Posts Tagged ‘Literacy Skills’
Posted on March 22, 2010, 1:49 pm, by author, under Main Content.
In very general terms, literacy means having the ability to communicate and make meaning by using a variety of symbols that are considered socially contextual. Then you develop your ability to communicate by using what you know from your “pool” of experiences in speaking, listening, writing and reading in order to make yourself understood. A child’s language development has an important role when it comes to acquiring writing, as well as reading comprehension.
Experts tell us that a person’s past experiences or problems are unable to be separated from the acquisition of newer words in a literacy program. In other words, each person brings with them a new group of experiences that is based on their background, which influences their interpretation of texts. This information that they have already learned must be in some way connected with the new information in order for new learning to happen. Children from a different culture may not have the necessary prior knowledge needed in order to teach them new vocabulary meanings that are different from their own cultural contexts. For instance, a person raised in a more vegetarian culture is likely unable to understand terms such as rare, medium and well done as a reference to the cooking of meat.
Both examples and support is needed in order for children to learn to use and apply new literacy skills. Once the child starts using the new skills independently, a teacher will normally start to relinquish literacy control but should still be available to guide the child when necessary. This type of supportive interaction allows the child to become a more capable and confident user of these skills.
Teaching someone is much easier when you can show them how literacy will actually add value or meaning to their life. What a child brings to a learning experience does affect the outcome, so their enthusiasm, curiosity and desire to learn will help to improve reading skills and writing skills. For instance, the simple act of letter writing to a loved one will give the endeavor a more personal value, instead of just writing a generic letter in a friendly format. The connection between what they are being taught and its significance as being useful must be obvious to a child in order to ensure continued learning.
Gender, ethnic, religious and the socioeconomic differences are will influence how they interpret different learning experiences. By sharing writing and reading experiences, discussions in the classroom and similar activities, these elements all work together to support literacy development. A more stimulating interactive environment will enhance children’s skills as they construct meaning from their every day language and experiences that they encounter. When social learning context is created that allows for differing views to become explored and shared, along with encouraging collaboration and conversation among many diverse groups, then these elements will all work together to help educate them to be understanding of different cultural viewpoints. Both parents and their children need to understand and realize the relevance in order to feel more empowered by the education that they receive.
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Tags: Acquisition, communication skills, Confident User, Contexts, Curiosity, Desire, Different Culture, Experiences, grant of education, grants, higher education, Language Development, Learning Experience, Literacy Development, Literacy Program, Literacy Skills, loans, Prior Knowledge, Rare Medium, Reading Comprehension, Reading Skills, Supportive Interaction, teach, Vegetarian Culture, Vocabulary, Writing Skills No Comments | Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on February 18, 2010, 5:53 pm, by author, under Main Content.
The need for literacy programs in high school is obvious. The 2008 national testing exams indicated that 38% of graduating seniors were reading below the standard basic level. An international comparison of reading comprehension and performance showed that in the United States, students in grades 11 and 12 scored close to the bottom, trailing students in Brazil, Indonesia and other developing countries.
Many teachers were not surprised at these findings. They said it confirmed that even students who read well enough in the lower primary grades may encounter some trouble with reading later. In both middle schools and high schools, teachers usually consider themselves to be “content specialists” and believe that elementary school teachers are the ones who should be helping children to improve reading skills. One method of turning that around is to secure ongoing development by working with a literacy specialist who will coach the teachers on the best way of infusing literacy instruction while teaching.
There has been some movement in the right direction, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, which was signed into law in 2002. In general it says that states must develop and administer assessments in the basic literacy skills if they wish to continue to receive federal funding. These exams are given to students in certain grades in order to evaluate and measure improved skills. In addition, many states require high school seniors to pass an exit test if they want to graduate.
If you need further proof that a standardized literacy program is needed for students, then consider the fallout from poor writing and reading abilities in post secondary circles as well, as 73% of employers have rated the reading and writing abilities of recent graduates as “fair” or “poor.” Over a third of the undergraduates needed remedial writing and reading courses during the first year or two in college.
