'Literacy Nooks'

This week, I will add a second article to my Reading Research Article Collection.

The article, "‘Literacy nooks’: Geosemiotics and domains of literacy in home spaces," written by Sophia Rainbird and Jennifer Rowsell (2014), discusses how home spaces have become networks of information sourcing and learning. Carving out interactive domains in the home, or creating a 'literacy nook,' maximizes learning opportunities and is also one way of asserting parental agency in their children's development. Rainbird and Rowsell suggest that parents construct learning environments, within the home space, for preschool children based on concepts of 'good' parenting. They explored how space is arranged and organized to produce an environment conducive to learning and development. Through four case studies of families in the US, they also found that the concept of good parenting differs from home to home according to socioeconomic, cultural, and class-based ideologies.

Traditional early childhood learning interventions originated from institutions providing literacy education to children in the classroom and encouraging parents to extend literacy learning into the home environment (pg. 215). Rainbirn and Rowsell want parents to be involved in literacy learning interventions by taking an active role in sourcing and securing information and resources into the home space. The idea of 'good parenting' in relation to literacy usually involves interactions around storybook reading in the home, more specifically, shared reading, picture books, and bedtime stories.

Building a learning environment consists of combining different elements - actors, environments, resources, and discourses - from which social meaning can be understood. We can gain a richer meaning about the sort of learning practices that occur in the home space when we consider these different elements together. In this article, Rainbirn and Rowsell considers the home space as the "social meaning construed from the material placement of the signs, discourses and actions within the home" (pg. 216).

Rainbirn and Rowsell analyzed parental spaces to see what 'good parenting' represents based on parents' descriptions of the use of their home space. They identified the following two characteristics:

1. The nature of objects and artifacts used in the home tied to early childhood literacy (Is there a consumer presence in the home? Is there a deliberate eschewing of consumerism? Do parents have their own space?). 
2. The nature of childhood space (Is media present? Are books in close proximity and reach of a child? Is there comfortable seating for reading?).

Researchers took field visits to each of the four family's homes to get a sense of place and space. Observations of the use of home space were derived by mapping the space and recording the specific use areas for learning. Parents were also interviewed and asked to show researchers the books, magazines, information leaflets, DVDs, information technology and toys that they had collected, as well as how they were stored or displayed in the home. Rainbirn and Rowsell were particularly interested in the practices that occur in relation to the layout of the literacy spaces. They wanted to consider the relationship between these resources and home space.
By creating visual maps, these researchers were able to show how space reflects philosophies of parental practice. The four homes represented a range from least child-ruled space to most child-ruled space. The fourth home was labeled as the most child-ruled space and was a large home with a very open plan and clear delineated spaces for their daughter. The father of this home is a firm believer in creativity and interpretative play and provides a large space for his daughter to engage in imaginative play. This reflects the idea of role playing as learning, which we have already learned a lot about this semester! The picture below shows the map of this father's house, where most of the right side of the house is space for his daughter.

Rainbird and Rowsell found that there was a distinct difference in the kinds of activities that were deemed important according to gender. "[Mothers] tended to focus on the book and its positioning spatially and within the household routine; the fathers, tended to focus more on personal interaction and literacy learning through less traditional means in the home. Consequently, it could be argued that mothers are more likely to be targeted with traditional methods as to what constitutes good parenting through literacy learning in the home (i.e. book reading), whereas the fathers’ notions of ‘good parenting’ are more open to exploring methods such as family-centred time and imaginative play that involves a different kind of literacy activity space" (pg. 229). 

Paying close attention to the home space can provide us with a richer understanding of the kinds of literacy learning that takes place at home. "As the fluidity of home space creates a blurring of borders between designated learning spaces and family space, the kinds of learning that take place are also fluid as, for example, they blend into family routines" (pg. 230).

As a child, I never had a literacy nook, or a space carved out just for reading or activities, and I can only imagine how much more fun I could have had with literacy. 

