Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g0C00Y011016; Fri, 11 Jan 2002 19:00:34 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 19:00:34 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3C3F8A96.F7F6844E@claynet.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Ernie Yelton <yelton@claynet.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:610] Re: Identifying and Supporting Low Literate Parents X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (Win98; U) Status: O Content-Length: 11110 Lines: 243 Hear! Hear!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, Cyndy. Sooooooooooooo true. Have you heard the rule that no more than 3 syllable words should be used in communications with parents, just to give more parents the opportunity to understand? Mary Yelton "Colletti, Cyndy" wrote: > The Reading Teacher in September 1996 published this well done article. > Written by teachers, for teachers, it has been useful to us as we introduced > the idea of family literacy to schools. I've cut and pasted it into this > email to avoid an attachment. The four authors are listed. > > Cyndy Colletti, Illinois State Library Literacy Office > > Identifying and Supporting Low-Literate Parents > > Susan K. Bohler > > Karen L. Eichenlaub > > Sandra D. Litteken > > Deborah A. Wallis > > Johnny, a second grader, is in tears. This is the day that everyone in the > class has been looking forward to. This is the day of the big field trip. > Everyone has turned in signed permission slips except poor Johnny. Once > again, Johnny s mom did not respond to the note sent home. Johnny s > teacher shakes her head and wonders why some parents aren t responsible > enough to take more of an interest in their children. > > This supposed lack of parental interest may seem all too common in the > everyday classroom. Some classroom teachers do not realize the effect adult > illiteracy has on their classrooms. Teachers need to realize that this > problem influences the learning of their students (Denner & Farris, 1991). > Furthermore children who live in homes with parents who don t have a high > school diploma and those from economically deprived homes are five to six > times more likely to drop out of school later in life (Brizius & Foster, > 1993, p. 70). As classroom teachers, we need to break the cycle and > encourage participation in meaningful reading for both parents and children. > > If teachers are aware that adult illiteracy has an impact on their > classrooms, they are more able to identify parents who may have difficulty > reading. They are also more able to integrate methods to assist these > parents and their children. Teacher-parent interactions require that the > teacher be sensitive understanding, and responsive to the needs not only of > the children but of the parents as well (Denner & Farris, 1991, p. 65). > > Identifying low-literate parents > > Teachers must take on the task of being on the lookout for some sign > of adult illiteracy among the parents of students in the class. A teacher > might recognize some of the following possible indicators of low-literate > parents: > > ·ð Parents appear to lack interest in child s progress (e.g., no response > to report cards, obvious lack of guidance on homework and lack of attendance > at conferences or school functions). > > ·ð Special-activity permission slips are not returned (e.g., field trip, > open house, and conferences). > > ·ð Defensive behaviors relating to school activities are exhibited (e.g., > overt criticism of school policies and hostility to recommendations about > how to improve child' academic and behavioral performance). > > ·ð Frequent calls are made by the parent to the school office questioning > the school schedule (e.g., early dismissal, vacation and holidays). > > ·ð Parents exhibit inappropriate responses to written communication (e.g. > signing on incorrect line and providing incorrect information). > > ·ð The teacher or school never sees written correspondence from the parent > > ·ð The student might mention to the teacher that the parent is not a good > reader. > > ·ð Lack of proper supplies and reading materials in the home (e.g., paper, > pencils, crayons, books, magazines, and newspapers) is obvious to the > teacher when the quality of homework is seen. It is often a good indication > that reading and writing are not a priority in the house when a child does > not have the proper supplies at home. > > What next? > > When a parent is suspected of having difficulty in literacy, several > things must be taken into account. First, the teacher must decide whether > to talk with the parent and offer help and support. If the teacher does > decide to talk with the parent, s/he may become very defensive and deny that > there is a problem. > > On the other hand, once the subject is brought up, the parent may be > relieved to know that someone is concerned and willing to help. Regardless, > the teacher must always respect the feelings of that parent s illiteracy, > there are several ways to assist parents, and in turn to help students, to > become functional readers. > > Ways to support low-literate parents > > Hold parent sessions. In order not to single out illiterate > parents, the classroom teacher needs to schedule a parent meeting that > focuses on ways to nurture literacy and to promote its value. The teacher > should hold enjoyable parent sessions so the parents are willing to return > again and again. In addition, these sessions should be held at the > convenience of the parents, not the teachers. If possible the school should > provide free babysitting and transportation. Refreshments at the sessions > provide