Gaining insights into the reading process helps students to read for recreation, as well as providing a way to help them with their problem solving abilities. After going over the current research that is available on the reading process, school officials decided that students were not being provided with enough tools to successfully complete their reading goals. In the high school literacy programs, the teachers are encouraged to make the reading portion of their lessons more interactive. To see if these programs have merit, all you have to do is read some of the personal testimonies that are given by both students and teachers.
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Tags: Colleges, Content Specialists, Elementary School Teachers, Exit Test, grant of education, Helping Children, High School Seniors, International Comparison, leadership, Literacy Instruction, Literacy Program, Literacy Programs, Literacy Skills, Literacy Specialist, loans, Middle Schools, Ongoing Development, Primary Grades, Reading Abilities, Reading And Writing, Reading Comprehension, Reading Courses, Reading Skills, Recent Graduates, resume No Comments | Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on February 9, 2010, 1:59 pm, by author, under Main Content.
Any type of learning that adults continue to pursue after the more traditional years of schooling are over is considered to be adult education. While there are many subjects adults choose to study, many classes are concerned with teaching literacy and reading the most simple of texts and materials. DAEL (the Division of Adult Education and Literacy) endorses the many programs that help adults to achieve the most basic of skills that are needed in order to be productive citizens, family members and workers. The main areas that are supported include basic adult education, English language acquisition and adult secondary education. These types of programs stress the basic skills including reading, writing, problem solving and English language competency.
DAEL normally allots funds to the different states earmarked specifically for an adult education. The states will then distribute those funds to the local eligible programs that are designed to improve literacy skills in adults. DAEL also gives assistance to the different states in order to improve the quality of the program and its capacity that in turn helps additional adults.
If the idea of working in the field of adult education appeals to you, then there is a chance that you will end up teaching as a lecturer or instructor in a university or college, or working at a public school, vocational school, in a training center that helps adults find jobs or even in a community agency. The required level of education and skills necessary will vary according to the position to be filled.
Generally, in order to teach in a public school system or in universities you will need to have a graduate degree and possibly need teacher certification and licensing as well. And, as a general rule, those who instruct adults in community or vocational schools will require a master’s degree. Finally, those who would like to become teachers of a self-enrichment type of literacy program may not need specific educational credentials but may need to show some type of portfolio of their work and demonstrate experience in the field.
With most of the adult programs, those teaching both basic and secondary education as well as literacy programs are required to take some type of classes or workshops on the best way to instruct adults. This is important, as instructors are dealing with people from many different cultures, economic backgrounds and education levels. All of the teachers, both volunteer and paid, need excellent communication skills and need to be able to motivate their students, while remaining respectful of their particular circumstances and concerns.
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Tags: Adult Literacy, Adult Secondary Education, Basic Adult Education, communication skills, Education And Skills, Education English, Educational Credentials, Eligible Programs, English Language Acquisition, Graduate Degree, grant of education, grants, higher education, Language Competency, Lecturer, Literacy Program, Literacy Skills, loans, Productive Citizens, Public School System, Self Enrichment, teach, Teacher Certification, Teaching Adults, Teaching Literacy, Vocational School, Vocational Schools No Comments | Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on January 12, 2010, 8:26 am, by author, under Main Content.
A fairly recent study delivered rather sobering results when college students were tested on different literacy skills. Amazingly, over 50% of the students who were getting close to graduation lacked the necessary skills to complete certain tasks, such as being able to understand a newspaper editorial. More than 50% of the students at a four year university program and more than 75% at two year institutions were unable to perform more complex tasks that included comparing credit cards with different annual fees and interest rates. Perhaps one of the most disquieting results was the inability to summarize the results of a survey concerning parental involvement in schools.
The main areas of this particular study included analyzing stories in the news and other writings, comprehending documents and utilizing the math skills necessary for checkbooks and even restaurant tips. One of the researchers may have understated the feeling of most when he said that it was a “little disturbing” that at this level of higher education students could not perform basic tasks.
