Barriers to Literacy - Essay Example

Barriers to Literacy The barriers to learning can be both external as well as internal. Some problems like that of infrastructure or legislations, instructors method of teaching etc. can be considered external problems while a learner’s own individual, familial, psychological or emotional barriers can be considered internal. Here we discuss some of the key barriers in the way of learning and literacy development: Administrative and Infrastructural issues The absence of basic infrastructure, lack of government support and insufficient or inadequate legislation with respect to literacy, learning and development can be considered main barriers. Over the years different legislations have been passed by government to facilitate the literacy and learning environment but at times these laws become a barrier as laws are difficult to understand and implement. Also, there could be administrative barriers at school, college, university, and district and state levels. Multicultural Environments Multicultural environments pose barriers to learning and literacy as students seek companionship with the people of same background and language. Interactions among classmates who are from vastly diverse linguistic backgrounds are different from the students with mainly same ethnic or linguistic background. “Traditionally, some of the factors that restrict access to full literacy for language-minority students have included (a) xenophobic English-only movements (Donahue, 1995); (b) limited resources and personnel within ESL (August & Hakuta, 1997); (c) controversy about bilingual education (Faltis & Hudelson, 1998; Krashen, 1996); (d) differences about the duration and type of language services children should receive (Collier, 1987); and (e) cultural and linguistic deficit models (Luke, 1986)” (Grant & Wong, 2003). Motivational Issues Motivation of individuals for stirring the process of literacy and human development is considered one of the main barriers to learning. “For adult learners, however, learning is not usually an externally imposed, secondary role, but one that they freely choose. Adults learn to achieve both intrinsic (Bruner, 1966) and extrinsic rewards” (Dinmore, 1997). No matter what, motivation is stills one topic that perplexes academics and experts in the arena of education. Motivational barrier can be both intrinsic as well extrinsic. Educationists must try to look at this barrier from both angles to facilitate the process of literacy, learning and development of learners. Emotional Barriers Many students manifest a number of emotional issues that hinder the process of learning and development. Many external factors like poverty and low income, difficult family circumstances, upbringing, violent neighborhoods, substance abuse, inadequate health care etc may disturb individuals emotionally. As a result of these issues many individuals show problems like low self worth and self-esteem, anger, frustration, lack of motivation, embarrassment and fear of censure etc. Many researches have shown that lack of literacy competence can be attributed to a number of intrinsic emotional factors of individuals. Different individuals show different emotional problems. Some might have a much depreciated view of one’s personality while another person may have issues of shyness only. Different emotional barriers should be considered by experts particularly in the matters of curriculum development and general policy formulation related to education. Attitudes and Expectations of Others The learning competency and development of learners also gets affected by the unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of parents, teachers, and other important people involved in the education process. Many parents have set a certain material standard for their children or some gauge learning by top grades only putting unrealistic pressures on students causing hindrances in the learning process. “Outside the classroom, 'development' has wide social currency. It is used by parents to compare their own child to others and by commercial interests to promote their 'educational' products” (Nichols, 2004). Bias towards Women and Disabled Children There was a time when learning and literacy for women had more barriers of gender bias. The situation has improved a lot over the years but women still have to face a lot of difficulties especially when it comes to adult education. The case of disabled children is no different as they have to deal with their disability as well as the general bias towards them. Ways to Overcome the Barriers There could be a number of ways in which experts try to overcome the barriers posed in the way of learning, literacy and development. Some of these are: Role of Government It is government only that can find ways to deal with the administrative, legislative and infrastructure barriers. Community involvement can also play a good role in this regard. It is not just infrastructure and other such matters that come under government’s domain but on the whole education is the prime responsibility of government and so it should consider all potential barriers in formulation of education policies. At all levels proper study and research should be carried out to find out all the potential barriers and ways to overcome them with complete government support. Role of Facilitators/Teachers The teacher or the facilitator is one person that can be the ultimate motivator in the enhancing the value of the learning process. The way he approaches the subject and the methods he uses to impart the knowledge he has, becomes crucial in the learning experience. A teacher with creative outlook will try to explore and exploit magic moments and windows of opportunity to arouse the interest and excitement of the students. “There is a need to build on each teacher’s repertoire of approaches to the teaching of literacy. These should include a balance of skills approaches (including the systematic teaching of reading, writing, spelling and phonics skills), whole-language approaches (including the scaffolded and contextualised teaching of reading comprehension), genre approaches (including the explicit teaching of texts and grammar) and social-critical approaches (including the purposeful teaching of critical literacy)” (‘Literacy the Key’). The teacher student relationship, its understanding and a healthy quotient between the two can also be considered important when it comes to overcoming the barriers