Major Findings and
Implications for Literacy Theory and Practice today
“Parents’ interpretations of the present were bound by their recollections of the past.” p.22
We must be cognisant of the fact that a parent’s personal experience both with school and with learning to read will have direct and lasting effect on the family literacy experience they provide for their children – possibly positive or negative.
“My findings indicate that it is not production that precedes comprehension but use that precedes form, or as Cazden (1980) states, performance that precedes competence.” p.42
Children learn about writing by writing. It doesn’t matter whether the writing can be read by anyone else – it is just important for children to have the opportunity to produce writing in ways that are personally meaningful. The children in Taylor’s study got better at using language because they did it in ways that were meaningful to them.
“Children learn to organize their environment through the use of print. The focus of their attention is not the print per se, but the social organization of their everyday lives.” p.54
From a very young age children are modelling themselves and their use of language on the literate adults in their world, making lists, cards, playing at clubs, restaurants, shopping, etc. In Taylor’s study, the use of literacy to organize the games or environment was often the focus, and once the club, restaurant or lemonade stand was organized it was abandoned. We need to remember that the fun is in the organizing… the planning, the labeling, the sign and rule making. As educators we need to be cognisant of the fact that it’s not about where they end up… it’s about the getting there.
“The children of this study learned of print through the socially significant literate activities in which they engaged, and it was within this context that their awareness of written language forms developed.” “the meanings of their words had immediate relevance to their everyday lives.” p.76 “Children need to explore the uses of print before they are specifically taught to read and write, and many children are unprepared for the present pedagogical practices of our schools.” p.94
Children need to be engaged and interested in order to learn. Educators and parents need to be able to cue in to areas of particular interest to help children find the relevance to themselves. Teaching a child to read and write without any awareness of all the ways and places they can use those skills is not meaningful to them.
“For the families participating in the field research, literacy is a part of the very fabric of family life.” “Growing up in an environment where literacy is the only option, they learned of reading as one way of listening, and writing as one way of talking.” p.87
Every home in this study had two educated parents who were focused on making their children’s experiences better than their own. Questions for today's practice could be: What about children coming from homes without literacy as “part of the very fabric of family life”? What about children coming from homes with only one (overworked) parent who has few literacy skills themselves? How can we as educators support and encourage a family literacy environment in every child’s home?
“We need to know more of the learning styles, coping strategies, and social support systems of the children we teach if instruction in reading and writing is to be a meaningful complement to their lives.” (p.93)
As educators it is important for us to be aware of the family literacy situation in our students’ homes and to acquire some background about their family literacy experiences. We need to give conscious and careful thought to how our program at school interacts with what happens for them at home. Is it our intention to replace what is currently happening at home with our home reading program? Or supplement it? What do we know of what is the current practice in our students homes?
We must be cognisant of the fact that a parent’s personal experience both with school and with learning to read will have direct and lasting effect on the family literacy experience they provide for their children – possibly positive or negative.
“My findings indicate that it is not production that precedes comprehension but use that precedes form, or as Cazden (1980) states, performance that precedes competence.” p.42
Children learn about writing by writing. It doesn’t matter whether the writing can be read by anyone else – it is just important for children to have the opportunity to produce writing in ways that are personally meaningful. The children in Taylor’s study got better at using language because they did it in ways that were meaningful to them.
“Children learn to organize their environment through the use of print. The focus of their attention is not the print per se, but the social organization of their everyday lives.” p.54
From a very young age children are modelling themselves and their use of language on the literate adults in their world, making lists, cards, playing at clubs, restaurants, shopping, etc. In Taylor’s study, the use of literacy to organize the games or environment was often the focus, and once the club, restaurant or lemonade stand was organized it was abandoned. We need to remember that the fun is in the organizing… the planning, the labeling, the sign and rule making. As educators we need to be cognisant of the fact that it’s not about where they end up… it’s about the getting there.
“The children of this study learned of print through the socially significant literate activities in which they engaged, and it was within this context that their awareness of written language forms developed.” “the meanings of their words had immediate relevance to their everyday lives.” p.76 “Children need to explore the uses of print before they are specifically taught to read and write, and many children are unprepared for the present pedagogical practices of our schools.” p.94
Children need to be engaged and interested in order to learn. Educators and parents need to be able to cue in to areas of particular interest to help children find the relevance to themselves. Teaching a child to read and write without any awareness of all the ways and places they can use those skills is not meaningful to them.
“For the families participating in the field research, literacy is a part of the very fabric of family life.” “Growing up in an environment where literacy is the only option, they learned of reading as one way of listening, and writing as one way of talking.” p.87
Every home in this study had two educated parents who were focused on making their children’s experiences better than their own. Questions for today's practice could be: What about children coming from homes without literacy as “part of the very fabric of family life”? What about children coming from homes with only one (overworked) parent who has few literacy skills themselves? How can we as educators support and encourage a family literacy environment in every child’s home?
“We need to know more of the learning styles, coping strategies, and social support systems of the children we teach if instruction in reading and writing is to be a meaningful complement to their lives.” (p.93)
As educators it is important for us to be aware of the family literacy situation in our students’ homes and to acquire some background about their family literacy experiences. We need to give conscious and careful thought to how our program at school interacts with what happens for them at home. Is it our intention to replace what is currently happening at home with our home reading program? Or supplement it? What do we know of what is the current practice in our students homes?