Talking & Listening The Key To Literacy

Talking and listening the key to literacy
SMH: 8.19.2011 by Andrew Stevenson

WANT to learn to read and write? Perhaps you need to meet literacy's ugly sisters, talking and listening.

Too little attention is paid to the oral language skills of students, says John Munro, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne's graduate school of education. He says improving the ability of teachers to recognise kindergarten students with poor oral language skills and targeted intervention to improve them can produce stunning improvements in literacy and learning.

''Millions of dollars have gone into improving literacy but without putting in place the oral base, then it's almost wasted,'' Professor Munro said. ''For some reason speaking and listening has been seen as the ugly sister of reading and writing. 

But it's actually the foundation.'' READ MORE !

Listen to an interview with Dr Munro on ABC-Australia