“How Childrens’ Recreational Activities Outside of
the Classroom Lead to Increased Literacy”
Introduction
In
this present study I am going to examine my son to see what types of activities
enrich his literacy out of school. Mary Louise Pratt states in her research
that "Literacy began for Sam (which is her son) with newly pronounceable
names on the picture cards and brought him what has been easily the broadest,
most varied, most enduring, and most integrated experience of his thirteen-year
life”.
I will observe the different activities my son
does to enrich his literacy and interview my son to get an inside look on how
he uses materials such as books, cards, magazines to help to expand his
discourse between friends. Children love to talk with each other through things
that they have in common with each other. Much to the chagrin of teachers
everywhere, children could go on for hours about what they love to do and what
they watch on the television instead of focusing on their schoolwork. At the
present time our society has radically evolved with the advent of smartphones
and other technologies which children use to look up information at their
fingertips. Knowledge is everywhere. Whether is in the mediums I listed above
or on a Kindle, young people learn in ways older generations could have only
dreamed about. My goal is to expand upon on what Mary Louise has researched and
use technology to elaborate on what Pratt did not use when she conducted her
research because technology was not as popular as it is now in the 21st
century.
This topic is near and dear to my heart because my son
has overcome his fear of literacy with activities, trading cards, books, and magazines
he loves to read or especially if it has anything to do with wrestling. This
has helped him engage in different types of discourse among his friends and
classmates. The research will not attempt to predict right or
wrong with the examinations but determine if my findings are helpful in
enriching children’s literacy through activities, technology, and reading materials
they love to read.
Literature Review
I began my research from an article I have read entitled Arts of the Contact Zone by Mary Louise
Pratt. According to her research she has shown that children learn literacy
through activities, books, magazines, and trading cards they like to read. Pratt goes on to say that “I was delighted to
see schooling give Sam the tools with which to find and open all these doors”.
She then adds, “At the same time I found it unforgiveable that schooling itself
gave him nothing remotely as meaningful to do”. In my research I would like to
address another material that she does not mention in her research which it is
using different technologies such as computers and a Kindle. I would like to
take a look on how children use this to expand what they learn. They use these
methods to find out what moves they could apply on the games they are playing
with on their consoles. Although they are not likely consciously aware of their
learning just as with more traditional ways of such as baseball cards, for example,
children are still supplementing their knowledge of vocabulary that ultimately
translates to improved literacy both within the confines of their school and in
the outside world.
Methodology
I conducted two twenty minutes interviews which I
recorded my 10 year old son. Each interview took place in the comfort of his own
room. I conducted an interview because it was a personal topic and it just made
valuable to me. I wanted to get an inside look on how my son uses some of these
materials and engages in some of the activities he does to expand on his
literacy without him really realizing it.
I asked opened-ended questions that were related to literacy in ways that were
easy for him to understand and that he would be comfortable answering. I then analyzed the interview data and I
characterized the responses into different categories. Afterwards, I observed
two different kinds of engaging activities that. I then went on to distinguish
what he does to enhance his literacy skills. This helped me to see how my son
was able to use different tools to enhance and come up with different ideas he
could use for his game. He is enhancing his literacy by reading what is
projected on the screen.
Presentation of Data
and Analysis
The following are the questions and answers of my interview
sessions with my son. After each statement there is a subsequent analysis that ties
in his responses to the broader world of literary research on children’s
learning techniques for language and cognitive development.
J- Is Myself
JC-Is Interviewee
J: What kinds
of activities do you like to do out of school?
JC: I like to
read wrestling magazines, books that are fun to read, use the computer to look
up stuff, play video games, I collect playing cards such as wrestling, baseball,
Pokemon. I sometimes give them to my friends
He is expanding his discourse among his friends with
activities they do outside of school and that they have in common. He reads
books and magazines that are fun and interesting to him.
J: Which
activity do you like to do the most?
JC: I like to
play my wrestling game WWE 2K 14. It is cool! I love this game! It’s Awesome!
He is using activities that are fun for him to learn
new ideas and vocabulary that will be subsequently used in his discourse community
of friends. The new lexis that will be introduced can serve to further strengthen
their overall knowledge and can also strengthen the social bond between them.
J: What do you
do to find new moves or if you are stuck on a level?
JC: I use the
computer or my grandma’s Kindle to find out what move to do next.
JC uses technology to expand on his different genres
and how to find what he is looking for by having to read what the steps are in
the description given on the screen of the computer or kindle.
J: Does the computer
help you out to find what you want?
JC: Yes. It
gives me clues to be able to help me move on to the next level or it helps me
get different moves to be able to beat the other wrestlers. I apply the
signature moves and that wrestler is DONE!
