**Click here to make a valid search for site support

      TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: map--Caribbean Travel Association http://www.caribbeantravel.com/map_full.html  (where's tt in this map??}

** Our sister site at http://www.freewebs.com/cariblink

        What's on this page.... click on the links to take you to the sections.

                             *WELCOME...Fostering Linguistic security...and new questions

*Desktop search-- and a teacher relates her plight ...

*The Caribbean searches...re the Language-Literacy Connection (to edit)

*Some of the searches we have made/are making...

*Add your link/site to our Directory and *Visit our links below

*The Search Continues-- Journals, Organisations...

More Relevant sources- Socioeconomic, political influences

  **This page tells about how  the use of search engines  

contributed to our overall theme of  finding ways to promote

awareness in the Caribbean  about the importance of  Early Literacy..
.one way is through research.

  **AN INVITATION to post up your thoughts about  the use of Search Engines
in Literacy research or any related topic here

** Some thoughts about what we searched for in connection with our

"Chatterbox theme":
(see the relevant page on this site)-- 

 http://www.freewebs.com/caribe/chatterboxresearchnotes.htm

*UNESCO List on Child Literacy and Development

**To read the texts of books go to:  http://print.google.com

There has to be a connection between a child's growing into language

with confidence and the ability to acquire Literacy.  There are a few factors

which hinder this "confidence" in oral  English language growth  for some

 children from an English-based creole background.

Foremost among these factors may be the adults' stultifying influence

of constantly scolding them for creole-type speech. See the suggestions

 listed below and the section on Caribbean Searches.

Children's Literature and  fostering Early Literacy are closely linked.
 Use of the Oral Traditions (of the West Indies) can help to develop
 the " pre-skills" necessary for  launching into Early Literacy:

1. Teachers can use pictorial material to introduce written text/books
 to children while story telling.

2. Language skills: let them chat about stories and even give their own versions:
gaining LINGUISTIC CONFIDENCE is crucial for creole-speaking
 Caribbean children's success in acquiring Literacy.

3.  Relevant Song and Art exercises are recommended..
.especially when they are fun.

**SUGGESTIONS: Here are "gems" of lists that parents and
teachers can use--
adapt the materials to suit younger children.
 They are worth exploring--

These lists as on other pages in this site are for browsing--
you can also purchase
 the materials if you need them. I wish I had all the books and
items on these lists: Tales from the Caribbean: Oracy and Literacy----------------------------------------------------------------
 Let the Children Sing -------------------------Stories and Children ----- 

**You'll find useful "lists" too, on our Resources page:  please explore these --http://www.freewebs.com/caribe/earlylearningresourcepage.htm  and at--

*http://www.freewebs.com/cariblit ( these are still being built up)--because of
 the numerous requests we received about where one can find "appropriate stuff."
We'll keep on evolving.  Let's add  another engine here:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Search: All ProductsApparel & AccessoriesBabyBeautyBooksDVDElectronicsHome & GardenGourmet FoodHealth & Personal CareJewelry & WatchesKitchen & HousewaresMagazine SubscriptionsMusical InstrumentsMusicComputersCamera & PhotoSoftwareSports & OutdoorsTools & HardwareToys & GamesVHSComputer & Video GamesCell Phones & Service Keywords:

---

 USEFUL LINKS:

**Early Childhood Education Journals:  A list from TCRecord.org
(but I don't think you'll get there with this link--this is my memberhip). 
You can register with this excellent resource and explore:  

 http://www.tcrecord.org/CollectionAllJournals.asp?CollectionID=46

 Trinidad and Tobago Teachers need to use the Internet
to improve child Literacy: 
**Just to place a note about a link to explore:  Moodle--
 Pac CALL Adv.Design Workshop: on the use of Moodle technology
 to develop modules in stories and story telling :http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=15832&parent=77291 --
from the construction-of-meaning point of view--still in the exploratory stages.