Most of the students attending four year programs at universities and community colleges did show some intermediate skills, which means they were able to complete moderately challenging jobs. Examples of this include identifying locations on maps, consulting reference guides in order to learn what foods contained certain vitamins and some college students were also able to calculate the cost of ordering office supplies.
There is a brighter side; the overall average literacy level of university students is actually higher than the average level of adult literacy nationwide. However, even though it sounds encouraging, experts claim it is not exactly surprising given the fact that the group of adults tested included those who had significantly less education.
College students, when compared with like levels of education in others, showed superior skills when searching and using information that has been gathered from texts and documents. Many of the students performed very poorly with problems that involved math and that 20% of those students who were going for a four year degree possessed the most basic of quantitative skills. For example, they were not able to estimate whether or not a car had adequate fuel to make it to a gas station and about 30% of them following a two year path had only the basic mathematical skills.
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Tags: Adult Literacy, Brighter Side, Challenging Jobs, Checkbooks, College Students, Colleges, Community Colleges, Comparing Credit Cards, Education College, Education Students, grant of education, higher education, Intermediate Skills, leadership, Literacy Level, Literacy Skills, loans, Math Skills, Necessary Skills, Ordering Office Supplies, Parental Involvement In Schools, Reference Guides, resume, Universities Colleges, University Students No Comments | Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on January 12, 2010, 1:19 am, by author, under Main Content.
In very general terms, literacy means having the ability to communicate and make meaning by using a variety of symbols that are considered socially contextual. Then you develop your ability to communicate by using what you know from your “pool” of experiences in speaking, listening, writing and reading in order to make yourself understood. A child’s language development has an important role when it comes to acquiring writing, as well as reading comprehension.
Experts tell us that a person’s past experiences or problems are unable to be separated from the acquisition of newer words in a literacy program. In other words, each person brings with them a new group of experiences that is based on their background, which influences their interpretation of texts. This information that they have already learned must be in some way connected with the new information in order for new learning to happen. Children from a different culture may not have the necessary prior knowledge needed in order to teach them new vocabulary meanings that are different from their own cultural contexts. For instance, a person raised in a more vegetarian culture is likely unable to understand terms such as rare, medium and well done as a reference to the cooking of meat.
In order to learn, use and apply new literacy skills children need examples and support. At the different levels of school grades, as children begin using new words on their own, a teacher will continually introduce higher standards of reading and comprehension. However, teachers still need to coach children when necessary in order for them to gain literacy confidence.
Teaching someone is much easier when you can show them how literacy will actually add value or meaning to their life. What a child brings to a learning experience does affect the outcome, so their enthusiasm, curiosity and desire to learn will help to improve reading skills and writing skills. For instance, the simple act of letter writing to a loved one will give the endeavor a more personal value, instead of just writing a generic letter in a friendly format. The connection between what they are being taught and its significance as being useful must be obvious to a child in order to ensure continued learning.
Gender, ethnic, religious and the socioeconomic differences are will influence how they interpret different learning experiences. By sharing writing and reading experiences, discussions in the classroom and similar activities, these elements all work together to support literacy development. A more stimulating interactive environment will enhance children’s skills as they construct meaning from their every day language and experiences that they encounter. When social learning context is created that allows for differing views to become explored and shared, along with encouraging collaboration and conversation among many diverse groups, then these elements will all work together to help educate them to be understanding of different cultural viewpoints. Both parents and their children need to understand and realize the relevance in order to feel more empowered by the education that they receive.
Sarah Lomas is a foremost expert in natural cure yeast infection field. Her work has been extensively published in various online publications in the areas of treatment of yeast infection. For more information on the treatment for yeast infections, visit remedyforyeastinfection.com.
Tags: Acquisition, communication skills, Confidence, Contexts, Curiosity, Different Culture, Experiences, grant of education, grants, higher education, Language Development, Learning Experience, Literacy Development, Literacy Program, Literacy Skills, loans, Prior Knowledge, Rare Medium, Reading And Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Reading Skills, School Grades, teach, Vegetarian Culture, Vocabulary, Writing Skills No Comments | Read the rest of this entry »
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