Knowledge Representation Essay
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Please go to the link above for my logic map
Since Portfolio one, it was evident that I had to integrate my interest in the field of early childhood education, special education, and literacy. As a result of this my goal was to be an interdisciplinary scholar drawing from all these three areas and applying different perspectives in the field of early childhood education, special education and literacy. My understanding of my field is based on the courses I have taken at George Mason University. It is worth noting that research in early childhood education is quite extensive and broad.
From the early childhood education field, I am drawn towards literature on how to engage families in the education of young children, especially on the emergent literacy practices they employ at home, at school, and in their community life. From the special education field, I am drawn towards how to develop emergent literacy in young children with disabilities, specifically with children with autism. As an interdisciplinary scholar, I wish to bring the theoretical perspectives together to study how to promote emergent literacy skills in young children with disabilities. In this essay, I explain my general understanding of the field.
From many courses and personal readings, I realized that because family literacy involves factors beyond what is done at home between parents and children, teacher education should focus family literacy instruction not only on what family members do with their children at home but also on cultural and social situations that impact a child’s literacy development (Kuo, 2016). Terlitsky and Wilkins (2015) have conducted studies on family literacy programs that improve children’s literacy. These scholars indicated that through family literacy programs, parents acquire the skills they need to assist their children in literacy activities. Kuo (2016) indicated that in order to engage parents or guardians in children’s school lives, schools need to make efforts to build good school-family partnerships. However Steiner (2014) indicated that building effective partnerships require schools to develop comprehensive and individualized ways to support parents in promoting children’s reading, writing, and other literacy skills. When schools leave it to parents to be involved in their children’s education, there are inequities between those parents who are more familiar with school-based literacy practices and parents who require explicit support in how to support their children’s learning (Steiner, 2014).
According to Cox, Clark, Skoning, Wegner, and Muwana (2015), students with disabilities require literacy instruction that builds upon best-practice strategies utilized with students without disabilities, encourages meaningful participation in authentic literacy activities, and focuses on the cognitive processes supporting the development of reading and writing. Cox et al. (2015) indicated that successful emergent literacy interventions that lead to high literacy skills among students with disabilities include literacy rich environments, read alouds, independent exploration of reading and writing materials, and simple parent-child storybook reading interactions that foster emergent literacy.
In terms of methodology, some studies (Newman, Arthur, Staples and Woodrow, 2016) have used socio-cultural theories to frame the methodology. Socio-cultural theories were used because the researchers were interested in how families support children’s literacy learning at home and how educators build on these literacies in early childhood settings. Newman et al., (2016) used a mixed method approach. The researchers used survey, focus group, video recordings, and artifact collections (e.g. family journals, photographs, and books depicting family literacy experiences at home). Another study (Kuo, 2016) utilized grounded theory methodology to explore the impact of early literacy, family involvement, access to books, expanded learning, and mentoring partnerships of family and community engagement. Steiner (2014) used qualitative methods to analyze parent interviews. Quantitative methods were also employed to analyze parents’ child storybook reading achievement by identifying and enumerating instances in which parents used focal storybook reading strategies (Steiner, 2014).
According to Terltsky and Wilkins (2015), by introducing literacy at an early age, families play a critical role in preparing children to succeed in school. Shared storybook reading and listening to children read are two parent-child activities that can have positive outcomes on children’s literacy development (Senechal & Young, 2008). According to Lanter, Watson, Erickson, and Freeman (2012), children who have books at home and parents who read to their children show higher levels of literacy skills than children who may not reside in such literate rich environments. Parents who provide their children with access to print materials and artifacts, such as books, and parents who take on the role as educator and engage their children in literacy activities, such as shared reading, tend to promote literacy skills (Lanter, Watson, Erickson & Freeman, 2012)
References
Cox, A. S., Clark, D. M., Skoning, S. N., Wegner, T. M., & Muwana, F. C. (2015). The
effects of home-based literacy activities on communication of
students with severe speech and motor impairments. Exceptionality Education
International, 25(3), 33-54
Kuo, N. C. (2016). Promoting family literacy through the five pillars of family and
community engagement. School Community Journal, 26(1), 199-221
Lanter, E., Watson, L. R., Erickson, K A., & Freeman, D. (2012). Emergent Literacy in
children with autism: An exploration of developmental and contextual
dynamic processes. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43(3),
308-324. doi: 10.1044/0161-1461(2012/10-0083)
Newman, L., Arthur, L., Staples, K., & Woodrow, C. (2016). Recognition of family
engagement in young children’s literacy learning. Australian Journal of
Early Childhood, 41(1), 73-81
Senechal, M. & Young, L. (2008). The effects of family literacy interventions on children’s
acquisition of reading from kindergarten to grade 3: A meta-
analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 880-907. doi:
10.3102/0034654308320319
Steiner, L. M. (2014). A family literacy intervention to support parents in children’s early
literacy learning. Reading Psychology, 35, 703-735. doi:
10.1080/02702711.2013.801215
Terlitsky, A. B. (2015). Characteristics of family literacy programs that improve child
literacy, behavior and parenting skills. International Journal of
Pedagogies and Learning, 10(2), 121-138. doi: 10.1080/22040552.2015.1113846
From the early childhood education field, I am drawn towards literature on how to engage families in the education of young children, especially on the emergent literacy practices they employ at home, at school, and in their community life. From the special education field, I am drawn towards how to develop emergent literacy in young children with disabilities, specifically with children with autism. As an interdisciplinary scholar, I wish to bring the theoretical perspectives together to study how to promote emergent literacy skills in young children with disabilities. In this essay, I explain my general understanding of the field.
