Methods to Consider when Teaching Literacy to Young Learners in the Cybersphere
Perhaps the field most impacted by education’s cyber turn over the past year is literacy and writing. Engaging students with words without the aid of shared presence has challenged us in conveying elements such as mood or aura when reading fiction and poetry. Encouraging students to write can during these times can be more challenging as well, as many students who struggle to write can benefit immensely just by sitting next to someone encouraging. Therefore, I decided to share some interventions that have benefited me as a literature “Zutor” or Zoom Tutor.
1. Image-Based Vocabulary: I picked up this method from my eighth grade English teacher, who ran what felt like the easiest class ever. It was the type of course where I felt like I had fun and was not really learning, until I reached college and I realized I’d learned more in his class than my AP Literature course. I always struggled with vocabulary more than anything — before eighth grade I could use advanced words properly in a sentence, but I could not tell you their definition. This method teaches both connotation and denotation efficiently and effectively. I think the secret here is a base understanding that not only do we now live in an image-based culture, where young people are more likely to be engaged with images instead of text, but that also our brains are wired to associate words with images — real things — instead of more text, as in a dictionary. I use this intervention with my advanced first grader — I pull words at a third grade reading level. For another advanced student, who is in fourth grade, I pull words at a sixth grade reading level. To test their understanding, I remove the definition, but keep the images, then after twenty or so words, I create a Quizlet where they can build their understanding further with games and flashcards, or complete a test to prove their mastery.
2. Write First, Edit Second: I notice with students who are overwhelmed or intimidated by writing, the issue is not so much a lack of motivation, but an anxiety around the idea the words they put on the page may be incorrect, or not good enough. At the writing center I worked in during college, I dealt with many students who, despite the rule they had to come with something written down for us to discuss, would show up frazzled and upset with nothing but a blank page. They were almost always apologetic and clearly daunted. Typically, what had happened was they’d written a first paper, turned it in, and gotten a poor grade with no real edits or revision suggestions — just a sentence or two stating there were grammatical errors that impeded the reader’s understanding. They felt they had to write with correct grammar first, or it would be impossible to get a good grade. More often than not, since due to academic integrity rules we could not give them starter sentences or example paragraphs, they would end up not turning anything in at all. I eventually learned I could make some leeway with the advice, “Just get something, anything, down on paper. Just one sentence. Then keep going. Turn off the voice in your head telling you it’s not perfect and you need to edit it right away. Edit once the first paragraph is done, and then only focus on the big picture, just to make the paper match the assignment.” Once they finished the rough draft, only then would we print it out and I would mark each area where grammar edits were necessary, even if this meant changing the verb tense for three entire pages or fixing every apostrophe with an s. By way of brute force and extreme annoyance, they learned what not to do next time. I take this same approach with my young and adult tutees. One student is currently writing a chapter book, and is motivated to do so, but definitely is daunted by the blank page. I encourage him to write literally anything, then we go back and complete one read through for clarity and sense-making, filling plotholes, adding detail, etc.. Then, we do another sweep, wherein we focus on grammar and spelling. My advanced first grader is less daunted by the blank page and is open to asking about spelling, comma rules, and even edits while writing, though only when she finishes a page do I take a look and ask leading questions for her to correct any mistakes.
3. Media Literacy: I love books and text more than anything. I think there is a texture and richness that is lost when it comes to film and digital modes of storytelling, though I cannot dispute that the world is moving away from text as the preferred mode of communication, and it’s happening rapidly. Young people are absolutely inundated with images, audio, video games, and television. These mediums are much much more persuasive than text. Therefore, for a few sessions per month, I put aside my motivation to bring forth the love of the written word for the kids I work with and I encourage media literacy by having them critically interpret educational Youtube videos, images, online games, and image-rich articles as if they were text. Since the election and a recent civics elective, one of my tutees has become fascinated by American politics, so we discuss the mechanism of media bias in different articles concerning climate change policy and most recently, the Georgia runoff election. He is also very intrigued by video games and game theory, so we interpret the ways in which these programs are like stories, how their narrative structures impact one’s experience as a reader or a player, and how different mediums compare and contrast. I have focused on teaching him that images can be read very much like a story, using guided materials to help him to understand the ways in which texts and images work to persuade him. I show younger students educational videos and ask questions like how songs instead of dialogue help them to learn better, and why colors are more engaging than black and white. I think no matter one’s reading level, an understanding that all media can argue, persuade, distort the truth, and tell a story is absolutely necessary in this day and age.
4. Mentor Texts: This is a method I picked up in high school from the most effective teacher I had, even counting college professors. In her high school class, I would often help students in my class revise their papers during paper writing time. She used a mentor text with the class for the first time when I took her tenth grade writing class. Both she and I were astounded at the results. Students who had barely turned in anything turned in pages worth of writing. Students who struggled to create cohesive papers were finally able to produce “A” work. Instead of encouraging “original” work that comes directly from one’s lived experience or understanding, mentor texts encourage students to imitate skilled writers so they can understand the rhetorical and artistic moves writers make to engage their readers. The young woman I tutor is currently writing a story with a vast setting and detailed landscape, though she is struggling to define and flesh out her characters, so we are reading the Ivy and Bean series since it focuses on two strong and detailed young characters (an unanticipated plus is its humor and irony, which she has also decided to integrate by including details of sandwiches growing on trees and mermaids living in the desert). During my first few months with the fourth-grader who is intrigued by STEM, but struggles to be focused on writing and reading, getting him to write felt a like pulling out teeth. He was uninterested in putting pen to paper and instead just wanted to talk about his ideas. He did not see the reason for writing, and I just simply loved the practice so much, I struggled to articulate a method. At this point, we were working on understanding narrative structures and mapping stories onto linear, branching, nodal, concentric, and constellation structures. During my research, I learned the branching narrative is often used to create video games, as well as in Choose Your Own Adventure stories. So I found a Choose Your Own Adventure book and asked him to use it as a model text to write a short story with the same type of structure. Almost magically, he became engaged, and is now on Chapter Four of his own Choose Your Own Adventure novel. Here are some links for some more information about Mentor Texts: From the New York Times; From Edutopia.
Beyond these four skills, I also take note of areas where there may be gaps of understanding and show educational videos or use Common Core Standard aligned worksheets to strengthen spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension for the kids as well. While I try to be future-facing in my pedagogy, I also want young people to learn to appreciate tradition and storytelling as something uniquely entwined with human history, so once a month we will take a look at a folktale or two (here are Folktales from Around the World). I am very lucky to be able to individualize so much. I hope my methods offer some helpful insight as you navigate the new world of digital education, either individually, with a small group, or with a large group! Please reach out if you have any questions or would like me to share any more resources.