(see also Semiotics Links on  http://www.freewebs.com/cariblink )

Feel free to use this chat facility to exchange ideas with friends

or to get in touch with us.

*WHY WE USE THE SEARCH ENGINES--

Ever since our work started   in late 2003, we've had to rely on Internet

 search facilities to lay the foundation for our research base in Early  Caribbean Literacy. 

We are still in 2005 far away from metropolitan academic centres and libraries.

The search engines are particularly good in turning around our situation--

*from  our initial lack of contact  in the field to providing information that enabled

 us to establish a network of valuable contacts and links. Also we are using them

*to search for information that is  highly relevant to our topics in Early Childhood Literacy.

*This is  a part of our "electronic library" with "gems" of links that

we use regularly and selectively. Other search links can be found 

at: http://www.freewebs.com/cariblink *Our visitors are welcome to

use them. See our "Chatterbox" pages on this site for our

evolving framework and questions:

 http://www.freewebs.com/caribe/chatterboxresearchnotes.htm

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**Also...there's Yahoo Search: swift and reliable:  http://search.yahoo.com/

**BBC Search:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/ --straightford results

---

 **Meta Search engines:  You may find this brief list useful--     

*Kartoo:    http://www.kartoo.com --

formats results as a map with 

 linked keywords.

           *Ixquick:  http://www.ixquick.com --a different emphasis,

sometimes different results

      *Globito: http://www.globito.com  --just as fast and accurate 

and there are others!

**For researchers in Education--very valuable: http://www.scholar.google.com 

**DESKTOP SEARCH**(Google)  is another valuable tool for the researcher.

 Everything is recorded with thumbnail sketches and is ready for rapid and easy recall.

 One only has to type in the key words. Yahoo also has a Beta version. MSN

has a new sitesearch. The development of these tools  makes life  more interesting

 for the Literacy researcher.  Your results lists are stored in your P C  with 

a "sharp" organisation--what's next in the world of Search? For Early Literacy

 in the Caribbean one hopes to see a blossoming of studies.

*MSN site search may be useful if you have a big site with lots of info:

I'll still insert it here--

  *IXQUICK.com-generated lists in Early Literacy:

   By typing in the term--"Literacy Portal" in the searchbar, of this engine

a number of  suggestions for "Related searches" appeared on

that and on succeeding pages viz:     

*The importance of Early Literacy         

 *Literacy Development in children

           *Literacy and Language Learning

            *Early Childhood Development and Literacy

             *Emergent Literacy  

(and few other searches that are very relevant to the topics on this site)

VARIED RESULTS/LISTS  FROM  OTHER ANGLES:

**Findings on encouraging oral language development in young children...NLT/UK:http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/earlylanguage.html

*Understanding Early  Childhood Literacy Development (W.Stokes) Lesley Univ :http://www.lesley.edu/academic_centers/hood/currents/v2n2/earlyliteracy.html

*Studies from the University of Sheffield: 

 http://www.shef.ac.uk/literacy/publications/literacy_generic.html

**Beginning Literacy with Language," Dickinson & Tabors (eds)--longitudinal study:http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/dickinson-479x/

**Emergent and Early Literacy-- :http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=What+is+Emergent+and+Early+Literacy%3F&as_q=The+practices+that+show+there+is+a+difference&btnG=Search%C2%A0within%C2%A0results   -- examine these materials for the difference in terms of practices  

**You are invited to send us feedback. Send us an e-mail:  webbjoy1@yahoo.com

ALSO INVITE A FRIEND TO OUR  CHATROOM --

see the button above--send an email when you want to set up a session with us.

*RELEVANT CARIBBEAN SEARCH RESULTS--

A  search "Language Varieties in the Caribbean" led to sites with descriptions

of Creole English and  even French Creole:  http://www.une.edu.au/langnet/ 

 Seeing the structure of the language shows us how different

it is to International English.   