a more relaxing atmosphere. > > Make tapes to go along with children s books. Books, tapes, and > tape players can be sent home with students. The teacher can send home good > children s literature read by volunteers, the principal, the janitors, and > other school personnel. Class-made language experience books with their > recordings can be sent home. The focus is then on the child reading the > book to the parent instead of the parent reading the book to the child. > This takes the pressure off the parent. > > Use simple or alternative means of communication with parents. The > teacher may want to call parents and ask them to come in and sign important > papers, forms, etc., instead of sending such documents home to be signed. > > Davis and Diaz, (1994, p. 332) suggest replacing difficult terms > with more familiar woods (see Figure). > > Replacing difficult words with familiar ones: > > Terms that may be difficult > Possible replacement > > Child care provided > Do you need a babysitter? > > Transportation requested > Do you need a ride? > > 2:00 dismissal > Students go home at 2:00 > > Spring recess > No school > > Assessment week > Testing this week > > Registration > Eye test > > Remediation needed in > Needs extra help in > > Occupation > Job > > Schedule home visits. Many times low literate parents may be > intimidated by the school environment. The teacher can model appropriate > literacy activities with the child and the family in the familiar > surroundings of the family s own home. The teacher can take along books; > examples of how to use environmental print, paper, pencils, small > chalkboards, and other items that encourage reading and writing. > > Provide a lending library for parents. Teacher can collect copies > of children s favorite books and offer them for parents to take home. > Videos of children s literature can also be available through this library. > A classroom-based lending library may provide convenience and a less > threatening environment than the public library. > > Send home magazine packs. Recycle old magazines; send them home to > parents. The teacher can provide for a variety of interests and age levels > so that each family member has a magazine. The idea is to acclimate the > family to literature and to provide conversation starters. This may foster > a greater appreciation of the written word. > > Send home copies of familiar nursery rhymes and songs (Rosow, 1991). > Parents may recognize these texts and put words to print. Thus parents and > children can get meaning from print as they recite or sing familiar texts. > > Make the parent aware of community programs. Share information > about programs offered to encourage literacy development. Libraries, > workplaces, community colleges and local universities may have some > community programs worth sharing. > > Suggest that your district offer a homework telephone hot line > for parents and children. Many school districts are adopting a homework hot > line that provides an opportunity for parents and students to get > information about school assignments, upcoming school events, school-related > schedule changes, and the daily cafeteria menu. If the homework hot line is > not available, homework assignments and other messages can be taped and sent > home. > > Conclusion > > Does Johnny s mom really not care about his education, or is it > that she does not have the literacy skills to take a more active role in > Johnny s school activities? Often what appears to be an uninterested > parent may indeed be a low-literate parent who is unable to understand or > respond to school correspondence. > > As teachers we must be aware of this possibility and be ready to > assist low-literate parents and their children. The best way to get a > student involved in literacy is to get the parent involved in their own > literacy. Parents, as a child s first teacher, are uniquely qualified to > pass on the richness of a literacy legacy through a shared literacy > experience (Nuckolls, 1991, p. 45). > > Teachers who become frustrated with unresponsible parents should > keep in mind that there may be more to the child s home environment than > they might think. Even though the teacher may not be sure about the parent > s level of literacy, our suggestions and other ideas developed by caring and > informed teachers may be beneficial to all children and families. Helping > parents help themselves and their children will result in a more relaxing > and effective learning environment for all. The real winner is the future > of our society the children. > > All four authors are graduate students in reading at Southern Illinois > University at Edwardsville, USA, where they were inspired by Valerie Meyer. > Bohler teaches children with learning disabilities, Eichenlaub is a > third-grade teacher, and Litteken and Wallis teach first grade, all in > Illinois. > > Taken from The Reading Teacher. (September, 1996) p.77-79 > > References > > Brizius, J.A. & Foster, S.A. (1993). Generation to generation: Realizing > the promise of family > > literacy. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press. > > Davis, S. & Diaz, S. (1994). Identifying and educating low-literate adults. > Reading Horizons, 34,316-323. > > Denner, M., & Farris, P.J. (1991). Guiding illiterate parents in assisting > their children in emergent > > literacy. Reading Horizons, 32,63-72. > > Nuckolls, M.E. (1991). Expanding student s potential through family > literacy. Educational > > Leadership, 49(1), 45-46. > > Roscow, L.V. (1911). How schools perpetuate illiteracy. Educational > Leadership, 49(1), 41-44.
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