Literacy concepts and applications

Literacy

The PAWsitive Effects of R.E.A.D.ing

The issue of literacy within teaching and education is one that must not be taken lightly. During the elementary school years, reading is among many of the skills that students must acquire, or else suffer from a lifelong disadvantage compared to other members of society. It is not speculation that if reading skills are not acquired during a child's early formative years; studies such as the one conducted by A. Castro-Caldas (et al. 1998), published by the Oxford University Press, show scientifically that learning specific skills during childhood changes the functional organization of the brain. Findings included that illiterate subjects had more difficulty than literate subject with not just written language communication, but with oral language as well. Reading comprehension is the key to academic success in all subject areas, and academic success is the defining factor between an individual's future as a part of either "a privileged knowledge-producing class and a low-paid, low-status service class." (Gaines) In the book What Reading Research Tells Us About Children With Diverse Learning Needs: Bases and Basics (Simmons & Kameenui 1998, 1), it is well articulated that, "Reading is an enabling skill that traverses academic disciplines and translates into meaningful personal, social, and economic outcomes for individuals. It is common knowledge that reading is the fulcrum of academics, the pivotal ability that stabilizes and leverages children's opportunities to learn and to become reflective, independent learners." Poor reading skills are common among school dropouts, prison inmates, and public welfare recipients.(Simmons & Kameenui 1998, 1) However, those individuals fortunate enough to quickly and easily gain reading comprehension skills tend to take their situation for granted, and have difficulty relating to the struggling student. Federal guidelines for education, such as the highly controversial No Child Left Behind Act, attempt to stress the importance of attaining skills in academic areas on a productive timeline. However, many traditional academic approaches focus on the end goal without providing any real pedagogy for success, no framework to build achievement. In addition to students needing the instruction and practice to attain skills like reading, they also need the confidence in themselves in order to learn. Low self-esteem may compound early literacy difficulties. Fear of social stigma for being "stupid" and frustration with educational obstacles can create a vicious cycle for students who are falling behind their peers, and high levels of stress will certainly impede the learning process, and motivation to keep working hard can be hard to find. Some very successful reading instruction methods will fall short because they are not used in combination with relaxation and confidence-building techniques in a setting that will help to comfort the struggling student and allow him or her to work through literacy challenges. One method that has gained popularity in the press in recent years that may not seem to hold professional water at first glance, but is actually proving to be a highly effective method for increasing literacy among children, is the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program. R.E.A.D. was founded in 1999 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has spread to have over 1000 affiliate partners throughout the country. In this program, children read stories out loud to specially trained dogs, without fear of their audience (the dog) judging them for having difficulty with words. The R.E.A.D program has been shown to help motivate young readers and build the confidence that is necessary during the learning process, while employing reading instruction methods with many years of empirical research behind them.

The R.E.A.D. program was founded by an existing Animal-Assisted Therapy nonprofit group, Intermountain Therapy Animals, that had years of experience bringing the benefits of animals to people in need. More than eighty articles have been published about the R.E.A.D. program, including popular media such as the Wall Street Journal, Time, Parenting, and Our Children (the official publication of the National PTA), as well as scholarly sources such as a book and journal published by the Association for Childhood Education International. (ITA 2005) When participating in this program, children are not actually taught to read by the dogs (of course), but having the dogs present is enough to make a big difference for many otherwise struggling readers. The environment created by having dogs present during reading activities has been described as an inviting and motivating one that is relaxed, comfortable, nonjudgmental, empowering, and fun by participants and educators. Part of the reason that R.E.A.D. is so successful is because of the realization that it is often low self-esteem, stress, fear, and other factors not related to whether or not a child is intelligent enough to learn to read. According to educator William Ayers, "Fear can destroy intelligence." (ITA 2005) However, this vicious cycle can be combated in part by the R.E.A.D. program; "At ease with the dogs, who do not criticize mispronounced words, children read enthusiastically. Confidence grows with success as each child reads aloud." (Barrett 2003)

Taking a look at a case study by Pam Loughman of San Diego State University, it is easy to imagine how the methods employed by R.E.A.D. would benefit a student like Loughman's David, who struggled with each word while reading. David had repeated the first grade, and upon entering the second grade he viewed himself as a failure because he was challenged by reading and he was unable to keep up with his peers. Other students were impatient with David and often teased him, and he had little support at home, which lead to him having even less confidence and falling further behind academically. "There was no one he could read to or who would read to him." (Loughman, 2000) Loughman noted that practicing reading texts over and over, or Repeating Reading, is a highly effective method for acquiring reading skills, and David needed more of this kind of practice. Repeated Reading has been shown to increase fluency, comprehension, speed of reading, and to provide the practice needed in order to make reading automatic. (Loughman, 2000)