In the study performed by Cairney and Munsie, Parent participation in literacy learning, the relationship between parents, teachers, and the community was explored in regard to their children’s literacy development. Researchers believe that parental involvement has become a term that means different things to different people, and makes expectations between parents and teachers difficult to maintain. Cairney and Munsie believe that by using the Talk to a Literacy Learner program (TTALL) they can break down the barriers between home and school “to enable both teachers and parents to understand the way each defines, values, and uses literacy as part of cultural practices.” (Cairney & Munsie, 1995) The authors of this study aim to bring parents to a place where they are more intimately involved in the literacy development of their children, and establish a stronger relationship with the schools. Through this they wish to change the nature of interactions adults have with their children as they’re learning to read and write, introduce parents to new literacy practices related to schooling, and increase involvement within the community. Within Parent participation in literacy learning, the researchers design their study by establishing three distinct stages over a period of 18 months. Within the first stage, researchers choose 25 parents to interact more effectively with their children as they are engaged in literacy activities. Parents would learn more literacy practices related to success in schooling, and would make use of better resources within their community. This would require an attendance of parents at sixteen 2-hour workshops, over a period of 8 weeks. Once they have reached stage two, they would train 15 of the par... ... middle of paper ... ...es their child’s literacy. As shown in the study Welcoming Families: A Parent Literacy Project in a Linguistically Rich, High-Poverty School when parents are raising their children in a bilingual home, it is often difficult to be sure of how to aid their children in reading activities, especially if they are unsure of how to read in English as well. Parents are shown to be one of the strongest influences on their children’s literacy development, and often they are in need of help by their local schools in order to be able to aid their children to the best of their abilities. Works Cited Barone, D. (2011). Welcoming Families: A Parent Literacy Project in a Linguistically Rich, High-Poverty School. Day Care & Early Education. doi:10.1007/s10643-010-0424-y Cairney, T., & Munsie, L. (1995). Parent participation in literacy learning. The Reading Teacher. 392-403.
Brandt (1998) defines Sponsors of literacy as, “any agents, local or distinct, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy--and gain advantage by it in some way.” (p. 166) What this means is that anyone who is involved in engaging others into learning literacy is a sponsor of their knowledge of literacy, and their ability to read and write. Today in the United States, most people learn to read and write through their parents, and through public schooling. However, there are those circumstances where gaining the knowledge becomes very difficult for some people than others. Brandt gives a number of examples of this in the journal she wrote,
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.
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,
The article then went on to talk about how a suburban Massachusetts city held professional development to learn about the Latino students and held two Family Literacy nights with the Latino families. During the professional development the teachers did activities that promoted “the teachers to think about their own cultural perspectives and recognize multiple perspectives as well as cultural linguistics differences(Colombo, 2005, p. 2).”
Morrow, L. M., and Young, J. Parent, Teacher, and Child Participation in a Collaborative Family Literacy Program: The Effects on Attitude, Motivation, and Literacy Achievement Reading Research Report no. 64. College Park, MD, and Athens, GA: National Reading Research Center, 1996. (ED 398 551)
The number of English language learning (ELL) students in the U.S. has grown dramatically in the last decade. According to a 1991 national study, there are over 2,300,000 students in grades K through 12 who are English language learners (August & Hakuta, 1997). This number has grown by over 1,000,000 since 1984. The majority of these students are Spanish-speakers (73%), followed by Vietnamese-speakers (3.9%). Because the overwhelming proportions of ELL students are Spanish speakers, the issue of bilingual education is largely a Latino one. No other language group makes up more than 4% of limited English proficient students. What complicates the issue of education for language minority students is their low socioeconomic status. 80% of ELL students are poor, and most attend schools where the majority of students also live in poverty and are English language learners. There is some difference in the level of poverty among language groups. Here, again, Latinos are disproportionately represented: 57% of Spanish-speaking families earn less than $20,000 compared to, for example, only 35% of families where Asian/Pacific Island languages are spoken (McArthur, 1993). Poverty has many implications for educational achievement, for example, parents' educational attainment mirror income levels, and parents' educational achievement is highly linked to that of their children's.
prioritize early childhood development, such that children are systematically exposed to learning opportunities from an early age and expected to do well (Minkov, 2011). Families that do not speak English as a native language might lack the money to purchase educational materials for younger children, and parents in such families might also lack the time for interaction, given that many fathers and mothers in non-English-speaking communities are working multiple jobs solely to survive (Tillman, 2009).
