The following are types of focal learning areas:
- Word study (including early language and beginning vocabulary development)
- Vocabulary development
- Early composition (creating sentences, usually based on some stimulus)
- Reading practice (for fluency with some comprehension)
- Reading practice to deploy strategies
- Close comprehensive reading (and responding)
- Reading to respond (focus on text type)
- Writing workshops (with portfolio development and mini-lessons)
- Writing for a purpose (to real audiences)
- Facilitating oral language
- Emphasising oral language in learning
- Developing skills in specific spoken discourses, genres, contexts and/or registers
- Academic/disciplinary literacies
- Anchored learning (instruction)
- Functional literacy
There following skills areas are developed within and across the above sequences:
- language skills;
- literacy skills;
- knowledge development;
- learning skills (how do I learn? how/why do I remember something? how do I defer gratification?, how do I maintain focus?);
- social and emotional qualities (including trust, confidence and self-concept);
- schemas, routines, habits and practices;
- independence and resilience;
- interests, identities, expertise and careers;
- acumen and awareness of talents/specialisation
- deliberation, familiarity and situated cognition (how to attack and solve problems in context? how do I deploy this strategy in context? and to what effect?);
- critical thinking; and
- cultural and political awareness
We must be mindful of:
- time allocated to learning;
- the richness of the learning spaces/resources;
- the organisation of learning;
- the appropriateness and challenging nature of the content;
- the available of material conditions and opportunities to practice; and
- issue affecting trust, power and access.