Weaving
the Literacy Blanket:
Caring Adults Pass on the Legacy of Literacy
Dear Reader,
I am obsessed by a burning question:
How do the very young, nail down all the important bits needed to understand how
print works?
I really think about this...a lot! And, if the truth be told, as soon as I start working on the question, more complex questions just keep spilling over me.
I love the time I spend wondering about how kids actively construct their own unique understandings about reading. As I kid watch, I realize how the child's enironment and caring loving people in their lives make the difference.
I was recently with friends and colleagues who actually enjoyed engaging in these types of conversations! I was over the moon and so grateful to meet, and get to know the Early Language Facilitators who gathered for the Moe the Mouse Sharing session in Tofino.(October, 2015)
After sharing many ideas and pontificating on deep issues about early literacy learning with this remarkable group of educators, I decided to review the literature on the subject.
I am looking for evidence that the established understanding about concepts of print is underdeveloped. I am a consummate kid watcher, specifically
grandkid watching of late, and what I learn from watching and listening to the
very young has convinced me that there are great big holes in the research. I thought you might
like to read my review of the literature and ask you what you think about this topic.
In friendship,
Donna Klockars
P.S. I wanted to go back to the early eighties and revisit my
favourite folks like Gordon Wells, Holdaway and Marie Clay, but one must be totally
current if you are to enter into the conversation about concepts about print
with those in the academic community. I tried to stick with the last ten years and
tease out the works that I thought were the most promising for the purpose of
guiding and directing me in my life long inquiry.
The
purpose for this research review is to improve emergent literacy foundation
skills of young Aboriginal learners and provide clear direction for those
caring individuals who are committed to passing on the legacy of literacy. Thoughtful early literacy intervention
programming must be guided by proven research -based assessment strategies, joyful
explicit literacy learning experiences that address all foundational early
literacy skills and embrace and honour aboriginal ways of being and knowing.
Importance of Early Years and Literacy Experiences:
A Review of the Literature
Decades
of research confirms the importance of the early years, commonly defined as the
period from conception to six years of age, in laying the foundation for an
individual’s growth and development over the course of their lifetime. We
know that children who get off to a good start rarely struggle, while those who
fall behind tend to stay behind throughout their school years (1998 Learning to
Read and Write: developmentally appropriate practices for young children Young Children 53:30-46). Weaving a literacy blanket for the very young is a metaphor for the importance
of reading to children and providing stories as an integral part of their daily
lives.
Nurturing and Sustaining a Literacy Relationship with caring adults who provide playful experiences through book chats
Sharing books, engaging in book
talk, and book play, develop a love of books and an inner drive to learn to
read. The remarkable ability of very
young children to absorb the language and meaning of their stories and to
reproduce these stories in reading-like ways
has been defined by Marie Clay (1979 and Don Holdaway (1979). “Talking like a book”, “reenactment”, and
“reading-like behaviors”, are terms used to describe early-literacy events of
the very young. The contribution of
caring adults who nurture and sustain the child’s earliest reading-like
behaviours has been vastly underestimated.
It is imperative that the very young have developmentally appropriate daily
opportunities to explore and discover learning the language of books-how spoken
language and written language are different.
These early literacy experiences are the foundation threads for the later,
more formal process of learning how to
read. The two are intricately connected
and must be understood if we are successfully to pass on the legacy of
literacy.
British Columbia
recognizes that families provide the primary and most important environments to
support optimal development of young children, The pre-schools, daycare
settings, neighbourhoods and communities in which children are raised also
strongly influence their developmental outcomes (British Columbia’s Early Years
Annual Report-2011-2012).
Despite many early years
literacy programs and research studies, children in B.C. continue to reach formal schooling without
the foundation skills needed to succeed (2014 Human Early Learning Partnership
Research Brief).
Achieving
educational excellence for all requires an understanding of why these
disparities continue to exist. Poverty,
race, ethnicity, and language are of some of the identified factors that place
students at risk for academic failure ( Burns, M Griffin, P.,& Snow,
1998).
Poverty in the whole of Canada reached a
seventeen year peak in 1999 and its upward trend seems to be continuing (20012 B.C. Early Years Report) Table 4: Average No. of
Children Receiving Subsidy per Month and Subsidization Levels).
Based on the tremendous influence of
early childhood experiences on later reading and academic success, careful
examination of successful early intervention programs is needed.
One impressive program studied by
researches provided a wide array of well-coordinated educational, medical,
kindergarten transition programs and family outreach services. Not surprisingly, the children’s development
was enhanced. Follow up studies showed
that when the children reached ages 8, 12, and 14; they were still
outperforming the control group on achievement tests. Significantly, fewer children had been held
back or placed in special education (1994 Campbell, F.A., and C.T. Ramey).
