Literacy. It鈥檚 a word that brings to mind small children sounding out words from a Dr. Seuss book. But what happens to those young enunciators who grow into tweens and teens and lose their enthusiasm?
To Dr. Caitlin Murphy, assistant professor of adolescent literacy, that is a problem that calls for a completely different approach鈥攐ne that may call for teachers and students to look beyond the page. 鈥淵ou have picture books and journals, but you also have to have media literacy. That means you are able to assess an argument or point of view,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 view literacy as a social practice. It鈥檚 not something we have, but something we do.鈥
A lot of the problem with a lack of interest among older students comes down to content, not necessarily mechanics鈥攁lthough teachers still encounter students who are years out of elementary school and still don鈥檛 have the basics down. 鈥淩eading instruction was kind of glossed over in middle and high school鈥攖he expectation was that students would know how to do it already,鈥 Murphy says. 鈥淏ut those teachers deal with student reading struggles too.鈥
To help combat literacy challenges at all levels, 农夫导航鈥檚 Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) in Literacy Specialist program helps educators at all stages of their career deepen their knowledge of literacy practices鈥攁nd, upon passing of the state Praxis exam in the content area, earn a K鈥12 literacy endorsement. Along with courses on linguistic development of emerging and developing readers, diagnostic assessments and corrective interventions for students struggling to learn, teacher students study techniques for teaching comprehension and writing development.
This also helps instructors who aren鈥檛 necessarily English teachers think differently about literacy across content areas鈥攎aking the program indispensable for other educators: non-ELA teachers, literacy coaches and interventionists, and current and potential administrators.
The curriculum empowers educators to lead鈥攂ut of course, any teacher will tell you that half the battle of getting students engaged in any topic is allowing them a voice and a choice. 鈥淵ou can explore the life experiences they have had and still meet standards,鈥 says Murphy, citing the art that students are already learning from. She notes that Beyonc茅鈥檚 Lemonade video album is a form of social commentary that students soak up, whether consciously or not. 鈥淲hy can鈥檛 we read beyond?鈥 she asks.
鈥淲hy limit students to learning in the same way? This is [teaching students] critical thinking and the ability to read all sorts of things鈥攎emos, billboards, their boss鈥 mood鈥攁nd think in a more expansive way about the world.鈥 Murphy is also moved by the way even middle and high school students have responded after immersing themselves in the questions surrounding the circumstances of Breonna Taylor鈥檚 murder. 鈥淲e can move literacy into activism,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really profound.鈥
With so many new teachers graduating into an increasingly multicultural and multiracial society and coming to teach a classroom unlike the one they experienced personally growing up, the need for a culturally relevant pedagogy is more critical than ever. 鈥淥ur system of school is built on white, middle-class values,鈥 points out Murphy, a former high school English teacher. 鈥淲e know the kids we teach, so we should bring in literature that speaks to them. Take Othello鈥攊t鈥檚 about interracial marriage. The assumed love triangle. Kids want to talk about that. This what it means to be equitable鈥攊t means being more inclusive so students see themselves. When you have a more expansive understanding of literacy, you have more inclusive classrooms
This may sound intimidating to an emerging literacy teacher, but knowledge is power. 鈥淧re-service teachers wonder about [how to approach controversial subjects],鈥 Murphy says, stressing the importance of discussing any potentially sensitive texts with one鈥檚 principal. 鈥淲e have an objective to support our students鈥 humanity, wholly and fully, once they walk out the door. That doesn鈥檛 stop.鈥
Recognizing humanity and life away from the classroom (or, these days, the computer) is perhaps the biggest part of being an effective teacher; it鈥檚 what the students leave with and take out into the world. 鈥淚 teach the teachers things I wish I鈥檇 known,鈥 Murphy says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about harm reduction, to help grow teachers who love their students and support them.
鈥淚 would have liked to do something like this for my Rank I鈥攊t鈥檚 a balance of more deep reading instruction, but let鈥檚 think about literacy as a social practice,鈥 Murphy says. 鈥淢y goal is to fill schools with teachers who can change it from within. It鈥檚 the work we are called to do.鈥
The Master of Arts in Education in Literacy Specialist program is available to education professionals as a 12-course, 36-hour full-degree sequence. It is completely online and asynchronous. And, for teachers in Jefferson County who had a taste of deep literacy learning through the JCPS Bellarmine Literacy Project, there is good news: Up to four classes (12 hours) in the project have a direct correlation to courses taught in the Literacy Specialist program, allowing BLP veterans to count that coursework toward their degree, saving time and money as they pursue the MAEd.