EDible News: Tara Schell
News Director, FESA 2014/2015
It is my belief that there are many kinds of literacy. While the word is usually only associated with books and writing, physical, social, and number-based literacy are also hugely important in our daily life.
That being said, when we decided on the theme “literacy lost?” for this month’s issue, my mind went straight to the traditional. Are we really losing sight of the importance of reading and writing? In an age where technology is so important, it would be easy to argue that kids are spending more time in front of computer screens than they are reading books or writing in journals. What isn’t so evident is the prospect that this age of advancement might also be impacting our physical and social literacy.
Recently, my friend showed me an article that strongly advocated for an increase in technology in the classroom. It suggested that by giving each child their own device, they would be able to learn at their own pace, and would increase productivity. You can read the article here.
But where does this lead the development of social literacy? While giving each child an individualized lesson plan would certainly help them grow academically, isn’t there something to be said for the skills a child learns while working through a difficult problem with a friend? Or perhaps on a more basic level, asking to borrow a pencil or eraser? If we learn just as much from these interactions as we do from schoolwork, what will happen if they are taken away?
Some of my best childhood memories are linked to books. There is one author in particular- Edward Eager- who shaped my childhood and truly made me fall in love with reading. The first book I read by him, titled Seven Day Magic, was about a group of kids who rented an enchanted library book and had some pretty amazing adventures. You can tell I was a very exciting kid. But the truly amazing thing about this story is that, while it was entirely about the magical library book, it really wasn’t about it at all. Rather, it was about the way the children grew and came to understand each other along their way.
It is this understanding that must be reached when we discuss literacy. Of course, we want our students to excel at writing and reading, but this excellence cannot come at the expense of their growth as human beings. To develop all types of literacy, academic and otherwise, should be our goal as educators.
Literacy will only be lost if we let it.
