This article presents research with migrant primary school learners in South Africa using the wordless picturebook "The Arrival" (by Shaun Tan) as a research tool. Bringing together the disciplines of literacies and childhood studies, it considers representation, storytelling, absence and silence as part of children's 'voice' in order to…

This essay examines the role of educators in the tangled economic, social, environmental and technological crises of the present time. It argues that a central purpose of education in this period is to support students to imagine and make liveable futures on their own terms. To do this, the paper proposes that the colonizing, optimizing and…

This paper reports the findings of a study of the literacy perceptions and practices of general primary teachers (Key Stage 2) and post-primary science teachers (Key Stage 3) within two clusters of schools. The study also explores the possible impact on pupils of any difference in the language climate which may accompany them on their journey…

In recent years, interactive white boards (IWBs) have been introduced into many primary classrooms in England. This enquiry examines the ways in which they are being used in the context of literacy teaching, in six primary classrooms in the south-west. Drawing on the perspectives of teachers and pupils, this report reflects on the impact of IWB…

What can listening to children's ideas about poetry teach us? This article considers ways in which exploring primary-aged students' perceptions of poetry can inform teachers' work with children. Using strategies from earlier studies in secondary schools, a small-scale project with Year 6 students revealed their complex and sometimes contradictory…