Vol. 6, Issue 1 - Leap into Literacy! Issues and Trends in Literacy Education Today

HEY, TEACH! Vol. 6, Issue 1 ■ Fall 2014

The Victoria College Education Magazine

In this issue...

“School is a powerful change agent for literacy and for literature.”

Feature interview with Dr. David Booth, writer and beloved Professor Emeritus in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning.

LEAP INTO LITERACY! Issues and Trends in Literacy Education Today Media Literacy in Classrooms “At what age should the education system start using computer screens and iPads?”

“‘OMG, I ship them so hard; they’re my OTP.’ This is the language that dominates students’ interchanges today.”

The Role of Fanfiction

...AND MORE! Hey, Teach! is dedicated to developing the philosophies and ideas of aspiring teachers.

CONNECT WITH US ONLINE AT heyteachvictoriacollege.wordpress.com & heyteach@utoronto.ca!

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Literacy is a huge and hot topic in the field of education today, and the meaning of “literacy” and its implications for education are constantly evolving and expanding with our ever-changing society.

HEY, TEACH! STAFF Editor-in-Chief Hannah Hong Senior Editor Melody Barclay Senior Productions Brittany Yuen Public Relations Kate Mahoney Associate Editors Abeera Ali Michelle Brooks Vanessa Cataldo Marissa Mark Victoria Minchopoulos Mehak Jamil Samantha King Rija Saleem Associate Productions Alessia Arbitrio Sarah Carey Vanessa Cataldo Amanda Squillace Joanne Lieu Marissa Mark Amanda Squillace

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Our first writer, Tali Voron, dives into the power and depth of literacy with her poem, “A World of Words,” and Maddy DeWelles expands on the idea of literacy by highlighting the confidence, curiosity, and courage that literacy develops alongside reading and writing skills.

Similarly, Hawa Sabriye argues against the notion that literacy is limited to reading and writing; she demonstrates the significant role of literacy in social development and quality of life by sharing her teaching experiences with a reading camp at two First Nation Reserves this past summer.

Through her artistic piece, “Empathy,” Ashley Gittens portrays literacy as an important tool for building empathy, which then leads to processes of learning, understanding, and healing, particularly in the context of First Nations issues. Storytelling and First Nations’ oral traditions, as discussed by Stephanie Brown, are two unique literacy tools to bridge diverse perspectives and promote meaningful learning. Samantha King presents a moving poem that reveals the wonderful freedom that comes with the simple, yet almost magical, act of learning to read. We also learn that, unfortunately, literacy censorship in school libraries and classrooms often limits representations of these diverse perspectives. Elizabeth Parker reminds us not to lose sight of old forms of media literacy, such as newspapers and magazine collages in this technological age.

In our feature interview, Dr. David Booth discusses current issues and concerns around literacy, particularly relating to levels of competency, accessibility, and interest in literacy within North America versus developing countries, and in boys versus girls. His insightful responses prompt us to rethink the common notion that “boys don’t like to read” and realize the vast implications of modern technology in the field of education and literacy today.

From Rija Saleem, we get a realistic glimpse into current students’ typical school life in which the computer and the Internet are primary tools for learning. Michelle Brooks explores the idea of “redefining literacy” to strike a healthy balance between incorporating technology and preserving traditional forms of reading and writing, and we are introduced to the concept of “formalized curiosity” as applied to research in literacy education today. Raeesah Sufi’s experience with classroom books and e-texts shows us a few creative products of literacy and technology, and Mehak Jamil suggests that fanfiction, a popular genre among students today, can be a valuable teaching resource to promote literacy and spark students’ interests in the classroom. With a holistic perspective, Amanda Squillace concludes our issue by emphasizing the important role of literacy in our personal development.

As future educators, we hold an incredible power to equip young individuals with the skills to learn, explore, critique, and impact the world for the better. In our rapidly developing technological society, our generation has the potential to build and promote literacy in all of its shapes and forms, old and new, traditional and innovative. The possibilities are truly endless. I hope you are challenged and inspired by our diverse perspectives of literacy in this issue.

Respectfully yours, Hannah Hong Editor-in-Chief HEY, TEACH! FALL 2014

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A World of Words Tali Voron, Year 1 Vic One Ryerson Stream

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Multiple Meanings of Literacy Maddy DeWelles, Year 1 Vic One Ryerson Stream

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Escaping, Expressing, and Exploring Through Literacy Hawa Sabriye, Year 5 CTEP, English Major, Human Geography Minor

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Empathy Ashley Gittens, Year 5 CTEP, Book and Media Studies Major, English Minor

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Developing Storytelling Literacy Stephanie Brown, Year 5 CTEP, Anthropology Major, Aboriginal Studies Minor

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Teach Me Samantha King, Year 1 Vic One Ryerson Stream

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I Demand Freedom‌to Read?

Sarah Carey, Year 5 CTEP, Anthropology Major, History Minor

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Media Literacy in the Classroom Elizabeth Parker, Year 2 CTEP, History Major, Political Science Minor

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Feature: An Interview with OISE Professor Emeritus Dr. David Booth Interview conducted by: Mehak Jamil and Joanne Lieu, Year 2

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Typing for Literacy Rija Saleem, Year 1 Vic One Ryerson Stream

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Redefining Literacy Michelle Brooks, Year 3 CTEP, English Major

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Fomalizing Curiosity: Researching Literacy as an Undergraduate Symon James-Wilson, Year 3 CTEP, Human Geography Specialist

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Classroom Productions: Literacy in the Classroom of Today Raeesah Sufi, Year 5, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Major, Sociology Minor

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Reconciling Student Interest and the Curriculum: The Role of Fanfiction Mehak Jamil, Year 2, English Specialist, Education & Society Minor

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Literacy and Personal Development Amanda Squillace, Year 2 CTEP, Sociology Major, Human Geography Minor

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Final Thoughts

Table of Contents HEY, TEACH! FALL 2014

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A WORLD OF WORDS Tali Voron Year 1 Vic One, Ryerson Stream

They huddle together, in groups

ranging in number Imperceptible spaces pack them tightly, yet prohibit contact Gaps create impenetrable distance between the clusters Straight, curved, slanted Small and large They come in all shapes and sizes Isolated from the others One standing alone Renders it insignificant, nothing but a single, solitary, sound But together, side by side Strengthened, solidified, identified, by the company of the others There is purpose; there is meaning

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Tumble inside; succumb to the lure of adventure, romance, tragedy, drama Whatever is to be desired Be transformed Plunge into a deep abyss Wander through cavernous twists and turns Dangle, feet over the edge, and jump when ready Pages will be there to cushion the fall Open the book *** Words We use them every day They convey messages Carry emotions Give weight to what is weightless Words tell stories Create language Break barriers Words are everywhere

