Preparing Globally Minded Literacy Teachers

Knowledge, Practices, and Case Studies

Jan Lacina, Robin Griffith

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781000739817
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This textbook brings together internationally renowned scholars to provide an overview of print and digital literacy instruction for pre-service teachers and teacher educators. It examines historical and cultural contexts of literacy practices around the globe, and addresses issues that teachers need to consider as they teach children from diverse world cultures, languages, and backgrounds.

Organized into three Parts—Early Literacy, Intermediate to Adolescent Literacy, and Case Studies—the text highlights key practices around the world to provide literacy educators and students with a broader view of effective practices as well as strategies for overcoming challenges faced by literacy educators worldwide. The global case studies present complex issues and allow readers to discuss what it means to be globally minded, as well as how to implement best practices in literacy instruction. All chapters include consistent elements for ease of use, such as vignettes, historical and cultural contexts, implications for future research, and discussion questions.

Grounded in current research and theory, this book is designed for foundational courses in literacy education and literacy methods, as well as courses in comparative and multicultural education.

Chapter 1

Introduction

A Global Perspective to Literacy Teaching and Learning

Jan Lacina and Robin Griffith

To reach real peace in the world, we will have to begin with the children—Gandhi

As Gandhi eloquently describes in the quote above, everything in life begins with children. For our world to become free from war and violence, we must prioritize the education of our world’s children. Educating children encourages better understanding of others across the globe who may have different views, values, and beliefs. Educating children helps them understand and learn from history, including the mistakes of the past as well as successful moments in history. Educating children provides opportunities for socioeconomic prosperity they may otherwise not have.

In 1989, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a historical and important commitment to children that contains 54 principles. These principles include the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, which influenced governments to change laws and policies to protect children and to prioritize children and their needs. Eradicating illiteracy among children is one of these rights. Despite the progress made throughout the world since 1989, children continue to face illiteracy. In some countries, children’s schooling is cut short, and in other countries, girls still do not receive the same rights for an education as boys receive. A new generation of educational leaders must come forward with a similar commitment, like the world leaders in 1989 who led the Convention on the Rights of Children. In schools across the world, teachers are still making a difference in the literacy lives of children.

Preparing globally minded teachers involves a better understanding of others across the globe and how we can learn from each other. With this book, we focus on literacy across the globe, and how teachers from diverse backgrounds are implementing innovative and culturally relevant pedagogical practices in their own communities. In some countries, teachers have the opportunity to ask questions, challenge curriculum, and vote for political leadership to influence educational changes. With these opportunities, educators should also offer alternatives to educational practices (Hoffman, Sailors, & Aguirre, 2016), and serve as a voice for the educational profession. This text offers examples of teachers who offer such alternatives as they shape literacy practices in developing nations as well as in industrialized nations worldwide. The book provides examples of teachers, schools, and curricula that are changing lives through literacy practices and instruction.

Literacy Rates

Why is it important to consider literacy at the global level? According to data from UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2016), there are 758 million adults 15 years and older who still cannot read a simple sentence; close to two-thirds of those individuals are female. Although literacy rates worldwide continue to rise, the literacy rates of young women, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, remain dismally low at 65%. Literacy rates in such countries as Afghanistan, Guinea, Mali, and South Sudan remain below 30%. Literacy is clearly a global concern.

Disparity continues between the research of best practices for literacy instruction and students’ experiences in the classroom (Applebee & Langer, 2011; Boudreau Smith, 2017). Teachers often know the work of pedagogy theorists and practitioners (Graves, 1983; Jago, 2014); however, there may be multiple reasons as to why best practices are not always implemented in the classroom. Lack of relevant resources, pressures for testing and accountability, and, in some cases, lack of professional development to support teachers all contribute to the disconnect between theory and practice. Yet, literacy educators around the world are finding ways to overcome these challenges.

Literacy practices, as well as literacy achievement, differ worldwide. For aspiring teachers, and inservice teachers, it is important to know how literacy may be assessed and publicized in the media, and ways in which policy-makers evaluate the success and failure of educational policy (Dixon et al., 2013). The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international comparative assessment that measures student learning in reading (PIRLS, 2016). PIRLS has been documenting trends internationally since 2001 in the reading knowledge of 4th graders, and school and teacher practices related to instruction. The design of the test is completed by an international group of experts, and, after test development, the test is translated into many languages, and reviewed at the international level to ensure that all groups are fairly tested (Strietholt & Rosén, 2016). The 4th graders complete a reading assessment and questionnaire assessing their attitudes towards reading and their reading habits. Additional questionnaires are collected from teachers and school principals documenting students’ school experiences in developing literacy.

PIRLS 2016 trends indicated an increase in good readers internationally, with eleven countries showing improved scores from 2011 to 2016 (PIRLS, 2016). The 2016 data also indicated that girls on average are better readers than boys in 48 out of the 50 PIRLS countries administering the assessment. Additional trends in high test scores indicate that good readers have home environments that support literacy learning, which includes more resources, such as books, more digital devices, as well as parents who noted that they like to read. PIRLS data also indicates that good readers learn to read early in preprimary schools; these children’s parents were engaged in their early literacy activities. Those students who scored well on PIRLS attended, on average, more affluent schools, attended school regularly, and were not tired or hungry. Most interesting from this data is that those students who performed well on the PIRLS also came from international schools where reading instruction was a high priority at the primary level. From these schools, 27% of the instructional time is allocated for language instruction, and 18% is dedicated to reading instruction. Reading instruction includes access to libraries and weekly digital learning activities (PIRLS, 2016).