He takes the time to find out what he can do to beat
the game. JC is expanding his vocabulary with words that he is taking off the
screen and applying it to whatever game he is playing. He learned how to
interpret “clues” and how to apply clues across different platforms.
J: How do you
get the information on what you need off the computer?
JC: I
sometimes have to read what it says. Sometimes you have to help me read what is
on it because the words are too big for me to read or I see the moves on You
Tube. I like to see it because it makes it easier to apply the move to the
wrestler.
He looks for someone to help him when he cannot read
what is on the screen of the games and of the technology he is using. This
shows that he is determined to find out whatever it is that he needs to
accomplish the task he wants to improve in.
J: What else
do you do for fun?
JC: I read
books about wrestling. I learn a lot. I learn like where my favorite wrestlers
are born, how old they are, when did they start wrestling, how many title
championships have they won, what are their signature moves, you know, lots of
other stuff.
He is expanding on his genres and vocabulary. He is
taking lots of information and processing it to his benefit.
J: When you
are at school or outside of school what do you and your friends like to talk
about?
JC: We talk
about anything. We talk about wrestling. Wrestling is our favorite. We talk
about…um um the moves that the wrestlers apply to one another. If we saw any of
the shows like Monday Night Raw or Smack Down. We talk about what we saw and if
we liked who won the match. It is so cool to be able to talk to my friends
about the shows. We sometimes try to, you know, do the moves on each other. We
get to talk a lot at lunch time and sometimes when we have recess or specials.
His discourse is fun and exciting for him and his
friends. It is mentioned in Swales’ work that discourse communities must have a
common goal and for them it is wrestling.
J: At school
do you get to read books for fun?
JC: I read WWE Books. Sometimes we do when we
have free time or lunch and recess. But I like to come home and use the
computer before uh I do homework or I’ll read the book my teacher gives us.
He is improving his literacy skills and with the
help of the teacher they are learning different genres that they could apply
with other subjects they are learning in school and out.
J: What do you
do on the computer?
JC: Look up
plays for the games I like to play. The moves to beat the games. And who won
the wrestling matches on TV and I try to watch the shows I don’t have that much
time to see them so I squeeze them in.
Using technology to increase what he has learned and
take it a step further and apply whatever learned and build on it.
J: What do you
and your friends talk about that you have in common?
JC: Sometimes
I talk about wrestling stuff into like doing games and talking about it with my
friends. We talk about who won last night on tv. We talk about their entrance
sons and their finisher wrestling moves. And we talk about um which ones are
our favorite wrestlers.
Swales points out that there are lexis among the
discourse communities which only the community knows and this is one of them.
As an outsider conducting this interview there is lexis that I don’t know about
but my son and his friends know like the entrance songs and lyrics. I am not
very familiar the names of the wrestlers’ finishing moves but learned them as I
interviewed him. They are learning so much by just having a common interest
among each other.
J: What do you
like to do with your trading cards?
JC: Sometimes
when we bring them to school and we play with them at recess time. We look at
the pictures. We look at the numbers to see who won who has the most numbers
and then they win and if you lose you trade with someone else and sometimes we
trade them with each other.
Building vocabulary, arithmetic skills, developing
sense of patterns, and order of arranging and rearranging cards. Enriching
literacy and discourse among friends without having a clue that they are
teaching each other.
J: Why do you like to read the wrestling ones more
than any other book?
JC: Because they are entertaining and they have the
best legends in history of entertainment like Shawn Michaels, The Kings of
Kings Triple H, Ric Flair, and MY FAVORITE WRESTLER JOHN CENA!
He is having fun reading books that are interesting
to him and he reads because he wants to, not because it is assigned to him. He
is learning while engaging in something he likes to do. JC is opening and
learning new vocabulary he could use in his discourse and any discourse he has
among his friends.
Discussion of findings
Conclusion
As we have seen through this analysis of JC’s learning
style and with his interaction with his friends, it is clearly apparent that
the acquisition of literacy skills is not confined to the four walls of a
classroom. Learning is not done in a vacuum. It is really done in the real
world of interactions made at home, at social gatherings, or anywhere where 2
or more people can interact. The knowledge that is written down in books began
not with the author making realizations in an isolated room. It came from
observing, communicating, and participating in society. Specialized groups
(i.e., discourse communities) form based on a common interest. The knowledge
found there spreads to other areas of life (in this case, what JC learns from
his friends, some of this will translate into his school work in the form of
increased academic achievement). Learning about literacy also works the other
way. The lessons learned at school (such as learning to read using computers)
would likely lead to increased computer usage due to their familiarity with
this technology. This new, reciprocal way of learning is beneficial to
improving literacy skills that will only continue to increase with the spread of
media and technology around us.
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