The learning strategies will require students to commit 300 learning hours of which 12 hours will consist of contact time.
The contact hours will include group and individual support. Some sessions will be based on case study material. There will be a predominance of independent guided learning with teaching and support from the VLE (BlackBoard)and other electronic sources.
Students will attend a study week-end at which they will be introduced to the module content and learning resources and be introduced to the basic important questions about Communication, Language and Literacy in the early years. The tutor led sessions will embrace critical discussion and opportunities to set the core materials into the professional context of the students own experience. The study weekend will also introduce module themes through the use of electronic and textual resources. Over subsequent weeks students will be expected to work through independent guided learning with further teaching and support from the VLE (BlackBoard) and other electronic sources. This work will be undertaken on an individual basis but at various points students will be expected to interact and share material with their tutors.

Students will be expected to obtain supplementary information as part of their preparation for the classes.

Essay

(Approx 4,000 words) (Weighting 100%) (LOs 1,2,3)

Formative assessment opportunities:
Formative assessment will take place throughout the module with question and answer sessions, observation and group/paired discussions at the study weekends. Reflective activities in the module workbook will also enable formative assessment to take place. Feedback from each summative assignment will also enable the student to understand their level and enable this to be used to enhance their next assignment.

The module will build upon existing knowledge, skills and understanding to explore current debates in language and literacy acquisition including kinesics, articulation of sounds and the development of grammar.

The students will explore and evaluate some of the key language and literacy acquisition theories such as the concept of a hierarchy of sub-skills (bottom up) or reading for meaning (top-down), with reference to Frank Smith, Nicholson, Gough, Goodman, Vygotsky, Brunner and Chomsky etc. Detailed reference will be made to current government policy and an examination of government projects such as `Letters and Sounds' and other commercially produced materials.
Students will study the concepts of phonology, para-linguistics, phonetics (synthetic and analytic phonics), phonemics, pragmatics, semantics and the morphology and syntax of grammar.

There will be an emphasis upon language and literacy in the social and cultural perspective and enable a deeper understanding of language and literacy in use. Students will critically review some of the barriers that children experience when learning to communicate, with particular reference to dyslexia and other SpLD.

This module will draw upon concepts and methods from a range of disciplines including anthropology, linguistics, psychology, sociology and educational research.

There will be opportunities to critically reflect upon, analyse and evaluate the students own experience.

Carroll, J., Bowyer-Crane, C.m, Duff, F., Hulme,C. and Snowling, M., (2010), Developing Language and Literacy: Effective Intervention in Early Years, GB, Wiley-Blackwell

DfES, (2006a), Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading, Final Report. The Rose Report, London, DfES

DfES, (2006b), The Early Years Foundation Stage. Every Child Matters. Change for Children, London, DfES

Marsh, J. and Hallet, E., (2008) Desirable Literacies: Approaches to Language and Literacy in the EarlyYears, London, Sage Publications .

Tomasello, M., (2005), Constructing a Language---A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition, USA, Harvard University Press.

Wells, G., (1987)The Meaning Makers, London, Hodder and Stroughton.

Whitehead, M., (2009), Supporting Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years, Buckingham, OUP.