Building learning bridges

Building literacy and numeracy learning bridges

By the time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enter an early learning program, they already have a variety of socially and culturally valued literacies, including oral literacies and numeracies.

Often they've been communicating with signs and gestures from a young age. They also have a rich foundation of numerical and other mathematical understandings, although their systems for representing number may differ from the English language system.

Effective educators acknowledge all different forms of literacy and numeracy, and develop an early learning program which values and builds on what children already know and can do.

You can do this by:

educating yourself about the culturally valued conceptual skills children already have
providing learning opportunities that incorporate oral traditions and stories, songs, dance, music, symbols, environmental patterns and relationships, and material art and cultures of the community
making connections for children that broaden their experiences with the texts, letter-sound relationships, symbols, pattern systems and mathematical concepts of the broader world
saturating the learning environment with Western and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sounds, signs and symbols, oral and written texts, visual and creative arts, technologies and media
partnering with families to connect the literacy and numeracy experiences of the kindergarten program with children’s experiences in the home.