in learning. A teacher, who has low tolerance for new ideas, will dampen the motivation level of the learner rather than enhancing it. If in a class students are coming up with interesting and new ideas but if the teacher constantly dismisses them then fairly shortly, everyone will stop bringing new ideas. So, learners’ learning depends heavily on facilitator’s approach and encouragement. One-on-one interaction with students could help students in relating to the teacher and in turn relating to the course or the subject being taught. It could also help overcome intrinsic emotional barriers. A teacher who interacts with students and understands their goals can better assess the understanding and thinking level and needs of the class. Understanding the needs of students vis-à-vis students thinking skills and needs, a teacher would be able to formulate a better strategy or course plan. “If teachers are to teach effectively, there must be not only effective instruction and well-managed schools, but also comprehensive removal of barriers. All three components (instructional, management, and enabling) are necessary, complementary, and overlapping. Enabling includes enhancing the classroom teacher's capacity to address problems and foster students' social, emotional, intellectual, and behavioral development” (Adelman & Taylor, 2002). Learning depends heavily on teacher as he/she is the facilitator but this is only possible if the teacher is able to use creativity, flexibility and intellect to motivate students in a dynamic way. Role of Technology Technology is at times considered a great help in overcoming many barriers like that of infrastructure or government support. Technology can also be a source of motivation for learners. Since the modus operandi of these technologies is very user friendly, so mostly, the intricacies of technology do not intimidate students. In fact the user-friendly operations have made technology favorite options for learners all over the world. This is also true specifically for language learners. Technology has helped students tremendously in overcoming typical classroom barriers and multicultural problems. The issues related to disabled children can also be addressed using the technology factor. “The type of support provided for children with difficulties in communication, language and literacy could include: using alternative and augmentative communication, reducing the amount of written work and reading, giving children the opportunity to clarify their ideas through discussion, role play and the use of tape recorders, video, and photographs, rather than relying on written materials. It may be necessary to use specialist equipment to give motivating and relevant experiences to children with sensory and physical disabilities” (‘Key stage 2 Framework’). Role of Curriculum Many experts believe that a good curriculum can play a vital role in facilitation of the learning process. Some subjects evoke the interest of individuals more differently than the other subjects. Many suggest that varied study or education with diversified courses help people in broadening their horizons as learners exercise their minds to grasp different and new concepts. Different subjects require mind to function in a certain order. Some courses help in developing thinking ability and capability to carry out rational analysis. An interesting mix of subjects requires on students part thinking and formulation of their own opinions, values and beliefs based on the study of varied ideas. This also starts the process of independent thinking where people can actually question what others said or have to say. Therefore, students should be given diversified knowledge to improve their overall understanding of world and life. So teaching human nature to a student of biology could help improve understanding and thinking of a learner. A good curriculum can therefore affect a person’s motivation and could involve him in the overall learning process. It is also true in case of language teaching in which language is taught using different subjects and stories thereby evoking the interest of the learner in the new language. “Missing from children's curricula is intellectual challenge, whether in science, mathematics, literature, or the arts. Also missing is the study of what used to be called civics, as well as what used to be called history. They have been replaced by "social studies," with the emphasis on the social rather than on study” (Kramer, 1997). Only a multidisciplinary curriculum can remove the obstruction imposed on a person’s intellectual capacity. Many people do not consider it relevant and important in adult education that multidisciplinary curriculum could help overcome the barriers of learning. They think it is too idealistic to involve multidisciplinary education. What they seem to forget is that this idealism seeks to improve upon the current state of affairs and challenges the status quo. Idealism also seeks perfection in this rather imperfect world. Idealism thus seeks ‘out of the box’ thinking approach. Some people see education in terms of certain end results or implication such as financial gain or job opportunity. Ideally the end of education should be considered gain of wisdom. The benefits that one gains from education cannot simply be measured in terms of financial gains. A well developed curriculum stirs the mind, enhances one’s ability to think and leads us to discover ourselves by providing insightful mirrors to one’s inner self while overcoming all sorts of barriers. References Grant, R. & Wong, S. (2003). Barriers to Literacy for Language-Minority Learners: An Argument for Change in the Literacy Education Profession. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Volume: 46. Issue: 5. Adelman, H. & Taylor, L. (2002). Building Comprehensive, Multifaceted and Integrated Approaches to Address Barriers to Student Learning. Childhood Education. Volume: 78. Issue: 5. Dinmore, I. (1997). Interdisciplinary and Integrative Learning: An Imperative for Adult Education. Education. Volume: 117. Issue: 3. Kramer, R. (winter 1997). Inside the Teacher's Culture. Public Interest. Issue: 126. Porter, B. (March 2003). Technology Planning: Strategies for Stoking the Catalysts of Change. Learning & Leading with Technology. Volume: 30. 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Retrieved May 27, 2006 from:http://education.qld.gov.au/publication/production/reports/pdfs/2006/literacy_framework.pdf. Read More