In my work as a preschool special education teacher, I see every day how literacy is much more than reading and writing traditional print. Many of my students are emergent communicators, and their "literacy" might come through picture symbols, gestures, assistive technology, or digital storytelling rather than only printed words.
In my reading I learned that the “technical stuff” in New Literacies is “new” because of two distinctive characters. First, while the “old technologies” mostly consist of simple forms of production, the new “technical stuff” is a “hybridization of multimodal media” that includes texts, images, music, videos, etc., which altogether create interactive and interconnected forms of production that can be retrieved conveniently (Lankshear and Knobel, 2007).
Recognizing these as valid literacies allows me to value and build upon each child's strengths, rather than limiting them to one traditional pathway.
Look, if we're going to treat "literacy" like it's just reading and writing in perfect academic English, in one cookie-cutter dialect, we're totally missing the point. Tons of kids, especially those from different cultures, or who use language in unique ways get left out when we're that rigid. A preschooler who is bilingual or uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) may have strong skills in meaning making and self-expression, but these could be overlooked if we only value standard print English.
New literacies practices broaden this definition to include digital media, multimodal expression (images. audio, video, symbols), and community-based forms of communication. This can support equity and access by recognizing the literacy practices students already use in their daily lives and connecting them to learning in school. In my own classroom, we use tools like ClassDojo to share photos and videos of students' work with families and integrate music and movement into storytelling.
At the end of the day, I believe literacy is about connection, helping students find their voice and giving them the tools to share their ideas in ways that are meaningful them. In my preschool special education classroom, that might mean a student tells a story through a sequence of pictures, sings it, or uses an iPad to record their voice. When we look at literacy through a bigger picture, we open more doors for students to be heard and capable. That's the kind of classroom I want to build every day.
References
Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2007). A new literacies sampler. Peter Lang
Hi Flora! I really enjoyed reading your post, especially your perspective on working with kiddos who are just beginning to develop their reading and writing skills. I'm looking at this through the eyes of a 5th grade teacher, so I was really interested in hearing your view on this topic for the youngest grade. I loved how you explained why traditional definitions of literacy don’t work, particularly in your fourth paragraph. It’s so true that students from different cultural, linguistic, or ability backgrounds who are forced into traditional literacy molds are often left out of classroom discussions. As educators, we need to adapt and use a variety of tools to support literacy growth in all our students.
ReplyDeleteIllustrations are just as important to literacy development as traditional reading and writing, especially for our youngest learners. They need to be given multiple ways to engage with and learn through literacy. Providing students with diverse tools and options for success is something you’re clearly doing an amazing job at! Building confidence in younger learners is a powerful way to support their growth as they progress through school. I look forward to hearing more from you throughout the semester!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response, it seems a lot coming from someone teaching upper grades. I really admire how you're looking at this topic through the lens of a 5th grade teacher. I imagine by that stage; you're seeing the long-term impact of how literacy foundations were (or weren't) built in earlier years.
DeleteFlora, you make so many strong, insightful points surrounding how building literacy skills in turn builds community within the classroom and general school environment as well. As you mention, this can't be achieved through a cookie-cutter approach if such skills are not introduced and taught in accessible ways for a variety of students to engage with and retain. Taking a step back and really reflecting on what we want our students to get out of what we teach means being proactive to meet their individual needs as learners. We do this by integrating what we know they already respond to into their daily curriculum. We know that plenty of kids know their way around an iPad so why not use that to our advantage and show them how they can use it as a tool to grow as learners? It sounds like you are really in tune with what keeps your students engaged!
ReplyDeleteI definitely try to use the iPad in positive moments. When i begin my letter, I use and app that the students can take turns tracing on the iPad, it is really cool, and it makes sounds.
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