Digital literacies in middle years classrooms: teachers’ perspectives and self-reported practices

There is strong support for further research into the teaching and learning of digital literacies in Australian classrooms when considered alongside reported decreases in children’s literacy skills against international benchmarks and recent changes in curriculum policy documents. This article investigates everyday classroom practice, sharing the perspectives of a community of five teachers from one school on the affordances and challenges of integrating digital technologies into their Year 5 and Year 6 writing programs. Semi-structured interviews and professional-learning team discussions were recorded and analyzed using Green’s 3D model of literacy to gain insight into teacher attitudes and practices. Findings suggested that classroom practice within the school community is heavily influenced by teacher attitudes, knowledge, and skills, which in turn significantly influence the resources, experiences, and opportunities
provided to students. The outcomes of this small study suggest that further, larger-scale research is needed to investigate teacher perceptions and practices when integrating digital technologies and new literacies as a whole into middle years classrooms. Such research will provide policy makers, school leaders, and educators with greater insights that will assist in the selection of appropriate resources and professional development required to fully support teaching and learning.