At the beginning of the semester, my understanding of literacy development was initially challenged and expanded as I considered and reflected on Kucer's (2015) four dimensions of literacy, which he calls "varied and dynamic:" linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural, and developmental. As we have studied various aspects of literacy throughout the semester, I recognize that literacy development is a lifelong journey and not a one-time destination for all of us. Before being in this course, I had a very limited view and impression of literacy and how to work with students to help them learn to read and write. But now, I have the unique opportunity to provide my students with various avenues to explore and grow in their literacy development with the many components of literacy we've discussed in this class. As Kucer (2015) argues, "despite what literacy curricula may indicate, there are many paths to literacy and no one-size-fits-all" (p. 22). I've learned a great deal about these "many paths" from Tompkins et al. (2022), Muhammad (2021) and the various articles we read, discussed, and compared and contrasted. Moreover, the Deeper Dive Discussions effectively solidified different ideas and activities while simultaneously demonstrating ways to implement various literacy strategies.
In the Cline & Necochea (2002) and the Yoon (2019) articles, emergent literacy practices were highlighted in ways that will help me support my ELLs students by focusing on the valuable funds of knowledge and storytelling traditions they bring to their learning instead of seeing them come into the classroom with deficits compared to Western-based values of preparing students to learn to read and write. Muhammad (2022) also provides a wealth of ideas to approach and weave into the literacy development curriculum as I consider Historically Responsive Literacy pursuits: identity, skills, intellect, and criticality. In my work as an ENL teacher, I have seen the benefits of using a variety of texts, including picture books, narratives, expository texts, audiobooks, and videos, to provide differentiation and consideration of different learning styles. In addition, giving students different perspectives on the same topic helps not only with their comprehension but also intertwines the HRL pursuits that are so important for their understanding of the diverse world we live in and the vital contributions of all students, no matter their backgrounds.
In Tompkins et al. (2022) and articles on spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension, I now understand the importance of scaffolding, think-alouds, and working with individual students to discover what strategies work for them in their literacy development. Tompkins et al. (2022) give a wealth of ideas for "instructional procedures" such as grand conversations, semantic feature analysis, language experience approach, and possible sentences that provide ways for teachers to make learning these different aspects of literacy exploratory, fun, and personal. Students are actively involved in learning how to read and write and can see what they already know and how to connect their knowledge with the new knowledge they are learning. These are great ways to prepare our students for learning which Hammond (2019) argues is so important for students to thrive and grow in their learning development or, as Muhammad (2021) would contend, "to cultivate the genius" of all of our students as well as bring out "joy" in learning for all of our students, no matter their cultures, backgrounds, or experiences. The more we can help excite students about the journey of learning and involve them in their own learning, the more they will desire lifelong learning.
Finally, keeping a blog was helpful because we covered many aspects and ideas about literacy development. The blog has been a way to reflect and consider all that we have read, reviewed, discussed, compared and contrasted, and evaluated as it relates to how we will teach literacy development in our classes. This blog has aided me in considering all that I'm learning and how to incorporate these ideas and strategies into my teaching. Reading literacy development thoughts and ideas from my classmates' blogs has also been enlightening to ascertain how they are digesting and reflecting on this information. Overall, using this blog and receiving input from Dr. Jones and my classmates is yet another example of an effective and creative strategy I can use in my classroom for the literacy development of my students.
References
Cline, Z., & Necochea, J. (2003). My Mother Never Read to Me [Review of My Mother Never Read to Me]. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47(2).
Kucer, S. (2015). Literacy: Varied, Dynamic, and Multidimensional. Journal of Family Strengths, 15(2). http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/jfs/vol15/iss2/1
Muhammad, G. (2020). Cultivating genius: an equity framework for culturally
and historically responsive literacy. Scholastic.
Yoon, H. S. (2019). Playful Literacies, Creativity, and Multilingual Practices. The
Reading Teacher, 72(5), 551–557. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1788
Zaretta Hammond: Using Neuroscience to Help Students | #PLtogether. (2021). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiOrIN2oJi8
I am pleased you found this to be a beneficial tool for deepening your own learning, Lida. I certainly found reading your journal an enjoyable experience.
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