The rationale for public
investment in vulnerable young children is founded on the direct benefits of investments
on children and their parents as well as the
broader benefits to communities, society and
the economy. (Early Years Annual Report, 2011-2012). Much work is still needed
to fully understand the key elements necessary to make a significant impact on
the future academic success for the vulnerable child.
Create captions for the photos of your child
Key Aspects of Language and Early
Literacy Learning
Early
research dating back to the 1930s suggested there was little use in teaching a
child to read until they had mastered specific skills such as fine motor
control, understanding of left and right, and consistent letter recognition.
Today, researchers know more. They have demonstrated that growing up to be
a successful reader depends mostly on the child’s knowledge about language, the
more specific language of books, and an understanding of how print reveals
meaningful stories and information. (Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young
Children, National Academy Press, 1998).
Kindergarten is the time when, for most
students, formal reading instruction begins.
Early literacy learning, however, starts at home long before children
ever enter school. A wide range of
experiences with printed and spoken language, from infancy through early
childhood, strongly influences a child’s future success in reading. (Burns, M
Griffin, P.,& Snow, 1998).
Identifying
the key aspects of language and literacy learning for very young children is
essential information for parents, teachers, uncles, aunts, grandparents,
day-care providers-in short; everyone who is important in the child’s life and
who cares. When we know what is important we can provide quality learning activities
that prevent future reading problems.
Early Literacy Does Not Mean Early
Formal Reading Instruction
Provide props that support re-enactment of a story
Our current understanding of early language
and literacy development has provided new ways of helping children learn to
talk, read, and write. Early literacy
development is a continuous developmental process that begins in the first
years of life. However, current
research DOES NOT advocate the “teaching of reading”! Formal instruction which
pushes infants, toddlers or pre-school children to actually read and write
words is not developmentally appropriate and in fact- counter productive. However, early interactions that are play-based,
literacy-rich experiences, embedded in real life settings; promote the natural
unfolding of early literacy skills through the sheer enjoyment of books.
Early literacy skills are essential to
literacy development and should be the focus of early language and literacy
programs. The first five years of
exploring and playing with books, singing nursery rhymes, listening to familiar
and engaging stories, recognizing letters and important words, and scribbling
are the building blocks for language and literacy development. By focusing on
the first years of life, we give new meaning to the important interactions
young children have with books and stories.
Literacy Is Not Just About Reading and Writing
· It is also about developing stronger relationships between parents and children.
· It is about getting parents involved in their children's education
· It's about building stronger families and healthier communities.
What Can You Do?
· Have books, magazines and
newspapers around your home.
· Let your children see you reading.
· Read together every day. Make ita part of your routine.
· It is never too early (or too late) to start reading with your children.
· Make reading fun and playful.
· Talking together about what you are reading is what is most important.
Three stories a Day: Anchors Conversations and Play Donna klockars
There is a
growing body of research that acknowledges that children may be literate in a
variety of ways. The literacies that
indigenous children develop in their families and communities are important not
only because they often embody cultural knowledge.
Sing,drum and read
It is imperative that indigenous children and
their families are provided with culturally sensitive curriculum that honours
aboriginal ways of being and knowing (Ball, J. 2011).
Key elements necessary
for a comprehensive strategy to improve emergent
literacy
development among young Indigenous children recommend strategies embracing ecological, holistic, and cultural
perspectives (Ball,J. 2010).
The Cognitive
Foundations of Learning to Read: A Framework (2013 SEDL) further identifies
fourteen elements that are foundational in the child’s journey to making meaning
from print. The
B.C. Ministry of Education also has published information on important aspects of
early literacy learning ( 2010 B.C.
Ministry of Education).The
Commission on Reading in its summary of research (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott,
& Wilkinson, 1985) concluded that “becoming a skilled reader
requires...learning that reading material can be interesting.”
They identify the
emotional response to reading as the primary reason most readers read and
probably the main reason non-readers do not read. This work infers that
caring individuals play an important role in promoting a child’s love for
reading, yet it is infrequently addressed.
© Sharing books helps
develop speech, listening,
concentration, and
observation skills
The
phrase “readers are not born, they are nurtured” reminds us that the
understanding of how black squiggly lines reveal meaningful stories and
information is not a developmental milestone that occurs without specific
intervention. Diamond and Mandel (1996)
identified phonemic (letter sounds) awareness as a potent predictor of success in learning in to read. Their study found that poor phonemic
awareness was the most important casual factor in reading disabilities. The ability to recognize and name
upper and lower case letters is a powerful predictor of future reading success
according to Bond and Dykstra (1967).
