How Has Literacy in Schools Developed?

1469 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literacy History Essay

How has literacy in schools developed?

There is a wide range of literature presenting the importance of developing strong literacy skills in order to prepare pupils for their future lives. Literacy is not just directly linked to employability, an evident area to which young people must bring the skill of effective communication, but also about functioning in day-to-day life, hence the term “functional literacy” (Gordon, 2007) . However I would also further link high literacy levels with research concerning literacy as inseparable from social justice and democracy (see Cox, cited in Gordon, 2007). If we are not able to communicate effectively with the world in which we live and thus contribute to decisions which affect our lives and those of the people around us then we are never able to fulfil our potential as global citizens.

In recent years the importance placed on the development on literacy in schools has increased significantly. Following a renewed focus on literacy in Primary schools caused by the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy (DfEE, 1998a), secondary schools similarly felt the impact with the Review of Secondary Education 1993-97 (DfEE, 1998b) a publication which was met with recognition regarding the developments in literacy which needed to be made by secondary schools (Lewis & Wray, 2000). However this focus on the importance of developing literacy skills in the literature can be linked back as far as the publication of the Bullock Report (Lewis & Wray, 2000), in which historical context outlines the deficiency in many adults’ command of the English Language.

Since the publication of the aforementioned strategies and reviews, many initiatives promoting literacy in secondary schools have been imp...

... middle of paper ...

...in recent years (Logan and Johnston, 2009), an issue which is of particular relevance when considering the aforementioned literature discussing boy’s reading habits and achievement. As such, this study’s aims to focus on boys’ literacy development, particularly considering reading for pleasure: namely the ways in which it is promoted and developed throughout the school, and the boys’ attitude and motivation towards this skill.

In order to gain data concerning both teachers’ and students’ viewpoints regarding the effectiveness of literacy strategies throughout the curriculum the main research methods employed in this study are interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. Following analysis of the data I will then discuss future recommendations for the school’s literacy initiatives and reflect on my own professional development in light of the findings.

Show More
Related

  • Elementary Reading Interest Survey Analysis

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    On October 10th, 2017 at Springhurst Elementary School, I conducted a “Reading Interest Survey” and the “Elementary Reading Attitude Survey.” These surveys were conducted on a 1st grade student, Jax, to determine what his feelings are towards reading in different settings, what genres he prefers to read, and interests. It was found that Jax doesn’t mind reading, but prefers a few different topics. This was evident through his raw score of 30 on recreational reading, and a raw score of 31 on academic reading.

    Read More

  • The Illiteracy Problem in America

    409 Words  | 1 Pages

    Literacy programs should be an integral component of every community. Not only do these programs serve adults and foreigners, but they also serve those that live with the problems of poverty throughout their daily lives. In 2000-2001, 15.7% of students missed 21 or more days during the school year. Students who miss many days of school because of illnesses beyond their control often fall behind in their studies. Many literacy programs help these students excel in what otherwise would have been a deficiency in their learning.

    Read More

  • The Crisis in Adolescent Literacy

    2250 Words  | 5 Pages

    Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...

    Read More

  • Integrating Music and Reading for Effective Learning

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pearson UK (n.d.) stated “Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.”

    Read More

  • Analyzing a School Literacy Program

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gomez, L. M., & Gomez, K. (2007). Reading for learning: Literacy supports for 21st-century work. Phi

    Read More

  • Analysis Of In Defense Of Literacy, By Wendell Berry

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “In Defense of Literacy,” Wendell Berry explains literacy is a requirement, not an embellishment. Literacy is more than the ability to just read and write; it's also the ability to understand what a person is reading and make sense in what a person is writing. While some people may think that achieving literacy requires hard work and gets little outcome, I think that literacy makes people more ambitious, confident, more attentive, and more prosperous in life than those who are not literate. Joining in on conversations and voicing ones philosophies is easier if people are literate and educated, and people feel worthy of themselves when they have the ability to do so. People are more determined in life, whether it is with their professions

    Read More

  • Personal Philosophy Of Literacy

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man,

    Read More

  • Literacy

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literacy is defined as “the ability to use available symbol systems that are fundamental to learning and teaching for the purposes of comprehending and composing, for the purposes of making and communicating meaning and knowledge” (Stock, 2012), and it is one of the most essential skills that an early year student will learn. Literacy serves to provide the building blocks for the continued knowledge acquisition and general education of individuals of all ages; by working to understand and identify how and why literacy is taught using the structured literacy block format in Australian schools, and in identifying the benefits of utilizing this type of tool for teaching literacy in student’s early years, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of the organization, planning, and teaching approaches that are used in a literacy block approach. A sample standard literacy block will be provided, offering the means of understanding the applications of the tool, which will serve to further stress the necessity of this tool’s usage.

    Read More

  • Philosophy Of Literacy Instruction

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literature is a key component when speaking of literacy. Teachers need to provide students with endless amounts of practice experiences in reading to build their fluency rate. This should be done with different genres of texts and different levels. Reading a wide variety of literature help children develop rich vocabularies.

    Read More

  • Six Components of Reading

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (5th ed., pp. 12-286). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

    Read More

  • My Philosophy Of Reading And Writing Curriculum

    2147 Words  | 5 Pages

    While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.

    Read More

  • Developing My Personal Literacy Skills

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (4th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

    Read More

  • Teaching Literacy

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Literacy is an on-going skill that teachers and students alike should commonly study and practice in all grades. Problems faced by teachers, especially teachers in higher grades, are not having the skills to be effective teachers of literacy. To effectively teach literacy across content areas, a teacher would need skills such as knowledge of the reading process and the ability to cultivate the knowledge gained in order to make informed decisions within their classrooms (Clary, Oglan, Styslinger,

    Read More

  • Essay On Literacy

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are some theoreticians who view literacy in a form of social practice. In their view, social issues are also important components, as well as linguistic competence and understanding cognitive processes in language studies. Freire (1974) views literacy not only as a process of knowledge transformation, but also as a relationship of learners to the world. Vygotsky (1978) suggests two stages of development at social and individual level. In his view, literacy is a phenomenon that is created, shared, and changed by the members of a society. Gee (1996) similarly argues that becoming literate means apprenticeship with texts and apprenticeships in particular ways of being. In summary, literacy practices are not just about language, but about their interrelation with social practices.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Literacy Essay

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    The importance of literacy is how it opens up the world to the reader, or writer. Through literacy, we can shape our thinking on certain topics or create original thought. The vivid detail inside of writing can allow the reader to picture the writing through their own mind without pictures, or any outside help. Malcolm X, who wrote “Literacy Behind Bars”, a literacy narrative about his time in prison, described how the world opened up to him through his readings, and how incredible his life was thereafter through his learning to read and write. Literacy enables you to formulate thought, thus allowing you to formulate opinions about certain social, political, or any other range of topics from an education in literacy.

    Read More

More about How Has Literacy in Schools Developed?

Open Document