A Survey of Language and Literacy (L&L) Programs - Research Paper Example

A Survey of Language and Literacy (L&L) Programs The L and L (language and literacy) program is a type of blocks which is made up by the belief that literacy and language skills are particularly vital to each and every aspect of a life in an individual. Charter, public, and independent schools all face a critical problem of students who do struggle in writing and reading. In this regard, each school has reforms which are normally centered to better the performance of students especially in writing and reading. Bettering literacy is one relevant mandate of the system of education. Whenever students fail to be literate they fail to succeed in other, different content areas like science, history, and math. For these students, to be agents of change, they tend to gain a perspective that is comprehensive on the development of literacy like socio-cultural influences, ethical background, and English learning functions. With a focus on the multilingual and bilingual, many students study literacy by use of practice and policy of lenses, and by researching for deep knowledge concerning the neuroscience discipline with the emphasis on the manner in which students become forces for a change that is positive in education practice and policy. This paper displays a matrix of the L & L program and explores a description of each of the L&L programs. The paper elaborates on the enumerated features and other relevant information of the programs. Matrix of the language & literacy programs. Type of Institution Programs Description Target population Goals Modes of delivery Material and resources Elementary school Empowerment Literacy Project It allows one to access extensive reservoirs of knowledge thus the saying that knowledge is power (Whitehead 12). Students To give out literacy as a drive towards empowerment and self defense. To help new literates to survive and cope with the new realities. To organize literacy that is new and used in confronting and solving their challenges. To ensure making available to individuals who are disadvantaged the information and tools that are required in solving their challenges (Whitehead 32). Using functional and practical approaches to classes and materials. Teaching and emphasizing problem solving and reflection. Providing and encouraging help in the institutional, local building Encouraging networking and collaboration with official agencies. Helping the required community to discover their aspirations and needs, and managing the program, and emphasizing on decisions that are local and management (Wellington 29). Handouts. Textbooks. Charts. Slide 1 (ppt) Church Church based literacy Project There are different circumstances that indicate how choices are made in a church literacy program. This includes a church infrastructure that is effective and which exists to give out the program Congregation To ensure that literacy is promoted. To ensure that the church accesses the religious literature. To ensure that the church is furthering the goals of other organizations so as to enhance the religious body sponsoring (Whitehead 28). Making church equipped. In this respect, the program may be responsible for the whole literacy program and extent the infrastructure of the church so as to obtain the added objective and goals. Promoting church leaders who are trained. Implementing Biliteracy transitions of reading aloud, of studying, of teaching, and of teaching (Wellington 35). To transition out of LWC literacy, for individuals who are literate in wider communication language, possibly due to the content that is religious. Slide 2 (ppt). Charts. Textbooks. White board. Presentation. High school Development based literacy project. This is a program that is considered to be integrated into a program of development in some areas area like nutrition, institution, agriculture, economics, or health. A number of individuals arrange and implement programs and projects. In one way or another they tent to ignore the existence of literacy, or perceive literacy as not necessary to the success of the program of development. Students Developing adequate literacy level, to encourage the objectives of the development program. Addressing the illiteracy problem in the scenario of the effort of development so that the general skills of life are encouraged. Giving out a literacy core so that leadership that is long term could come up for the continuity of the project. Organizing classes of literacy as the needed initial step to taking part in the development program. Developing materials that are post-literacy that supports the program’s development activities. Using classes of literacy in addressing issues of development or in providing some of the needed information for the establishment of the functions of the program. Inquiring from the component of development concerning how to run literacy and organize classes as an assignment in management and self-development (Wellington, 42). Evaluation tool. Handouts. Textbook. White board. Slide (ppt) Middle school Mother tongue literacy project This is a program that uses mother tongue in formal education. Education in this case is the basic medium of local literacy. This program takes an individual into a formal education domain Students Providing efficient, formal education towards children, establishing their skills in language developed. Maintaining local culture and language by giving out education to the children. Reducing rates of local schools, and improving the yield and effectiveness of the local system of education. Supporting education initiatives in mother-tongue. Implementing the program using a basis of a pilot project, moving up slowly after obtaining some experience. Determining the transition need from or to LWC literacy thus developing a suitable Biliteracy strategy (Wellington 10). Text books. Charts. Handouts. Slide 4 (ppt) Empowerment-literacy program. This is a program whose main intent is to focus indirectly or directly on economic, social, or inequalities that are political between two parties by literacy. Literacy, in this respect, is referred as a type of knowledge. It allows one to access extensive reservoirs of knowledge thus the saying that knowledge is power (Whitehead 12). In many situations, if one compares the illiterate and literate groups, those individuals who are literate always have an advantage over those individuals who are not. When illiteracy is institutionalized, literacy would be extremely powerful and a liberator who is remarkably effective thus a form of empowerment. In reality, all programs of literacy have a component of empowerment. In this program, empowerment is distinguished since it is a central program’s feature. Empowerment literacy program has some conditions that are normally used in determining its choice. These conditions include: An elite that is educated or rather a class consider as a middle class takes advantage of a group that is seen to be disadvantaged preliterate or semiliterate group (Whitehead 15). A community sector like certain groups clan has opportunities that are limited due to a limited access to literacy that could be intentional. A given community may be politically or socially dominated on the language basis and on education access. In this regard, illiteracy may block efforts of improving welfare and health of the masses thus limiting the meaning of any efforts towards a change that is political. This program normally has some goals and objectives that guide its operation. The first goal is always to give out literacy as a drive towards empowerment and self defense. Secondly, the program helps new literates to survive and cope with the new realities. Thirdly, the program would organize literacy that is new and used in confronting and solving their challenges. Lastly, the program would ensure making available to individuals who are disadvantaged the information and tools that are required in solving their challenges (Whitehead 32). The activities and strategies of the empowerment literacy program include using functional and practical approaches to classes and materials; teaching and emphasizing