Many researchers question the validity of the PIRLS, and note the exam may be biased towards wealthier nations. Other researchers note the deficiency of these rankings in improving educational practice (Dixon et al., 2013), and those countries with lower scores were not necessarily propelled to make educational changes. Despite the controversy, scholars who support the use of PIRLS note that with such international rankings may be a lever for improvement of educational standards (Strietholt & Rosén, 2016). Literacy scholars can use PIRLS data to demonstrate the importance of resources, such as the significance of children having qualified teachers, involved parents, financial resources, and prioritized literacy instruction, especially at the primary level.

Critical Sociocultural Theory

We approached the formation of this book with a critical sociocultural mindset. Nieto (2018) explains that sociocultural theory assumes that social relationships and political realities are intertwined. Sociocultural theory enables teachers to better understand others, and most importantly, to better teach students from diverse linguistic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. Critical sociocultural theory aims to better address issue of power, identity, and agency as it relates specifically to literacy learning and practice (Lewis, Enciso, & Moje, 2007). The chapters in this book demonstrate how research and literacy practice make visible the ideological foundations of historical and cultural contexts within which teachers and children are situated. Cultural history activity theory, a strand of sociocultural theory, includes such elements as subject, object, rules, community, signs, or tools—grounded within cultural and historical tradition (Bazerman & Russell, 2003; Lewis et al., 2007). With this in mind, activities within a school or classroom are viewed as social practices positioned within a community, with specific norms and values for those literacy practices. The chapter authors in this book draw on a variety of theoretical perspectives, while connecting to literacy practices within their home country and offering ideas for globally minded literacy teachers.

Literacy around the World

Literacy practices worldwide differ based on the expectations of educational systems, government requirements, and what individual countries and cultures view as best practices. In many countries, research literature explains best practices for reading and writing instruction. Best practices for reading instruction includes teaching using a wide selection of literature, teaching using a comprehensive word study program, teaching reading for authentic, meaning-making purposes, as well as using assessment to inform instruction (Morrow, Gambrell, & Pressley, 2003); best practices for writing instruction include process writing instruction, like a writer’s workshop, and using literature as a model for writing instruction (Lacina, 2018; Lacina & Griffith, 2017; Troia, Lin, Cohen, & Monroe, 2011). Across the globe, literacy instruction approaches vary. For example, teachers in some Asian countries do not commonly implement the reading or writing process in their classrooms since good teaching in some schools is viewed through a Confucian lens. Instructional practices may vary based on macro-level aspects, such as the government and educational policies of individual countries (Ping Hsiang & Graham, 2016). With such variance in educational practices between western and eastern parts of the world, educators as well as aspiring teachers must keep in mind social practices situated within a community, and the norms and values for those literacy practices.

Literacy practices also differ across the globe based on government expectations, testing, and teacher preparation. In a study that compared writing instruction in Portugal to Brazil, both Portuguese-speaking countries, researchers found that middle school teachers spent little time teaching writing, nor did they often teach strategies (Simão, Malpique, Lourdes, & Marques, 2016). However, these teachers viewed writing as a shared responsibility, and viewed writing instruction as the responsibility for all teachers. While schools have the autonomy to decide on their own educational methods and curriculum to some extent, some school systems must adhere to the government attainment targets to receive financial support. In summary, literacy practices differ based on a variety of factors, such as expectations of educational systems and government requirements.

Literacy practices are further influenced by the economic, social, cultural, and historical contexts in which children live (Singh, Han, & Woodrow, 2012), and it is important to take into consideration this background. It is imperative that teachers, and preservice teachers, have the opportunity to read about teachers, schools, and communities across the globe that are successful, and how they face their challenges, when faced with varied economic support systems. It is important for educators to study similarities and differences in instructional practices worldwide, and to reflect on literacy in the context of social practices situated within a community, with specific norms and values for those literacy practices. Just as important, in this text you will read of the current renaissance within education globally as international language scholars have been exploring the flow of language, literacy, transnationalism, and technology, around the globe.

How to Read This Book

Based on the review of research, as well as the documented need for books that highlight global literacy practices, we set out to gather literacy scholars from around the world who could help globally minded teachers learn about the challenges and innovative literacy practices employed in different countries. The authors are internationally and/or nationally known for their scholarship in literacy education. They work in developing nations, industrialized nations, and in some cases with indigenous communities. The authors are outstanding scholars and teachers who care deeply about literacy and children.

The book is divided into three parts: (1) Early Literacy; (2) Intermediate to Adolescent Literacy; and (3) Case Studies. The goal of this book is to provide literacy educators with a better understanding of literacy practices worldwide as well as examples of teachers who face challenges, and find ways to solve those problems while meeting the literacy needs of the children they teach. We believe that these chapters deserve careful consideration, as they provide emerging research in the field of literacy within our globalized society. We hope you will not only enjoy reading this book, but that you will use the text with preservice and inservice teachers to discuss literacy practices around the world.

Chapter Outline: Chapters 1–11

Each chapter includes the following elements to provide fluidity among chapters.

• Summary of Chapter: The author provides three bullet points that describe in one sentence each of the major goals of the chapter.
• Vignette: A vignette begins each chapter, which shows the reader a literacy practice in action in a classroom from the author’s home country. The vignette offers a best practice for literacy connected to the research presented in the chapter.
• Historical and Cultural Context: This section provides an overview of best practices for literacy from a cultural standpoint. The author describes education in the context of his/her home country and culture, including the historical background and trends in education within their country in the present day. What are teachers expected or required to teach; what philosophical underpinnings influence their teaching practices?
• Theory and Research Base: The author provides current research of best practice to...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Foreword
• List of Contributors
• 1. Introduction: A Global Perspective to Literacy Teaching and Learning
• PART I: Early Literacy
• PART II: Intermediate to Adolescent Literacy
• PART III: Case Studies
• Index