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Understanding and solving the problem of illiteracy
Understanding and solving the problem of illiteracy
Thesis on illiteracy
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Like Father, Like Son: Can the cycle of illiteracy be broken? Other People’s Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy by Victoria Purcell-Gates recounts the author’s two-year journey with an illiterate Appalachian family. Purcell-Gates works with Jenny, the mother, and her son, first grader Donny, to analyze the literacy within the household. Throughout the journey, we learn the definition and types of literacy, the influences of society and the environment, and the impacts of literacy on education from the teacher’s perspective. In order to evaluate literacy in the household, one must study multiple types, including functional, informational, and critical literacy. As the name implies, functional literacy incorporates reading and writing as tools for everyday survival. Informational literacy is used through text to communicate information to others. The highest level of literacy, critical literacy, requires critical interpretations and imaginative reflections of text. In her study, Purcell-Gates strives to teach Jenny and Donny functional literacy. Other People’s Words proves the significance that one’s community and culture have on one’s use of language and literacy. As with many children of illiterate parents, Donny was being raised in a home without books, library cards, bedtime stories, and …show more content…
According to Payne, casual language is a form of Registers of Language defined as, “Language between friends and is characterized by a 400- to 800-word vocabulary. Word choice is general and not specific” (27). The family was able to communicate throughout their community using casual language; however, they could not switch from register to register when needed. As validated by Donny’s story, children are greatly influenced by those around them. Children are most likely to follow in their parent’s footsteps, which contribute to the cycle of low
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
Critique of Nell K. Duke and Victoria Purcell-Gates' Genres at Home and at School: Bridging the Known to the New Nell K. Duke and Victoria Purcell-Gates insightful article, "Genres at home and at school: Bridging the known to the new" reports on genres found at home and at school for two groups of young children from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Duke and Gates identify genres commonly found in both settings, as well as those commonly found only in one setting or the other. Children encounter many different kinds of text in their daily life. There are many different kinds of written language used for many different reasons, especially at home and at school. This article suggests ways that being aware of genres young children encounter at home and at school offer opportunities to bridge home and school literacies and enhance children's literacy development.
The Tunnel” by Doris Lessing, and the second story is “Brothers Are The Same”, by Beryl
In some classrooms, teachers’ subconsciously use their language to establish negative relationships with literacy. For example, some teachers use reading and writing as a punishment or reference it as work instead of fun. Johnston (2004) said “ the way a teacher talks can position students differently in relations to what they are doing, learning, or studying” (p.9). In my opinion, this means that language has the power to influence student’s perception. Therefore, what teachers say and how they say it impacts how students feel about themselves and the world. But, some teacher may not realize how their words and tone towards literacy influences how children feel about it. In general, I think children in urban schools need to be exposed to language and literacy experiences that are positive and engaging. Instead of using reading and writing as a consequence, it could be used as a reward, or make it an option during free time just like any other fun activity. In general, I believe some teachers subconsciously use language to create negative relationships between students and literacy, but if teachers would be more mindful of the undertone of their language, children would perceive literacy differently (Johnston,
Knoblauch. Knoblauch shows that there are four main types of literacy that exist. These four types are functional literacy, cultural literacy, personal growth literacy, and critical literacy. Functional literacy is what people use for the very basic everyday functions. Cultural literacy depends on the type of group or people. This is passed down through generations along with cultural heritage. Personal growth literacy has to do with the way people develop cognitive thinking. Individuals in this group let their minds wander in their imaginations. The fourth type of literacy Knoblauch discusses is critical literacy. Critical literacy is very radical and deemed to be negative in society. This type of literacy opposes people and organizations with authority and urges people to strive for equal opportunities. Knoblauch concludes that even though there are several different types of literacy and people, or groups of people, use the type that they want or need literacy to be. They then use this type to try and make everyone else conform to their
Throughout Monzó and Rueda (2009)’s text, the children in conversations expressed their observation of the social order in relation to language and race. This was surprising to me since they are only in 5th grade. During a conversation with one of the children, Monzó and Rueda (2009) recorded an alarming statement, “He said that his mother could not be considered American because she did not speak English” (p.32).... ... middle of paper ...
Jones Diaz, C. (2007). Literacy as social practice. In L. Makin, C. Jones Diaz & L. McLachlan (Eds.), Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice. (pp. 203-216).Marrickville, NSW: Elsevier.
