Reading together

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Time photoOur course invites you to work with data collection and analysis, readings, and discussion around the field of literacy studies

Blog Post 1

Blog Post 1

My name is Alexandra Moreno- Ali for short.  I started out my educational career in Santa Cruz at Cabrillo college, then transfered to San Francisco where I briefly studied film.  A year and a half later I moved home for some soul searching, and landed on English.  I’ve been writing fiction since sixth grade, though as a hobby.  It has only been recently that I made the decision to turn my hobby into my life, and pursue a career as a full writer and possibly a professor.

I read whatever happens to catch my fancy at the time.  This semester I am reading mostly out of the Norton Anthology of American Literature and the Broadview Anthology of British Literature, but other than that I read whatever I feel like.  Fantasy, Mystery, Literary Fiction.  My writing is just as eclectic.  Most recently I have been writing Fantasy, before that Mystery.

Reading and Writing academically is part of a pursuit of knowledge, the desire to learn and broaden my understanding of the world.  Fiction is often out of that same desire, but it may also be an escape from that world.  When you think about it, reading is somewhat akin to reading someones mind.  At some point, a writer sat down and painted a picture in words, created a world that didn’t exist before. As a reader, you can jump into that world and submerse yourself in it.

Szwede brings up the interesting point of context- that is the difference between what we read in school, for school, and what we read outside of the classroom.  He brings up the example of a retarded boy who can read baseball scores.  This reminded me of my cousin who, despite being severely autistic and nearly incapable of communication, reads every sign he passes.  “Exit.” “Pharmacy.” “Freeway.” Though Mateo does not read well in school, or at least struggles with it greatly, he is able to easily pick up words he reads on signs even in new places.  Clearly, Mateo is not illiterate. But the context has changed.

He also makes the point that when instruction relies upon assumptions rather than hard facts, such as that children are being read to at home or that children entering a new class have achieved a certain reading level, it can hinder their learning greatly.  What I took from this is an argument that has been in contention for years- that education cannot be standardized.  Children are not standard, nor are parents or home lives.  By making assumptions and leaping to conclusions about children based upon archaic, outdated models and plans, we risk hindering, rather than helping.

One Reply to “Blog Post 1”

  1. Thoughtful stuff Ali. This is a really lovely statement: “When you think about it, reading is somewhat akin to reading someones mind. At some point, a writer sat down and painted a picture in words, created a world that didn’t exist before. As a reader, you can jump into that world and submerse yourself in it.” Nice.

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