After going on a "Literacy Dig" with fellow classmates to our local grocery store we discovered different forms of literacy all around us. Starting at the entrance of the grocery store we noticed signs that directed customers to the "enter" and "exit" doors. near the entrance were newsletters, a community bulletin board, and advertisements. One observation our group made was the display of specific vocabulary words that related to the type of grocery store it was. For example, if you walked through the store you would spot words such as "eco", "organic", "local", "gluten-free", "recycled", "Vegan", "non-GMO", "coop", etc. We also noticed that not only do certain vocabulary words appear everywhere, but so does visual literacy. As a customer walks through sections of the grocery store such as the beverage isle, there are pictures on the drinks showing the flavor. Or, if a customer walks by the yogurt section he or she could distinguish the flavor yogurt by looking at the picture (displaying a picture of a fruit). This was an interesting observation to our group because we discussed how a young child who cannot read yet will still be able to apply his or her previous knowledge to distinguish the flavor yogurt or beverage without having to read. These visuals help young children learn vocabulary by matching the picture to the word after repeated exposure. After our trip to the community grocery store we realized how much literacy is exposed to children on a daily basis. Children are constantly learning different genres of literacy outside of school without even realizing it.
After reading "The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom " by Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson, I realized how real-world literacy can be applied to lessons in creative ways. As the article explains the difference between "schooled literacy" and "real-world literacy" it was evident to me that teachers can take any idea or business model from the real world and create engaging lessons with it.
After spending time in a 2nd grade classroom last semester I witnessed what "schooled literacy"really was. It consisted of children talking during the lesson and squirming around on the carpet because they simply did not find the lesson interesting. While it can be challenging to think of creative lessons for students, it is easier than we think. If teachers incorporate activities, skills, and ideas that students will have to face in the real world, (for example learning what a business model looks like) it will benefit students in their future and prepare them to become successful adults. Not only do taking elements and ideas from the real world create an interesting and worthwhile lesson, but "schooled literacy" can also be incorporated.
In conclusion, I noticed how you can use something like a community grocery store to develop creative lessons for literacy in schools. A teacher can use a model as simple as a grocery store and incorporate different genres of literacy with that. For example, students can learn how to write a grocery list, or write a dialogue that a person would typically hear in a grocery store. I believe that creative ideas such as "The Donut House" should be modeled in schools more often because while students are learning, they are also interested and excited to learn.
I like your observation of the visual literacy elements and how a person can distinguish the type of item they are purchasing by looking at the label rather than reading "strawberry" on a yogurt. I never considered that this is something that I do, but now that you pointed it out, I do it almost every time I shop. Often times this visual literacy will be applicable as an adult in other important ways as well; sometimes there are no words, only a picture describing something, such as a road sign. I think this shows the importance of incorporating visual aspects into reading. Not all the reading that we do as adults will be imageless. Textbooks, owner's manuals, and warning signs are all forms of literacy that will incorporate both written and visual literacy and an exchange between the two.
ReplyDeleteYour observation of the repetitiveness of certain words also makes a good point. Why do students in certain cultures, neighborhoods, states have the vocabulary that they possess? I imagine it's because they see and hear the words frequently. While schooled literacy may not be the way to go, repetition seems to work at some levels. "The Donut House" article also mentioned the frequent use of certain vocabulary surrounding their study resurfaced in the students' writing. So it seems that by developing a classroom environment that imitates certain aspects of students' daily lives, such as repeated words, might benefit students' retention and increase their vocabulary. This design reminds me of the school wide vocabulary initiative article we read about in last semester's literacy course. Frequent and global use of vocabulary words school wide greatly increased the school's state test scores which, to a certain extent, indicates an increase in reading, writing, and comprehension abilities.
Just as Theresa mentioned in her comment, I never stop to think about how bombarded we are with visual literacy when we visit the grocery store. It does make me wonder how many times I purchase an item because of the visual on the label. This even becomes more worrisome when I think about how marketing targets children with these visuals and the effects that has on our society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you wrote about how "it is easier than we think" to find creative lessons for students. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the thought of teaching so many lessons throughout a school year, but if an educator is truly excited about teaching children and assisting them in reaching their goals, then you're right, it should be easier than we think.