This month we will be featuring content to explore the question, “How do we create cultures of learning that embrace and provide opportunities for exploring a wide range of literacies in the 21st century?”
“Novels require a sustained investment of time, something that is important to share with a generation that has decided that email is too slow and texting barely fast enough.”
Educators are often confronted with a challenging question: Why do we need to learn this? However, this conversation is necessary because when students inquire about relevance, the message they are trying to convey is: I need to be connected to this, please, if I am to learn.
In this Heinemann Digital Library article, available for download below, Kylene Beers and Bob Probst share their experiences and perspectives regarding the twenty-first century literacies as defined by NCTE. They note that they are not surprised when students ask why they need to know how to read the novel, yet they maintain the purpose and its importance in students’ lives: Reading literature invites students into conversation about the human experience.
After reading the article, consider the wide range of literacies required by your students as they navigate their world. Do you incorporate experiences that draw upon both their “point and click” nature as well the human need to take a new perspective and develop empathy?
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