scholarly journals Do I really have to Teach them to Read and Write? Education Equity Mindset and Teaching Literacy across the College Curriculum

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Louis S. Nadelson ◽  
Amy Baldwin ◽  
Amanda Martin ◽  
Ron Novy ◽  
Keith Pachlhofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Development ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
College Faculty ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Education Equity ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
College Curriculum ◽  
Gender And Age

Reading and writing are fundamental skills students need to succeed in college, making literacy development an issue of education equity. The literacy skills can be content-specific, indicating faculty members across disciplines need to support student development of appropriate literacy skills. The extent to which faculty members support student literacy development is likely associated with their literacy-focused education equity mindset. The goal of our research was to document the mindset of faculty members across multiple disciplines. We gathered a combination of quantitative and qualitative data from 345 college faculty members using a survey. We found variations in the mindset strength between disciplines by the number of students taught, gender, and age. Overall, the faculty members held a moderate literacy-focused education equity mindset. The findings have implications for student inclusion, retention, and completion.

Alternative Routes Toward Literacy for Individuals With Deafblindness

2020 ◽  
pp. 369-383
Author(s):  
Vassilios Argyropoulos ◽  
Magda Nikolaraizi ◽  
Maria Papazafiri
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Experiences ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Role Of Teachers ◽  
Alternative Routes

The aim of the current chapter is to describe alternative ways that can enhance literacy development for persons with deafblindness. The conventional concept of literacy, which concerns reading and writing, excludes persons with deafblindness from literacy experiences. Therefore, a broadened and more contemporary concept is supported, which incorporates communication. Within this broader concept, assistive technology can play an important role in the development of literacy and therefore facilitate the access of individuals who are deafblind in different domains of life. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the critical role of teachers and the importance of training that will enable them to exploit assistive technology in order to enhance the literacy skills of persons who are deafblind.

Literacy Development in Individuals With Down Syndrome

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-108
Author(s):  
Patricia Cleave
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Writing Development ◽  
Intervention Research ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Intervention ◽  
Reading And Writing

Abstract This article discusses reading and writing development in children with DS. In addition to review of areas of strength and challenges, the author reviews literacy intervention research, and their effectiveness in improving literacy skills with this population.

Information Literacy Skills among Faculty Members in the College of Horticulture, Bagalkote, Karnataka: A Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-75
Author(s):  
K. N. Hemavathi ◽  
M. Chandrashekara
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Total Response Rate ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
College Library ◽  
And Training ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

The present study explores the information literacy skills among the faculty members of the College of Horticulture, Bagalkote, Karnataka. A survey method was adopted in the study. The structured questionnaire was designed for data collection. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed and 90 questionnaires were received back. The total response rate was 81.81 percent. The study found that the majority of the faculty members have better knowledge and skills about the use of different types of sources, tools, and services. The respondents suggested that the college library should conduct seminars, workshops, and training programmes from experts to improve information literacy skills.

scholarly journals Boys Don't Read - It's True!

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Skuy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Publishing Industry ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Book Series ◽  
Demographic Group ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Spiritual Impact

Few educational experts would disagree that school-aged boys are falling behind their female counterparts in terms of reading and writing, a gap that both increases with grade levels, and has increased in recent years. Recent studies suggest this trend is not isolated to one geographic region or demographic group. It is all boys across North America and Europe. As a father of a seven-year old son, I worry about my son reading as he gets older. As an author of a Young Adult book series for boys, I worry if there is a market for my books. By the time high school hits over half of all boys describe themselves as non-readers. To make matters worse, the publishing industry has figured this out - and 'Boy Books' have disappeared from the shelves (apart from Harry Potter and its legions of copycats). The economic impact of poor literacy skills for half the population is self-evident. The spiritual impact of a child deprived of one of the great pleasures in life is less obvious, but perhaps even more detrimental to society.

scholarly journals Collaboration between Librarians and Teaching Faculty to Teach Information Literacy at One Ontario University: Experiences and Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen J. Reed ◽  
Don Kinder ◽  
Cecile Farnum
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Student Development ◽  
General Information ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Literacy Knowledge ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Teaching Faculty ◽  
Student Information

Purpose: In this study, we sought to describe information literacy success outcomes for students who participated in a university course where university librarians and teaching faculty collaborated in all aspects of the course including; curricular development, assignment development, in-class teaching, office hours for individual student development, and assessment activities. The authors wanted to examine student success in attaining information literacy skills following this one semester course. Further, the authors wanted to determine what difficulties in achieving expected information literacy levels persist even after intensive collaborative instruction. Finally, the authors wished to describe the challenges of these collaborations. Methodology: The focus of this study was to determine changes in first-year university students’ information literacy knowledge and skill following a thirteen week university preparation course that was developed through strong collaboration between university librarians and teaching faculty. Students entering their first semester of university were tested on their information literacy skills without feedback. They then took part in the required course and were post tested in the last week of the semester. Findings: Student showed strong increases in information literacy from this collaborative approach. In addition, teaching faculty and librarians felt positive about the collaborative experience. However, some students showed misunderstandings about information literacy that requires further research. Originality and Practical Implications: Our unique contribution here is our description, experiences and detailed outcomes with a collaborative process to teach information literacy. Based on our experiences here, we believe that collaboration will work best if it is planned at a curricular level, if the librarians are truly integrated into the classroom, if the librarians provide input on assignments and help with student feedback, and if targeted information literacy knowledge is tested. This planning takes time, but the librarians offer unique contributions and insight into issues surrounding information literacy that may not be obvious to faculty instructors. In our study, we also found that students confuse assignment requirements with general information literacy standards and those teaching information literacy need to be aware of these confusions. Finally, integration of librarians into college/university courses has benefits in terms of increases in student information literacy and increases in librarian knowledge of faculty expectations.