Exposure and practice in phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary
comprehension and fluency are also considered essential literacy experiences
(Adams, M.J. 1990). The studies indicate
that exposure and awareness of letters and the sounds they are meant to
represent is important. Providing early literacy experiences in a play-based
environment and implementing
developmentally appropriate strategies that nurture a ever-growing
understanding of how print works is the duty of all caring adults who are
committed to passing on the rich legacy of literacy.
Nurture and Support Children's Play
Explore and Discover How Books Work
Early Literacy Serves Play and Play serves Early Literacy
·
Assessment Matters
Recent research on promising practices
suggests that the six principles embedded in the strategy known as “Assessment
For Learning” has the power to transform learning and teaching. (William, Dylan
(2008).
Educators need to frequently assess the
emerging literacy skills of young children if they are to make informed
decisions about reading instruction.
Systematic assessment assists the entire literacy team in providing high
quality instruction (Clay, 1993; Fountas and Pinnell, 1996).
However, educators should approach
assessment of young children with caution. According to Clay (1993), many of
the standardized reading tests used to assess young children do not produce
reliable results. Assessment’s primary purpose is to inform
practice and celebrate strengths. Recent
research indicates formative, culturally relevant assessment is essential
component quality early years programs (L. McDonnell, 2013).
Marie Clay
(1993), advocated the use of a careful, systematic observation in order to
assess the day-to-day learning of a child at risk for reading failure. She developed a set of instruments and small
booklets for this purpose called Clay’s Observation Survey. This assessment tool continues to guide
literacy instruction for the very young. However, it is dated and complex to
administer.
The Test of Early
Reading Ability (TERA-2) has been used to evaluate early literacy projects in
B.C. such a PALS and Aboriginal PALS. The tool looks at three important areas:
knowledge of the alphabet and letter-sound knowledge; conventions of print such
as book orientation, print orientation and directionality; and the ability to
comprehend written language for three and four year olds. This assessment tool
has minimal cultural content.
A common phrase
among educators is that “we assess what matters”. Minimal assessment focus is placed on the
foundation threads of early literacy learning.
It is important that early childhood educators have access to assessment
tools that address what is important in early literacy.
Weaving the
Literacy Blanket Continuum (DRAFT 2015) is currently being field tested. It is designed to articulate and evaluate what
really matters to very young children’s early literacy learning?
The current research on foundational emergent literacy skills is impressive yet, in the authour’s opinion, the “big ticket items” that ultimately influence the learning to read experience remain under-researched and lack clarity.
Examples of areas that need clarity and focus include:
- · the importance of strategies to support and nurture the caring adult’s relationship to the young early literacy learner,
- the importance of the language/literacy/play connection,
- · the articulation of easily understood strategies that provide scaffolding for the foundational concepts about how print and books work,
- importance of developing the motivation to read by providing culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and engaging written materials.
- assessment tool that places emphasis on the quality of the environment as a key factor in allowing the child to create and build on his/her schema about print and how to make meaning from print.
Discussion
Persistent
educational inequities among indigenous children indicate an urgent need for
thoughtful program design and implementation strategies. The existing assessment strategies used in
early literacy projects designed to improve success of Aboriginal learners do
not embrace the powerful principles of formative assessment. They are not
family friendly, do not include up to date research regarding all of the
important foundation skills of early literacy learning, do not adequately
inform practice and are not culturally inclusive. In other words, they do not adequately inform
and guide every day teaching and learning in aboriginal emergent literacy
learning programs and education settings.
There is
important work to be done if we are to improve the academic success of
Aboriginal learners. Literacy learning and literacy instruction is complex.
Although there are many, identifiable concepts and skills our young readers
must master, they cannot be taught in
isolation or out of context. The art of providing
quality early literacy learning experiences for the very young can be compared
to the weaving of a beautiful blanket.
Carefully chosen foundational
threads create a literacy blanket for each child that will function for an
entire lifetime. We need to work tirelessly to provide quality early years
learning experiences, create assessment strategies that support all of the
child’s caring educators. Quality
programs must acknowledge the impact of the caring adults play in every child’s
unique literacy journey. When we
accomplish this, we will blanket the child in strength and confidence to
participate in a life time of learning.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Klockars
Literacy Consultant
(Draft) Presented to Early Childhood Education
Panel, Tofino British Columbia October
13-17, 2015
Nurture and Sustain the Child’s Love of Reading by providing “just right books” .
P.S. Dear Reader, If you want the Weaving the Literacy Blanket Continuums 0-5, please email me at dklockars@shaw.ca and I will happily send them to you.
I cannot put them in this blog because I do not know how to enter tables...Wordy but not technologically talented.
