Re: [xmca] Help needed from XMCArs

From: Carol Macdonald (carolmacdon@gmail.com)
Date: Thu Sep 28 2006 - 04:31:36 PDT


Shirley,
I think that the US has many more homogeous schools for Hispanic children.
Family literacy is definitely an option. However, the story books given to
them should have text and pictures that they can identify with. Reading to
family is good, but we also have the practice here of Gr 7 children writing
short story books (stapled together for Gr 1 and 2 children.) It is also
clear to me here is SA that children, even adolescents love being read
to--because this wasn't happening at home. Reading in small groups, say 8
children, you will find that by the end they are all nearly on your lap in
order to engage more closely with the text as well as the pictures. So I
think that special time should be set aside for teachers to read to the
children, even when they think it is a bit "babyish". And of course, at
least at the beginning, the books should be in spanish, and only later in
English.
David, you certainly got a lot of responses (a more lively conversation than
we have had for a while!)
Carol

On 9/28/06, Shirley Franklin <s.franklin@dsl.pipex.com> wrote:
>
> In the UK we have multilingual classrooms, so finding our about home
> literacy practices would take forever.
>
> I really do think that parents need to know how they can help to
> access their kids into the dominant literacy required for learning in
> school. It is their right to know, it is the right of their kids to
> have the means for learning - ie the development of academic literacy.
>
> So the question is how, what do we say to them, especially if they dont
> have it themselves.
>
> Schools need to hold a meeting, or even weekly/monthly support
> meetings. I suppose you can explore home literacy practices there, but
> is would also be important to encourage home lit support -
> ie the kids reading their school books to the parents and talking about
> what they are/have read,
> 'reading' the illustrations,
> reading the 'teletext ' of what they watch on tv,
> looking at football (or whatever) results - they usualy recognise their
> team names,
> etc, etc.
>
> I am sure other people have got loads of ideas. I would love to see
> them as I am writing a booklet for teachers and parents in response to
> the horrible focus on phonics that is dominating education back her in
> the UK.
>
> Shirley
>
> On 27 Sep 2006, at 23:04, Cristine Carrier wrote:
>
> > I have to agree with Carol McDonald's comments.
> >
> > First, and most obvious, if the parents have low literacy rates, then
> > how useful is a printed tip list, which I assume is what is mean by
> > "mass distribution" ? If not printed, how will the information be
> > distributed and accessed?
> >
> > Second, anytime a "tip list" is being used to address longstanding
> > cultural, educational, religious and/or class differences among groups
> > of people, you're in a bit of hot water. I encounter the same thing in
> > my field, when occupational and phyiscal therapists frequently request
> > some kind of checklist or tip list to make them better at "cultural
> > competence." Thinking this kind of issue can be solved by a checklist
> > demonstrates a deep misunderstanding in my field as to what cultural
> > competence is in the first place.
> >
> > I don't know what kind of resources you have at your disposal, but as
> > I'm sure we would all agree, in an ideal world it would be nice to
> > actually do some participant observation and interviewing, as a
> > foundation for a needs assessment to get at some of the key issues
> > here, like :
> > 1) what skills/qualities/abilities do these parents think is important
> > for their children to make a place for themselves in the world (if
> > formal education isn't one of them, you'll have a tough sell here)
> > 2) what are their views of the meaning, purpose and utility of
> > education
> > 3) what are they currently doing, able to do, and/or not doing or not
> > able to do to support their children's schooling
> >
> > In the case that you have no resources at your disposal at this time,
> > then information from organizations like the previously recommended
> > international reading association are probably your best bet.
> >
> > Hope this is helpful in some way, and not just a sad reiteration of
> > what we'd all like to do vs. are able to do.
> >
> > Cristine Carrier, MA OTR/L
> > Ph.D. Student in Occupational Science
> > University of Southern California
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Carol Macdonald <carolmacdon@gmail.com>
> > Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 10:10 am
> > Subject: Re: [xmca] Help needed from XMCArs
> > To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> >
> >> David, we need a bit more information in order to help you. What
> >> kind of
> >> communities are you talking about: anglo-working class; immigrant L2
> >> speakers; alienated subcultures? My first response is that giving
> >> parentsinformation can result in no action whatsoever, because
> >> there may be a clash
> >> of values, down to the fact that there is not a library at the
> >> school or
> >> nearby in the community, whether books speak into their situation
> >> and so
> >> on. If I am borig the group, please feel free to write to me
> >> individually.But other folk may want to pick this up.
> >> Carol
> >>
> >>
> >> On 9/27/06, David Preiss <davidpreiss@uc.cl> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Dear colleagues,
> >>>
> >>> I need to develop a number of tips for parents from students which
> >>> come from environments possessing low rates of literacy and
> >> numeracy.> The goal of these tips is to provide the parents of
> >> these kids with
> >>> strategies that help to advance the schooling of their kids. These
> >>> tips will be distributed in a massive manner by an official
> >> entity. I
> >>> wonder whether there exist some research on how to elaborate these
> >>> tips, which is the best way to communicate them and what kind of
> >> tips> are indeed effective and have some sociocognitive positive
> >> consequences.>
> >>> Your wisdom is needed and your sharing it will be welcomed.
> >>>
> >>> David
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> >>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >>>
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> >
> >
> Shirley Franklin
> 5 Hartham Close,
> Hartham Road,
> London,
> N7 9JH
> Tel: 020 7700 4975
> Mob: 07958 745802
>
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