***

To master the strategic grouping of letters See the significance, the beauty, found in a mechanism so simple, yet so complex As the word

A world waits to be discovered Copious dimensions of untapped potential A thin layer of dust waits to be brushed off the jacket

Vanish into plotlines Redefine the messages Analyze the texts of the ancients Treasure the prose of classics Appreciate works of the new

Rustling, creaking limbs bend to accommodate probing fingertips

Get lost in the stories, and find yourself in the World of Words

HEY, TEACH! FALL 2014

The Multiple Meanings of Literacy b Ver

Adverb

Noun

Adj

ecti

I

ve

think the word “literacy” has a number of different meanings. Literacy means the basic reading and writing that we all learned years ago in elementary school. It is an indication of a country’s development. It might mean how well-read someone is. Less often, though, do we hear literacy as a means of gaining confidence, curiosity, or even courage, but these are the most important parts of literacy. Confidence, curiosity and courage are essentially the goals of literacy and, as future teachers, we should foster these characteristics just as much as the rote review of vowel diagraphs and reading comprehension.

I’ve been a literacy tutor at the Toronto Library’s Leading to Reading program for three years, and I’ve worked with many students with reading difficulties. At the beginning of the year, the students are usually timid and afraid. They don’t have any confidence in their abilities. Yet, as the year progresses and we work through reading and writing exercises, the confidence in the child I’m working with grows, and it’s amazing to see where a little bit of confidence can lead.

Once a student has more confidence, I see curiosity grow, and when curiosity in reading grows, skills and fluency (the more technical aspects of literacy) further develop. It’s amazing to see how a student can go from having virtually no confidence in reading and writing to being curious and, in some cases, eager to read, write, and learn.

The final aspect of literacy that I think is overlooked is the amount of courage it takes to undertake the enormous task of simply becoming literate. Reading and writing are hard. It’s no wonder kids get discouraged and frustrated when presented with text. In fact, kids take risks every time they sound out a word. There is always the possibility of getting it wrong in front of teachers or classmates, and there is always the dilemma of “sh” versus “ch” during spelling tests. Therefore, we need to give kids the credit they deserve for navigating and taking the risks associated with literacy. It does take courage!

Literacy, therefore, isn’t just about learning to read and write. It’s about what happens while we learn. It’s about developing confidence. It’s about developing curiosity, and it’s about being courageous, all of which students everywhere should take pride in. ■

Maddy DeWelles Year 1 Vic One, Ryerson Stream

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Escaping, Expressing and Exploring through Literacy Hawa Sabriye Year 5 CTEP English Major, Human Geography and Education and Society Minors

T

his past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work for the Lieutenant Governor’s Aboriginal Summer Reading Camps. My summer was split between working in two First Nation Reserves in Northern Ontario.

I began my summer in a drive-in reserve called Eagle Lake First Nations and ended my summer in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nations (also called Big Trout), which is a fly-in reserve.

My co-counselor and I had the task of developing and operating literacy-based summer camps in both communities. We were fortunate enough to have had a week-long training session in Thunder Bay that equipped us with literacy training and the importance of respecting each community’s cultural traditions. Before arriving at my first reserve, I was aware that, in the past, Western literacy had been imposed on many Aboriginal communities, causing lasting damage to their own forms of literacy which are closely linked to their cultural traditions. We also quickly learned that each community was distinctly different with respect to Aboriginal knowledge, customs and history. With that in mind, we designed literacy camp programs that valued and reflected the diversity of each community.

As a result of this past summer, my understanding of “literacy” has evolved and changed my approach to teaching literacy. I

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realized that literacy is more than just reading and writing. Through watching my campers participate in literacy-based games and activities, I learned three things that literacy can offer students.

1. An Escape: I had a few older campers who were having a difficult time at home or in their personal lives and would come to camp as a means of escaping. We promoted and pushed hard for our campers to read Aboriginal Literature.

I found that through literacy, many of my older campers loved reading about Anishinaabe youth to whom they could relate. They began borrowing and even keeping many of our First Nations’ literature. Literature that they were able to relate to assisted them in finding a safe space.

2. Forms of Expression: Many of my younger campers would love it when I read books to them. They loved getting to know more about characters, settings, and new concepts, and they attempted to try things they had learned about in the novels that we were reading. Throughout the summer, we read many books about gardens and outdoor work, and our campers decided to start their very own community garden! When we had rainy days, campers loved to use art to express themselves after reading. They would dress up as characters, reenact stories, and even add their own twist to the plot!

3. Exploring: I learned that literacy could be used to explore history, relationships, and even your personal self. The great thing about working in First Nations reserves is that they are full of history! We made a word tree and filled it with a new English, Ojibway and Oji-cree word every day. We also created journals using recycled paper and leaves, so we could write about our summer and our interests, and create stories using our imagination. Through exploring history, language, and writing, we were able to build stronger relationships with our campers.

My approach to literacy will continue to grow as I interact with different communities and learners; however, it is important to move away from the notion that literacy is strictly related to reading and writing, because literacy can improve social and human development and our overall quality of life. â–

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Empathy

I created this piece for my final project for a course I took at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, this past summer. The course was entitled “Justice as Healing: Addressing the Legacy of Canada’s Residential Schools Policy.” I created this piece to represent the most important takeaway message I had from the course: an understanding of the process needed for building empathy about issues to which you may not have a direct relation. I believe that empathy can be built by anyone and for anything as long as you allow your heart to be open. Literacy helps to open people’s hearts, and stories are important in literacy because they provide insight into life experiences that we don’t have ourselves. Literacy is a tool towards building empathy.

Ashely Gittens 07

Year 5 CTEP Subject POSts: Book and Media Studies Major

English, Education and Society Minor HEY, TEACH! FALL 2014

I was sitting in the small room;

Teach Me

it was warm, very warm.

A girl was telling me why she loved to read.

“Miss,” she said, drumming a beat across her knees,

her fingers dancing patterns.

“Reading makes me happy.

My momma reads to me before bedtime,

and sometimes, I read to myself.”

“That’s wonderful,” I say, “What do you read?”

“Princesses,” she laughed. “Dragons and balloons

and big comfy sweaters.

Blue hair and red shirts,

the crazy fall weather!”

Her eyes were alive, her mind churning and turning; I could see the stories running over thoughts in her head.

“What do you read Miss?” she asked me, her lips pursing in question.

“I especially love dragons. They’re big and scary.”

