Intentions and flexibility: navigating complex literacy practices in primary education

ABSTRACT Background Children develop within a complicated and dynamic textual world. In the primary school classroom, one of the most important tasks for teachers involves the design of learning environments and situations that can support all students’ literacy development. Although the identification of students with weaker skills is relatively well researched, there is a need for deeper understanding of how teachers address the variation of literacy skills within their classrooms. This article focuses attention on teachers’ navigation of complex literacy practices within the primary classroom, which involves supporting the literacy development of children with a variety of needs, abilities and experiences. Purpose The study aimed to investigate how primary education teachers and special educational needs teachers described their intentions and ways of designing learning for complex literacy practices in order to sustain a culture of inclusive education design. Methods A total of 24 primary education and special educational needs teachers across four schools in two Swedish municipalities participated in focus group discussions. In-depth data analysis was based on design-oriented theory, applying the central concepts of intentions and flexibility to the teachers’ accounts of literacy development. Findings According to the analysis, the participating teachers perceived advantages in using multimodal methods, collaborative learning, motivation and joyfulness, as well as learning structures and support. They discussed the challenges around supporting students’ literacy progress, describing their preparedness and the flexibility, or transformation competence (using different teaching resources in different situations at different times) involved in navigating complex literacy practice in the classroom for the benefit of all students. Conclusions The study highlights the significance of teachers’ intentions to prevent, identify and remove barriers to students’ literacy development. It suggests that the part played by flexibility in determining solutions to challenges in classroom practice should not be overlooked in relation to supporting students’ literacy learning progress. Implications also include greater recognition of the importance of continuous professional development to support inclusive practice, with opportunities for collegial learning and collaboration.