Bobby Helbert
CI3850
2/27/06
Literacy Autobiography 2
This assignment has taught me a lot about literacy. Not just my own literacy but
also the literacy of my fellow classmates. I know that we are not nearly as diverse as the
classes that we will probably end up teaching but there was still great variety in our group
alone. This whole process has helped me become more literate with a video camera and
video editing software. I am sure that it has done the same for other members of my
group as well. Literacy is never ending; there are so many things to become literate in
that we will never run out of new things to learn.
Sarah Park and I are from the same town but our definitions of literacy are
completely different. We went to the same school but still had completely different
backgrounds and views of the world. I can attribute this to a difference in cultures. Our
high school was made up of students from different backgrounds and cultures. These
differences lead us to different definitions of literacy. Culture definitely plays a part in
our definition of literacy. This is due to the fact that all cultures do not place emphasis on
the same things. Some cultures place spirituality above all other things, you must be
literate in your religion in order to be successful. Other cultures place education at the
top of the list, many parts of our nation place business literacy at the peak of importance.
Your parents, your friends, your teachers, and all of the people that you interact with will
affect your definition of literacy. Therefore, I must deduce that since no two people share
the exact same background, (except for twins in some cases) no two people will have the
same definition of literacy.
Being aware of these different types of literacy will be important as an educator.
If you can identify what areas a student is already literate in, they will be much easier to
teach. Students will retain more if you can connect it to their prior knowledge.
Understanding that students are different in terms of literacy will allow you to make the
connections that students need to learn. Understanding that students are literate in
different ways will also help you figure out how to communicate your ideas to them.
When lecturing it will be impossible to tailor your lecture to each student. If you know
the areas that your individual students are literate in you will be able to help them on an
individual basis. For example, if a student says I do not understand manifest destiny; you
must know their individual areas of literacy and make a connection that sticks. You
obviously cannot make this connection for all students during a lecture but understanding
the different types of literacy that your students possess will allow you to help them on an
individual basis.
The discussion that we had in class helped reinforce all of these ideas that I have
stated above. It showed me that all of us do not define literacy in the same way and that
one of us is much more literate with a video camera and editing software than the others.
It showed me that literacy is ever changing and that no two people will ever possess the
exact same definition. The discussion also confirmed my ideas because all of our videos
are very different. Seeing what other people are literate in is important, I feel like I know
a lot more about Sarah, Clint and Scott. I think this sharing technique is a viable option
for allowing students to learn more about one another. The only problem that I could
foresee with high school students is the fact that there is not a lot of time in the semester
to do things that are not related to their curriculum. I will be a history teacher and from
what I have seen in the schools, there is almost too little time to cover the required
curriculum in most classes. Adding in another project (while quite useful) could take
precious days away from covering the material that students must know for their end of
course tests.
I have learned that literacy is constantly changing. We will never become literate
at everything, only the areas that our background and our goals require us to. Everybody
you meet will define literacy in a different way, they may share some of the same areas of
literacy, but overall they will be different. Also, in order to be an effective educator, one
must understand that all students will have different definitions of literacy. This is
important because it reinforces the fact that no two students learn the exact same way.
This project has been interesting and I have learned a lot, I hope I can use it in one of my
classes at some point in the future.