“I read about dragons too,” I say, “But sometimes the dragons aren’t big and scary.

Sometimes they’re small and offer cookies.

Sometimes they teach me that they aren’t all big and scary.

Sometimes I can be the dragon.”

“What? That’s so crazy!” she cries.

“You can’t be a dragon!”

“I can, when I read.”

“How?” “Well, we can be someone else and we can live far away.

We can learn and we can unlearn. We’re a different kind of free when we read.”

She smiles, a dimple poking at her chin. “I like being free, then.”

Her curls bounce off, birthing and nursing an idea between them.

He approaches right away. He was listening all along.

He bites his lip, holds the tips of my fingers.

“Miss, I don’t know how to read yet.”

“Miss – “ “Teach me to be free.”

Samantha King Year 1 Vic One, Ryerson Stream English and Sociology Majors

Developing Storytelling Literacy Stephanie Brown Year 5 CTEP Anthropology Major, Aboriginal Studies and Education and Society Minors

T he word “literacy” likely sparks thoughts of reading, writing, and books. Without a doubt, reading and writing are important skills to have in order to communicate and share ideas effectively. Until very recently, reading and writing were inexplicably tied to stories in my mind. Stories were written and stories were read. Occasionally, stories were read aloud by teachers. Students sat on the carpet and listened as the teacher recited words from a page. Students wriggled and squirmed to get a better view of the pictures in the book, and wailed with upset when the page was turned too quickly. This is what stories meant to me.

It was not until university that I learned about something called “oral tradition.” One aspect of oral tradition is the art of storytelling and passing information on by word of mouth. Oral tradition is fundamental to many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Canada. It has been present throughout history and maintains its significance today. I am a teacher candidate who identifies as a Canadian citizen of European ancestry. Through my enrolment in courses offered by the Aboriginal Studies Department at the University of Toronto, I have come to appreciate and treasure the art of a well-told story. Stories enable us to learn about and connect with other people.

Through story, we can imagine endless possibilities.

Stories have the potential to cause meaningful and lasting change.

Reading and writing abilities tend to be thought of as literacy skills, and these are undeniably important.

Becoming literate in art, music, dance, sports, etc. can also be truly fundamental and life-changing for students. As teachers, we can support our students to become well-versed in the art of storytelling. We can show our students the power and captivation of a welltold story. We can introduce students to oral traditions by teaching them about the diverse perspectives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. If you wish to learn more about oral tradition, I encourage you to explore the course offerings from the Aboriginal Studies Department at the University of Toronto. I recommend and credit much of my learning to the course ABS300 Worldviews, Indigenous Knowledges, and Oral Tradition, which has often been instructed by Lee Maracle. ■

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I Demand Freedom... to Read?

“I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons—in the form of words and ideas—that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed” – Sherman Alexie

What

is considered literacy in 2014?

Knowledge? A success marker? A hobby?

Inspiration? While literacy is evolving rapidly, there is one feature that remains constant in school libraries: censorship.

Despite asserting freedom of speech and expression as fundamental values within our national and educational systems, literary censorship continues to prevail in Canadian classrooms and libraries. The proof of this is demonstrated by the Canadian Book and Periodical Council’s (BPC) “Freedom to Read” website, which provides easy access to lists that compile every literary work that has ever been challenged in Canadian schools and libraries. The lists contain over one hundred books (see freedomtoread.ca).

The data from the BPC is shocking and forces the question: is the aim of literary censorship to protect students or to ‘brainwash’ them? Teachers possess immense power in the sense that they are able to hugely influence their students’ perceptions of reality. As such, it is important to note that censorship is not only the official banning of books, but also a teacher consciously choosing to present literary works that reflect societal expectations instead of including literary works that represent their students’ interests, different cultures and milieus. As teachers, our focus should not be to ignore and shield our students from difficult topics and realities,

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Sarah Carey Year 5 CTEP Subject POSTs: Anthropology, History, Education and Society

but rather, provide them with the necessary tools to overcome barriers and adversities.

This can only be achieved by providing students free access to articles, books, and stories that they can relate to, identify with, and that will inspire them to think critically.

As teachers, we should resist, rather than enable, literary censorship and give our students the greatest gift: the freedom to read. ■

Media Literacy in the Classroom

Elizabeth Parker Year 2 History Major, Political Science and CTEP Minors

Media

literacy is a somewhat new phenomenon. We have to wonder, at what age should the education system start using computer screens and Ipads? Media literacy is defined as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms. ” However, in recent days, this idea of media has been limited to technology. Even as early as ten years ago, a media class would consist of newspapers or magazines. Now, in some grade one classes, they are learning computer skills and playing iPad games.

I am not saying that computer literacy is not needed. It is essential in today’s growing reliance on technology. However, we cannot forget about cutting and pasting pictures out of magazines to make a collage or using plasticine to build your dream house too.

In my own personal experience in a grade one media class, which was often held in the computer lab, many of the students ended up frustrated because they could not function properly on the computer. Either the small laptops given out to each child were not working as they should, or the patience needed to wait as a webpage loaded was too great for seven-year-olds. Getting an early jump on a new project is definitely important, but we also must remember that old methods of media literacy are just as important in this new technological age of education. ■

Reference “Media Literacy: A Definition and More Center

for Media Literacy.” Media Literacy: A

Definition and More | Center for Media

Literacy. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.

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FEATURE INTERVIEW WITH

Dr. David Booth

In this issue of Hey, Teach!, we sat down with Dr. David Booth, a beloved Professor Emeritus in the

Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, and former coordinator of the Pre-Service Elementary program at OISE/UT. Dr. Booth is a well-known international speaker and leading expert on literacy education, and he has given numerous speeches, workshops, and television and radio appearances for teachers and administrators across Canada, the U. S., Great Britain, Australia, and Asia. He is also an award-winning writer of children’s picture books and the author of several books for educators and parents, including Even Hockey Players Read: Boys, Literacy, and Learning, and Whatever Happened to Language Arts?.

Interview conducted by:

Joanne Lieu Year 4 Global Health, Religious Education Majors

Mehak Jamil Year 2 English Specialist, Education and Society Minor

Q: Statistics have shown that 1 in 6 Canadians and can’t read any text, but there aren’t very many of cannot read an English newspaper headline. What them. Perhaps they may speak a language that is not English, so they can’t read the English newspaper. I do you think is the root of this problem?

