I’m sorry, I know I should be writing about what I think is the most important part of literacy but after reading Jennifer’s post I have to disagree. I do agree that phonemic awareness is important but you can be literate with out it. I am a prime example of this, as well as the thousands of other students that are suffering from learning disabilities. I have no phonemic awareness, if I need to rhyme 3 words to save my life I couldn’t but I would say I’m illiterate.
I feel the most important part of literacy is the ability to mesh all the domains of language; reading, writing, and speaking. If someone was defined because the lack of one of these domains I wouldn’t be in a college classroom.
3 comments:
I agree with you. If a student is not a great reader, it does not necessarily mean they are illiterate. Not to say they should give up on the areas they are weak in; I still believe students should work towards strengthening all areas. However, as long as they can work towards strengthening their other areas of literacy, they should have the ability to become literate and succeed in school.
As I also began writing in my own post, I agree with the both of you that you need to be able to make up for one weak area with a strength in another area. I believe that students have problems in school when they are weak in multiple areas. Joe, you definately are an interesting story to hear about as you have been able to make it almost all the way through college despite your difficulties. Don't worry man I wouldn't consider you illiterate either. It just goes to show that literacy is such a broad term that really encompasses so much. Again, it's hard to break it up as it is more of a collective whole of many different parts.
At the same time, though Joe, you do have phonemic awareness in that you have developed strategies to compensate and you use them successfully. If you didn't have those strategies, as you well know -- you wouldn't really be able to read. So I think phonemic awareness is central in ways we are just beginning to understand, but I don't know if it is the most important piece.
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