Literacy In School Libraries
Photo Courtesy of: www.flickr.com
Literacy Defined
Growing up many people have heard the word literacy and associated it with the ability to read and write proficently. However, with our ever changing technology climate and our exposure to different types of information mediums literacy takes on a new meaning and has begun to encompass different aspects of current culture. Today's definition of literacy needs to be more inclusive and include a wide variety of mediums. Literacy today is more than a function; it is a way of experiencing the world. My definition of literacy is the ability to recognize, understand, and interpert thoughts, ideas, and concepts through visual, emotional, physical, vocal, and auditory cues through various mediums. It requires that the recipient of these communication cues be able to effectively evaluate, apply, demonstrate, and convey to others knowledge about the type of medium being used. There are many different types of literacies people can become knowledgeable about. They include, but are not limited to: digital, computer, media, information, technology, political, cultural, multicultural, and visual. It is important that students be able to successfully learn, incorporate, and navigate these literacies into their daily lives in order to become effective collaborators, communicators, and global contributors in the 21st century.
Why Literacy and Libraries Are Important
Photo Courtesy of: https://studentsfirst.org/pages/the-stats
The example given in the video above is by no means a unique situation. Kids across the United States and globally experience literacy problems and due to their literacy problems their love for school and deeper learning is extinguished.
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Here are few statistics that will help to further illustrate the impact literacy has on our society and global communities.
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U.S. Statistics:
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One in four children in the U.S. grow up not learning how to read.
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Students who cannot read proficiently by the third grade are four times likely to drop out of school.
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Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade will end up in jail
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Three out of five people in American prisons cannot read
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Three out four people on welfare are unable to read.
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Nearly 85% of juveniles who enter the court system are functionally illiterate.
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Illiteracy costs American taxpayers $20 billion each year.
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Fifty percent of Americans read so poorly that they are unable to read the directions on their prescription bottles.
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Global Statistics:
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785 million adults worldwide are illiterate, which translates to every one in five people.
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122 million youth globally are illiterate, of them 60.7% are women.
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17% of the world’s population is illiterate, with â…” of being women.
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(Statics found at https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america and http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Pages/default.aspx)
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These statistics are appalling, especially in a world where are our current technological climate is making leaps and bounds by the day. What is clearly evident from the above figures is that there is a significant importance in acquiring and fine tuning literacy at an early age. If schools wish to produce future innovators and global contributors they must first build their base not only with traditional literacy, but also with current digital and technological literacies.
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School libraries, and the librarians who staff them, are an important and essential component in developing and implementing solid literacy programs. In Stephen Krashen’s book, “The Power of Reading,” he states that, “Research consistently shows that when children have access to good libraries with plenty of good books and with adequate staffing, they read more, and thus do better on reading tests. For children of poverty, libraries are typically the only possible source of reading material” (2004). In addition to offering a wide variety of books, school libraries offer students a means in which to learn at one’s own personal level, outside of their daily classroom curriculum and demands. This is where a student's literacy has the greatest chance of thriving; in the topics in which students are interested in and wish to learn about.
In the above video, the boy Moses was interested in space and enjoyed playing basketball. As an educator, a librarian would be able to pick on the topics Moses enjoyed learning about and be able to guide him to the resources to help him cultivate a healthy appetite for further study into those topics. In a study performed by Krashen, Lee, and McQuillan they are quoted as saying that, “Studies confirm that more access to books and reading material in general results in more independent self-selected reading. More independent self-selected reading results in more literacy development” (2010). These figures should not be taken lightly and are an indication that libraries and librarians are an effective and essential tool to help bolster and master student literacy.
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Texts citied:
Krashen, Stephen. 2004. The Power of Reading. Westport, CONN: Libraries Unlimited and Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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Krashen, S., Lee, SY, and McQuillan, J. 2010. “An analysis of the PIRLS (2006) data: Can the school library reduce the effect of poverty on reading achievement?” CLSA Journal, 34 (1).
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For more information on the importance of school libraries and librarians please go to http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslissues/advocacy/AASL_infographic.pdf
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A Vision for Better Literacy
I envision my library being a place where students feel safe and have the ability to express themselves their ideas and opinions without fear of judgement or retribution. I envision a collaborative space where students can work with one another on research projects and to solve problems. I would want the space to be open, airy, filled with natural light and inviting. I would want my library to have flexible scheduling and desks that could be easily moved around or become nested so that students and teachers could use the space to their needs. I believe the flexible scheduling would help teachers and students feel they are always invited into my library and would not feel restricted by rigid time schedules. In essence this will allow students the freedom to probe deeper into their research, whether it be for school curriculum or for personal knowledge enrichment.
In my library I envision students learning multiple literacies. Although traditional literacy will be of prime importance to build students’ literacy base, I envision student’s also learning digital literacy, technological literacy, cultural literacy, multicultural literacy, and visual literacy. I envision students utilizing both print and electronic resources to conduct research. I also envision students utilizing a Makerspace area to learn S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. activities to help students learn how to create innovative projects that fuse together technological and digital literacies and creativity. I envision students making connections by exploring the world around them. I also envision students’ confidence being bolstered because of their exploration and the skills they have acquired to decipher and evaluate the information they encounter in their daily lives. I believe my library and the literacy program I create will help equip students for the demands they will experience in school, out of school, and upon graduation.