problem solving and reflection; providing and encouraging help in the institutional, local building; encouraging networking and collaboration with official agencies; helping the required community to discover their aspirations and needs, and managing the program, and emphasizing on decisions that are local and management (Wellington 29). Church base literacy program. This is a program that makes the local church an institution having the primary system of support which carries out the project. There are different circumstances that indicate how choices are made in a church literacy program. This includes a church infrastructure that is effective and which exists to give out the program. In some cases, there could be some religious literature where by the mother tongue is of much interest within the church. Another condition is when a church is ready to have literacy promoted. Religious literature that may be finished, unfinished, or made for a popular use, could also be a condition for making a choice in this program. This program always has different goals that are normally set to enhance its processes. The first goal for this program is to ensure that literacy is promoted. The second objective is to ensure that the church accesses the religious literature. The last goal of this program is to ensure that the church is furthering the goals of other organizations so as to enhance the religious body sponsoring (Whitehead 28). In a church literacy base program, there are a number of activities and strategies that a program may undertake to ensure the realization of its goals. The program may concentrate on making church equipped. In this respect, the program may be responsible for the whole literacy program and extent the infrastructure of the church so as to obtain the added objective and goals. The program may also concentrate on activities of promoting church leaders who are trained. In this case, the church implements biliteracy transitions of reading aloud, of studying, of teaching, and of teaching (Wellington 35). The church has a transition out of LWC literacy, for individuals who are literate in wider communication language, possibly due to the content that is religious. This program has a mother tongue literacy that is basic especially for those individuals who are semiliterate and preliterate (Whitehead 16). Development-base literacy program. This is a program that is considered to be integrated into a program of development in some areas area like nutrition, institution, agriculture, economics, or health. A number of individuals arrange and implement programs and projects. In one way or another they tent to ignore the existence of literacy, or perceive literacy as not necessary to the success of the program of development. In most cases, this assumption may be false. The organizers of the program seek to make up a project of literacy that relies on the program of development. Additionally, an individual sponsoring an initiative of development would realize that there exists a requirement for a plan and literacy component in the development program. In both situations, it is prudent to think concerning a development base literacy project. There are a number of conditions which would show out the choice of a literacy development-based program. This may include a planned development initiative which needs a given literacy level for success. An initiative of development may be planned for a community where there exist limited literacy levels. Additionally, an initiative of development may be planned to enhance a moderate interaction level with a segment that is broader of the national culture, regional or economy. A development program may be underway, but the program is turning to be a problem due to insufficient literacy or basic literacy skills. The development-base program has different types of goals. This includes developing adequate literacy level, to encourage the objectives of the development program. The next goal is addressing the illiteracy problem in the scenario of the effort of development so that the general skills of life are encouraged. The last goal of this program involves giving out a literacy core so that leadership that is long term could come up for the continuity of the project. Apart from this, this program has some activities and strategies that may enable it to meet its goals. The program organizes classes of literacy as the needed initial step to taking part in the development program. The program develops materials that are post-literacy that supports the program’s development activities. Additionally, the program uses classes of literacy in addressing issues of development or in providing some of the needed information for the establishment of the functions of the program. Lastly, the program takes part in inquiring from the component of development concerning how to run literacy and organize classes as an assignment in management and self-development (Wellington, 42). Mother-tongue literacy program. This is a program that uses mother tongue in formal education. Education in this case is the basic medium of local literacy. This program takes an individual into a formal education domain. It involves direct relationships with national, local or regional government. Its formal education involvement brings out queries of the program scope, funding, expensive curricular, and language policy. This means that starting a program like this one is a serious involvement. Many nations that are developing consider implementing this program due to their failure in using education models that are more traditional in the official language. Mother tongue programs are mostly thought to be long-term, complex, and require institutional and individual commitment to professional support. This program has a number of conditions that show out the choice of a literacy mother tongue program. This conditions include a request that is formal from a government agency or a local body requesting help in the development of a mother tongue program; A governmental policy allowing mandates or supports in the program; a context that is multiethnic where it is relevant politically in avoiding mandatory implications in the individuals’ language, and an experimental official desire of new educational models (Whitehead 32). The goals and objectives of this program includes providing efficient, formal education towards children, establishing their skills in language developed; maintaining local culture and language by giving out education to the children; reducing rates of local schools, and improving the yield and effectiveness of the local system of education. This program has a number of possible activities and strategies that enable it to achieve its goals. The first activity involves supporting education initiatives in mother-tongue. This could be done by supplying materials, teacher training, curriculum, consultations, and evaluation to the education system. The second activity involves implementing the program using a basis of a pilot project, moving up slowly after obtaining some experience. The last activity of this program includes determining the transition need from or to LWC literacy thus developing a suitable Biliteracy strategy (Wellington 10). These literacy programs operate all around the world. The description of the programs in this case, is characterized by delivery strategies and mechanisms, material used, target audience, motivation of the program, and the structural characteristics. In many cases, the choice of L and L program is conditioned by different types of factors. These include goals of the program, the targets population’s aspirations and needs, resource availability, policy constraints, and contribution and motivations of partnering organizations. In this regard, the different types of L and L programs include church bases, development based, empowerment, and mother tongue education and promotion literacy programs (Wellington 24). Work cited. Wellington, Jonathan. Education in Literacy and language. London: Heinle & Heinle Press. 2001. Whitehead, Marian. Establishing Literacy and Language. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2007. Read More