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Meaningful human interaction and successful participation in social life rely on a range of communicative skills typically developed during infancy and early childhood. The Australian Early Years Learning Framework recognises the importance of early childhood settings that build on children鈥檚 language and literacy knowledges, and acknowledges the significance of multiple forms of literacy to children鈥檚 successful learning across all curriculum areas. Early childhood educators therefore require knowledge of children鈥檚 pre-linguistic communication and oral language development. In order to create effective literacy learning environments, early childhood educators also require knowledge of the ways that children progress from pre- and emergent literacy to eventually become readers who can decode, interpret and produce written texts.

This course provides an introduction to theories of language development and learning. The course focuses specifically on children's language and literacy development in the years prior to schooling. Key aspects of pre-linguistic communication and oral language development in infancy and early childhood will be explored, including affective, embodied, linguistic, representational and intersubjective communication. The role of symbolic and imaginative play in young children's development of communicative skills, relational learning and meaning-making will be considered. The course will address the role of familial, cultural and educational contexts in providing a diverse range of language and literacy experiences in the early years. Pre-service educators will consider how the theories of language development and learning covered in the course inform pedagogic approaches to fostering young children's development of oral language and early literacy learning.