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Researchers: Peter Hannon and Cathy Nutbrown (University
of Sheffield)
About REAL
The Raising Early Achievement in Literacy (REAL) Project was
a joint initiative between Sheffield LEA, the University of
Sheffield and schools in the city to promote pre-school children's
literacy through work with parents. It aimed to develop methods
for working with parents (particularly those whose children
are likely to have difficulties in the early years of school);
to meet some of the literacy needs of the parents involved;
to assess and ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of
the methods employed; to disseminate effective methods to
practitioners and to equip them with new skills, and to inform
policymakers about the effectiveness and implications of new
practice. The project was based on the ORIM framework.
Phase 1 of the project (1995-97) saw collaboration between
pre-school teachers, bilingual home tutors, other workers
across the city and the project team, in the development of
a bank of new methods and resources for working with parents.
The key methods developed were then disseminated in the form
of a video and a professional development manual.
Phase 2 of the project (1997-2001), which attracted funding
from the Nuffield Foundation, involved the implementation
and evaluation of a pre-school literacy parental involvement
programme drawn from the most promising methods developed
in Phase 1. Teachers implemented the 18-month programme with
over 80 families. It was evaluated to provide information
for practitioners and policy makers about 'what works' and
the experiences of the teachers and families involved.
Findings from the project were reported in the book Early Literacy Work With Families: Policy, practice and research (2005) Nutbrown, C., Hannon, P., and Morgan, A. SAGE Publications.
In Literacy Home and School:Research and Practice in Teaching
Literacy with Parents (1995) Falmer Press, Peter Hannon outlines his suggested
framework, known as the ORIM framework, that parents can provide
to support their child's developing literacy skills:
- providing Opportunities for learning
- showing Recognition of the child's activities
- Interaction with the child on literacy activities
- providing a Model of a literacy user
The programme that has been developed using the ORIM framework
includes a combination of home visiting and group sessions,
and an optional adult learning component leading to accreditation
of parents' learning. Four strands of literacy form the main
focus: environmental print, books, early writing and aspects
of oral language.
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