Regarding Caitlin’s post, I agree with her argument and suggestions. She points out that families have different ways of passing over literacy on different dimensions in life such as social, cultural, political and economic standings. Understanding the approaches used by different families to teach and impart literacy would be crucial in determining the level of exposure of the students. Since the student has different backgrounds, it would be necessary to understand their languages, the kind of reading materials they enjoy reading, and this would impact on designing lessons and provision of the right article for reading to the student. The post also raises an issue of incorporating books written in the native language in class curriculum. In my view, this is a noble idea in that providing books inscribed in local languages will help students to appreciate different cultures and this may foster integration and teamwork in the class.
In response to Deborah’s post, I strongly agree with her propositions. She proposes that understanding the background of the students is essential in determining how students handle academics at their homes. Further, she gives an insight into the role of home literacy in development of languages, reading attitude and literacy. Home literacy plays a vital role in academics and carries almost similar weight to class literacy. When parents take charge of teaching their students at home, students develop a sense of love to books; this influences their emotions and attitudes towards reading. Moreover, to appreciate diversity in a classroom the teachers need to understand the background of their students. Nevertheless, to enhance student to student and teacher to student connection, a thorough understanding of students’ background information is needed. In my view, a session should also be set aside for reading, induction, and storytelling for students’ engagement.
Renee post articulates the need for research to identify the methods to adopt in teaching. She expounds that it is ideal to weigh the pros and cons of the alternative techniques before settling on one idea. I tend to support this idea because profound research ensures that a suitable approach is chosen and adopted. Also, she provides an insight into the importance of taking well thought of decisions since designing the curriculum involves the future of the kids. Further, she highlights the need to engage different stakeholders in the development of new curriculum. Public participation ensures incorporation of new and diverse ideas in the establishment of the curriculum reducing errors. Nevertheless, Renee identifies the need to accommodate different diversity among the students when designing and adopting a new method. Additionally, I pledge my support for the need to focus on literacy development at home level. Teachers need to understand how parents teach their students and by doing so, they can propose a substantive measure to improve home literacy.
