Main Concepts:
As the study begins Taylor reflects on how each family is unique in their family literacy routines and rituals, and how each parent values literacy in his/her own way based upon the influences of how they were raised. “Early in the study, I was impressed by the way the parents moved easily between the past and present as they talked about their own experiences of learning to read and write and the experiences of their children. In each family, some rituals and routines of written language usage appear to conserve family traditions of literacy, while others appear to change the patterns of the past.” (pg 7)
Taylor notes that parents were both critical and supportive of their children’s school experience of learning how to read and write. “For the families taking part in this study, the sum total of their literate experiences comes into play in the mediation of each child’s learning to read and write in school. The experience of the parents, the experiences of brothers and sisters, and the child’s own experiences form a filter through which learning at school must pass.” (pg 17)
While not purposeful in nature the practice of exposing their children to literacy happened as a means of everyday living. Taylor states “Within the context of the family, the transmission of literary styles and values is a diffuse experience, often occurring at the margins of awareness. Even when parents quite consciously introduced their children to print, the words were locked into the context of the situation. The label on the bottle of shampoo, the recipe for carrot bread, and the neon sign in the street were not constructed to specifically teach reading; they were part of the child’s world, and the child learned of their purpose as well as their meaning.” (pg 20)
As the study progressed Taylor reflects “In the early stages of the study, the extent of the children’s literate activity was only hinted at in the ongoing dialogue with each family. New strategies of data collection were necessary if the degree of their involvement was to be made visible.” Taylor therefore began collecting samples of various literacy examples seen throughout this webpage. These samples provided a window into how children were making sense of their world through language and print.
Taylor explores many topics relevant to how children make sense of print in their world in relation to everyday family life. Some of these include: Learning to “read” symbols and signs, learning to “read” stories, and school related literate activities such as using work books and dictating messages. She notes that when children are exposed to the idea of school entry the literary activities become more pronounced. “There is a noticeable shift when the children start to learn to read and write in school. Reading and writing are lifted out of context and become the specific focus of attention. The children’s new interest in print is integrated with their earlier experiences of written language. Throughout the transitional period, the activities that engage the children remain socially significant to their everyday lives” (pg 71)
Taylor also explores the cultural context of family literacy. She notes “I support the view that literacy develops best in relational contexts which are meaningful to the young child. Also “...reading and writing are cultural activities intrinsic to their experiences.” (pg 79)
Some of the most significant questions raised by Taylor in “Family Literacy” are related to how we prepare children for school and the expectations we have on them. Taylor is critical of some of the pedagogical practices schools impose on children and families and attempts to challenge some of these practices. “Within this context (cultural) the writings of Vygotsky (1978) become important, and the question emerges of whether we can seriously expect children who have never experiences or have limited experience of reading and writing as complex cultural activities to successfully learn to read and write from the narrowly defined pedagogical practices of schools.” (pg 91)
Of particular interest is the question Taylor raises with the parents on “who fails?” Taylor notes “their overwhelming response was children who are not interested in learning to read and write”. The parents expressed to Taylor that some children are uninterested because “no one ever considered it important” and children are failing “who are not motivated to read” “because nobody is interested”. Taylor states “The parent’s emphasis on motivation is echoed in the literature and it is, of course, one answer to the question of “who fails? However, it is entirely possible that many children “fail” because they never have the opportunity to experience the diffuse, moment-to-moment uses of print, the learning experiences of which the parents found it so difficult to speak. Print is presented to them as some abstract de-contextualized phenomenon unrelated to their everyday lives. They learn of reading as a private affair, something that happens in the workbook pages of impractical notions where teachers and children meet.” (pg 92)