Response to Chapters 3 and 16

Chapter three of Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice written by Donna E. Alverman addresses the paradox between the multiple literacies of today's youth and the methods by which they are taught to read in school. Alverman (2006)  introduces this topic stating,

Congruent with [the] move toward the digital... is another movement, largely driven by policy makers at the state and national levels. Here, the agenda is to make high-stakes testing the impetus driving our students to be better prepared, ready to take their place in an increasingly competitive global workforce. (p. 21)

This section really challenged me as a future teacher to think of ways in which to bridge this large gap in how students communicate outside of school and how to better prepare them for the standardized tests that are becoming increasingly prevalent. I believe that teachers can use technology in an engaging manner to help students connect to the material needed to take these tests. As somebody who is often intimidated by new technology this is something I will have to consciously work on incorporating it in my future classroom. From the connections adolescents make with the digital a new form of literacy is developed pertaining to the understanding of the symbols used in the electronic systems. Alverman (2006) concluded the chapter by discussing how these systems result in the multimodal learning practiced by most young adults in the form of digital interactions. While this is largely ignored by traditional teaching methods the chapter concludes with the recommendation of using different sign systems as a way of helping low achieving and unmotivated students "redefine their literate competence"  (Alverman, 2006, p. 26). I greatly appreciated this comment at the end as it emphasized that the use of sign systems is not to replace traditional reading instruction methods completely but is to be used rather as a way to peak interest in reading and to supplement lessons.


Chapter sixteen of  Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice then went on to illustrate different ways in which teachers can reach underachieving students preparing them for academic success. In this chapter, authors Yvette Jackson and Eric J. Cooper discussed methods in which to promote success within students unused to experiencing it. I found this chapter incredibly useful as outlined the steps that needed to be completed for students to feel safe and competent in the classroom while being challenged. The most interesting section to me was that on listening to students.
This section of the chapter emphasized the importance of a teaching strategy centered around forming relationships as a method of encouraging classroom involvement. While I have always viewed this as a simple fact, the authors outlined methods that encouraged students to form a relationship not only with their teacher, but with their education as well. Jackson and Cooper (2006) state "the most critical question-- What's needed for you to learn? -- is seldom asked of  the students" by asking this question of students it encourages them to analyze the "very thing we judge them on-- their learning" (p. 246). I found it incredible how asking a question as simple as this is almost never asked of students. This really challenged my perceptions of how to best teach and encourage student analysis and made me realize the importance of each student being asked to evaluate their learning.