Developing Literacy

Defining developing LiteracyrnDictionaries sometimes define literacy as the capability to read and write. Discussions about the topic sometimes suggest that people fall into one of two categories—those who are literate and those who are illiterate. Issues related to literacy, however, aren’t so obviously defined. Possibly a good starting point for discussing some of these issues are with the accepting that illiteracy, as a distinct state, does not really exist. It is more precise to think of the literacy growth of any person as being on a range of increasing capability, with no one being at the point of zero. From the moment of birth—or maybe even sooner—kids begin the process of “reading” their surroundings and learning the details of language. Becoming literate, in this view, is a dynamic process, through which literacy-related competencies grow and change. Over time and with suitable motivation, the competencies required for reading and writing appear. Emergent Literacy versus Reading Instructionrnfew would quarrel the benefits of reading to kids during their early years as a way of nurturing language development. Reading to kids is, in fact, a major way of teaching literacy. Teacher training Mumbai , in an effort to respect the practice of reading to children, referred to the activity as the “lap method” of teaching literacy. Associating the word “method” with literacy, however, is not meant to imply that we adopt any one approach or mixture of approaches to promote developing literacy. Approaches and methods may fall within the realm of understanding instruction, but are not reliable with the idea of developing literacy. Formal reading instruction, particularly if introduced too early and if focused on “skill and drill,” can actually hold up with developing literacy. Literacy is much broader than reading; and ways of achieving literacy-related competencies go beyond “methods of instruction.” Literacy development can, in fact, be supported in a broad range of settings and activities, some of which engage no print at all. There are many difficult ways of learning to read and write. Some of these ways fall into the category of “folk practices,” that is, practices connected with what many parents and kids often do at home. In most instances, there is little consideration to teaching literacy. In addition to reading to kids, other “folk practices” which promote literacy include “playing” with different sounds and conversing about a topic of mutual interest. According to early childhood education, even activities as “crawling and drawing, chatting and imitating” teach literacy. Supporting Parents in Literacy-Related Activities at Homernwhile many parents may, indeed, obviously promote developing literacy through certain “folk practices” mentioned earlier, some parents might presume that they should be doing something more or different to teach early reading. Other parents, who may be already trying to read to their children, may be making poor book selections and/or ignoring their kid’s comments and questions about the reading. Thus, it’s essential for teachers to direct and support parents in developing literacy at home. Studies focusing on parents of successful readers found that they do more than simply read to their kids. They also connect in specific strategies, which maximize the reading experience. Early childhood care educators can play an significant role in sharing such strategies with parents. They first wrote the strategies in simple language and added pictures representing the strategies being implemented. They then shared these strategies with parents through workshops, printed materials, and videotapes. Following are examples of these strategies: a) Talk about the book with your kid before reading it; b) Use a passionate voice when reading aloud; and c) Let your kid ask questions about the book. ConclusionrnNo, developing literacy does not occur in a vacuum. Yet, it does occur without direct teaching when conditions favor its development. Such conditions are far more reliant on human patterns of development than on the materials provided.