Editorial comment.

Fellowes, Janet ; Oakley, Grace

Dear Practically Primary readers,

In this edition of Practically Primary, teachers and literacy educators share their understanding of, and experiences in, the area of learner diversity and the teaching of literacy. One of the greatest challenges faced by a primary teacher is catering for children of diverse literacy learning needs. Doing so effectively necessitates planning that considers the nature, abilities, interests, background and previous experiences of students.

Children will vary in their literacy learning requirements for a variety of reasons. Teaching plans require differentiation with regard to children's language and culture, socioeconomic background, home literacy experiences, learning style and previous literacy learning progress. Teaching approaches need to be adapted, or individual programs need to be designed, to effectively cater for students with specific literacy learning difficulties, for the gifted and talented learner or for children making exceptional progress in literacy learning.

Successful literacy teaching begins with the premise that each student has the ability to learn, and with high teacher expectations, along with the implementation of strategies and learning tasks that match these expectations. Literacy teaching that effectively provides for learner diversity is an ongoing process and requires consistent teacher reflection on children's progress and on teaching methods. Instructional approaches, task design, learning sequence, materials and classroom communication need to be carefully chosen and then continually adapted. Teacher knowledge about literacy and about the needs of various groups of children needs to be continually enhanced.

We hope the articles, reviews and discussions in this edition of Practically Primary will contribute to your ongoing learning about diversity and literacy teaching and learning. Thank you to those who have shared their experiences and thoughts through their contributions to this edition, and to those who have sent articles for consideration for upcoming editions of Practically Primary. We continue to encourage you to write about your experience in literacy teaching. What might be a common practice for you might be a new idea for others. We would be happy to assist you in turning your idea into an article for others to read and be inspired by.