In 2008, Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow produced a raunchy comedy titled Step Brothers. From the beginning, this movie made my mind jumble. It has a hilarious plot line but skips around to make the flow confusing and scattered. Time inconsistently passes throughout the movie. Starting with Robert and Nancy meeting and instantly getting married then moving in, gives the movie a confusing beginning.
Rosin, Hanna. “Mother Inferior?” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. By Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 12th ed. Pearson, 2012. 265-268. Print.
Wiggins, Grant. Prentice Hall Literature: Language and Literacy. Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Pearson, 2010. Print.
As Yagelski put it, “this young woman wasn’t uninterested; she was angry about being perceived as unimportant,”(Yagelski, 2000, P.1) he hadn’t directly encountered such skepticism of something that he himself had full faith in before. Abby spoke through the perspective of one angry child raised outside the glory literacy was described to bring, but many more have also brought up their lack of belief in its value, one such individual was Elspeth Stuckey. Stuckey discussed the misinterpretation of literacy in society through the perspective of those that have yet to reach any governmental influence after advancing their literacy because of society’s class system holding them and certain groups beneath others. “Literacy, she says, does not inevitably lead to economic success and social opportunity, as our social mythologies would have us believe,” (Yagelski, 2000, P.3). Abby as well brought up the point that she felt irrelevant and miniscule in the grand scheme of political issues that take place far away from her daily life, and how can literacy actually take her to those
Their shock was a result of the common belief that literacy is solely the ability to read and write. According to the dominant culture, if one cannot read or write at an expected level, he or she is considered illiterate and thus must be caught up to speed with the rest of society. Consequently, when the majority of students failed the entrance test, they were viewed as illiterate and unable to communicate properly because they did not have adequate language skills, as explained by the “skills discourse” (Barton 160). However, a newer perspective on literacy is that it is not just based upon one’s ability to read and write in the dominant language. Instead, it is based upon people’s abilities to communicate in a variety of ways; these multiple methods of communicating with the world manifest themselves further and change as people experience more and change themselves. In the context of education and this new perspective on literacy, written works are not the only form of literacy in the classroom. Instead, teachers consider other forms of literacy familiar to students and use those forms to mold well-informed and self-sufficient students (Barton 206-208). Perhaps if Harvard had not labeled their prospective students as literate or illiterate based on writing and reading skills, the entire issue of abolishing versus
The song “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a great song during the Vietnam War era. The meaning of this song is about someone not wanting to go to then war and some of the lines in the song represent that. The line “Some folks are born made to wave the flag they’re red white and blue,” then it goes “it ain’t me, it ain’t me” this is definitely saying he does want to go to war. Muhammad Ali was one man that didn’t want to go to war, at the peak of the war which was March 9, 1966 he was drafted. The reason he didn’t want to go to the war was the fact he didn’t want to kill poor and hungry people in Vietnam.
Everyone has a mom and a dad, however some people only live with one of the parent. Some parents are single parent or some have remarried to a different person, thus giving the child a step parent. If the step parent is up for the challenge and parents correctly they can easily just become a motherly or fatherly figure instead of the step mom or step dad. Regardless, there are many differences between a mom and dad. They typically have different ideas on parenting styles, different attitudes towards certain experiences or ideas, etc. They are almost never completely on the same page, but if they are it is very well known it took quite some time to get there together.
The ability to receive information when not physically present with another person has enabled humans to communicate in a global way that was previously impossible (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Children learn to use written language from an early age, generally from their parents teaching them letters and numbers until they begin formal education in early primary school. The ability to read and write exposes children to written language in every aspect of their lives, they encounter written words every day and as they develop they are increasingly able to understand them and apply meaning to the things that they describe. As children grow up the types of written language that they experience change and as their understanding of written language increases the level of difficulty and content of the texts that they are exposed to increases as well. In early primary school children begin to read and write short words and sentences, the written language that they encounter is found in brightly coloured picture books and posters in the classroom. As they progress through formal schooling they begin to read and write short stories, they learn how to write reports and use technology such as computers and tablets to access written information and eventually learn to write essays and scientific reports, understand complex mathematical language and perhaps understand the visual symbols of musical language. Green (2006) argued that “Literacy empowers people”, he suggested that people are able to organise, have a voice and share their ideas more broadly through media and that literacy enables this. This is also applicable to children, they have strong opinions and feelings about issues and events in their lives and the ability to read and write allows them to express these views. The ability to communicate