Before reading this article, I had a predefined definition of literate and literacy which were simply the ability to read and write. From my early elementary years to my college years, I’ve heard the terms used only in the context of making sure people could read and write.
After reading the first paragraph, I learned that there are five conceptions of literacy that have changed from the colonial times to the present. Of these five concepts of literacy, the fifth one-critical literacy-really stands out for me. Whenever I have a student to read a text, I always ask a set of questions. For example, if they are reading the story of the Three Little Pigs, I would ask them such questions as who the main characters are, what are they trying to build, choose the best material for building a home, and identify the climax of the story, etc. Although this may appear to be a simple story, my goal is to find out if the students can write about what they have just read. Blau states, . . .”when students fail to give close, sustained attention to texts, their complaint of not understanding the text is often interpreted as an inability to comprehend” (19.). One way to help them understand the reading is to ask for written responses. As an educator I may learn how they interpret the text in their world. Maybe “straw” was the best material to use for building a home.
Continuing on, Blau ends the article with the subheading Fostering Performative Literacy in Classrooms. He writes, “Performance literacy can be developed in students when literature is taught in a way that recognizes that reading, like writing, is a process of text construction. . .” (21). As I read this article and countless other books and articles, I also combine reading with writing by taking notes, highlighting, putting little stickies on the pages, restating the words, having dialogue with the text or writing blogs about what I’ve just read.
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