Across the arch of my career as a teacher, I have traditionally thought of literacy in terms for the ability to read and write with adequate proficiency. Therefore, my reading activities in my courses have were principally designed to support those basic reading goals. And no wonder. That was not only the way I was taught to approach reading as a student, but it was also how I learn to think about it as a teacher in training. The instructional reading courses I took while preparing to be a teacher focused primarily on decoding and fluency, rather than any high-order literacy goals.
Another influencing factor has been the media’s narrow definition of fliteracy. The word “literacy” today seems to be frequently associated with images of politicized statistics regarding a specific population's (usually poor or underdeveloped populations) mere ability to read and write.
This definition deals with literacy at it’s most basic level; a technical ability to decode and reproduce language. Although, basic literacy is an essential skill necessary to a successful integration into the a world of larger opportunity, it is but a mere starting point for preparation of the type of intellectual empowerment that can lead to entry into college, well-paying jobs,economic success, and participation in the “dominant discourse” that provides access to the economic power.
In his book, Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning, Mike Schmoker makes an important distinction between basic literacy and authentic literacy. Schmoker wrote, “Generous amounts of close, purposeful reading, rereading, writing and talking...are the essence of authentic literacy.” He went on to say that these activities “are the foundation for a trained, powerful mind - and a promising future.”
Schmoker felt that students need to wrestled with the text, take it apart, re-read and re-work it through writing and argumentation until they develop a deep understanding of the text and are able to make their own meaning of it. In short, students need to read with a purpose greater than the text itself. Purposeful reading, according to Schmoker, should be guided by a specific, engaging question that provides students with an avenue for exploration, making connections, intellectual exchange, and higher order thinking.
Why then, do educators continue to focus so heavily on basic literacy and comprehension. I know that I myself have been guilty of viewing reading as an “activity” that “I should be doing more of” with my classes, rather than an essential part of a process of higher-order literacy. I have often found ways to squeeze reading into my curriculum, primarily as a means for building vocabulary and comprehension skills, but rarely as part of an integrated literacy strategy.
Sadly, that is how I have traditionally looked at reading as a world language teacher - it’s a checklist item, … but not something as important as grammar, vocabulary and speaking in terms of skill building. I’ve tended to view it as something I should do more of , or something I need to do in order to help prepare students for their future needs in higher level courses and the AP exam.
So much of my curriculum is indeed integrated; lessons, speaking, writing and listening activities, peer and teacher feedback. However, ever since I began teaching middle school level Spanish classes, I have found it harder and harder to integrate reading as anything other than an isolated activity for a number of reasons. First, I have found it difficult to find level-appropriate resources for my Spanish I classes, especially materials that link appropriately to the themes we are studying and the vocabulary that new language learners possess.
For many of my students, this is their first world language experience, so we are starting at ground zero. However, many of the readings geared toward beginners are very basic and superficial, and lack the substance necessary for meaningful extended writing or discussion activities.
The solution many, if not most, world language teachers utilize is following the sequence, themes, and readings of their textbook. I have found the use of a textbook to limiting in terms of its focus on a narrow set of rudimentary (and often disjointed) content and its limited themes and often irrelevant vocabulary. The readings in the textbook, although related to the publisher’s selected chapter themes and vocabulary are often very basic and inauthentic. Depending on the book and school budget, the readings can also be outdated and irrelevant. In my last textbook, there were still references to VCRs and VHS tapes. In my view, textbooks provide a clear sense of reading as a mere activity, unrelated to broader literacy goals.
Schmoker, however, does not see reading as isolated activity, but rather as part of an integrated process for building higher-order literacy and intellectual heft. His article leaves me wondering what I can do to integrate reading more authentically into the learning process.
This year, I will be attempting some new approaches that incorporate more, and a greater variety of, writing assignments and related discussions. The challenge will be finding authentic, level-appropriate readings that braid naturally into that literacy process. It will not be easy, and I might make some incorrect choices or try some things that don’t work. However, this year will be a good starting point to find shorter, more relevant readings from different sources. I plan to develop techniques and strategies that allow students to more meaningfully engage with the text through reading, writing and discussion.
Some ideas that I have include using social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. to engage students around more current, briefer readings that might be more relevant to their experiences and that will hopefully foster reflection, engaging conversation and debate. I am currently working on setting up a partnership with classes at the Aquinas School in Madrid. My students will be engaged in storytelling through social media this year. They will study how people tell stories through social media, by reading, analyzing and discussing social media pieces. Then they will work in writing teams to tell stories of things happening on the Malvern campus this year. They will hopefully be able to share these written pieces with their partners in Madrid via a shared Facebook page. One goal would be for the students to read each other’s works and provide feedback and comments to each other (in their target language). My hope is that this will add authenticity to the reading, writing and discussion experience and lead to more authentic literacy.
