Blog 10: Reflections

After taking this class, I have gotten many answers to literacy queries as well as come up with many new questions. One of the most important overall questions that we have been trying to figure out is; what is literacy? This is a very complicated and difficult question, but I would personally define literacy as the ability to read, write, and effectively communicate with those around you as well as possess all of skills needed for you to function in your everyday society. I recognize that this is a somewhat loose definition of literacy and doesn’t give any specific guidelines or requirements for what people actually need to know, but this is because the requirements of what make a person literate are constantly changing. Not only do the skills needed change over time as society changes and we acquire new technology, but they also vary depending on where you live and what your job is.

I have always thought of literacy in terms of reading and writing, and so this class really expanded my mind in terms of beginning to think about functional literacy. I never would have considered writing a check or navigating through a grocery store as literacy before, so now I think of literacy very differently. It really seems to encompass nearly every aspect of our lives and is just a much bigger part of our lives than I previously thought. I’ve also had a lot of thought changes regarding education and the teaching of literacy in our society.

The first big thought change is that I now see many more problems with our current education system than I did before. I’ve always loved to write and especially to read, and probably as a result of that, I moved through the AR reading system and similar structured learning systems without incident. However, I do see now that the programs are problematic for many students, and that I myself could have received greater benefit from a program that was structured differently. For something as complicated and varied as literacy, the literacy programs taught in schools are terribly narrow and structured. It doesn’t seem beneficial to lock kids into a reading level group and work off of a point system. The point system especially bothers me because there are so many important reasons that kids need to learn how to read and the last thing they should be focusing on is gaining imaginary “points”. Instead it seems like we should be teaching kids the true importance of reading and literacy and what it means to the big picture of their lives.

After experiencing some mental shifts in my thoughts on literacy education, I began to focus on what educators could do to change programs, use new tools, and make learning a more beneficial experience for their students. I read James Gee’s book on literacy and video games, and this was especially useful in helping me see that there are many different ways for kids to learn, and many alternatives to traditional teaching methods. That book got me thinking about how much there is to learn from something like a video game, that many people would dismiss as an educational tool.

I also realized how many new and useful technologies there are now that could be easily accessed in classrooms. Growing up I mostly just remember reading hard copies of books, and occasionally making power point slideshows for presentations. Now there are so many different programs that can be utilized to make learning a more interesting and interactive experience. Things like google docs, popcorn, and simple video editing programs allow students to easily collaborate on projects and make visual aids that may reach some students more than simply reading a book would. This brings up an important point about connecting with students in today’s society.

Adolescents in today’s society are extremely connected to technology and pop culture, and so it is important that we shift teaching methods to include subjects that students will be able to relate to and be interested in. Although I believe that there are some texts and things that need to be taught that students won’t be thrilled about, I think it’s important to have a variety of lessons so that students don’t completely disengage from what is being taught to them. After working in the adolescent literacy and identity group, I see that adolescents especially need their own lesson plans that are crafted to their specific learning needs.

The last area that I feel I really gained some perspective in are sponsors. I’ve always felt that learning needs to extend beyond regular teachers and the classroom, but now I feel that it is even more important than I previously thought. Since literacy extends to every part of our lives, I believe it is more important than ever that children receive help from their parents and have a supportive learning environment at home as well as at school. I think it’s crucial that everyone works to ensure that all children have access to the help and materials that they need to explore and continue learning.

I’m not planning on being a teacher, but I hope to have children one day and I want to make sure that they are successful with literacy and receive a great education both at school and at home. While I don’t expect to be putting any of these new ideas to use in a classroom, I do feel like I’ve gained a lot of knowledge to help my future children continue their education at home, and have learned how I can be a better sponsor to any child that needed help or guidance with reading, writing, and becoming more literate.