Examining the Notion of Autonomy in the Context of Early Literacy Learning in Four European Countries.

The thematic network "Early Literacy in Context" is funded by the European Commission to connect four research projects exploring innovative practice in literacy teaching in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Greece. This paper, written by two of the network's four members, explores the different notions of autonomy in early literacy learning which animate the four different projects. The paper observes that autonomy is not a simple matter where literacy is concerned; differences exist between autonomy of outcome (orthographic autonomy and autonomy of meaning-making) and autonomy in the learning process (autonomy of participation, cognitive autonomy, autonomy of interpretation, autonomy of composition, and autonomy of judgment). Exercise of autonomy at one level may inhibit its development at another. For example, children who are accorded a large measure of autonomy of participation, that is, control over the initiation of activities, may not choose those activities that allow them cognitive autonomy. Consequently, their development of orthographic autonomy may be significantly delayed. The paper concludes by posing a series of questions suggested by comparison of evidence from different countries, challenging a number of axiomatic beliefs about innovative literacy teaching and learning. (EV)