Connection

Definition : "Connections are made between class and community literacy-related knowledge."

Research has identified the importance of making connections between the different orientations to communication and literacy that children may practise in their families and communities and in 'school' based discourses.

In the study, in order to plan for a differentiated curriculum that challenged children at different levels, the more effective and effective teachers drew on their understanding of children's personal experiences and community knowledge. They recognised the significance of children's knowledge as a basis for learning, and in this way they were able to help children make connections between class and community knowledge.

These teachers were able to incorporate their understanding of the children's experiences into their curriculum planning and to use this knowledge to scaffold learning within and across tasks. They also appeared to use connection as a deliberate means of developing literacy as part of their program, rather than simply as an incidental strategy.