Supporting reading and learning in Australia
Lee Walker
“Our work allows us to understand how children are using language through the only children’s language corpus in Australia, an ever-growing database of the words and stories Australian children write.”
At Vicspell, a spelling competition in the Australian state of Victoria, we get the opportunity to see students demonstrating their spelling bee talents.
OUP has supported the award since it was founded in 2004 by teachers from the rural region of Gippsland. Open to students in years 5–8, the competition has grown because of the terrific work of its volunteers, and it is wonderful to see students competing and recognizing the importance of good spelling.
The zone winners are awarded certificates and trophies but — at the state final — the winners are awarded Oxford dictionaries, and bigger trophies! While not all students win, Vicspell say that, without exception, they all take the successes and misspellings with grace.
It is great to see schools and communities proudly celebrating students’ achievements and it is just one of the ways we engage with children and educators across the country.
Understanding children’s language development
Our expertise helps us support what is taught in the classroom and how children learn. Language is at the heart of education, and I work alongside experts both inside and outside of OUP to understand how children are using it and where they need support.
Our work allows us to understand how children are using language through the only children’s language corpus in Australia, an ever-growing database of the words and stories Australian children write. This gives us an insight into some of the themes and issues that are front-of-mind for our young people.
“I’m extremely proud of the work we do at Oxford to help Australian children learn to read and write, and to develop the essential skills they need to be good readers and writers.”
The Oxford Wordlist is the most widely used evidence-based wordlist in Australian primary schools. This list — first researched back in 2007 — covers high frequency words children use for writing and reading. This is based on research which documents the words they choose to write in their first three years of school.
Meanwhile, our unique Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year reflects what children are writing about through analysis of thousands of stories and millions of words submitted by students in years 3–8. Whilst many words have stayed the same over the years, we are also able to read about the themes and issues that are front-of-mind for our young people.
This gives us an insight into some of the themes and issues that are front-of-mind for our young people.
The last few years have been challenging for students and educators, with school closures followed swiftly by the cost-of-living crisis, and we’ve seen that reflected in our research.
2023’s word — cost — demonstrated an awareness of money, and cost was apparent in students’ writing as they reflected on the impact of increasing prices and the cost-of-living crisis.
‘Cost’ alone appeared 33.57% more frequently in 2023 compared to 2022, with related words like ‘dollar(s)’, ‘money’, ‘bills’ and ‘price(s)’ also being used frequently.
We also partner with the Australian National University and the Australian National Dictionary Centre. They conduct research into Australian English, and provide us with editorial expertise for our Australian dictionaries.
Supporting Australian educators teach reading and writing
We know that teaching reading is a top priority for teachers in Australia and my team develop products which offer support — for example through phonics.
This year, we’re introducing Essential Letters and Sounds Australia (ELSA), a new evidence-based phonics reading program created for Australian schools. Easy to implement, ELSA provides everything teachers need to deliver high-quality, consistent, structured phonics teaching in a way that keeps routines simple and engaging.
The structure reduces cognitive load and evidence shows the program maximizes student success.
Similarly, we also offer specialized support for grammar, handwriting and spelling.
You can find out more about how we support educators in Australia here.
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