The literacy challenge

The literacy challenge The literacy challenge Sadiki School Tunisia Teacher Salima Baltagi

The group

The literacy challenge • This project was proposed by my students to other students who live in the city of Chennai, the capital of the South Indian state of Tamilnadu. Others from Milton, Vermont, USA and Rada’s students from the Republic of Macedonia. • This project was a fabulous chance to explore, develop and expand my technical skills through an interactive class while collaborating with other teachers from all over the world. I would say the most valuable reward has been watching the high school students that I teach interacting with and learning from other ones all over the world. • Before this online course I had been conducting projects for my students but I always felt frustrated due to the barriers that we had shared. Now I feel very confident and have a strong understanding of PBL (project based learning). It was really a healthy and wealthy experience to know how people in different parts of the world work and how they resolve their issues. It gives a feeling that wherever you are all teachers have somewhat the same kind of concerns and issues. • Special thanks to Murali ,Rada ,Barry and Minoo for their help and guidance, I feel myself connected to the whole world.

The ABCS Of How You Can Help The Literacy cause • Always read to your children at home • Books are important but they are not the only way to read.Have your children read things like street signs,t-shirts and words on TV • Commit yourself to read with your children at home • Don’t lose your time in stupid things • Encourage children and teens to read

Find time to read as a family-five minutes of reading a day are not enough but they are efficient • Give your time to read aloud to your child • Help illiterate adults to read and write • Improve your reading skills by just reading • Join an association to fight illiteracy • Keep teens reading .give them books,newspapers about things that interest them –music/movies TV and computers.

Literacy can kill the virus of illiteracy. • Make everyday a learning day. • Never underestimate the power of reading aloud to a child. • Offer help to illiterate persons. • Participate in any reading session. • Quit watching so much TV . Make television time a reading time(reading introduces a quality of language rarely heard on TV). • Read whenever you have time and remember that children learn by example –if you recognize the value of readind your child will too! • Start early! It’s never too early to read to your children.

Try to write stories from your imagination-Remember reading stretches your attention span and stimulates your imagination. • Use your new vocabulary don’t store it. • Volunteer your time to the literacy cause. • Write a letter ,an e-mail -remember that the more you read the better you write. • X-ercise your mind! Literacy is like a muscle which needs exercise so « Use it or Lose it ». • You should know that the more you read, the more you know and the more you know the smarter you grow. • Zap low literacy skills by Reading, Reading,Reading.

The consequences illiteracy may have on: • Health:People who cannot read their doctors presciption may avoid going to the doctor’s or make mistakes when they take medication • Employment:It must be very difficult to get a job when you cannot read very well.Reading and understanding the job offers is the first obstacle. • Salary:It must be difficult for people with low literacyskillsto get a job, so we can imagine they cannot really move up the social ladder,because doing so means having to cope with some paper work. As a result, they will earn low wages all their lives. • Self-esteem:people who cannot read are often ashamed of themselves, and certainly tend to stay at home to avoid getting into trouble and having to reveal their secret to other people .As aresult they feel inferior.

Safety:If some important labels for toxic products, or some road signs are misread, the consequences could be fatal. • Social assistance filling a form must be very difficult, so people who could not write or read very well will avoid doing so , even if it means they do not get some money they were entitled to. • Child care (home work,medicine,etc) Parents with low literacy skills are unable to help their children do their homework,as a result, it could be difficult for the children to succeed and they may become like their parents./if the parents do not understand the doctor’s prescription for a baby, for example, they could make mistakes. • Shopping:people who cannot read food labels sometimes buy things they do not want and are afraid to return them to the shop.they also miss special discounts because they cannot read the ads.

Find definitions for the following types of literacy • Media literacy: Theability to find information and to question what journalists tell you • Computer literacy: the ability to use a computer • Map literacy :the ability to read a map • Numeracy:the ability to count fairly quickly and accurately • Environmental literacy: being aware of environmental problems(using less water; trying to pollute less, etc.) • Critical literacy; the ability to criticise what you hear and see,to express disagreement • Oral literacy;when people understand what you say when you talk to them. • Visual literacy:the ability to understand and interpret pictures(road signs,labels,etc)

Discuss the following statements • A- Going to school is the only way to become literate. PROS • The school system gives an education to all children ,whoever they are . • -most parents cannot or do not have the time to teach their children how to read and count. • Many people became illiterate because they did not go to school or drpped out of school.

CONS • Some people never went to school,and did not become illiterate • The school system sometimes fails to increase literacy levels: some 12-year-olds cannot read eventhough they spent more than 8 years at school • If school did not exist,children would learn to read and count with their parents.

B-The definition of literacy should not be the same in developing countries as in developed countries . PROS • People in developing countries do not need to have the same literacy skills as others.they often do not use computers which is not the case in Tunisia although it is a developing country • We could use low standards nows ,and be more demanding as each country develops

CONS • There should not be a double standard:the same rules should apply everywhere ,so we can really compare the literacy levels. • Having a softer definition of literacy in poor countries would be a lack of ambition, it would mean they could not achieve a high literacy level.

Answered by Students of veerasavarkar school’s Learning circle 3 j.prakash(ixstd), yuvaraj(viiistd),Balkrishnan(ixstd),gowtham(viiistd), Obeithullah(viiistd) March 24th 2006 • A = Among all, Educational wealth cannot be destroyed • B = Bring all the children to school. • C = Catch them young, to learn. • D = Doubts go away after knowledge come in • E = Extraordinary things are done by ordinary when they become literate. • F = First things first, Reading books is best. • G = Gain more by reading and learning. • H = Health is good when a man exercises his body likewise the mind needs Good Books for mental health • I = Imagination is kindled by reading books • J = Jump a quantum leap ahead of others by literacy • H = Honour of the self can saved by learning and world knowledge. • K = Kings and Queens Bow before the Leaned People

L = Literacy is Life illiteracy is death. • M = Money can buy you luxury but Knowledge can only be earned • N = Nothing can stop a learned person other than himself • O = Open mind is a garden of knowledge • P = Power comes naturally to person with greater knowledge Perseverance is the first step to gain knowledge. • Q = Question every doubt and every question will lead to clarity of mind. • R = Robbers can rob everything except the learned knowledge • S = Success attracts success, knowledge creates success made to order • T = Teacher is one who eradicates the darkness of ignorance with the Light of knowledge • U = Ultimate power is knowledge,which comes through reading more books. • V = Vision for the future is created by planning • W = Winning in life is easy with a clear goal • X = Xmas is God created but Wisdom is gained from books • Z = Zeal for knowledge is starting point of Victorious life

Answers From Rada’ s Students • A-always read books • B-books are the biggest fortune • C-cinema educate us, too • D-‘’Dekameron’’ is interesting book with a hundred stories • E-elevator which take up us in the society • F-finish the day with book • G-generously give help to the others • H-however,you must go to school • I-interests in Science • J-join in the learning circle • K-key of the communication • L-love poetry

Answers From Rada’ s Students • M-must be careful • N-note in your head every beautiful thoughts • O-overhere . there, everywhere... books • P- paint your soul with love • Q-questions about education • R- result from the literacy • S –satisfaction that we have during reading the books • T- think positive about the life • U-unique books • V-view of the world • W-words around us • X-x-factors for education • Y-you can change the world • Z-Zeus the main god of the Greece’s antique culture

BYE BYE SEE YOU IN THE NEXT LEARNING CIRCLES

The literacy challenge