There are endless possibilities when it comes to creating a space just for learning! I've collected a couple of pictures from Pinterest just to give you an idea of how this simple space can be transformed into a whole world of its own.

This is a closet remodeled into a reading nook.

 This is an entire play room.

 This is a small window space with books displayed just like at the bookstore!

'Literacy Nooks': Geosemiotics and domains of literacy in home spaces

Sophia Rainbird and Jennifer Rowsell

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 1468798411401865, first published on June 28, 2011

Comprehension

In "Catching Readers Before They Fall," chapter eight focuses on the thinking and the teaching behind comprehension strategy instruction. Johnson and Keier suggest that comprehension strategy has a place in elementary classrooms, but question whether or not prolonged strategy instruction is necessary for every student. They recommended the "need for explicit strategy instruction for the struggling readers and advised toning down the amount for top readers" (pg. 135). The group of readers in between struggling readers and extremely proficient readers can also benefit from exposure to comprehension strategies in doses that match their needs. Johnson and Keier state that this body of students could learn to use specific skills (pg. 135):

• Better infer information from text
• Distinguish important parts form nonessential information
• Pick up on subtle humor , sarcasm, or underlying themes
• Make links from one text to another in order to improve comprehension
• Expand their knowledge of various topic by activating and adding to their schema
• Examine an author's perspective or a character's point of view

"Transitional readers are not struggling readers. They simply need a new set of strategies for reading more complex texts... [They are] competent readers who need the support of thoughtful and purposeful instruction" (pg. 136). This is extremely important for teachers to understand about their students. We need to watch our students and look for what seems to be confusing them in their reading. Instead of having a strict lesson plan that is set up way ahead of time, it is important to develop the lessons from where the students are in their reading and writing. This takes a lot of courage. I really admire teachers who have a plan for how they want the day to go and can completely change the lesson on the fly. I know if I had to do that, I would be shaking in my boots because I like routine and sticking to the plan. In my field experience this semester, I have seen the teachers that I work with change their plans calmly and with ease. It's almost as if their plan for the day was to change the lesson plan. It was very reassuring to see a teacher handle a situation like that with no hesitation and carry on the day with cheerfully and joyfully.

The goal for teachers is to get students to move from guided reading practice to using the strategies independently. We need to make it a goal for the students to feel the strategies working for them. Finding meaning and value in their reading process system will allow for them to take ownership of strategies. So, how do we do that? How do we get students to move to independence? Johnson and Keier came up with six reflection questions that could facilitate each participant in finding his or her answer:

1. Was my modeling explicit enough?

• Was your teaching explicit and focused? The students need to understand that this strategy could help them at another time, while reading another text.

2. What happened during the shared demonstrations? Who talked?

• Although we may feel that we've had a successful lesson if there were many talkers, we cannot assume that every students achieved the same level of understanding.

3. How much guided practice was given to the students having the most difficulty?

• Some students will understand immediately following a modeled lesson. However, others may need several lessons on that topic.

4. What assessments do I have in place for checking which students are effectively using the strategies and which are not?

• "There is no formula for teaching." We need to be observant all through the strategy instructions. Teachers need to take time to reflect on the artifacts that students are creating. 

5. How appropriate were the materials used during the guided practice strategy instruction?

• While finding a "just-right" level of text is important for the student, teachers need to make sure the text matches the strategy being discussed. 

6. Did I change my language to facilitate transfer?

• The teacher's language guides and facilitates understanding before it becomes a "reminding" language where he or she prompts students to try specific strategies or behaviors. Then, when students are reading independently, the teacher uses language to reinforce students as they are making connections.

"Learning how to comprehend is not something that is only taught in upper elementary grades" (pg. 153). While this chapter is geared towards the youngest readers, I can't help but see myself being taught how to comprehend. Even as I am taking my master classes, I am experiencing lessons being modeled and learning what language to use with students. I get to see lessons and strategies in writing, hear them told  out loud, see it modeled before my eyes, and also practice with my peers.