Well, it depends on the headline, depends on the newspaper, and depends on the importance of the headline. And I think that most people can read headlines. The statistic is saying that 1 in 6 cannot make sense of the headline. But headlines are tricky, so I’m nervous about that discussion as a benchmark. I’d be more concerned about whether or not they can read something in the newspaper. Can they make sense of it? Of a column or report? A sports report or a crime report? You’ve got to watch what they’re using to test with. There are people in Canada who are illiterate

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remember a boy saying, ‘My Dad reads the Sri Lankan newspaper.’ That smartened me up right away because I was thinking about English newspapers in my head.

So, I think we have to look at the reasons why we use the term illiteracy. If some people are what we call illiterate, they are few and far between, but there are many, many people who can’t make sense of long or complex text, and that calls for educational action.

Q: Two thirds of students in Canadian University courses are young women with the exception of one or two areas, notably Commerce courses, and

the majority of Canadian high school dropouts are boys. In your opinion, what steps are needed to involve boys in Canada in further developing their literacy skills?

I’ve been writing about boys’ literacy for a long time now because of my own boy. I was watching the literacy differences between him and other people, some of them boys, some of them girls. So, the first thing to remember is that not all boys are ever included in any statistic. When we say ‘boys,’ we have to say, ‘Just a minute. Which boys? How old are they? What’s their background? What are their interests?’ A lot of boys have trouble reading school texts but no trouble reading other kinds of texts: sports, wrestling magazines, whatever. You need to look carefully at what boys do read, want to read, and can read. It worries me that in teaching, for example, teachers in elementary schools have been mainly women, but traditionally, that’s what women have done; we could go back a hundred years. I think that we need to encourage men to take part in childhood development, in raising kids and supporting kids, not just as coaches, but as teachers.

I’m looking at the change in many boys’ reading lives because we’re suddenly realizing that if we support them into literacy, and give them what they need or want to read, we can change their lives.

We can’t assume that because many boys aren’t choosing to read what many girls read, that that’s the rule. They can read lots of things, and they are reading. Think of technology. The lineup for the new iPhone 6 — and I checked the lineups in three cities — mainly young men. Now, do you have iPhones? Are you phone-addicted? So many men are technologyaddicted. I mean, gaming is a huge issue. I think there’s no easy answer for boys and reading. If you take a look at men who are fifty, they’ve been in school forty to forty-five years ago. What are they reading?

How are they reading? Are they making sense of it?

Is it important to them? Are we talking only fiction?

Are we talking poetry? Because almost nobody reads poetry. We have to analyze carefully what we mean by boys and reading, and it may be cultural, too. In their homes, many men aren’t seen reading narratives or stories, but they may be seen reading other texts. I know a friend of mine who says, ‘My husband never reads.’ He’s a lawyer! But in truth, he reads all day! He reads from the moment he gets to work until he comes home, and then he wants to watch TV sports, to “read” media. Give him a break!

We need to look closely at what we mean by boys and reading. We’re changing our understanding of what reading means and trying to find resources that boys in difficulty with literacy can read, want to read, are able to read. It’s not all boys, but it’s a lot of boys, and, of course, many girls as well. Boys, however, dropping out of school, is very serious and another complicated issue.

Q: The trend in universities today is towards Commerce and Life Sciences, etc. It can be argued that these are areas that require less literacy, or literacy of a different kind from what is normally understood. Why do you think so few young men are choosing to study literature?

Literature is an art form. And you’re right: many males are not choosing what we have traditionally labelled “literature” as their study. Now, not all men — it is never all men — but a lot of men are not choosing fiction. When I run a reading course here [at OISE], I would get 100 women and 5 men enrolled.

A lot of men are turned off by the supposed restriction that they will have to read certain texts, but when you talk about literacy, that’s involving everybody.

Suddenly, we can validate their text choices; we can validate what they want to read. So, literature sits over here in my world. Do we want kids to experience literature? Yeah, I think we do, because this special

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art form teaches us in so many valuable and different ways. Literature is an art form, so I know that it will help kids grow as humans. My son, for example, is re-reading the Harry Potter series, and, at 34, he says it’s a whole different experience. Having read them all as a young guy, he’s looking back at them now. That kind of examination of popular-culture literature is interesting. His wife reads a book a week. She’s into contemporary literature. He’s a computer guy, so he’s often into tech - information, non-narrative text. I think if you keep in mind the game of literature, it’s just like the fact that not a lot of boys took dance classes until popular culture deemed it an appropriate activity.

Now, what’s interesting is, I just [supervised] a PhD for a graduate student who teaches dance to boys in one of the art schools, so in his class, they all dance because it’s okay; it’s normal. Many of the boys told him, ‘We took dance so we could meet girls,’ which is interesting, isn’t it? A whole reverse psychology thing there. I think it is: What is your culture telling you?

How are you fitting in with the people around you?

Your family? Your friends? For kids who are older, it’s often friends who dictate what they read and what they do with their spare time. Literature, I think, is an art form. Like anything else, we all choose different aspects of what to read or to view, or to participate in.

We don’t want a world that [only] reads and demands specific literature choices.

Q: Do you read novels?

A. I actually don’t.

B. A little bit; I’m an English specialist, so…

So you have to; when you study, you read them. If you’re not taking those courses, you tend not to. When you’re at university, you have such a heavy reading load anyway, but you don’t count it as reading because it’s not literature. And yet, it’s heavy literacy; you’re involved in actual reading. And writing; writing is reading, of course; writing is a literacy activity.

Q: Do you think that employability may also be a factor?

Absolutely. I’ve noticed that enrollment in arts courses has fallen in universities in North America because many don’t see the arts as a future career, but I think the arts in Canada are second only to big things like lumbering and fields that we normally think of as high employment areas. The arts are a highly employed field, so those are misrepresentations. But parents, though, often push their kids into what they see as future highearning activities. I mean, the joke is that I want my daughter to marry a lawyer or a doctor, isn’t it? You seldom see anybody who says, ‘I hope you’ll marry an artist.’ That’s a cultural phenomenon, but you’re quite right that — I’ve just been collecting articles on the arts and why the arts matter — it’s true that we are losing strength in the arts. But, economically, in the future, when jobs are rare, leisure time and fulfillment will be very significant. I think the arts will have to play a major role there.

Q: You have stated that one reason boys lack an interest in literacy seems to be because reading is “something that girls do.” But, on the other side of the world, in third world countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, many girls are still being denied access to education and literacy (e.g. the story of Malala and the Taliban) because it is ‘something that boys do’. How do you explain this discrepancy between the East and the West?

That’s very interesting. It’s cultural, and cultural forces are the strongest forces we have. If your peer group reads fiction, you’ll probably read fiction. If your peer group doesn’t, you probably won’t. It depends on cultural and subcultural forces, and it may depend on what country you’re in. We need to look at those girls you mentioned. Can they read? Are they illiterate? Are they reading, but not reading what boys are reading?

