Building Effective Readers by Tapping into Students' Own Identities

Alex G. Ramos (2015, September 20). Inspirational Reading Quote [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2hXltso

Reading Paves the Road to Limitless Literacy

When I was recently asked the question, “What is literacy?” the first thought that popped into my mind was the ability to read effectively. As I will reveal in my blog with a series of posts, literacy learning is much more than just the ability to read. Components of literacy come in forms of media literacy, reading, writing and oral communication. Reading is still, however, a fundamental aspect of embodying true literacy. I believe that the ability to read and soak up knowledge empowers students and inspires their imagination and curiosity. I also strongly agree with the wonderful quote by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis that states, “there are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world, love of books is the best of all”!

Pindelski (2010, April 4). iPad Reading [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2yHmxKx

In this post I will be exploring how building excellent reading skills can be mastered using several key reading strategies. I will discuss how the strategies can be implemented by teachers through digital platforms to accommodate 21st-Century Learning. I will also discuss how vital it is that students find their identities and voices through reading. This helps students connect their lives and build deeper, more meaningful learning. Lastly, I will mention that if students can adapt to these objectives, they can maximize their reading experiences.

Reading Strategies Through Digital Platforms that Cement Reading Skills

Styslinger, Walker, Lenker (2014). GoogleDocs [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2irPjcx

The Ontario Curriculum states that reading is made up of, "comprehension strategies [that] include predicting, visualizing, questioning, drawing inferences, identifying main ideas, summarizing, and monitoring and revising comprehension". In the modern classroom, teachers are actively integrating technology to assist students' learning goals while meeting curriculum expectations. In Styslinger, Walker and Lenker's article titled, “Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram: Comprehension Strategies for 21st-Century Schools”, the authors provide a practical review of three digital literacy learning avenues used to demonstrate summarizing, visualizing and questioning strategies. One example the article explores is using Google Docs on iPads or Chromebooks to promote the questioning process when reading. Students can collaborate and share their questions and opinions on the Google Docs platform. This process encourages students to slow-down, pay attention and clarify parts of text, which leads to a greater understanding of the reading. This article is an excellent resource for teachers because it provides in-depth explanations of the technologies and programs we can use, shifting towards modern classrooms. Since I am in a junior-intermediate classroom, I would definitely introduce engaging programs like these. Students will thus get to master and continue using them throughout the grades as curriculum expectations intensify.

Helping Students Find Their Voice and Identity Through Reading

Jim Burke (2006, October 25). Reading Questions Students Should Ask to Find Their Identity in Reading [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2yHvSlP

Finding meaning when reading can sometimes be challenging. If students can express their opinions and take control of their learning through their own interests, they can connect reading to their lives and facilitate deeper understanding while creating purpose. The curriculum dictates that, "students may analyse, synthesize, make connections, evaluate, and use other critical and creative thinking skills to achieve a deeper understanding of the material they have read". An EduGains article containing direct implications to the curriculum titled, "Connecting Students' lives to Learning", provides an excellent perspective on the idea of encouraging students to connect their lives to learning while inviting their unique identities and voices into the classroom. Several questions that the reader may ask to achieve this are outlined in the image. The article is research-based and provides many more examples for teachers to use in a classroom, which is very beneficial when planning lessons for the language curriculum.

As teachers, I believe that preparing students to ask the right questions while connecting with their own lives will encourage a sense of belonging and respect for theirs and others' abilities. Questions that promote self-discovery that I'd like students asking themselves in my classroom would be, "who am I as I read this text?" and "how does this text relate to what I have read and studied before?".

Putting It All Together: Reading Strategies and Student Identity for Meaningful Reading

If students can capitalize on modelling reading strategies to develop sound skills while finding their sense of belonging and identity through reading, they will embody strong reading skills. These reading skills are built with the intention of increasing text comprehension and contributing to an overall solid literacy foundation. Teachers hold a responsibility to use 21st-Century classroom tools to facilitate deep and meaningful literacy learning. Lastly, another facet of the Ontario Curriculum states that, “reading experiences that invite students to discover new worlds and new experiences and to develop their imaginative powers will go a long way towards convincing them that reading can be a rich source of pleasure and knowledge”. Capturing students' imagination and creativity will be a goal of mine each time I present my students with reading activities!

