Sunday, September 4, 2011

Remembering Critical Lessons in Early Literacy Research: A Transactional Perspective

       Being an early childhood education student, the subject of literacy is one that I hear about often. Literacy is discussed within my early childhood classes, at my work, and within several different textbooks and readings. In my most current readings assignment, “Remembering Critical Lessons in Early Literacy Research: A Transactional Perspective” the idea of literacy and culture being connected became quite clear. Our culture is one way we identify ourselves as individuals. Our culture also effects how we read and view a book. One section within this reading explained how cultural tools, such as television, play a role in a child’s literacy development. What a child sees on a television show or in a movie adds new information into their schemas. This information then plays a role in the books that they read. Popular culture can be a tool used within a child’s literacy development. This reading digs deeper into that thought by explaining that “children use tools such as popular culture and narrative to situate themselves socially and textually and to mediate their environments” (Whitmore, Martens, Goodman & Owocki). Children use popular culture to create ideas about important topics such as age, gender, race, class, and stereotypes. They may compare these ideas to the books that they read. Children may challenge ideas they have seen in popular culture by comparing them to their environment. Children may embrace certain popular culture to create mental images for their readings. Children take in information all around them to try and understand this world. Popular culture is one source children use to define their world. Reading books is another wonderful source children use to define their world and their own identity. By comparing these two different things children use educational thinking skills. Seeing how popular culture effects the way children think makes it is easy to see how popular culture can also effects literacy developmentThis concept is important to remember as a future educator. Therefore remembering the concept of how popular culture can be used as a tool will be important when working with children and their literacy skills.               

4 comments:

  1. Knowing that children connect information from all different types of media is definitely an important aspect of literacy development to be aware of as early childhood educators. As teachers, we will have to remember that children's literacy development begins with so much more that we what we provide in the classroom environment. This could be a challenge because the children in our classes will come from diverse families who will probably experience television and movies in different ways. It might be useful to talk to each child's family to gain an understanding of how literacy skills are being developed through different media in their home.

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  2. Excellent point, Hillary! All children come from rich, rich literacy environments--it's also true that these environments can be rich in books, or rich in TV programs and popular culture as you point out, Cassy!

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  3. The concept of popular culture in literacy is so interesting to me. It is so easy as an educator to disconnect the two. Pretending that the children do not bring those associations and knowledges to the classroom only disrupts their full education. I think integrating the two is a wonderful idea! We need to educate the whole student, and embracing all their literacy influences can only enrich their education. Sometimes our lessons might be correcting falsities, or honoring great concepts. Popular culture is engrained in even the youngest of children. We need to run beside the opportunity for deeper learning, instead of ignore them!

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  4. I do agree with you about how children understand and accept cultural information from comparing their popular cultures or reading books. As children have those experiences or practices, their literacy skills will be developed.

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