(9/14/2012) Local Literacy Practices and their Place in Schools

            It is clear that adolescents register a divide between their in-school literacy practices and their multi-modal out-of-school literacy interests. The average adolescent student raised entirely in the Internet era has achieved a level of fluency in multiple modes of literacy, and students interact with these literary practices on a daily (if not hourly) basis. Social media has shifted the ways in which young people interact with each other, and the “traditional” forms of in-school literacies have failed to acknowledge the out-of-school literary accomplishments of modern school students. This brings about some important questions: What is modern literacy? Who decides what forms of literacy are appropriate for a classroom setting? Who are the schools serving as they promote “traditional” and “one-dimensional” forms of literacy in the classroom? How can we use cultural or local literacy practices to positively impact classroom progress? 

As Margaret Berg describes in her article, “On the Cusp of Cyberspace: Adolescents’ Online Text Use in Conversation,” students that have been raised in the Internet-era approach literacy in a new and transformative way. She writes, “The boundaries between reader and author are further blurred with current teen literacies, because the electronic text can be easily modified by a number of readers or authors through adding words, images, and sound for a broader public appeal” (Berg, 2). This textual accessibility allows current teen literacies to be much more collaborative and inclusive than traditional textual practices of the past. Berg argues (and I agree with her argument) that teachers should further embrace the collaborative cultural literacies of their students in order to more actively engage them in the practices of the classroom.  Berg writes, “In a permeable curriculum, students’ out-of-school literacy practices can permeate the school walls and be marshaled toward classroom achievement, and school-based literacy practices can permeate out-of-school walls to circulate among students’ home and peer groups” (Berg, 2). By incorporating local literacies more openly into the classroom setting, out-of-class conventions can influence the classroom progress of students, and vice versa. Jory Brass writes about the advantages of engaging students’ in their local literacy practices in her article, “Local Knowledge and Digital Movie Composing in an After School Literacy Program.” Throughout the extensive study she presents in her article, she seems to agree with Berg and the idea that “affording students access to their out-of-school literacies can facilitate engagement and academic achievement” (Brass, 6).

Perhaps the most important aspect of engaging students more intentionally in their local literacy practices is that it also opens an avenue to directly connect with students’ interests. Constance Steinekuehler presents a very interesting take on the relationship between video games and literacy, found in the article “Digital Literacies.” The real connection found in her study shows that a student’s interest, (Julio’s) served as a critical motivating factor in his commitment to reading. When a teacher presented reading-material to Julio his reading measured three grade levels below his eighth grade status. When he was given the choice of what to read, however, he managed to successfully read at a twelfth grade level (Steinekuehler, 2). Although he did struggle through some of the material, it was clear that his interest served as the motivating factor that drove him to complete the reading. Although this was an insightful study, the results should not come as a surprise. Students will obviously have more success in schools if they find ways to connect their personal interests to the material being presented in the classroom. As Susan Weinstein argues in her article “A Love for the Thing: The Pleasures of Rap as a Literate Practice,” finding ways to connect learning and pleasure can lead to some serious breakthroughs. She writes, “We know of course, that young people respond to activities in which they can take an active role and connect to their lived experiences and to the cultures of their families and communities” (Weinstein, 11). For this same reason, it seems obvious that ignoring the out-of-school literacy practices of students’ in the classroom, and disallowing students’ the ability to make real-life connections with school material, will directly lead to disengaged and under motivated students.  

Ultimately, these goals presented are all within reach if a teacher makes a genuine effort to build a human relationship with his or her students. Simply listening to a student’s out-of-class interests can open the teacher up to an entirely new avenue for educational interaction and communication. As the modes of literacy continue to develop in the years to come, an innovative breed of teacher is needed to continue engaging students in these new and inclusive forms of literacy.