The results of international literacy testing agents such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperative Development’s (OECD’s) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), inform policy at national levels concerning literacy instructional practices; the impact of this is felt around the globalised world which includes the regional, local political and educational milieus, as adolescents prepare to enter the worlds of work, further education and/or training.
This is reflected in the Essential Learning Outcomes outlined in the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education curriculum guides: Aesthetic Expression, Citizenship, Communication, Personal Development, Problem Solving, and Technological Competence. The nature of these outcomes serve to underscore the idea that competence in reading (and writing) are integral components of the development of such competencies in a digital/informational global scenario requiring multiple literacies.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Digital Age Literacy
The challenge facing reading specialists and teacher of reading in general is the need to ensure that the professional's skill set is au courant with the demands and the requisite literacies of living in a digital age. Only then will he/she become truly equipped for the task.
"Based on two years of research, the enGauge 21st Century Skills represent the fresh, serious, new perspective required in light of recent historical events, globalization, and the idiosyncrasies of the Digital Age. The following skill clusters, when considered within the context of rigorous academic standards, are intended to provide the public, business and industry, and educators with a common understanding of – and language for discussing – what is needed by students, citizens, and workers in the Digital Age.
Digital-Age Literacy
Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies
Visual and information literacies
Multicultural literacy and global awareness
Inventive Thinking
Adaptability/managing complexity
Self-direction
Curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking
Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning
Effective Communication
Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
Personal, social, and civic responsibility
Interactive communication
High Productivity & Quality, State-of-the-Art Results
Ability to prioritize, plan, and manage for results
Effective use of real-world tools
The ability to create relevant, high-quality products"
www.metiri.com/21/21%20Century%20Skills%20Final.doc
2003 NCREL Metiri Group
"Based on two years of research, the enGauge 21st Century Skills represent the fresh, serious, new perspective required in light of recent historical events, globalization, and the idiosyncrasies of the Digital Age. The following skill clusters, when considered within the context of rigorous academic standards, are intended to provide the public, business and industry, and educators with a common understanding of – and language for discussing – what is needed by students, citizens, and workers in the Digital Age.
Digital-Age Literacy
Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies
Visual and information literacies
Multicultural literacy and global awareness
Inventive Thinking
Adaptability/managing complexity
Self-direction
Curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking
Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning
Effective Communication
Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
Personal, social, and civic responsibility
Interactive communication
High Productivity & Quality, State-of-the-Art Results
Ability to prioritize, plan, and manage for results
Effective use of real-world tools
The ability to create relevant, high-quality products"
www.metiri.com/21/21%20Century%20Skills%20Final.doc
2003 NCREL Metiri Group
The Dynamic Nature of Literacy Across the Curriculum
Some Thought-Provoking Nuggets:
“The dynamic nature of literacy encompasses more
than the ability to read and write…
Literacy has come to represent a synthesis of language,
thinking, and contextual practices through which
People make and communicate meaning…
The more society evolves, the more complex and
multi-dimensional the concept of literacy becomes.”
Vacca and Vacca, 2008)
Helping students to think and learn with all kinds of text is an important responsibility of the content area teacher.
Teachers need to help students “learn how to learn”.
Engage students in thinking processes by which they learn the content.
Research shows that students who actively engage in learning activites and respond to higher order thinking questions out-perform their peers.
It is important that the teacher organise instruction around students’ prior knowledge.
To become literate in a content area, students must understand how to use reading, writing, talking, and viewing to learn.
More time for literacy does not mean less time for learning other subject matter.
“The dynamic nature of literacy encompasses more
than the ability to read and write…
Literacy has come to represent a synthesis of language,
thinking, and contextual practices through which
People make and communicate meaning…
The more society evolves, the more complex and
multi-dimensional the concept of literacy becomes.”
Vacca and Vacca, 2008)
Helping students to think and learn with all kinds of text is an important responsibility of the content area teacher.
Teachers need to help students “learn how to learn”.
Engage students in thinking processes by which they learn the content.
Research shows that students who actively engage in learning activites and respond to higher order thinking questions out-perform their peers.
It is important that the teacher organise instruction around students’ prior knowledge.
To become literate in a content area, students must understand how to use reading, writing, talking, and viewing to learn.
More time for literacy does not mean less time for learning other subject matter.
“Narrative is irremovably installed in the human psyche...[
Food for Thought on Teaching Reading to Struggling Learners:
Rosen (in MacLure) refers to the concept of narrative as the ‘irrepressible genre’; it is international, transhistorical , transcultural: it is simply there like life itself....There are widespread claims that the real significance of narrative is that it is a fundamental way in which the mind works... [which] suggests that narrative is at the heart of our mental and social processes.
“The inner speech we use is learned in social interaction. We use the experiences of such discourse to handle our experience narratively in our minds. It would be unusual to find people who would not admit to telling stories in their heads. We daydream and dream in narratives. No one seems to take much notice of this but narrative is the fundamental way in which the mind works, according to Bakhtin (1886)” (p.3).
