Linking home and school literacy in an inner city reception class

Abstract

New perspectives on childhood learning are beginning to change the way we view the development of early literacy, which is progressively conceptualized as embedded in social practice. The recognition of the powerful influence of out-of-school learning prompts questions about ways of linking home and school practices. This article reports a home-based literacy activity that was introduced by a Teaching Assistant, developed with a Reception child and his family who participated in the Literacy Early Action Project, and then crossed sites from the home context into the classroom. Likely reasons for the success of this activity centre on the ‘co-construction of expertise’ (McNaughton, 2001) between the Teaching Assistant and members of the boy’s family, and the opportunities afforded for the child’s playful engagement.