  Humanity
thinking out loud
Author Anita
Heiss and Early Childhood learning specialist Barbara
Piscitellli considered the flows between literature and
learning. Is literature our voice or is print an obstacle to expression?
Oral Literature
Heiss addressed Aboriginal literature and stated that oral literature
is as relevant today as it was in the past. Throughout the history
of Aboriginal society, most aspects of community were passed on
via an oral tradition and this still exists today. Storytelling
was the oral literature and this storytelling or oral technique
contributes to Aboriginal literature today. In Aboriginal society,
there is a close relationship between the written and spoken word.
Heiss addressed the roles of literature and literacy and that
literature encourages learning. She proposed that Aboriginal literature
has been integral in defining identity in the face of biased histories
and the misrepresentation of Aboriginal people in those texts. For
Aboriginal people, the stories provide a point of recognition and
definition. She said that the voice of the Aboriginal writer is
more necessary than ever before as it allows non-Aboriginal people
to define themselves as Australian with knowledge of Aboriginal
people.
In considering literacy and Aboriginal literature, Heiss coined
the term 'oliteracy' as a means of factoring the significance of
oral literacy.
File: heiss.mp3 Duration: 19:20 Size: 1.5MB
A voice for children
Piscitelli explained that her first connections with literature
were on her mothers lap as a child. From an early age, she borrowed
books from the library and books were an opportunity to enter a
new world. Today there is far more diversity in literature and there
are opportunities for children to be connected to the world through
literature. However, literature is only one voice and not a representative
voice. That there is exclusion of children's voices in literature
is something to be concerned about as it is important to try to
capture the array voices. Among children's rights is the right for
children to express their views and have ideas. Piscitelli observed
that print is a tremendous obstacle to young children and that art
transcends the limits of print. Through their images, children are
able to communicate and represent their thoughts complexly.
In her lecture she considers learning environments and children's
relationship with learning and literature. Schools, home, communication
and museums all play a role in learning as they provide children
with opportunities to learn new ideas.
File: piscitelli.mp3 Duration: 20:13 Size: 1.5MB
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