Centre for Literacy

The Centre for Literacy is a research and development centre that focuses on the area of literacy and other basic skills.It strives to improve practice and inform policy through the generation of knowledge by creating a strong research culture and by developing professional practice. It is committed to the promotion of high quality research and its effective communication, especially in areas related to children's literacy and to maintaining strong partnerships with schools and the wider educational community. The Centre has carried out two National Literacy surveys and a follow up Value Added Study as well as a national baseline assessment of all Year 1 pupils' mathematical skills.

Research Projects:
Modern Foreign Languages Project: The Literacy Unit is working towards improving and developing the methods of foreign language learning in schools, through the use of new technologies and other visual-aided material with specific reference to literacy. It is involved in a number of European Union and Euro-Mediterranean funded projects aimed at improving the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages through emerging pedagogies and innovative media. Projects include the creation of databases hosting language resources, bringing together foreign language specialists from across Europe. These projects include: UNITE e-and m-learning for effective teaching and learning scenarios (FP6), Lingua projects like Lingu@net (a virtual language learning resource library); eEuroInclusion; TOOL (on-line language teaching and learning); Europodians (Language Learning via Ipods), ENLU; FEEL and so on. The large-scale EUMEDIS ODISEAME (Euro-Mediterranean project for Open and Distance Learning of Literacy in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East); TNP 2/3 Thematic Network Projects in Language and Literacy, etc.