The substantive content of this subject will be theories of literacy; the pedagogics associated with the teaching and learning of various literacies in prior-to-school and school contexts and debates concerning the significance of kinds and levels of literacy learning in early childhood education. Students will be involved in examining a diverse range of views regarding literacy and literacy education and in constructing a coherent conceptual and pedagogic basis for their own practice as literacy educators in prior-to-school and early school contexts. Students will be asked to critique a number of early literacy programs and/or approaches, especially within the area of early reading instruction.