Strategies to Promote Early Literacy and Quality Literacy
Basic Concepts
| Learning is best imbedded within the context of individual experiences. As a result, we learn best when we direct our own learning. |
| We learn most effectively in context. As a result, learning should be directly linked to interests, culture and ethnicity, and it must be relevant. |
| We learn from each other. As a result, the environment and structure should encourage communication and collaboration. |
| We continuously create knowledge. As a result, it is necessary to help the student capture knowledge and share it with others. |
| We learn unconsciously. As a result, many of the best learning potentials may not be intentional. |
The “Don’t Write and Talk at the same Time” Myth
| By writing the day’s activities, or assignments on the board as you say the words, you model the organizational and mnemonic function of writing as well as the form (i.e. the left-to-right , letter-by-letter sequence corresponding to your spoken words). |
Reading Aloud to Students
| Reading aloud is beneficial to developing students of all ages. You involve the student in the pleasure function of print, you model the reading process and you develop cognitive linguistic structures related to the story plot and characters. |
| Following a story line places heavy cognitive-linguistic demands on listeners in terms of attention, comprehension and memory. Minimize this by stopping at certain places in the book to discuss a picture or to review the plot. |
Select Quality Literature For Reading
| Traditionally, the term quality has inferred highly structured. This may not serve the best needs of the student. |
| Relevancy is a key issue. A small amount of relevant material is much better than a larger amount of irrelevant reading. |
| Use the introductory discussion / three-tier Reading For Comprehension model / active discussion format. |
| Typical sources of readable material that meets the relevancy test may include pamphlets (planting a banana seedling), craft books (basket weaving), recipe cards and cookbooks, product labels, instructions (travel, assembly, etc.). |
| Involve social, moral and ethical issues as these are things even very young children can relate to. |
Reading Out Loud v/s Silently (lip-reading)
| Initially, reading out loud (lip-reading) helps create better understanding. However, you talk at a maximum of about 90 words a minute and read (as a thought process) at about 500 words per minute |
| Creating dependency on lip reading seriously handicaps the reader in the future. |