LME 518-Blog 2: Illiteracy vs. Aliteracy
“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t,” (Mark Twain, n.d.). I believe in every word of this statement. People don’t choose to be illiterate any more than we choose who we are born to in life. People make decisions based on life circumstances. However, an aliterate person makes that choice to not read regardless of having the ability to read. Does that make them smarter than an illiterate person? Personally, I do not think so at all. I believe that when you choose not to read independently, you are missing out on a multitude of information that can help better your life and health. Unfortunately, today, there are so many distractions that keep children from reading for fun inside and outside of the home.
“Every human being is born into a society where he becomes a social being through interaction with others,” (Olufowobi & Makinde, 2011). Furthermore, Olufowobi & Makinde (2011) state, “With every activity of meaningful reading comes expansion of horizon of learning, hence, the more a student reads, the more background knowledge he or she acquires about other ways of life, behavior and thought.” These are very powerful statements. Children learn through watching. Modeling is important in the developmental growth of a young child. Therefore, children mimic what is seen in the home more frequently than not. Reading is no different. Reading encourages vocabulary growth, imagination, and creativity. Aliteracy occurs when reading ability does not match reading desire. Aliteracy occurs when a person may be watching the news on the television instead of reading about it in the newspaper. Studies have shown that secondary school students have lost interest in reading due to negative attitudes, lack of motivation, and availability of videos and computer games at home (Olufowobi & Makinde, 2011). This can become a problem in the school setting. In the article, Not Illiterate, But Alliterate (2005), the author writes, “Why send your children to school if the classroom activities are more focused on keeping the alliterate from disturbing the learning of the ready-to-learn, than on educating them?” I think this has some truth to it because too often students do not have the abilities to sit still and concentrate for a long period of time in the classroom. Therefore, it becomes a place where there are many distractions to those that truly want to learn. Is it truly the fault of the child or does this behavior really begin at home?
We have reached a time in this technological world where watching and listening are easier and less time-consuming than reading and writing. As an educator, it is time to find a good balance between the two. Technology has its place in our educational culture and will continue to be important to students. Including it along with continued reading will benefit academic performance. The Scholastic Reading Report (n.d.) contained an abundance of information and statistics on reading in the digital age. The study focused on children’s and parents’ attitudes and behaviors about reading books for fun and how technology may be influencing and changing them (Scholastic, n.d.). The results were that parents thought electronics had a negative effect on the time their children spent reading, doing physical activity, and engaging with their families (Scholastic, n.d.). Results also show that children will read and complete books more frequently when they choose what they want to read. Unfortunately, the research found that reading declines in children ages 6 to 17, but the time spent on technology increases. Therefore, from this research, I think it is safe to say that children are reading less as they get older and have more access to technology. On the flip side, I believe that children do read and communicate when they are playing online games and interacting with technology. News articles and research information can be read by children of all ages. If used correctly, I believe that technology can enhance reading and the education of school-age children.
References
Inspirational reading quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/inspirational-reading-quotes/
NOT ILLITERATE, BUT ALLITERATE. (2005, February 16). Retrieved from
http://rightasusual.blogspot.com/2005/02/not-illiterate-but-alliterate.html
Scholastic reading report. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://blackboard.wku.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4341429-dt-content-
rid4408226_2/courses/201210LME51805371/2010_scholastic
%20reading%20report.pdf
Olufowobi, O. O., & Makinde, S. O. (2011, February). Alliteracy: A threat to educational
development. Retrieved from http://www.interesjournals.org/full-articles/aliteracy-a-
threat-to-educational-development.pdf?view=inline
