“The distinctive contribution of the approach to
literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and
sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them
and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives” (Gillen
and Barton, 2010, p. 9).
As an
educator, this quote sums up everything I want my students to take out of
literacy. Everyday, my students and I tackle the ever-popular “Reader’s
Workshop.” In Reader’s Workshop, my students and I explore a whole plethora of
texts, digging to find the meaning behind what we have read and exposing
ourselves to different strategies to understand exactly what it is we have read
or are reading. Because each and
every one of my students are different- and therefore learn differently, it is
so incredibly intriguing to watch what it is they do with a certain text. Some
of my students like to immediately open a book and begin reading the words in
an attempt to gain understanding from the book where as other students like to
“picture-read” and start by examining the pictures on each page before reading
the words. Ultimately, the different strategies are what helps them make sense
of what they are reading (even if the process in which they go about reading
and attaining the information is different). In addition, the connections my students make to the reading
can differ as well- because we all go through different experiences and have
different experiences in life. For example, when reading a book about a Black
Bear, Jimmy may take the
information he learned and apply it to his next trip to the zoo when he is now
able to recognize a bear and the environment in which it lives. However, three
weeks after reading about the black bear Julia finds herself reading a book on
horses and finds herself being able to draw the connection that both a bear and
horse are mammals. The goals I
have for all my students isn’t just to master how to read and interpret text so
that they can eventually pass a state test or receive a 100 on an exam—it is
about learning how to derive meaning from what is being read, make connections,
and attain such skills in order to apply it and strengthen those skills in the
years to follow.
On a more personal level, I choose my texts based on my interest level because that is what motivates me and engages me into wanting to learn and read. I find myself making sense of what I have read through the connections I am able to make from the text to my every-day life. When reading, I am constantly highlighting,re-reading and looking for any place I can make a connection to something I have learned in the past, experienced or am experiencing currently. I whole heartedly agree with this quotation “ In a sociocultural approach, the focus of learning and education is not children, nor schools, but human lives viewed as trajectories through multiple social practices in various social institutions. If learning is to be efficacious, then what a child or an adult does now as a learner must be connected in meaningful and motivating ways with `mature' (insider) versions of related social practices, (Gee, Hull & Lankshear 1996, p. 4). Being able to derive meaning from a text is what truly makes or breaks a person’s understanding on what is being read- which is why it so incredibly important for me to find meaning in what I have read as well as encourage, assist and support my students in the process as well.
Growing up I was never exposed to technology in terms of literacy throughout my elementary and middle school years. Although I can definitely recall using a computer to excerpts of books in school, read it was only until I reached high school where I saw my first “smart-board” and used my first “ipad” in context with learning a content in school. However, in a vast majority of the classrooms I have worked and volunteered in I have seen a ton of smart-boards, computers and even individual ipads for the students’ to use when reading. Being 22 years old I have of course been exposed to the up and coming technology world however I still find myself preferring to read a paper copy of a book over a book on a kindle or an ipad. With all of that being said, I think it is so important for future educators to expose themselves and their students to literacy both in the technology world and the hard-copy paper way we all grew up with. I’d like to end with this quote that I absolutely love, “Firstly, the importance of the word and the printed page remains, but such importance is being transformed in relation to new technologies,new cultures, and new forms of life. Secondly, it will become increasingly more important to equip our students with a vision of the future of literacy, `a picture of the texts and discourses, skills and knowledges' that they might need, and their associated social and educational visions, rather than simple mastery of particular skills and methods (Luke & Elkins 1998, p. 4; see also Luke 1998).”
Reference:
Literacy and the New Technologies in School Education: Meeting the L(IT)eracy Challenge?
Durrant, Cal; Green, Bill. "Literacy and the new technologies in school education: Meeting the l(IT)eracy challenge?" The Free Library 01 June 2000. 14 September 2013 <http://www.thefreelibrary.com/literacy and the new technologies in school education: meeting the...-a063132991>.
Hello Jaimie,
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the beginning of your blog I found myself thinking about my own daughter and their reading assignments. It's interesting helping them with their assignments and watching them develop their connections. I find myself laughing because when they share their connection it shows me how they see the world around them, the world I create and provide for them. As a parent, I thank you and the other teachers for your efforts with our children. I also enjoy the time we read and talk about their school. It brings me back to the fundamental skills.
M.
Michele, I love that you discuss your children's assignments and school. More parents should do this. Not only does it strengthen your bond with your kids, but it also keeps you in the loop and teaches them that you are approachable and that they can talk to you about the important stuff. Bravo!
DeleteI echo Michele's thoughts on being thankful for such wonderful teachers that work with our small children. My daughter just started Kindergarten and was in a Pre-K program last year. Her mother and I read to her every night as well. As she has been progressing through these programs, we have noticed an incredible, sometimes comical, way that she associates things she has learned, read (or listened from us reading), and seen. Many times these associations are not accurate, but those are the interesting ones because they make you stop and think about how the human brain develops (cognitively, not biologically). In fact as i was reading the textbook for this assignment, she was looking over my shoulders and said "Daddy, that's a lot of words. Do you know what they all mean?"
ReplyDeleteMatt, I love your daughter's question! She's already beginning to think beyond face value. She has progressed from seeing letters on a page, to knowing they're actually words, to now surmising that there may be some words that even her Daddy might not know. The human mind is an amazing thing.
DeleteYou write that you did not see an ipad until High School-so funny. When I went to high school the push button phone was only just coming into popular use...still, as you point out-the true digital divide is much more recent. My daughter is 12 and she is the oldest of the first generation to be fully digital, I think.
ReplyDeleteHatti, my daughter is 12 also, and I agree, she and her 10yo brother are among the first generation to be fully digital.
DeleteJaimie, I applaud your focus on teaching kids to be able to think critically about what they are reading rather than simply as a means to pass a test. It is sad, but a quick look at some of the "reality" shows out there make me think that there is an alarming amount of kids AND adults sorely lacking that particular skill.
ReplyDelete