Literacy For All

As an educator, one of my main objectives is for my students to enhance and gain confidence in their literacy skills. Although this week’s readings highlight the importance of literacy for all, the readings also acknowledge that equity of access continues to be a major problem in education (Christie, 1988). According to Lankshear (1989) literacy includes such a broad spectrum of components that it should be referred to in the plural. However, for this reading response, I choose to focus on literacy as it is linked to social practices and secondly, what it means to have literacy not work for the marginalized groups.

I agree with Luke (1991) that there is a lot more to literacy than learning to read and write. During my years of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to students in all the stages of second-language acquisition and literacy development, my role as a teacher very often changes to provide support and intervention to these students. In planning an effective program for ESL students, it is impossible to separate the social practices embedded in the teaching of literacy. Culture and cultural awareness are two of the key words that must be considered in the development of the coursework. For example, due to the cultural differences of the students, the communicative language approach is used as the bases for the selected teaching strategies. These approaches provide opportunities for ESL students to engage in interactive, fun and practical activities that foster communication. For example, language components are taught through drama, storytelling and games. Consequently, in such supportive and relaxing experiences, the students acquire a greater sense of confidence in using the targeted language (Coelho, 2004).

Furthermore, Luke (1991) acknowledges that teachers who teach language addresses the academic as well as the social development of students. ESL teachers provide a listening ear to ESL students when they discuss family issues, adjustment challenges and other systemic barriers. Willms (1997) has further explained that people are accepted in a culture with the acquisition of its language that allows them to socialize and to increase their knowledge (http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jul97/willms.pdf).

Another focus in this week’s readings is the identification of factors that contribute to the low literacy rate among the underclass, working class and visible minorities. Seven out of the eight readings for this week identify and highlight groups that are at risk of low literacy. Lankshear (1989) identifies the underclass as “exclusively black” (pg. 170); Rich’s article (1979) notes that there has been an assumption, in one school, that the black and Puerto Rican freshmen are of “inferior intelligence” (pg. 55) and Stuckey (1991) describes the working-class people as “getting their living primarily by addressing things. They work on or beside machines” (pg.7).

It is good to see that many of these researchers are able to identify the problem and the causes of the increasing number of illiterate students. However, the readings left me with more questions than answers. Some of the questions are: why is nothing being done about the welfare trap? Most single women will be elated to be given their independence. Secondly, is the education system a systemic process of intimidation and discrimination for blacks and visible minorities?

I know it might take decades before the root sources of these societal issues pertaining to literacy and the underclass, working class and visible minorities can be resolved. However, it is one of my greatest hopes that these issues will one day become a priority in the political and administration realm, and not just topics of discussion that can generate a barrage of statistical data.

References

Christie, F. (1988). Language, access and success, Language and Education, pp.1-12.

Coelho, E. (2004). Adding English: A Guide to Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms, Toronto: Pippin Publishing Corporation.

Lankshear, C. (1989). Reading and Writing Wrongs: Literacy and the underclass. Language and Education. Vol. 3, No. 3.

Luke, A. (1991). Literacies as social practices: English Education, pp.131-147. ISBN/ISSN: 78204.

Rich, A. (1979). Teaching language in open admission, in Lies, secrets and silences, Virago Press, pp. 51-68.

Stuckey, J.L. (1991). Literacy and social class, in J.L. Stuckey, The Violence of Literacy, Heineman Educational Books, pp.1-20.

http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jul97/willms.pdf. Retrieved April 27, 2009.