*More relevant and updated lists on Creole-speaking children and Literacy:http://www.freewebs.com/cariblit/readinglistforchtbox.htm

*CAN Reading Failure be reversed?--William Labov, Univ. of Penn: http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/RFR.html

*How Creoles can be used in Education --several Jamaican examples--

PACE newsletter:  http://www.hawaii.edu/spcl03/pace/13-conferences.htm#top

**SOME QUESTIONS RE CODE-SWITCHING AND LITERACY SKILLS:

**QUESTIONS:: *Do young children code-switch?

**Does code-switching hold the key to unlocking the literacy

difficulties which many young people experience?

**What SPECIFIC LITERACY SKILLS should be

taught/practised  during the pre-school stage?

What and how should parents be told when they complain that

 their 3-yr old cannot read (or "do work") and

s/he has been attending school for nearly six months?

(so they pull the child from school!) 

**Early Literacy skills : 

 Ann Casey   http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq326earlyliteracy.html 

**High/Scope Programs: Reading Skills with Young Children:   http://www.highscope.org/NewsNotes/PositionPapers/positionpapers.htm 

 (more of this on another page)

The question remains though --how in a Caribbean pre-school and

home setting do young children acquire these early Reading skills?

**We  are looking  for a blossoming of studies!!

***A TEACHER TELLS of her plight (in her journal)

about what she perceives to be a parent's lack of understanding 

re child learning and Literacy:

_______________________________________________________

*Allyson V (tt)                                    Allyson wrote in

 November of 2004...she is a pre-school teacher: 

               "I lost one of my students today: his mother, a single parent,

came to inform me that she would not be sending her son to school again

 until he is ready to enter the primary school.  When I asked her for a reason,

she said that "he is not learning anything."  I asked her--

"What is the child not learning?" and she said he is not learning anything

because he can neiher read nor write and she will keep him at home

 and teach him herself.  I tried to explain to her that at the preschool

we do not "have the authority" to teach the children to read and write in

 the (academic) manner that some parents desire;  but we do teach

them in a manner that caters for the holistic development of the children.

I asked her what she thought the child should be "learning"

but she looked at me and did not answer.
    
There I was trying to make her understand that it was necessary

 to have the child develop certain skills  (including social  and

 sensori-motor skills)and values before going on to the academic life,

 but she just collected her things and left. I felt very sad about

this and as I reflect on it I question myself :"What else could I have done?"

This kind of situation seems to crop up ever so often--at least four times

 in the last three years. It needs to be addressed. It has bothered me a lot

 but this time, even more than before. We should talk with parents and

the curriculum facilitators so that we can understand what their (parents') 

expectations are and  they could understand how we work as pre-school teachers.

 I hope this will make a difference." 

(Sometimes it is more than just the teaching of skills!!--baj)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

 *Other Caribbean searches related to the Language-Literacy connection:

 The link below provide some insight into the dilemma  that Creole English

speakers face in learning and using literacy skills.

**Unstandardized Varieties (of a Language) as a Classroom Resource--

PACE Newsletter: http://www.hawaii.edu/spcl03/pace/13-conferences.htm#top

*Early Childhood Research and Publications from the UWI--a useful list-

 helps towards an understanding of the social and community circumstances

 in which children develop: http://www.google.tt/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Early+Childhood+Research+Publications+at+UWI&btnG=Search

**Caribbean Plan of Action for Early Childhood Care and Development:  http://www.ecdgroup.com/download/xd1cpaec.pdf

* A good within-results-search in " Early Literacy research"

for ethnographic studies turned up this list to point us  to some examples of this kind of research :http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=+Early+Literacy+research&as_q=Ethnographic+studies

*What teachers need to know about young children's Language..S.Breadcamp: http://www.cal.org/resources/teachers/Commentary.pdf

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

*Also you can use the search engines for definitions of terms mentioned above:

*code-switching, oracy, the language-reading connection, varieties of a language, oral traditions.

*Dear International Friends...do not hesitate to give us your ideas 

and to get in touch:webbjoy1@yahoo.com