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Are men reading narrative or information and business type texts? I think the unfair treatment of females in those countries is shocking, and we’re realizing it now and trying to do something about it.

There are countries in which women can’t be seen reading. We need to look carefully at where girls are excluded from school. We’ve always known that the literate person is powerful. The literate person can vote. If men want to control a country, they’re going to limit what women can do, just as we didn’t let slaves read in America because we knew that if you become literate, you will gain power.

It’s interesting in our country that many men are reading, but they’re not necessarily reading printed text; they’re reading screen text. We need to look and see if they are going to hold on to power through the screen. We need to ask that question. We want women to be as technologically literate as men. We want them doing things with screen texts that are strong and powerful. I think your question is really amazing in that we’re reversing the roles of literacy, but we have to be very careful and talk about literacy, and not be confused by defining literacy as only literature. In our country, many men are reading a great deal, but they may not be reading what many women are reading.

About 80% of men may not read a novel in a year, but they’re reading a lot of narrative through other kinds of things, like news stories, biography and sports. We always need to look carefully, questioning the data.

I think that as we change cultures and alter what we’re expected to do, our roles will change, but I’m convinced that subculture — like that of teenagers in our country — dictates an awful lot of what happens with the individual. We respond. We wear what our peer group wears, we play the music our peer group plays. With literacy, then, we may be as literate as our peer group thinks we should be. It takes a strong person to resist culture.

Q: Why do you think many boys in the West seem unaware that reading is something that boys can and need to do? In your opinion, would it be desirable to change this view? If so, how could we go about that?

Now, I fight against that all the time. I think boys do read, are reading, but they may not be reading what we think they should read. Who are we to say that?

I don’t want any boy necessarily reading Fifty Shades of Grey. It was the biggest-selling book in the last two years.

I’m not concerned as much about what they’re choosing to read, but are they making sense of the text? Are they literate human beings who can analyze, synthesize, look carefully, find errors, check for truth, question, challenge? I want boys who can do that. I think boys are reading, and school is a wonderful place where we can have boys read texts they would never choose on their own because of their peer group. In school, we actually have a chance for boys to read text forms, like novels they would never choose outside school. School can be a very powerful literacy change agent for boys, but we then have to have teachers who understand that and give boys choices in what they read, teachers who can then build activities that are fun to be involved with, that are exciting, that change the world, that have boys moving outside their frame of reference.

School is a powerful change agent for literacy and for literature. We can do things that nobody else can do because we have literacy and literature as norms. If we view the class as a community where the community, the peer group, is actually involved together, wow, those boys will read The Breadwinner, which is about women in Afghanistan; they will read that and talk about it and engage in the research about it, and blog with some of the military men and military women who have served there, and perhaps talk to a mother who lost her son. I can get boys involved in powerful literacy activities using literature. School has that wonderful ability, but if it’s seen as a punishment — “Read To Kill a Mockingbird; here are your eighty questions” — what do you think is going to happen with that? We have to ask: ‘What is it that you want to achieve?’ I think that it’s possible to do much more in both literacy and literature with boys and girls in school.

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Q: What advancements have you seen in literacy education over the last several years?

Technology.

Did you text this morning? I rest my case!

My son just got his first iPhone. He’s never texted in his life, and his wife made him get one. Now, he’s texted me ten times to see how it works.

I think accessibility is the answer. If you have a classroom full of interesting things like graphic novels, comics, magazines, you’ve got a chance for those boys to read tons of texts. If you do neat things with that article, like, ‘Let’s list the average weight of the wrestlers in your wrestling magazine: how much do they weigh? Who’s the thinnest? Who’s the heaviest? Is it all muscle?’ That’s a good research question for those students - if you have access. And now our schools have materials that I never had as a kid or as a teacher.

To have a computer where I can have a student check something in a nanosecond! And he or she can be an authority and have information that we can validate, why, that’s a thrilling change for schools. More kids are reading and writing with technology than in the history of the world. Is it deep and powerful? Not always, but in literacy, every attempt at interpreting and constructing text and making meaning works.

Acceptance of different text forms, acceptance of choice, and acceptance of technology would be my three big changes in our world since I became a teacher.

Q: Where do we need to go from here?

That’s a great question because we need to use technology. Text messaging is the simplest form of

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technology, although it supported a revolution in Egypt, so it’s powerful. But I’m after two things: extensive reading, where you read a whole range of things — I don’t care if it’s online or in print; and intensive reading, where you look at a text very deeply and closely to make deep sense of it. That’s why I love students who argue with me about something they’ve read in class. It’s so much fun! They’re looking now at every word choice, what the author meant, what the author didn’t say, what the author could have used, and why the author didn’t refer to women — whatever — in this story. I love that kind of close intensive reading, so I want intensive and extensive reading.

I’m not worried if it is online or on page. I’m worried about only reading little snippets — which is good for practice for vocabulary, for speed and familiarity, for fluency — good practice. But I do want intensive, concentrated, lengthy, heavy, complicated texts for those kids to dig deeply into, so that they’re thoughtful and insightful, challenging readers.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in education and specifically literacy education?

Money. I was a young guy who couldn’t afford university, so I went to teachers’ college. Suddenly, I realized, my goodness, I’m responsible for all these kids! Then, one boy said to me in my first year of teaching, “Mr. Booth, can we go to the library?” I said, “The library? We don’t even have a school library.” He said, “No, sir, we’ll walk to the public library.” It was about a mile. So, we all trooped out to the library, and they brought back armfuls of books, and my whole life changed because of one kid named Walter. Isn’t that a good story? I never went back. I realized the richness — I love librarians; they’re wonderful people — the richness of what we can have in our classrooms, now with printed texts and screen texts. Then I thought, why can some kids not access this? Why are there problems with some students not being able to access these wonderful resources? I’m going to find out why they can’t and help them find ways. And that’s the literacy mandate I care about.

That’s it? Oh, you just got me started! ■

Typing for Literacy|

Rija Saleem Year 1 Vic One, Ryerson Stream

Catching a glimpse of the gleaming fall day

through her bedroom window, 8-year old Nina Capiano diverts her attention back to her homework. Her desk, littered with a bottle of liquid glue, an army of paperclips, and enough markers to create an infinity of rainbows, holds one additional, nonetheless remarkable, school supply rarely associated with third-graders ten years ago: a computer.

