SFL in a war zone

This article describes the incredible dedication of a group of educational researchers in Ukraine who were determined to ‘keep things normal’ as the war raged around the country.

Working with a group of young children, they devised ways of teaching them to write narratives not only in Russian, their mother tongue, but in Ukrainian and English.

In a cross-continental initiative, the researchers were supported by online meetings with LLEN members Ruslana Westerlund, Pauline Jones and Beverly Derewianka.

The educators shared how they were drawing on SFL to teach the generic structure of narratives along with a range of related language features. They describe their work as a holistic literacy approach that integrates narrative pedagogy with systematic scaffolding involving early primary learners in crisis-affected contexts.

It is a testament to the resilience and resistance of educators in such circumstances.