Doug DeLong (2016). Book With Pages as Hearts [Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2z01TXk

Creating a Media Literate Generation By Using Decoding Techniques

Introduction to My Language and Literacy Blog

Welcome to Ms. Spassova's literacy blog! Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing and reflecting on my experiences as a pre-service junior-intermediate literacy teacher. I will also be exploring key components of the Language and Literacy strand as part of the Ontario Curriculum. As a pre-service teacher, I am gaining relevant experience with Ontario students and their daily exposures in the classroom. I hold a strong belief that Language and Literacy is an integral part of student knowledge and awareness. As students develop their literacy, they become competent, engaged and are able to cultivate their critical thinking abilities!

In this first blog post, I will be exploring media and its relation to literacy. Moreover, I will be focusing on how decoding magazine and print media serves as an entry point to media studies and how that can be used by teachers who may be overwhelmed at the thought of teaching students this extensive topic.

Frank Baker (2017, May 1). Online [Photo]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2x9WTKB.

Modern Day Media

In the midst of our rapidly evolving digital era, today's students are constantly exposed to media both willingly and unwillingly. Media's fundamental focus on mass communication has a pervasive influence over modern society and especially over our younger generations. Students are particularly vulnerable to media because their lack of experience and knowledge poses them as naive and can make them excellent targets and, unfortunately, victims of certain media literatures. Since media can be used to entertain, persuade and communicate information, being able to dissect the messages that constantly bombard us through media is the best way to benefit from its rewarding and valuable information while exposing its adverse and potentially harmful information. Watch and see how Harvard graduate and former American President Barack Obama discusses his opinion on America's Media Literacy situation. Principles of this interview, such as teaching students critical thinking, hold true for our Ontario students.

Real Time with Bill Maher. (2016, November 7) "Obama on Media Literacy." Retrieved from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ7uFhjgPYk.

What is Media Literacy?

Stop Mo Studio. (2008). Online [Photo]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2yD28n5. 

Media literacy is a process where students understand how to analyze and use media resources. What I believe we as teachers would like as a result of media literacy for students is to essentially understand what mass media is and the implications of media's techniques that shape a student's perceived reality. Posing the right questions when thinking critically gives students awareness and understanding and students should ultimately be able to enjoy viewing and creating their own media.

Teaching Our Students How to Become Media Literate

As a pre-service teacher, educating students on this vast topic seems intimidating to me, mainly due to the fact that students have full access to media resources now more than ever. In Frank Baker's blog titled, "The 15-Minute Media Literacy Lesson", he addresses how teachers can use print media to teach media literacy within a reasonable timeframe. Baker provides data that indicates students actually prefer engaging in print and magazine media as opposed to television. This blog is particularly useful because it has guidelines and critical thinking questions that teachers may incorporate into their lessons of media literacy. If I were to incorporate these aspects into a lesson, for example, I would bring a few relevant magazines that cater to junior-intermediate students. I would start this lesson in a Grade 4 classroom as the curriculum states students should be able to identify purpose in magazine print. Then, I would use guiding questions that the author poses such as, "Who is the audience?", "What is the message?" and "Who benefits from this message?". I would allow students to collaboratively discuss their responses and ideas and learn from each other's perspectives. This way, students can appreciate how each individual is affected differently by what they view through media. I believe this activity would be a great introductory activity to media literacy because it is thought-provoking and it is not time consuming.

Media Literacy and the Ontario Curriculum

I believe this blog is highly relevant and evidently promotes critical thinking. A direct quote from the curriculum describes media literacy as, “helping students develop the skills required to understand, create, and critically interpret media texts”, which is what this blog fully envelops by posing critical thinking questions with a thorough understanding of media literacy. Another excellent resource that aligns with the Ontario Curriculum created by the Government of Canada can be found here and is titled "Media Literacy". Valuable guiding questions such as the ones below, can also be used in a lesson from this informative article.

Stop Mo Studio. (2008). Online [Photo]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2yD28n5. 

Educators are sources of guidance and knowledge and therefore I believe we as teachers inherit a responsibility to effectively communicate media literacy to our students. Media literate students then become aware of what they are seeing and reading and become responsible when they begin to create their own media!