scholarly journals Foundations for Literacy: Emergent Literacy Competencies of Grade R Learners on the Cape Flats

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Willenberg
Keyword(s):  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
South African ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills ◽  
Children's Literacy

International research has demonstrated that a considerable amount of children’s literacy development occurs prior to formal schooling and that emergent literacy skills at school entry are strong predictors of later literacy and general academic achievement. These findings have prompted vigorous early intervention programmes aimed at promoting emergent literacy development to optimise the development of conventional literacy. While there is considerable research conducted in developed countries, there is limited research on the emergent literacy skills of children in South African contexts. In the light of increasing evidence of poor literacy performance of South African children in the foundation phase of schooling it is imperative that appropriate and timely intervention be undertaken. However it is important that intervention be informed by baseline assessments of the children’s literacy competencies in the full spectrum of socio-cultural contexts in this diverse country. This study documents the emergent literacy competencies of 101 grade R (the year prior to grade 1, equivalent to kindergarten in the United States) learners attending schools in historically disadvantaged coloured communities on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape. An Emergent Literacy and Language Assessment protocol was developed for use with this population. The children’s performance on the assessment tool indicated that in general they possessed a reasonable repertoire of emergent literacy skills. Although they displayed adequate skills to support acquisition of print decoding skills necessary for fluent reading, weaknesses in the decontextualised language skills that have been found to support later reading comprehension, were evident.

Communication and literacy development for adolescents with deafblindness: Teacher beliefs, learning outcomes, and instructional strategies

2021 ◽  
pp. 026461962110597
Author(s):  
Christopher Brum
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Beliefs ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Shared Reading ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Systematic Instruction ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Communication Development

For individuals with deafblindness a strong relationship exists between communication and literacy, making these critical areas of development. Definitions of literacy for this population must extend beyond traditional notions of reading and writing text to better support communication development. The beliefs teachers maintain, the learning outcomes they set, and the instructional strategies they employ might greatly impact student learning related to communication and literacy. Shared reading could provide a context where communication and literacy skills may be developed for learners with deafblindness. This qualitative study investigated how teachers used shared reading to support communication and literacy development for adolescents with congenital deafblindness. It explored how teacher beliefs about communication and literacy development influenced the learning outcomes they established and the instructional strategies they utilized during shared reading. Data were collected in three secondary classrooms through observations, interviews, and field notes. Thematic analysis was conducted for each individual case and then across cases using a cross-case analysis. For individual cases, themes related to teacher beliefs included connection between communication and literacy, and a comprehensive understanding of deafblindness. Themes related to instructional strategies included communication across multiple forms, focus on the communication process, and systematic instruction. In the discussion of the results, the instructional strategies of the Tri-Focus Framework were used to identify how communication development was supported during the literacy lessons observed. In addition, the use of systematic instruction and formative assessment provided a comprehensive approach to supporting communication and literacy skills during shared reading. Meaningful literacy activities, such as shared reading, have the potential to support communication development for individuals with congenital deafblindness. Teachers require a comprehensive understanding of the nature of deafblindness in order to effectively support an individual’s communication and literacy development.

The Global Scholar

2014 ◽  
pp. 612-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei-Yan Lu ◽  
Michael T. Miller ◽  
Richard E. Newman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
College Faculty ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Institutional Integration ◽  
Technical Aspects ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Practical Analysis

This chapter addresses the challenges associated with college faculty members crossing international borders to be employed by higher education institutions. This process includes challenges associated with the technical aspects of recruiting and hiring faculty members of different nationalities and then the subsequent challenges of understanding cultural dynamics in the classroom and how faculty members can be prepared to deal with these cultural differences. The chapter includes a practical analysis of these issues and concludes with recommendations for the stronger institutional integration of transnational faculty to higher education institutions.

scholarly journals Contradictions within an activity of second language reading literacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Brink ◽  
Carisma Nel
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Early Reading ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Reading Literacy ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

Background: In investigating the early reading literacy of a group of Setswana-speaking children who learnt to read in Afrikaans, cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) was chosen as a conceptual framework because of its proven utility value in helping researchers make sense of complex social systems.Aim: The application of this heuristic not only proved valuable as organising principle but also unexpectedly revealed the situation with a clarity that brought about a richer understanding of the intricate dynamics underlying reading literacy in a second language.Setting: The study was conducted at a small-town Afrikaans medium school.Methods: In this mixed method inquiry, qualitative data was collected through interviews with parents and educators, classroom observations and document analysis. The quantitative data was obtained through the administering of an early reading literacy assessment.Results: The overarching finding of this study was that the Setswana-speaking children developed early reading literacy skills at a rate and level commensurate with that of their Afrikaans-speaking peers. Where the application of CHAT as heuristic proved invaluable was in bringing to light a pattern revealing the agency which was exercised by parents and educators to support the children’s reading literacy learning.Conclusion: Despite various obstacles and tensions, parents and teachers exercise considerable agency in supporting the children’s early reading literacy. Although the empirical aspects of the study are described, it is a conceptual gaze of the situation, employing CHAT as a lens, which is the focus of this article.

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