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Three reports prepared for the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) on children's language and literacy were launched today by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

The reports highlight the importance of children's motivation and self-confidence when it comes to the development of literacy and to the need for parents and teachers to create a culture of reading and writing for pleasure.

The reports, by a team of thirteen researchers from Ireland and Canada, also point to the importance and potential of new technologies in giving children opportunities to use and produce different kinds of texts from a very young age.

Based on their reviews, they were asked to suggest how NCCA needs to shape the new integrated language curriculum for primary schools, currently under development and scheduled for completion for infant classes in 2014.

Some of the key findings include:

• A culture of reading and writing in print and digital formats from a young age is important in developing positive attitudes to literacy
• Children learn language for pragmatic and practical reasons - to communicate with other children, with adults, and to interact with print and digital texts
• Teachers and early childhood practitioners need to balance enabling and directing in their work with children
• Reading comprehension is a techical skill that needs to be explicitly taught and supported by oral language work

Welcoming the reports, Minister Quinn said:

I have identified children's literacy as a priority area for our education system, and it is important that what we do, and the decisions we make, are based on solid evidence and research. These reports offer us that evidence. I want to thank the researchers and their institutions for their work and for their commitment to making that evidence as accessible to as many people as possible.

Dr. Sarah FitzPatrick, Deputy CEO of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment spoke to MerrionStreet.ie at the launch: