I Believe...in the Power of Literacy
By: Holly Kimball
I Believe…Literacy Evolves
A few years ago I would have identified a person “illiterate” if they responded “no” to either of these simple inquiries: Can you read? Can you write? As much as the value of reading and writing cannot be undersold, for me, these two subjects no longer completely define “literate” or “illiterate.” Communication has changed so dramatically in the past century that it is unreasonable now to think of literacy in such a narrow definition. Throughout the process of earning my master’s degree at Michigan State University, both my thought processes and my definition of literacy have changed quite radically. Literacy has become more of an abstract concept which includes mediums of communication formerly overlooked by the definers of the old term “literacy.” The previous rigid definition must change to incorporate new updated literacy practices such as viewing, listening, speaking, and even blogging and texting. The concept of literacy is more abstract than ever, which is, in my opinion, exactly as it should be. This abstract concept allows for literacy to evolve with societal changes happening now, and prepares for as yet unknown future communication techniques.
Literacy is so much more complicated than many people realize and it requires a much lengthier explanation than probably would have been sufficient in the past when the definition of literacy was limited to reading and writing. Current literacy practices include communication through multiple forms of media with print, movies, images, and sounds. Literacy is no longer a passive activity but one that integrates many of the senses in order to captivate and intrigue the intended audience. Literacy is reading and writing. It is also listening and viewing. Most importantly, however, literacy is personal. In truth, I find that there is no way to explain in concrete terms what literacy means to me because the concept lends itself to interpretation – and as a whole that is what I have learned throughout my graduate career. I now believe that Literacy is your own personal interpretation of many different communication techniques, and therefore cannot be defined in general terms.
It would be ill-conceived to discuss my view of literacy without noting that I consider the foundation of my beliefs about the concept to be based on the lack of print media stressed in this master’s program of which I am a part. The master’s program at Michigan State University has molded my personal beliefs about literacy, simply by using what illustrators commonly refer to as “negative space” which emphasizes the significance of what isn’t there. It is this lack of print media that helped to solidify my belief in literacy categories. In my opinion the idea of someone being identified as “literate” or “illiterate” based purely on their reading and writing ability is outdated. The new wave of literacy practices is so diverse that it is frankly impossible to be considered “literate” in every form of communication available. There are undoubtedly people who are “illiterate” in reading and writing, but extremely capable when interpreting sounds and/or images. Does this make them – in general terms – “illiterate?” Not anymore. My view of literacy forces each person to analyze different communication techniques as completely separate entities in which you can be either literate or illiterate. With so many different styles of communication this is the only realistic way to interpret literacy in today’s society. To be considered “literate” one must be able to read (view, hear, etc.) the messages being conveyed, understand them and adapt them to fit into his or her own life. As an example, I have never lived in an urban area so I would be completely “illiterate” to any symbols on the streets of New York City. Would I be able to read the signs and symbols? Probably. Would I understand? No. I am “illiterate” in this specific content area. A piece of my personal literacy profile could be considered this way:
Reading poetry: illiterate
Writing: literate
Comedy Movies: literate
Photos: literate
Paintings: illiterate
Microsoft Word: literate
Facebook: literate
Twitter: illiterate
Using a profile that is broken down into subcategories like this allows the user (in this case myself) to engage effectively with different literacies and not be defined by just one out-dated definition of a concept that we should consider to be continuously evolving.
I Believe…Literacy Connects
The choice is ours, we can continue to define literacy using the terms “literate” and “illiterate” or we can affect the way children (and adults) practice literacy, by broadening our view to include literacy practices that are currently available and practiced regularly. During
I discovered how important it is to acknowledge literacy practices that are used in everyday life. One of the most eye-opening experiences I had about children’s literacy engagement was when I had the opportunity to talk with a variety of students about how they see and use literacy in their everyday lives. Although this was a specific assignment for TE 843, “Secondary Reading Assessment and Instruction” I adapted it to fit my current situation and discussed literacy use with students in a K-5 school. While the results of this discussion and survey were not astonishing they were extremely disheartening. In an effort to understand student’s view of literacy I surveyed a first, third and fifth grade class. Seventy-eight percent of third graders claimed that their literacy practices included only books and magazines, which means that they probably never considered non-print materials to be part of literacy practices at all.
Based on my research and interviews during the extent of TE 843 I came to the conclusion that students need more choices about the literacy practices they choose to learn from (internet, books, videos etc.) and the assessments in which they are evaluated (create a film, write a song, paint a picture etc.). This would allow students to take some ownership of their own literacy practices and instruction while connecting formal education with everyday activities. Effective literacy practices will develop critical thinkers who can comprehend information from a plethora of sources, productively analyze and discuss, assimilate the content into existing schemas or accommodate new information. I believe that if we connect our students literacy practices outside the school to those taught and valued inside the school we can interest and engage our students enough to go out and transform communities. We must begin with understanding the literacy practices of people outside of the school building and incorporate the prior knowledge of students into the classroom.
I Believe…In a Worldwide Connection
It is of extreme significance that the majority of my coursework was focused on connecting literacy practices into real life. As an ambassador for literacy practices joining the 21st century one of the most important things that I feel needs to be done is to encourage more engagement with literacy that is authentic and relevant to the lives of people – not just students.
As role models for the future generation it is important that we not let literacy be intimidating or scary. We must model 21st century literacy practices. Adults and students alike are drawn to mediums of literacy that are actively engaging. The pace of life has increased tremendously, and reading the traditional novel is slow. Many people today lack the focus to read long print without significant motivation and the current education system is not taking enough action to provide students with a variety of exposure to different literacy practices.
The technology of today has provided us with ample situations in which literacy practices can be updated to fit the needs of 21st century learners. The data from discussions with students in TE 843 showed that students find technology to be significantly more intriguing than traditional reading. Using the data I personally collected I chose to field test different authentic literacy practices using technology in the classroom as a part of
One of the most important things a teacher like me can do to encourage more engagement with literacy is to make it relevant and authentic to the lives of students. This can be done in a variety of ways, and greatly depends on the interest of the student. One way to encourage reading, writing, and speaking that is very effective is allowing students the opportunity to share their own work with their peers. With rapidly growing technology communication techniques, it has never been easier to share work with peers, not just in the same room, but around the world. Take for example this essay itself; it is my own personal reflection about my experiences in an online master’s degree program presented by Michigan State University. I am over seven hundred miles from East Lansing and yet I can easily access all information relevant to my course of study and my peers can read my reflection almost instantaneously. If students have an authentic audience outside of the school building they are much more likely to practice the literacy skills necessary to present their best possible work.
During CEP 800 we were tasked to create both an and a . Although both of these projects were largely based on my own personal experiences with technology, the ideas presented in the course resonated with me. Technology in this course was presented not only as a fun activity but as a tool for learning and a catalyst for education. Although tutorials and “help” buttons are useful at times, I personally discovered that the easiest way for me to effectively learn how to edit and cut videos using the Microsoft Movie Manager program was to “play” with it and experience it firsthand. Although this may sound like an obvious concept I cannot help but reflect on a few first grade students who did not know that computers could be used for any functions other than games and Facebook. Many students are exposed to 21st century technology for entertainment purposes only, and it is our jobs as educators to expose children to functioning technology that will be both interesting and useful in their future endeavors.
Education should be about opening the doors to discover new ideas and that is what needs to be stressed using the tools at our disposal: discovery. By nature, children are curious and I believe it is time to take advantage of this attribute. In my experience with CEP 800 I discovered that children are often far less fearful about technology use than adults. It is time for us to let go of our own hesitation and integrate technology even if we are uncomfortable with it. Allowing students the opportunity to discover technology features not only integrates literacy practices from outside the classroom, it also engages the students in creating, exploring, and discovery on their own. Discovering new technology along with a teacher not only allows the students to feel more adept at learning it also teaches them to have the confidence to try new things and prepares them for a future that includes unknown technology advances.
There is some hesitation on my part to endorse technology too much. I worry that with the progression of technology and the gadgets that make life easier we are creating both a good and bad system for our children. I am torn between the extensive value of technology, and the negative effects it is having on basic skills and critical thinking abilities. I fear that dictionary skills will become obsolete, as well as map skills and cursive writing. I fear that there will come a time when “universal remote” really does mean “universally do everything for you.” I fear that instant gratification will become expected. I fear that people are beginning to “off load” so much work to the technology that we will not be able to be highly functioning individuals without it. But most of all, I fear that the next generation will have no interpersonal skills without a technology “buffer.” On the other hand, technology has advanced the ease of communication throughout the world, and created a variety of experiences with webcams, Skype, and ease of access to world-wide information and people of different cultures.
During CEP 800 I greatly reconsidered technology use in my classroom and came to the conclusion that technology is a great tool, but it must be introduced systematically. Any new technology will cause students (and adults) to play with all of the functions which is an excellent way to learn, but will also cause the user to miss out on some of the intended uses. However, if the technology is explored in small pieces, then students and adults alike will have less change blindness and can stay focused on what they intend to do. We should use our knowledge of students’ interest and literacy habits outside of school to build on what the students are already familiar and fluent with. That automaticity will allow them to focus on the new features or expectations. We should not expect that the first time students are allowed to use a new piece of technology they will be efficient and focused. It is important to minimize distractions for students to learn multiple ways of using the technology as a tool to work toward a specific goal and not use the technology as a stopping point.
I Believe….in Discussion
If given the choice in my own life I would most often choose to be a silent observer over a participant in discussion so I never truly considered the value of open and honest conversations before Although it goes against my comfort zone, and may be a teacher’s worst nightmare, I am a (newly admitted) supporter of talking and discussion. It is my opinion that one of the most underrated literacy practices is verbal communication. As educators we spend our lives telling students to sit down, be quiet and listen. It wasn't until mid-way through my own course of study that I learned the value of a decent conversation.
TE 849 was very difficult for me because the entirety of the class was reading multicultural literature and creating personal responses to be analyzed and discussed by group members - and I am not an extrovert. My own illiteracy is the area of "verbal" communication was something that I had to work to overcome in this class and yet the lessons from this course remain some of the most vivid in my memory. While reading about the culture of the Abenaki Indians, I rather ignorantly thought that the material wouldn't resonate with my own life. It was interesting, and a bit discouraging, to discover that my own personal biases affected the way I viewed different pieces of literature before I ever came across them. My personal literacy practices throughout my life had never forced me into something outside of my comfort zone. This course forced me to confront both my fear of discussion and the diverse world that I had apparently ignored for decades.
Introducing students and adults to multiple forms of literacy can be a simple way to incorporate different lifestyles, beliefs and cultures in a safe environment which is an excellent beginning. But limiting student exposure to multiple lifestyles by restricting what they see and hear not only brings in the personal bias of the teacher and/or school it also inadvertently shows students what is “right” and “wrong.” I am not a proponent of banning books from students. I believe there is nothing of more value than providing literature that has the ability to spark a conversation and that often comes with controversial topics and ideas. Through discussion about multi-lifestyle literature students are exposed to multiple perspectives, get instant feedback in a non-threatening atmosphere, and are introduced to concepts that may be difficult to handle in other situations. This, of course, will be controversial as there are many topics that we as adults feel are inappropriate for children, but are we not in a sense stifling our children’s’ abilities to think critically about issues on their own? There are times that we as adults might take a step back and let our children learn some things with the help of their peers instead of learning from the view of adults. As adults we are tainted with our own life experience, sometimes it might be beneficial to let our children experience discussions with the relatively un-jaded minds of their peers.
Interestingly, I learned more about diverse thoughts through conversations than I could have hoped to gain through books. The discussions in TE 849 forced the participants to interact with the literature, not just read, forget, and never assimilate into our own lives. We were forced to become a part of the story even when it was uncomfortable and we felt like outsiders looking into a culture or discussing a controversial topic. Together we learned the value of actively participating in conjunction with literature. The group discussions in this class became increasingly enlightening as the class progressed because we became more comfortable with each other as teammates who were respectful and thoughtful. I believe that the practice of having small “family” groups discuss difficult and controversial topics makes it easier for some students (like me, the introvert) to open up and participate. It is of extreme importance when practicing literacy that all students are given the chance to contribute in a safe environment. It is rare to find people who feel safe as a novice. All people, especially young students, must be given ample opportunities to practice a task in order to diminish the fear and
The multitude of interpretations that so often accompanies books from multicultural literature is what makes it such a valuable genre, especially to younger minds. Through discussion TE 849 I have learned that the most important thing one can learn is to know oneself in order to be able to move forward in getting to know others. I found that if I didn’t know my own feelings about a subject I couldn’t honestly discuss it with my group, therefore I had to engage in introspection before engaging with others. I liken this idea to friendship. To have a friend (or book) all you have to do is look at and read it, but to know a friend (or book) you must spend time with it in discussions in order to understand how that friend (or book) affects you and hopefully makes you a better person. A valuable friend will know all sides of you – good and bad – as such; a valuable book will invoke similar feelings – good and bad. As much as I found the literature of value I believe that the open, honest and somewhat personal discussions about beliefs and feelings were the most beneficial to my own enlightenment. I believe that most children will feel the same.
What is perceived by each reader can be so drastically different that it could spark potentially difficult discussions – discussions that need to be held before stereotypes or preconceived notions become too prevalent to accommodate different ideas. While I recognize that each of the stories that we read in this class taught me a lesson, I learned more about myself and my personal beliefs from discussions with others. It is one thing to introduce multicultural literature, but it is significantly more important to discuss its effects whether it be feelings about
In similar fashion, I believe that open and honest discussion between adults and children is also of extreme value. As adults are undoubtedly affected by our own significant life experience, we must be extremely careful not to impart our beliefs on children or the mindset of society will remain stagnant. We must also use our knowledge to help guide the younger generation – not steer for them but guide as a facilitator. Less adult “interference” is a lesson that I was introduced to through discussions about the Abenaki culture discussed in TE 849. I found that this culture (at least the small piece of the culture that I was exposed to) reflects my personal sentiments about learning even more than my own culture. As adults we often try to “save” our children from exposure to harmful things, but we often do not take the time to discuss why it is harmful and thus the children learn nothing. For example: if a child tries to cut his own hair because he has seen mom do it, parents will often say “no, don’t do that” and the child learns nothing except for: “don’t try this when mom or dad is watching.” Barring life threatening issues, more significant learning would occur if the parents let the child have the experience and then have a calm discussion about the resulting implications. We, as adults, hope to create successful people in the future, not just in the present. In discussion, a group member shared a similar story about an experience on an Indian reservation that also mirrored my own beliefs:
“when I was on the rez (reservation) a few years ago, I was watching some young Lakota children play. They had cups and bowls outside, and were basically making mud pies and drinks. One of the smallest children began drinking the mud drink, and I had to laugh--because her grandfather [who] was watching her, looked at me and said--"She'll learn quickly that dirt is not for drinking." I remember thinking that if I were watching a similar scene with Non-Indian children/families, the adult would have snatched the mud drink from the child's hand before they could drink it, or at least yell for them to stop.”
As difficult as it is for adults to step back, there are times when children learn the most from experience. If my personal experience is any indication, it is of extreme importance to allow children the opportunity to listen and participate in conversations in order to help them become better people who are familiar with the multiple perspectives around the world.
I Believe…in the Future of Literacy
Following my own advice, it is here where I shall take a step back and allow you, the reader, to discuss and assimilate my ideas about literacy into your own. I believe that literacy continues to evolve with multiple new methods of communication. I believe that as a teacher I will have to keep up with the changing times in order to challenge my students and connect literacy practices at home to formal education. I believe that worldwide communication brings previously unknown ideas/experiences closer to home. I believe that discussions online or face to face will drastically change the future of society. Lastly, I believe whole-heartedly that the way to encourage literacy practice now and in the future is to make it meaningful, make it relevant, consider critically your own feelings about it, and not be afraid to share your own thoughts. The future
More disheartening is that I found the older students to use even less of a variety of literacy practices – if any at all. Sixty-five percent of fifth graders identify books or magazines as their primary exposure to literacy, but fifteen percent say they don’t use literacy at all. This is impossible. Students today have Facebook accounts; listen to music, text-message, and watch videos on YouTube, which all include basic practices in literacy. These students use literacy daily (if not every minute of every hour of every day) but they don’t consider “literacy” to be anything but printed material. These are not illiterate students; these are students who have unfortunately connected “literacy” with only mundane textbooks that have no relevance to their own lives. This must change. As a public school system we are in dire need of a literacy upgrade if current and future students are to view literacy as useful and relevant in their lives outside of the school building.
master the job. I learned through discussion that fear is the largest barrier between understanding those who are different from us, so we must teach students early on to have respectful, open and honest discussions about diversity and the value that it can have.
stereotypes, memories, beliefs or other personal influences. It is here that I believe adults and teachers may truly fall short. Verbal communication, discussion and healthy debate allow students not only to share their viewpoints but also hear the views of others. The value of listening to and learning to respect differing views is tremendous, especially in our ever diversifying world.
of effective literacy depends on opening up doors for students to actively engage in multiple literacy practices beyond what has been done in the past. It is time to accept that literacy includes any form of media that is trying to project a message to anyone, at any time. Perhaps my beliefs have upset you, or perhaps you are nodding your head at the computer screen or paper in agreement. I accept either response because it means that I have made you think critically about the future of literacy, which means the practice of literacy will affect at least one more person.
“Growing literacy of the heart and mind cultivates the
landscape of a child's future.”
― Clyde Heath