Aliteracy: Is it really a problem?

Overview

• Aliteracy defined• Why it occurs• Problems with aliteracy• Research Purpose• Research Significance• Actions to take against aliteracy• Conclusion

Aliteracy

Click Me!

Why does Aliteracy Occur?

• Reading not encouraged in the classroom.

• Reading only from a content textbook.

• Teacher’s own reading habits (Hill, & Beers, 1993).

Click to find out more reasons!

So What’s The Problem?

• Due to current teaching habits- emphasis on covering content- aliteracy can lead to students becoming disengaged in the classroom, and increases the chance of them falling behind.

Aliteracy Moves Beyond The Classroom:Average Issue Readership*

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 19980

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Daily NewspaperWeekly NewspaperMagazine

*(Corder, 1999)

Do you see a problem

now?

• “Recent estimates by the Carnegie Corporation of New York reveal that close to 50 percent of the incoming ninth-graders in this country’s comprehensive public high schools cannot comprehend the texts that their teachers assign,” (Alvermann, 2004).

Research Purpose

• The goal of this research is to demonstrate that aliteracy can lead to long-term consequences.

College? Career?

Significance of Study• Current and future educators

need to realize there is more to teaching than just regurgitating facts.

• Curbing the aliterate tendencies will ensure greater educational success of a student.

How Can This Be Fixed?

• Teacher’s philosophy on reading• Teacher’s reading habits• Classroom library• Silent reading

Click me to see more library examples!

Conclusion

• Encourage students with joyful reading about your content!

• Use various methods to teach course content.

References• Aliteracy. (2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved June 15, 2011,

from http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aliterate

• Alvermann, D. E. (2004). Adolescent Aliteracy: Are Schools Causing It. Annenberg Institute for School Reform: Voices in Urban Education, Winter/Spring 2004. Retrieved from http://annenbergchallenge.org/VUE/wp-content/pdf/VUE3.pdf#page=28

• Corder, C. K. (1999). “Aliteracy”: A Threat To Print Media. Worldwide Readership Research Symposium 1999, session 8.1. Retrieved from http://www.printanddigitalresearchforum.com/papers/582.pdf

References

• Hill, M. H., & Beers, G. K. (1993). Teachers as Readers: Survey of Teacher Personal Reading Habits and Literacy Activities in the Classroom. Reading Teacher Survey. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED364836.pdf

• Newingham, B. (n.d.). Our classroom library. Retrieved from http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/index.htm

• Reluctant readers: part 1 [Web log message]. (2010, November 16). Retrieved from http://thereadingchild.com/archives/247