For a literate family, literacy begins in the home when parents read to their child and have books in the home. Reading aloud to children is a very important part of early literacy because it “encourages children to form a positive association with books and reading later in life” (Reach Out and Read, 2015). Both of Jenny’s parents could
The narrative examples expressed in the text of “ Sponsors of Literacy,” assisted the illustration of Brandt’s central point by clearing stated the obstacle then correlating the event to the different types of sponsoring. Sponsorer have been known to be parents, older ancestors, priests, Influential authors, mentors, and supervisors. These individuals always find a way to smooth the roads ahead for us. Helping us by guiding us through the obstacles, we believe we can’t overcome. In the text below, I have summarized the sections into three sections, as well as provided brief examples that go more into depth of their personal outcomes. Three types of sponsoring discussed in this article are Sponsorship and Access, Sponsorship and Rise in Literacy Standards, and Sponsorship and Appropriation in Literacy learning.
As a mean to supporting family engagement and child’s learning, it is crucial that programs implement strategies for developing partnerships with families. But do the children benefit from effective family engagement? Family engagement pertains to all young children across ethnic backgrounds and early childhood education programs. Parents from diverse backgrounds, when given direction, can become more engaged with their children. Family Engagement is important for young children’s skill. The skills include literacy, cognitive, math, and social development. When the families engage in their children’s education with the help of other educator’s assistance, this supports the early childhood learning, which is a very critical part to success
Parents and children are encouraged to visit the public library to get a library card and check out books, and/ or go on field trips to the Local Library. Parents are offered an evidenceevidence based family literacy training Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors that consists of: Parents as their child’s first teacher, practicing family
As a teacher, you need to encourage all attempts at reading, writing, speaking, and allowing children to experience the different functions and use of literacy activity (The Access Center, n.d.). Moreover, it is crucial for educators to understand phonological awareness and phonics; know what constitutes good children’s literature and how to use it; know children who need additional assistance with beginning reading and writing (Cunningham et al, 2004 as cited in McLachlan et al, 2013, p. 112). Educators also need to plan effective activities to assist children experience reading aloud, listening to other children read aloud, listening to tape recordings, and videotapes so children have opportunities to integrate and extend their literacy knowledge (The Access Center, n.d.). Morrow (1990 as cited in The Access Center, n.d.) notes that classroom with greater teacher facilitation promote literacy behaviours, so it is educators’ role to provide literacy rich
In accordance to DeWalt et al (2004), the ability to acquire knowledge is of utmost importance as successful learning, subsequently prompts prosperity and wellbeing. Furthermore, an individuals’ capacity to acquire knowledge, in turn facilitates lifelong learning (Perkins, 2009). Lifelong learning begins in early life, and the home, educational and societal environments play an integral role in the development of a child’s language and literacy skills (Lingard, Nixon & Ranson, 2008). Furthermore, Thompson (2003) proclaims that a profound awareness of a child’s “virtual school bag” is imperative for efficacious literacy instruction as it encompasses “various cultural and linguistic resources” (The English Teacher Guru, 2012). Within all aspects of the curriculum, literacy is inherently associate with
Parental involvement promotes the social growth of a child. Children whose parents are involved in their education have many advantages. They have better grades, test scores, long-term academic achievement, attitudes and behavior than those with disinterested mothers and fathers (Gestwicki, 2001). Parents becoming involved in their child's schooling creates extra sources of social constraint to influence the child's behavior (McNeal, 2001). For example, parents talking to their children and becoming involved in the school conveys a message to the child of education being important. Parents should be talking with your children's teacher and letting her know about your family. The more she knows about your child, the better she will be able to connect with your child.
This article discussed the views and opinions of both parents and teachers in regards to beginning reading. Literacy development is a major issue within early primary classrooms. Parent’s views on this were that literacy development is the responsibility of the school. The foundation of literacy definitely comes from the school but it is at home where it is practiced and reinforce and may even overarch the schools responsibility. Children whose parents are unable to assist them at home with their literacy development definitely fall out in respect to ongoing help and support. Children in my primary school classes whose parents were unable to help them struggled with their reading, word recognition and literacy skills the entire way through primary school. This shows that literacy development is not primarily the schools responsibility but the child’s parents at home also.