Nina, the same child who merely a month ago was introduced to her first beginner’s chapter book, logs onto her personal computer account, opens Internet Explorer and accesses her thirdgrade classroom’s blog. Her assignment for the day? Write a few sentences about her feelings on today’s class. The twist? This writing is all computerized; typed on black keys without once having to reach for the pencil or its best friend, the eraser, Nina begins to express her literate capabilities.

With the global society becoming extremely mechanically advanced, it is no surprise that technology is increasingly prominent in classrooms across North America. Televisions and projectors are no longer visitors to the classroom; accompanied by music, electronic books, and the ever popular Smartboards, all have become permanent members of a “new age” schoolroom, one reflective of a modern and innovative time.

This increase in technology has produced serious changes in methods of teaching, predominately in

the area of literacy.

With a new emphasis on technology, literacy is given an entirely new slant. Attempting to incorporate devices now found in homes all around North America, the classroom itself is adapting to the needs of its time. As early as elementary school, children are being exposed to and encouraged to explore, various gadgets, none more so than the computer.

By offering interactive word games, online reading material, and places to express one’s self (i.e. personal blogs), the computer offers a new depth to the realm of literacy. Children, through programs and software, are given the opportunity to teach themselves new ways to read and write.

They are given chances to exercise their literate skills in fun, interactive ways such as through classroom blogs, and they are able to access infinite amounts of reading material, all merely a click of a button away.

It’s a whole new world in teaching, and for a society progressing at an unprecedented speed, the future certainly looks bright for its soon-to-be active, socially conscious minds. ■ HEY, TEACH! FALL 2014

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Literacy today has changed dramatically since I

was in elementary school, and even more so since my parents were in school. Much of this is due to new technology. I remember when we would have a class that was dedicated to learning how to use computers. The class was actually entitled “computer class,” and one of our units was focused on the technique of typing. The class was not about learning how to understand and synthesize media and technology; it was simply to teach us how to figure out the mechanics of a computer.

It seems silly now, given how much I currently take technology for granted and how much I use it daily, that this class actually existed as though I would not learn to type on my own. It is crazy to think that educators felt the need for a class that featured only the simple logistics of how to use a computer rather than how to navigate the complex consequences that technology has introduced to us. Children today automatically learn how to type and how to use iPads and computers better than their parents do. Their parents were the ones who grew up taking typing classes in high school in which they were taught how to type correctly and tested on the speed at which they could type. Students today would probably think this was equivalent to testing a kid in school on how well they could consume candy or play a video game. Technology has taken over many forms of communication and information-sharing, and, therefore, it is fitting to allow students to communicate and share information through technology in the classroom as well. School is meant to serve the purpose of educating students by giving them the tools to be successful in the real

world, but how can we do this if we consistently forbid students from using technology to convey information and restrict them by forcing them to write essays instead?

I have learned over time that success is not a fixed concept; its meaning is constantly being transformed and redefined. The definition of success will change depending on the individual, including where this person lives and what generation he or she lives in. If I had been born in the 1600’s to a family of sailors, my success would have been dependent on my ability to navigate using the stars while sailing a ship. My ability to write or do math problems would be irrelevant.

That is clearly a ridiculous way to define success in today’s day and age. Most children today would be far more successful if they could navigate the complex world of technology instead of the stars. This is not to say that navigating using the stars is not a great skill to have; it is just not as essential as it was before. Even though during our parents’ time, it was essential to be able to take pen to paper and portray what you knew using this medium, today’s children will need to know how to sift through the huge volume of bombarding information on the Internet and critically synthesize it. Just as success changes and transforms, language does as well, and the form we use to write does, too. We no longer speak Latin or express ourselves like we did during the Shakespearean age because young people drive change in literacy. In fact, Shakespeare was one of those young people who invented many of the words we use today. Who is to say that the language and words we use for texting today will not find their way into our dictionaries tomorrow?

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Technology has redefined success for hundreds of years. “Navigating a boat? We have a compass for that! Looking for a restaurant? We have an app for that!” Why not add, “Writing a report? We have spell-check for that…and a blog for that…and Twitter for that!”

It is important to keep in mind that it is still essential for students to know how to write in the traditional form in order to apply for universities and jobs. Great ideas are wonderfully conveyed in essays and research papers; however, this is not the only format that teachers should be using to evaluate their students’ knowledge and understanding. Thoughtful philosophical ideas might be conveyed in an essay, but they can also be conveyed in a tweet. My high school philosophy teacher set up an assignment in which we had to tweet what we thought about each philosophical concept we had learned about in class. Before I knew it, I was writing about Marx and Voltaire in 140 characters or less. It helped me to gather my ideas into concise arguments and share it with my class. Twitter is not the only medium in which teachers can encourage their students to learn material. I have heard of students learning about empathy and character analysis in novel studies by choosing a character and setting up a Facebook or Instagram account as that character. Their job is to post things that they believe their character would post and comment on fellow classmates’ posts as well. These classmates have also impersonated other characters in the novel.

Technology has so quickly become such a huge part of our world that the education system is struggling to tailor its curriculum in order to incorporate it into literacy and encourage digital savviness. So much of the world has changed; we no longer receive information from proof-read newspaper sources. We now are receiving and accessing vast amounts of ideas and opinions from blogs, YouTube and Facebook. Being able to read these sources critically, express ourselves, and create movements on the Internet is just as essential as writing proof-read essays. There are signs that the curriculum is becoming more progressive and catching up to technology as media studies have been added to the high school curriculum in which students learn how to critically analyze data from the Internet, figure out what information is trustworthy, learn how to discern bias, and how

to be safe online. Teachers must now be innovative with creative ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum. Today’s teachers will have to balance their method of teaching to give their students the opportunity to express themselves and convey information in the conventional essay format as well as the technological format with which most students will connect. Because new technology is bombarding us with new information every minute, being a critical thinker has become more important than it ever has been.

Even though technology has allowed people who would otherwise have no medium to share their ideas and use their voice, there is also a large potential for biased information. No longer are we reading peer-reviewed articles from the library; information from the Internet is a medium for plenty of bias. We can only educate the minds of the future when we refrain from restricting these minds within the definitions of success and literacy that we have used in the past. ■

Michelle Brooks Year 3 CTEP English Major, Education and Society Minor

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Formalized Curiosity:

Researching Literacy as an Undergraduate Zora Neale Hurston, a celebrated American

folklorist, author, and anthropologist, once described research as “formalized curiosity… poking and prying with a purpose.” Reflecting on my experience as an undergraduate research assistant in OISE’s Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, this notion of research being rooted in imagination, exploration, patient diligence, and above all, active inquiry, truly resonates with me. Bringing my past experiences into a variety of educational settings where I was continuously pushed to ask questions about learning, it was wonderful to see how many of these skills could be applied, and perhaps more importantly, challenged in a formalized and applied educational research setting.

