• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
 
Creative reading bulletin 3 –Literacy 
Welcome to the third edition of the Creative Reading Bulletin. Thisbulletin is a combined edition for November and December. It has afocus on working with young people who experience literacydifficulties and those who are reluctant to engage with books.There will be three more issues of the bulletin before the Lotteryfunding expires in March 2010. Their themes will be:
••••
 
 January – Graphic Novels
••••
 
February – Linking reading with topical issues e.g. sex, drugs, self-esteem, the environment
••••
 
March – Linking reading with other art forms e.g. film, art, musicIf you have experiences, case studies or tips on any of these issuesthat you’d like to share with other HeadSpaces, I’d be really happyto hear from you.I hope this bulletin is useful and that you’re able to use it in yourwork with young people. Have a great festive period and a goodbreak from your HeadSpace projects.Best wishes,Beverley
 
Literacy
Why should we work with young people who have literacy difficulties?
Large numbers of young people in this country experience difficulties with reading and writing. In spite of the emphasis on literacy strategies over the last ten years, Britain’s literacy rates are some of the worstin the developed world. Around one in five young people are said to experience difficulties with thewritten word.With its emphasis on working with socially excluded young people, it is highly likely that a number of young people who access HeadSpace fall into this demographic.The reasons for young people failing to grasp reading and writing skills at an early stage are complexand varied. Some young people may suffer from diagnosed or undiagnosed dyslexia and other learningdifficulties. For others family issues, illness or extended absences from school can lead to them fallingbehind and never catching up. For some, school approaches and styles of learning may not be effective.In most cases, reading is not encouraged in the home and we know that the children of parents who can’tread and write are more likely to struggle with literacy themselves.We also know that a lack of literacy skills can have a far-reaching impact on a young person’s lifechances. In a society whose economy is increasingly knowledge and service 0riented, young people whocannot read and write are more likely to be excluded from many education, training and workopportunities than their peers. Many young people who are homeless, who use drugs and who are youngparents experience literacy issues. Most starkly, we know that 25% of young offenders have literacy issuesand that 60% of the prison population is said to have difficulties with basic literacy skills.From these statistics it is evident that
anything
we can do to help young people to gain literacy skills isextremely valuable. HeadSpace staff are librarians and youth workers, not teachers. We do not expectyou to tackle issues of dyslexia and literacy in isolation. However, it might be that a positive experienceof reading and books in HeadSpace could be the first step back into education and a desire to read foryoung people who have previously been disengaged from reading and disenfranchised by their poorliteracy skills.
Who are young people with literacy issues?
Young people who have difficulties with reading and writing don’t come with labels and badgesidentifying them. You may already be working with young people whom you know struggle with readingand writing. There may be others that you’re not aware of.People who have literacy issues have a wide range of coping strategies and become very good atdisguising their problems. Adults often use excuses such as needing glasses; young people’s difficultiesare more likely to be visible in their behaviour; they are unlikely to engage with tasks that require literacythus often being stigmatised to be rude or lazy to teachers and other adults. Some will leave the roomwhenever pens and paper come out. Many young people who say ‘reading’s boring’ say this to deflectfrom the fact that they can’t actually read.Some young people will openly admit that they struggle with reading and writing but these are in theminority. Most will not want to admit their difficulties, particularly in front of their peers.
 
 So how can we recognise these young people and work with them?
These are my basic tips:
••••
 
Look out for those young people who appear most disengaged. Find out what their interests are andtry to provide activities that motivate them to be involved. Over time they may feel able to divulgetheir literacy difficulties once you have a positive relationship with them.
••••
 
Assume that all of your young people have literacy difficulties unless you know that they don’t. Thismeans not asking them to fill in forms, not expecting them to read out loud, not expecting them towrite things down on flipcharts and providing information in clear, easy to read formats
••••
 
Verbalise all important information. Don’t assume that young people have read the ground rules onthe wall or the poster advertising the next event. A worker in a homeless hostel where I worked onceshouted, “Knock when you want to come in the office! Can’t you read the notice on the door?” to anew resident who couldn’t actually read.
••••
 
Be careful about asking young people about their literacy abilities. Do this in private once you feelthat you’ve built up a relationship of trust with them. Explain why you’re asking; young people mayfeel that they will be penalised for not being able to read. Again, I’ve met homeless people whowhen asked about literacy skills have said: “it won’t affect me getting a food parcel will it?”
••••
 
Provide lots of opportunities for everyone to engage with small reading and writing tasks that areenjoyable and motivating. Offer lots of encouragement and ‘carrots’.
••••
 
Provide a range of methods for recording activities, especially when it comes to accreditation.Encourage young people to make videos, podcasts or collages to record their ideas.
••••
 
Look for young people’s strengths and provide them with lots of opportunities to use them e.g. usingart or musical skills; young people who have literacy difficulties are likely to have low self-esteemand the more confident young people are, the more likely they are to engage with otheropportunities that might affect their literacy in the long-term.
••••
 
Constantly stress that, for the tasks they’re engaged in, spelling doesn’t matter. Explain that evenpublished authors often prefer to get their creative writing down on paper or a computer and thencheck the spelling and grammar later. You could make ‘no criticism of spelling mistakes’ one of yourground rules.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...