Perspective of a Child

Over the next few weeks, I will begin my "Reading Research Article Collection."

Today, I decided to explore some articles in the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy and found an article titled, "When pictures aren't pretty: Deconstructing punitive literacy practices." This article was written by Teresa R. Fisher, Peggy Albers, and Temmy G. Ferederick, all from Georgia State University College of Education.

I thought this article was fitting for my K-3 Literacy course and Art Methods course.This interpretive analysis focuses mainly on how and what young children describe through visual texts, and drawings in particular, especially when written language is not an option. Visual stories are told by children to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and understandings to adults. These stories usually portray cheerful events with family or pets. However, sometimes children's visual texts tell troubled stories of their social and literacy practices, including behavior. This paper specifically dives into a story about a 6-year-old boy, John, who was forced to document challenging moments across his first-grade year through drawings and written text on a mandated behavior form called, 'My Action Plan.'

These researchers wanted to examine the following:
(a) What can a visual analysis of John’s texts help us understand about how he represented and made meaning of his behavior across time?
(b) How do visual and written language operate together to create a narrative of John’s behavior? and
(c) How do both contribute to meaning making in a text/punitive task that he was obligated to compose?



"The literature on the creation of visual texts suggests that this medium is a powerful tool that children use to make visible their beliefs, biases, values, affiliations, positions and identities" (pg. 5). The practice of using writing as punishment has been part of the discourse in the literacy community for a few decades. However, less attention is paid to problematizing the use of multi-modal literacies as a disciplinary engagement for young learners (pg. 5).  Since literacy practices such as drawing are used in a disciplinary way, these pictures need to be critically examined in order to determine: what is being communicated visually, how that communication is significant to the child, and what needs to be done to help the child.

John drew many pictures over time and through these pictures we can see a narrative of John's self-concept throughout the academic year.

At the start of the year, John saw himself as a vital part of the classroom. In general, he used a great deal of color and detail in his pictures, and saw himself in a positive light.

In this picture, he positions himself alone and away from the action of the class. However, John looks at the teacher and the class, and indicates interest in the class action. Even though his teacher (Teresa) has no smile, John visually represents her with energy; she has colorful clothes and red high-heeled shoes. Even though he is in trouble, he draws himself in color, arms raised high to the sky, still connected to his class and classmates, and quite happy.

The following pictures depict John's timeline of behavior in and out of the classroom throughout the rest of the school year.

"Across these images, a once mischievous, bold and happy boy in September, turned violent and angry in the winter, is now resigned, weak and feels little agency in the control he has over himself. His initial pictures were filled with bold and joyous colors which transformed into colorless pictures. His enthusiasm for school waned, as did his writing. Across the latter images, John seemed to care about what he wrote and how he wrote (in complete sentences), and even this aspect of his literacy matters little, though we acknowledge that spending a great deal of time and energy in the writing on such an unpleasant topic likely did not engender a great deal of desire to focus on the quality of writing" (pg. 21).

These visual texts show us that it is not enough to look

at them individually and that we must also examine them over time. It is only when we look at them in the light of other texts (and in this instance, visually) that we can see when significant shifts in their behavior, self-concept or learning represented visually. In John’s case, his pictures trace his changes in his view of himself and his agency (or lack thereof) during troubling classroom-based moments over time. Further, the schoolbased Action Plan itself as an intervention may have been one of several factors which encouraged John to enact the ‘bad boy’ identity instead of serving to aid him in making more positive choices (pg. 22). 

If we are to require children to engage in a literacy practice (or any practice) and do not examine what children do with those practices and what those practices offer and limit, we cannot be certain that these practices are healthy or helpful to our most vulnerable learners. We must carefully consider the impact of these practices. Conversations around these practices are vulnerable, but also empowering as teachers learn to look carefully at visual texts over time and find alternative ways to support children. 