Last September, when I began working on one of the labs’ Vocabulary Learning Project, a 13-week tutoring program for English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Language Learners (ELL) for high school students ages 13-19 in the Regent Park area, I quickly learned the many ways in which the application vocabulary development theory in the classroom significantly differs from the scoring, recording, and analyzing processes in the lab setting that helps cultivate it.

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‘‘

Although I initially found it difficult to pay close attention to the slight phonemic distinctions...

’’

Symon James-Wilson Year 3 CTEP Human Geography Specialist

Although I initially found it difficult to pay close attention to the slight phonemic distinctions on audio tasks and remain alert for prior testers’ errors, it became much easier with time, and my new appreciation for the linguistic subtleties found valuable applications when working with ESL students in the TDSB through my Concurrent Teacher Education Program’s practicums.

As I began to specialize in scoring tasks in two different receptive and expressive vocabulary measures, I began to notice how some of the frequently missed test items were, in fact, somewhat biased against urban children, many of whom, for example, might not know the word ‘foal’ for a baby horse simply because they had never encountered the word in their daily or school experiences. These questions pushed my fellow research assistants and me to develop research questions that could explore some of the themes that had come up in our research. Though several of our initial inquiries and findings presented many roadblocks, upon reflection, I think the formalized curiosity, as Hurston describes it, and the adversity fostered was, in the end, much more representative of an authentic research process and valuable to our critical thinking skills than if we had followed the clear, linear trajectory we had originally anticipated when analyzing the data to create a conference research poster.

Critically, I believe it was our team’s diverse range of scholarly and professional experiences that contributed to this resilience. Our varied backgrounds in linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, health studies, human geography and education allowed us to employ a variety of different lenses to examine relationships and ideas in innovative ways without becoming too

fixed on one perspective. Ultimately, we were able to present a poster at the undergraduate research fair that presented interesting methodological considerations for future projects at the lab.

‘‘

Critically, I believe it was our team’s diverse range of scholarly and professional experiences that contributed to this resilience.

’’

As I move forward in my development as a researcher, I hope to continuously reflect back on my time at the lab and the quantitative methods I’ve learned to inform my practice.

This summer, I had the opportunity to ground some of the theory I gained in practice while working with a local NGO in Mbeya, Tanzania, East Africa, on a community-needs assessment.

The active flexibility and curiosity that I gained while working at the lab sparked my interest in exploring literacy, not only from the position of a classroom teacher, but as an educational researcher both in undergrad and beyond. ■

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Classroom Productions Literacy in the Classroom of Today Raeesah Sufi // Year 5 CTEP // Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Major, Sociology Minor, Education and Society Minor

phenomenal, so my Associate Teacher and I helped students transform their work into published class productions: the classroom book and the e-Text!

A few years ago, I had the good

fortune of working with a grade 7/8 LEAP and ESL class at Military Trail PS on a unit about inspirational change-makers around the world. Over the course of a few weeks, students learned about masters of change, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King JR, and Terry Fox. Our culminating unit project was a two-part integrated language and art activity. For the language component, students were asked to research an inspirational individual of their choice. They were then asked to complete a two-part written assignment: a brief summary about the life and contributions of their chosen individual, and a separate paragraph about how the individual had inspired their own lives.

In addition, the art component of this assignment asked students to create a collage that reflected the individual they had chosen to study. They were encouraged to incorporate symbolism into their collage—the topic of focus during art classes. The quality of student responses to both the written and art assignments was

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Classroom Book

The class decided to transform part of this assignment into a published class book. The result was an exquisite, professional piece of work, where the lefthand page was a full-blown photo of a student’s collage, and the corresponding right-hand page was the biographical summary of the individual the student had researched.

The process of creating the book was pretty straightforward, although at times, it required some tedious work. Students typed up their biographical summaries and formatted them similarly. We then used a standard digital Kodak camera to take photographs of each collage. Using the iPhoto/Photo Book program on an iMac, we compiled the pages. We created a cover page, an acknowledgement page, and then ordered the pages so that each left-hand page had a full-blown picture of the students’ collage, and each

right-hand page was the corresponding biography of the individual they had researched. The process was rather simple, and there were plenty of formatting options to choose from. We then published a soft-cover version of the book through Apple for the price of a little over $11.00 each for a 6” x 8” book. Because we were a TDSB model school, we were fortunate enough to have the cost subsidized by the school and the books available for students to purchase at $5 each.

E-Text

E-texts are digital documents, which provide students with an alternative to the traditional written text. They can involve photographs, artwork, audio recordings or video recordings. Our e-Text involved an audio recording of each student introducing the individual he or she had studied, as well as a brief account of how this individual had made an impact on the student’s life. This audio recording would play while a moving picture of the student’s corresponding collage would appear on screen.

The process of putting together the e-Text was also quite straightforward. We created and published our e-Text on Windows Movie Maker (for free!). We uploaded pictures of student collages, and used a microphone to record the student’s spoken piece. We then compiled the pictures digitally and matched them with the corresponding student audio recording. The compilation was edited and formatted with the student’s choice of lighting and background music, and it was then published into an e-Text! To see a shorter version of our e-Text, look for “Inspirational Icons of Change” on Youtube!

The strength of these two assignments was twofold. It was very engaging, yet it also provided students with the opportunity to meet multiple curriculum expectations within a single unit. The research and writing piece was a great way to help students build their reading and writing skills. The collage component was an excellent way to integrate their art topic of symbolism with the language subject. The audio recording provided a unique opportunity for our ELL students

to further develop their oral English language skills, and the e-Text component as a whole fit well with the media literacy curriculum expectations as well.

The social and communal advantages of these activities were also plentiful. Because many of our students came from underprivileged backgrounds and did not have many books at home, the creation of their own professional class book offered them a sense of unmatched agency. Additionally, the e-Text was especially meaningful in our class, as many of our students recently immigrated to Canada and left many friends and family members in other parts of the world. Having an e-Text was an excellent way to share work digitally to loved ones across the globe. It also gave students the opportunity to share their new learning over social media with friends and peers, allowing them to integrate their school successes into their online social media presence. I highly recommend incorporating class books or e-Texts in your teaching practice! ■

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Reconciling Students’ Interests and the Curriculum Mehak Jamil Year 2 English Specialist, Education and Society Minor

In the previous issue of Hey, Teach!,

“Teaching to the Times” (Vol. 5, Issue 2, Winter 2014), I explored the idea of increasing student/teacher interaction by bringing students’ daily lives into the classroom.

