The misconception about literacy

Fear that students are exiting our nations schools lacking the basic literacy skills, the ability to receive and convey messages through the application of reading and writing skills, has resulted in a movement towards literacy based schools, whose primary goal is to provide students with a sound basis in these areas. This goal is to be commended, a sign that schools are willing to focus on areas which are so vital to students. Unfortunately, this well intended initiative has, at times, led to the abandonment of sound teaching strategies, as many teachers, out of fear, relegate their students to instruction of isolated reading and writing skills. Although well intentioned, when schools buy into a pre-packaged program which claims to address all of the required standards and benchmarks, true learning is often sacrificed. Jeff Wilhelm, in his article Change We Can Believe In:Real Literacy for Real Learning discusses the importance of staying focused on the true meaning of literacy; providing students with the ability to apply these skills in real world scenarios. He states that “ Literate people read to learn things, to get work done, to participate in various groups and activities, to acquire data, to plan for a trip, and much more. They may read novels, nonfiction articles, Web sites, photographs, maps, databases, spreadsheets, online forums, or blogs.” He reminds us that there should be a purpose to classroom instruction, beyond that of being able to reiterate isolated facts. When students are taught utilizing inquiry based instruction and provided with opportunities to solve real world problems by applying their knowledge they are not only motivated and engaged, they are being provided with the scaffolding which they need to become successful participants in a democratic society. Which would you rather have, individuals who know how to beat a test or individuals who will have something to offer their communities?