When Pictures Aren’t Pretty: Deconstructing Punitive Literacy Practices 
Teresa R. Fisher, Peggy Albers, and Tammy G. Frederick

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 1468798413485267, first published on June 5, 2013

Literacy Door

Last semester, I was placed in a fifth grade classroom for my field experience. I felt intimidated by these children before I had even had a chance to meet them. On my first day of student teaching, I remember trembling as I walked towards their classroom door. I assumed most of these fifth graders would tower over me like tall bean stalks and feared that these cool cats wouldn't like me. I thought that the knowledge I carried with me would not be enough to help these kids learn something new. I was afraid that I wouldn't be "smarter than a fifth grader," and I knew that it made me feel insecure about myself as a "teacher".

This semester, I am placed in a first and second grade classroom and will experience what it is like to be a co-teacher. Once again, I feel intimidated and fearful, but in completely different ways than with those fifth graders. These early years, in my opinion, are the most important years in a child's entire educational career, where they learn to read and write. It is frightening to know that I will be an enormous influence in their reading and writing journey. As a learner myself, I am afraid to make mistakes when I become a teacher! However, this time, I also feel more aware of what kinds of students there are in classrooms. I feel more familiar with what kinds of readers and writers there are in classrooms. I feel more prepared to reach out to these different learners because of all the wonderful resources we have been using in our program. More specifically, the readings assigned to us this week have really inspired me to question myself less and to have more confidence in myself as a future teacher.

In a "Voice of Literacy" podcast on early writing, Dr. Deborah Rowe suggests that "all kids [don't] walk in the literacy door the same way." Some students are specifically procedural oriented, some are creative, some are socially oriented, and others are conceptually oriented (students are also combinations of these). Just as teachers have their own interest patterns, so do children. In other words, children seem to have preferences for play. In a school setting, some examples of choices would include solving puzzles, manipulating blocks, and a writing center. Some children are interested in relationships with teachers and other students, and others like to do whatever their friends are doing and want to understand how things work. There are even children who look for creative and new uses for items and objects, and enjoy experimenting with materials and properties. The key point is that teachers need to reflect the variety of interests that children have, instead of just reflecting our own interest patterns. In order to accomplish this, teachers must look at how children approach things and create a classrooms that has a wide variety of literacy activities. "We want to support our children's interests," as Rowe mentions in her interview. We need to understand that "all kids [don't] walk in the literacy door the same way," but they will walk through that literacy door at some point. As teachers, we need to be there to encourage these students as they take this walk!

Once students walk through this mysterious and exciting door, their writing journey begins. While children are busy exploring this new world in their own creative and imaginative ways, teachers need to educate parents on the development of early writing. Just as we oppose the deficit model that blams children for their reading difficulties, we should not view children's writing from a deficit viewpoint. Kate Cusumano explains in her article, "Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children's Writing," that we should look for meaning when viewing a student's writing. What is the child saying through their words and pictures on the page?

Let's just stop and think about this for a minute.

In my previous post, Diving Into the World of Struggling Readers, I wrote about how children are developing a thinking system, or network of strategies, that helps them make meaning when they read. This same idea of a thinking system can be applied to writing. Children are organizing their ideas and expressing them in a way that makes sense to them. They are communicating. They are making meaning. This is exactly what "successful" early writing looks like.

While searching for meaning in children's writing, we can also look to see "what rules for writing, including accepted writing conventions, the child has discovered thus far," as Cusumano suggests. Children are showing us exactly how they are learning through their writing. "Every mark a child makes on a paper is made for a purpose" (pg. 11). It is important to help parents try to appreciate these marks and try to understand what their young author was thinking when making each mark.

If teachers, parents, and community members can all try to see the value of every part of a child's writing, we will all spend less time worrying about writing and spend more time encouraging and praising children's abilities.

Empower students! Empower parents!