Rosen (in MacLure) refers to the concept of narrative as the ‘irrepressible genre’; it is international, transhistorical , transcultural: it is simply there like life itself....There are widespread claims that the real significance of narrative is that it is a fundamental way in which the mind works... [which] suggests that narrative is at the heart of our mental and social processes.
“The inner speech we use is learned in social interaction. We use the experiences of such discourse to handle our experience narratively in our minds. It would be unusual to find people who would not admit to telling stories in their heads. We daydream and dream in narratives. No one seems to take much notice of this but narrative is the fundamental way in which the mind works, according to Bakhtin (1886)” (p.3).
Oral Language as a Base for Reading and Writing
According to Thorn (1974), oral language--must be the first consideration at all levels of the school program because in a language-centred classroom, students use talk purposefully to further their study objectives and meet set goals. In addition, she elucidates, oral proficiency is reflected in increased ability to write and read.
Thorn further stresses that an individual’s dependence on oral language as a base for writing and reading is apparent in the initial stages of learning when the beginning reader/writer first tests the sentence orally. Moreover, “oracy is important to the development of a congenial classroom situation” and allows students to use language to facilitate smooth group procedures (pp. 114-116).
"In his talk he creates a personal context; nobody else can do it for him because it has got to be in relation to his own experience. And he does that, above all, in his talk “ (p. 116).
Thorn further stresses that an individual’s dependence on oral language as a base for writing and reading is apparent in the initial stages of learning when the beginning reader/writer first tests the sentence orally. Moreover, “oracy is important to the development of a congenial classroom situation” and allows students to use language to facilitate smooth group procedures (pp. 114-116).
"In his talk he creates a personal context; nobody else can do it for him because it has got to be in relation to his own experience. And he does that, above all, in his talk “ (p. 116).
Instructional Design for Today's Learner
Every pedagogue knows the importance of learner characteristics to instructional design. Daigre ( ) succinctly emphasizes this point when she states that “learner styles are key in developing effective instructional design materials….The instructional designer must be able to identify the target audience…[specific] to four categories of learner characteristics: cognitive, physiological, affective, and social.
This is particularly relevant for the teacher seeking to integrate technology into the reading instruction domain. As such, it is first necessary to take cognizance of the distinctive attributes of today’s twenty-first century learner—the Millennial Learner who has been profiled by Monaco and Martin as being a socially active team-oriented, optimistic, technologically-savvy type individual possessing the desire to participate in constructing his/her own knowledge.
With this in mind, it is interesting to note Howard Gardner’s lament that is that all too often, formal schooling often neglects the multiple ways of knowing
This is particularly relevant for the teacher seeking to integrate technology into the reading instruction domain. As such, it is first necessary to take cognizance of the distinctive attributes of today’s twenty-first century learner—the Millennial Learner who has been profiled by Monaco and Martin as being a socially active team-oriented, optimistic, technologically-savvy type individual possessing the desire to participate in constructing his/her own knowledge.
With this in mind, it is interesting to note Howard Gardner’s lament that is that all too often, formal schooling often neglects the multiple ways of knowing
Literacy: A Global Concern
Reading literacy and by extension text comprehension--remains a priority aim of education systems worldwide. As such, text comprehension may be considered the fundamental principle of reading and learning.
The learner, cannot be considered to have truly read if that individual has not fully comprehended i.e. made sense of the text; the development of students’ comprehension skills, therefore, is of critical importance in today’s vast, dynamic technological and digital global environment.
Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts can facilitate effective instruction in text comprehension which is the bedrock of the reading act and appropriate skills and strategies that build comprehension must be taught explicitly to assist students in becoming effective, independent readers to fully comprehend a variety of texts—informational or literary.
This raises serious concerns about the nature of instructional strategies for developing students’ text comprehension skills in relation to students’ attainment of Essential Learning Outcomes.
The learner, cannot be considered to have truly read if that individual has not fully comprehended i.e. made sense of the text; the development of students’ comprehension skills, therefore, is of critical importance in today’s vast, dynamic technological and digital global environment.
Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts can facilitate effective instruction in text comprehension which is the bedrock of the reading act and appropriate skills and strategies that build comprehension must be taught explicitly to assist students in becoming effective, independent readers to fully comprehend a variety of texts—informational or literary.
This raises serious concerns about the nature of instructional strategies for developing students’ text comprehension skills in relation to students’ attainment of Essential Learning Outcomes.
Text Comprehension Defined
According to Webster's Dictionary, comprehension is "the capacity for understanding fully; the act or action of grasping with the intellect, and to understand the meaning of written or printed matter.” In short, reading is comprehension i.e. understanding written text. Essentially, it is thought guided by print.
Richard Anderson of the Commission on Reading of the IRA (2008) defines reading as the process of constructing meaning from written texts; he further articulates skilled reading as:
•“constructive: reasoning about written material using knowledge from everyday life and disciplines;
•fluent: demonstrating automaticity i.e. mastering of basic reading processes so that attention is freed for the analysis of meaning;
•strategic: controlling one’s reading in relation to one’s purpose, the nature of the material and whether one is comprehending”.
