AustLit

Children’s literature is an essential part of literacy education. This unit will introduce preservice teachers to the corpus of children’s literature that encompasses the variety of literary genres, contemporary melded genres, traditional tales, picture books, post-modern picture books, screen based literature and e-books as well as poetry. These will be considered from historical, socio-cultural and post-structural perspectives and will include multicultural literature. The unit is designed to develop and deepen preservice teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature and how it can be used to develop and enhance literacy competency and enjoyment. Contexts and strategies for responding to, thinking about and critiquing children’s literature within a basis of literary, semiotic and language theories will be considered. The unit will also consider Indigenous literature, enabling preservice teachers to acknowledge Indigenous Australians’ deep spiritual relationship with the land, and value and respect Indigenous cultures. It will offer opportunities to read widely, develop critical habits of mind, consider what constructs quality children’s literature, and to participate in discussions with deep understanding, within a framework that engages the social and ethical dimensions of study and research.