One of the ways in which this can be done, specifically in relation to literacy education, is by incorporating fanfiction as a teaching resource. This will result in the necessity of incorporating slang in class discussions, something that will induce reluctance on the part of traditional teachers. This article intends to alleviate that reluctance

“OMG, I ship them so hard2; they’re my OTP1.” Perhaps you are aware of what this statement means; perhaps you are not. This is the language that

“OT

P”

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dominates students’ interchanges today.

It originates from students’ discussions regarding the material they are reading and writing: fanfiction, fiction written by the readership, viewers and players of books, movies, television, and video games. This language—“ship” and “OTP” being only a couple of examples—represents fanfiction vocabulary that has evolved in order to accommodate and facilitate exchanges young people have regarding the readings.

Nevertheless, there will likely be some reluctance to incorporating fanfiction as a teaching resource by those accustomed to more traditional teaching tools. One of the reasons for this reluctance is this language used to discuss fanfiction and its lack of an academic tone.

Already students are exposed to a wide variety of social media and social networking, and this influences their language development. Whether or not the teacher chooses to incorporate fanfiction discussion in the classroom does not determine the degree to which this type of language will be present in the students’ daily interactions, both with one another and even with the educator. Preventing what has been termed “slang” from having a space in the

classroom will not reduce its presence; instead, it will prevent students from learning the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate situations in which to use this slang. For example, the use of the common term, “OMG,” in this article is rather appropriate, despite the article being a more academic piece of writing. Teaching students when it is acceptable to implement a vocabulary of slang versus when it is appropriate to implement a more academic vocabulary will develop literacy, not only in the traditional sense, but also in a more modern sense.

A more practical concern that teachers may have is that the fanfiction websites are not moderated, meaning that anyone can submit anything from poor grammar and spelling to terrible plot and character development.

A simple solution would be to have students select a piece and have it approved by the teacher before the reading assignment proceeds.

Moreover, the very reason children read and write fanfiction is because they have taken a particular liking to a book, television show or movie, or video game, and would like to be exposed to more content from that community.

Fanfiction therefore takes mediums that do not directly aid literacy development (television shows, movies and video games), and turns them into a medium that does. Furthermore, the fact that it is the readerships, the viewers and the players—the “fans”—who write this fiction for one another illustrates the fact that young people are interested in reading and

” G M

“O

writing, and are in turn, interested in literacy development. This evolution of language that has come to accommodate the discussions around fiction illustrates another fact: that young people are interested in developing the skill sets teachers are trying to offer in language arts classrooms. One way, then, to get students interested in developing these skill sets is to introduce them to a story they like and have them find an adaptation in the medium that the curriculum likes. ■ ------------------------------------------------------------1. Shipping: Deriving from the word, “relationship,” to ‘ship’ two characters means that an individual either, (a) desires two characters who are not currently in a relationship to enter into one, or (b) strongly supports the relationship of two characters who are already in one. ‘Ships’ usually, but not always, refer to romantic relationships.

2. OTP: An individual’s One True Pairing is the relationship s/he most supports. An individual’s OTP is his/her favourite character pairing across all fandoms; usually but not necessarily a romantic pairing.

“ OMG, I ship them so hard; they’re my OTP ”

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Literacy and Personal Development Amanda Squillace Year 2 CTEP Sociology Major, Human Geography Minor

The ability to read and write is essential for

day-to-day activities. From reading signs to replying to an email, developing literacy skills is key. Unlike other subjects such as science or history, literacy skills are necessary in almost every aspect of life.

Yet, teaching students to simply read and pronounce words is not enough. Instead, focusing on how to comprehend, conceptualize and apply the material is necessary to en-sure the richest learning experience.

As a student and prospective teacher, I have come to understand that literacy allows a student to do more than just survive in daily activities; it allows one to grow and develop as an individual. It allows students to be independent and explore new material on their own and uncover new avenues of interest. It provides the students with an opportunity to find their individual voice expressing ideas, opinions and concerns. It provides an opportunity for students to explore their creative side, or communicate and engage in critical discussions. Literacy involves more than just learning how to read and comprehend.

Rather, it is a tool for ongoing learning.

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Although several initiatives are in place for developing literacy skills today (such as the grade ten literacy test), implementing other practices, especially for younger students, can expand and enhance literacy development.

One aspect can include broadening the reading material available. This would in-clude non-fiction, fiction, newspapers and magazines - and will allow students to encounter new styles and subjects of writing. Students can also learn how to engage with the different material by viewing and analyzing it from different angles, making connections and asking questions.

Since literacy skills are essential for development, it is crucial to implement a strong literacy program as early as possible.

With continuous practice during the first years of school, students will acquire the necessary skills to absorb, analyze and critically think about the reading material. This will help prepare students for their future years of study and allow them to become individuals who engage with society. While literacy skills are critical for daily use, they also play a key role in shaping students and unlocking other possibilities for individual discovery. ■ 

Final Thoughts

FROM THE “HEY, TEACH!” TEAM Happiness to me is a cup of coffee.

- Alessia Arbitrio If I had one superpower, it would be invisibility.

- Melody Barclay

Happiness to me is sipping hot chocolate after making snow angels on an icy cold day.

- Michelle Brooks The weirdest food I’ve ever eaten is rattlesnake.

- Sarah Carey If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Paris.

- Vanessa Cataldo Teaching is the ability to inspire and encourage students to be their best.

- Maddy Dewelles I am passionate about American Sign Language!

- Hannah Hong My favourite season is winter.

- Mehak Jamil I could not live without empty pages to write in.

- Samantha King

I am passionate about water rights.

- Joanne Lieu Peace tastes like my cup of tea in the morning.

- Kate Mahoney If my life were a song it would be “Life is a Song”

by Patrick Park.

- Marissa Mark If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Nashville!

- Victoria Minchopoulos If I could travel anywhere, I would go to my parents’ first home in Somalia.

- Hawa Sabriye Happiness to me is watching endless episodes of Friends.

- Amanda Squillace Happiness to me is a warm, long hug surrounded by warm, comfortable silence.

- Liuba Turlova If I could invent a gadget, it would freeze time so I could squeeze in extra hours of sleep or studying.

- Tali Voron My favourite season is autumn. There’s nothing better than watching the leaves change colour.

- Brittany Yuen HEY, TEACH! FALL 2014

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The staff of Hey, Teach! magazine extend their deepest gratitude to Victoria College Faculty Advisor Professor Sheila Cook, Victoria College Program Liaison Officer Pavi Chandrasegaram, and VUSAC. Thank you for your ongoing help and support.