Identifying words on a page does not make someone a successful reader. When the words are understood and transcend the pages to become thoughts and ideas then [one can be said to be] truly reading. Comprehension, therefore, is the capacity for understanding those thoughts and ideas”
Richard Anderson of the Commission on Reading of the IRA (2008) defines reading as the process of constructing meaning from written texts; he further articulates skilled reading as:
•“constructive: reasoning about written material using knowledge from everyday life and disciplines;
•fluent: demonstrating automaticity i.e. mastering of basic reading processes so that attention is freed for the analysis of meaning;
•strategic: controlling one’s reading in relation to one’s purpose, the nature of the material and whether one is comprehending”.
Identifying words on a page does not make someone a successful reader. When the words are understood and transcend the pages to become thoughts and ideas then [one can be said to be] truly reading. Comprehension, therefore, is the capacity for understanding those thoughts and ideas”
According to the National Language Arts Curriculum Guide, Language Arts incorporates a number of skills. These should not be developed in isolation. The recommendad approach is to integrate. To what extent have our teachers been using this approach in their reading instruction?
According to the document, "the skills do not operate independently of each other and therefore must be developed simultaneously in the classroom. The neglect of one skill can lead to reduced facility in the other".
The following position outlined in the Curriculum Plicy document is a useful guide to teachers across content areas:
Reading provides the vocabulary, expressions, ideas and stylistic devices, which the student can transfer to writing and speaking. Through the skill of listening, the student can also gain information, which can filter into his/her speech and writing. Media and visual literacy facilitates and is facilitated by reading and writing and provides another medium through which students can communicate.
All the skills are informed by thinking and consequently, additional skills are gained by the students. They learn to think critically, analyse problems and draw conclusions.
Thus, they become critical, discerning individuals who are aware of what is taking place in their society and who are able to respond to it. It becomes important, therefore, for the teacher to develop all these skills in the language classroom:
LISTENING
SPEAKING
LITERATURE
READING
WRITING
MEDIA AND VISUAL LITERACY
According to the document, "the skills do not operate independently of each other and therefore must be developed simultaneously in the classroom. The neglect of one skill can lead to reduced facility in the other".
The following position outlined in the Curriculum Plicy document is a useful guide to teachers across content areas:
Reading provides the vocabulary, expressions, ideas and stylistic devices, which the student can transfer to writing and speaking. Through the skill of listening, the student can also gain information, which can filter into his/her speech and writing. Media and visual literacy facilitates and is facilitated by reading and writing and provides another medium through which students can communicate.
All the skills are informed by thinking and consequently, additional skills are gained by the students. They learn to think critically, analyse problems and draw conclusions.
Thus, they become critical, discerning individuals who are aware of what is taking place in their society and who are able to respond to it. It becomes important, therefore, for the teacher to develop all these skills in the language classroom:
LISTENING
SPEAKING
LITERATURE
READING
WRITING
MEDIA AND VISUAL LITERACY
While doing some general reading to inform my use of instructional strategies to develop reading competence, I encountered some intersting concepts pertaining to the process of decoding and reading instruction in general. This brought some much needed clarity; reading, truly, is a complex enterprise involving prior knowlwdge, phonemic awareness and phonological awareness which would best be taught in context and promoting oracy can definitely support enhance language skills mastery.
The process of decoding involves a recognition of letter-sound correspondences, the ability to blend letters together to make words, being able to use chunks of letters (e.g. –ick, ill, and etc.) and comparing words (e.g. strike with like)-- McKenna (2009).
“Phonological awareness refers to a sensitivity to any size unit of sound.…Users of an alphabetic written system record the smallest unit of sound of their spoken language in print” Yopp (2002): Putting the National Reading Panel Report into Practice: Articles from the IRA.
Speaking as Process: “...the speaker has to choose elements of language that are temporal and sequenced. [Oral] language is [a] most effective form…because it also forces speakers to select an ordered sequence of items that occur in rule-governed patterns” Wilkinson (1965).
“Background knowledge and prior experience are critical to the reading process….Language development has been found to correlate with reading success….It is important to provide students with daily positive experiences involving stories and other literature, such as reading and telling stories through literal, interpretive and critical discussions” (Braunger and Lewis (NCTE, 2006).
The process of decoding involves a recognition of letter-sound correspondences, the ability to blend letters together to make words, being able to use chunks of letters (e.g. –ick, ill, and etc.) and comparing words (e.g. strike with like)-- McKenna (2009).
“Phonological awareness refers to a sensitivity to any size unit of sound.…Users of an alphabetic written system record the smallest unit of sound of their spoken language in print” Yopp (2002): Putting the National Reading Panel Report into Practice: Articles from the IRA.
Speaking as Process: “...the speaker has to choose elements of language that are temporal and sequenced. [Oral] language is [a] most effective form…because it also forces speakers to select an ordered sequence of items that occur in rule-governed patterns” Wilkinson (1965).
“Background knowledge and prior experience are critical to the reading process….Language development has been found to correlate with reading success….It is important to provide students with daily positive experiences involving stories and other literature, such as reading and telling stories through literal, interpretive and critical discussions” (Braunger and Lewis (NCTE, 2006).
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