TED 467 Spring 2015

Dr. Barbara Doten, Ph. D.

Reading Response, Adolescent Literacy
By Marcus Gerakos

Its no secret that the United States is in the middle of a freefall in comparison to the other
industrialized nations of the world with respect to literacy rankings. Compared with say, Norway
or France, were no longer even in their respective rear-view mirrors in reading comprehension
or writing ability. I see this as primarily a cultural problem, as evidenced by factors like an
increasingly obese generation subsisting on junk food and zero exercise, a combination depriving
so many young bodies of the necessary ingredients for normal brain development. The
preponderance of texting grammar has, in many cases, replaced the use of proper English in our
culture. Another culprit is our ever-increasing obsession with mind-numbing trivial pursuits
reality TV, social media, to name but two. Repeated exposure to manipulative and often
dangerous forms of entertainmentgangster rap, for example, which for the most part glorifies
violence and sexism, Video games, many of which numb the senses to killing and torture, do
little to offer constructive diversion to young people. The school teacher is, in essence,
competing with all the above factors and more for the attention span, the priority, the sustained
interest, and ultimately, the academic success of their students. What to do?
The first step is to engage the students attention. This can be achieved by including him or
her in the selection process of class curriculum. For example, in an English class, the students
choose the books theyd like to read (as approved by the teacher) and the writing topics that most
interest them. This way, theyre more likely to take school personally, as opposed to seeing it as a
humdrum series of hoops to be jumped through. Offering multiple perspectives of a given topic
is a more inclusive approach thats much more likely to engage students from different
backgrounds and experiences than the single perspective, which is more likely to make some
students feel excluded.
I agree with the basic premise of the student choosing the curriculumup to a point. I think
the teacher must speak wisdom into the students minds by presenting new information, new
insights that the student wouldnt find on their own. For example, in my music classes, the
students choose the songs we study, except in cases where I feel theres little to no musical
content to be found. I always try to steer the class to choose songs with melodic, harmonic,
rhythmic, and formal content they can learn from. This stipulation actually gets them thinking
along those lines and their choices evolve as a result. This is an example of teacher-guided
student efficacy, which I think is the ideal learning environment.
When students are playing music they like, theyre more likely to work at getting it right.
When students are playing music that they like and that addresses the basic elements of musical
competency, its a win-win. I realize, however, that in other content areasmath and science, for

exampleits more challenging to engage students, who may not find any of their learning
options agreeable. This is when the teacher must present the subject in a real-life context so it
becomes real to the studentsthat they care about the outcome. This is where the teachers
ingenuity and resourcefulness come into play. The more they can draw upon the students
experiences and prior knowledge, the better their chances of having an engaged and interactive
class to work with.