Adolescent literacy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adolescent literacy refers to the ability of adolescents to read and write. Adolescence is a period of rapid psychological and neurological development, during which children develop morally (truly understanding the consequences of their actions), cognitively (problem-solving, reasoning, remembering), and socially (responding to feelings, interacting, cooperating). All of these three types of development have influence—to varying degrees—on the development of literacy skills.
Adolescent literacy development can take many different forms at home and in school. Parental involvement is extremely important and has a positive effect on a child's developing literacy skills. Schools implement many different strategies to optimize a student's literacy development such as after-school tutoring, school-wide literacy reform models, and supporting families of students struggling with literacy skills.
The International Reading Association (IRA) notes the unique psychology and neurology of adolescents, distinct from the literacy development of younger children or adults. They indicate seven guiding principles of literacy development for this age group, required for adolescents to become motivated, lifelong readers:
- access to a wide variety of reading material calibrated to their interests
- instruction that builds and develops their reading skills and interest in reading towards increasingly complex texts
- assessment that highlights both strengths and needs
- expert teachers who model and provide explicit instruction across the curriculum
- support from reading specialists (for those students experiencing difficulty learning)
- teachers who understand the complexities of individual adolescent readers
- homes, communities, and a nation that support the needs of adolescent learners