This ongoing thesis project deals with literacy teaching for students with intellectual disability; how it could be designed and conducted to promote students’ learning of emergent and early literacy capabilities, rather than focusing onstudents’ individual characteristics as an explanation to learning difficulties. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (Vygotsky, 1978) in combination with subject-specific theories of reading and writing (Clay,1991) as well as Variation theory (Marton & Booth, 1997) offered a conceptual apparatus for discussing capabilities of emergent and early literacy as well as identifying, analysing and describing - at micro leve l- how these capabilities were expressed in joint classroom interaction.The study was strictly focusing on the development and implementation of teaching, in a process similar to action research,involving teachers in the design,implementation and evaluation of research lessons(Elliot, 2012;Marton & Booth, 1997). Initially, to find out about the specific learning needs among the students, a mapping of emerging literacy knowledge was carried out, asa basis fordesign ofthe first research lesson. The mapping showed that none of the four students were able to distinguish between a letter and a word, when asked to do so during shared reading of a picture book. Students’ opportunities to develop understanding of this specific object of learning-Being able to distinguish between words and letters when these are parts of acontinuous text - was in focus for the design and analysis of three lessons. Between lessons, the teachers jointly analysed video recordings of the enacted lessons and decided on adjustments for next lesson. These adjustments were related to how students’ joint interaction, in relation to the intended object of learning, could be optimized. During the course of the study, the teachers’ theoretical understanding of emergent and early literacy concepts developed and critical aspects of the intended object of learning were gradually refined and specified.

This presentation is based on an intervention, conducted in the Swedish compulsory school for children with intellectual disability, grundsärskolan. Previous research (Berthén, 2007; Reichenberg, 2012; 2013) and a report from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (2010) indicate that students in grundsärskolan are not given adequate opportunities for literacy learning in social interaction with their teachers and peers. The aim of this study was to design, implement and analyze lessons, focusing on a certain object of learning: The capability to distinguish between words and letters in continuous text. Another interest was to investigate whether analyses of research lessons, planned by teachers and researcher together, might increase students’ opportunities to develop literacy capabilities. A theoretical framework combining sociocultural theory, variation theory (Marton & Pang, 2006; Runesson, 2006) and Clay’s (1991) theory of early reading and writing instruction was used in order to design a series of three lessons, following the method of Learning study. Results show that variation of content and participants’ interaction are mutually related in the process of costituting the object of learning. Thus, learning opportunities depend on how the object of learning is focused by variation and how the participants’ interact in relation to this.

This paper is based on a Learning study, conducted in särskolan, a Swedish school for children with intellectual disability, Previous research (Berthén, 2007; Reichenberg, 2012; 2013) and a report from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (2010) indicate that students in särskolan are not given adequate opportunities to participate in meaningful literacy learning in social interaction with teachers and peers. The aim of this study was to design, implement and analyze lessons, focusing the capability to distinguish between the concepts of word and letter in connected text. Another interest was to investigate whether analyzes of research lessons, planned by teachers and researcher together, might support further attention to students opportunities to learn subject-specific competences within the field of literacy. A sociocultural framework (Vygotskij, 1978) along with variation theory (Marton& Pang, 2006; Runesson, 2006) and a subject-specific theory of reading and writing instruction (Clay, 1991) were used in order to design, analyze and revise a series of three lessons, following the method of Learning study. The notion of learning in this Learning study can be described both in terms of changing participation in a social practice and being able to discern certain aspects of the object of learning, as a result of the complementary theoretical framework being used. As the study progressed, the critical aspects were slightly developed and refined. The object of learning did not change fundamentally between lessons, but the critical aspects were specified by an abductive process, where theories were used to understand practice. The joint analyzes of the lessons meant a renegotiation of the design, through a repeated theoretical screening of empirical data. Results show that teachers’ theoretical understanding of the object of learning is crucial in order to make learning of the intended object of learning possible. Access to the object of learning depended on how critical aspects of the object of learning were made visible in the lessons and how the students were offered opportunities to participate in relation to this. variation, and participation, in joint interaction were regarded as mutually related and as constituting each other throughout the learning process.

Studien fokuserar läs-och skriftspråklig undervisning och hur den kan designas för att möjliggöra lärande av individuella lärandeobjekt inom ramen för en gemensam literacypraktik, där andra elever och lärare utgör medierande resurser. I studien betraktas läs- och skriftspråkligt lärande som en produkt av deltagande i sociala praktiker. Läsande och skrivande sker alltid i ett visst sammanhang och för bestämda syften samt fungerar som redskap, snarare än en uppsättning tekniska färdigheter som kan läras ut fristående från sitt sammanhang.Syftet med studien att analysera undervisningspraktiken i grundsärskolan med fokus på framväxande och tidiga literacykompetenser. Avsikten med analyserna är att beskriva dessa kompetenser samt explicitgöra de delar av praktiken som är viktiga för att möjliggöra lärande för samtliga elever utifrån deras skiftande förutsättningar.Två Learning studies, bestående av minst tre lektioner vardera, planeras och genomförs tillsammans med lärare i grundsärskolan. Inledningsvis kartläggs elevernas läs- och skriftspråkliga kompetenser genom observationer i autentiska undervisningssituationer. Lektionerna videofilmas, analyseras och revideras gemensamt av forskaren och lärarna. Elevernas och lärarnas agerande i relation till det läs- och skriftspråkliga ämnesinnehållet studeras och diskuteras gemensamt, dels för att urskilja det lärande som skett (eller inte skett) och dels för att skapa ett förfinat upplägg inför nästa lektion.Kunskapsbidraget förväntas bli av ämnesdidaktisk och undervisningsutvecklande karaktär. Beskrivningar av framväxande och tidiga läs- och skriftspråkliga kompetenser samt aspekter av undervisningspraktiker som möjliggör aktivt talande, läsande och skrivande lyfts fram. Learning study som forskningsansats prövas och utvecklas genom att främst utgöra ett redskap för praktikanalys. En problematisering av praktiken och vad som möjliggör lärande i grundsärskolans läs- och skriftspråkliga sammanhang bli möjlig. Studien bör även ha relevans för andra verksamheter där kunskap om framväxande läs- och skriftspråklighet efterfrågas, exempelvis förskolan.