardboard, play dough, coloured paper, sticks, leaves, straw …
• Tripods and digital cameras available
What did we learn
• Students had to have a deep understanding of the meaning of their ‘bit’ to create their visuals and animation
• They had to collaborate successfully for it to ‘work’
• They found it easy to use the digital cameras and Quicktime Movie Pro.
• These were part of their everyday technologies
• They were highly engaged in the task and proud of their collaborative product
What surprised us
• Teacher learned a great deal about students’ understanding of the concepts
• The degree of engagement and deep learning that occurred
• The substantive conversations among students about content, procedure, audience
• Their ability to reflect on their work, evaluate it & make recommendations for improvement
• The creativity!
What we realised
• Student understandings were deepened through transfer of knowledge in new semiotic system
• They had to ‘slow’ their thinking and actions in order to create the sense of movement
• That slowmation was a technological structure that provided ‘affordances’ for deep learning, creativity and a sense of achievement for the students
• It is a great evaluative tool for the teacher
To sum up:• Using everyday technologies in our classrooms
enhances student literacy learning• They add value to our teaching of literacy• Everyday technologies are easy to use and our
students usually know how to use them• Everyday technologies engage students’ learning.
They are comfortable with these technologies• Teachers become confident users who want and
need to use the technologies• Literacy involves multimodal texts
Contact: [email protected]
My thanks to the children and teachers at
Hurstville Primary School
Leumeah Primary School
South Coogee Primary School
My thanks to the children and teachers at
Hurstville Primary School
Leumeah Primary School
South Coogee Primary School