From many courses and personal readings, I realized that because family literacy involves factors beyond what is done at home between parents and children, teacher education should focus family literacy instruction not only on what family members do with their children at home but also on cultural and social situations that impact a child’s literacy development (Kuo, 2016). Terlitsky and Wilkins (2015) have conducted studies on family literacy programs that improve children’s literacy. These scholars indicated that through family literacy programs, parents acquire the skills they need to assist their children in literacy activities. Kuo (2016) indicated that in order to engage parents or guardians in children’s school lives, schools need to make efforts to build good school-family partnerships. However Steiner (2014) indicated that building effective partnerships require schools to develop comprehensive and individualized ways to support parents in promoting children’s reading, writing, and other literacy skills. When schools leave it to parents to be involved in their children’s education, there are inequities between those parents who are more familiar with school-based literacy practices and parents who require explicit support in how to support their children’s learning (Steiner, 2014).
According to Cox, Clark, Skoning, Wegner, and Muwana (2015), students with disabilities require literacy instruction that builds upon best-practice strategies utilized with students without disabilities, encourages meaningful participation in authentic literacy activities, and focuses on the cognitive processes supporting the development of reading and writing. Cox et al. (2015) indicated that successful emergent literacy interventions that lead to high literacy skills among students with disabilities include literacy rich environments, read alouds, independent exploration of reading and writing materials, and simple parent-child storybook reading interactions that foster emergent literacy.
In terms of methodology, some studies (Newman, Arthur, Staples and Woodrow, 2016) have used socio-cultural theories to frame the methodology. Socio-cultural theories were used because the researchers were interested in how families support children’s literacy learning at home and how educators build on these literacies in early childhood settings. Newman et al., (2016) used a mixed method approach. The researchers used survey, focus group, video recordings, and artifact collections (e.g. family journals, photographs, and books depicting family literacy experiences at home). Another study (Kuo, 2016) utilized grounded theory methodology to explore the impact of early literacy, family involvement, access to books, expanded learning, and mentoring partnerships of family and community engagement. Steiner (2014) used qualitative methods to analyze parent interviews. Quantitative methods were also employed to analyze parents’ child storybook reading achievement by identifying and enumerating instances in which parents used focal storybook reading strategies (Steiner, 2014).
According to Terltsky and Wilkins (2015), by introducing literacy at an early age, families play a critical role in preparing children to succeed in school. Shared storybook reading and listening to children read are two parent-child activities that can have positive outcomes on children’s literacy development (Senechal & Young, 2008). According to Lanter, Watson, Erickson, and Freeman (2012), children who have books at home and parents who read to their children show higher levels of literacy skills than children who may not reside in such literate rich environments. Parents who provide their children with access to print materials and artifacts, such as books, and parents who take on the role as educator and engage their children in literacy activities, such as shared reading, tend to promote literacy skills (Lanter, Watson, Erickson & Freeman, 2012)
References
Cox, A. S., Clark, D. M., Skoning, S. N., Wegner, T. M., & Muwana, F. C. (2015). The
effects of home-based literacy activities on communication of
students with severe speech and motor impairments. Exceptionality Education
International, 25(3), 33-54
Kuo, N. C. (2016). Promoting family literacy through the five pillars of family and
community engagement. School Community Journal, 26(1), 199-221
Lanter, E., Watson, L. R., Erickson, K A., & Freeman, D. (2012). Emergent Literacy in
children with autism: An exploration of developmental and contextual
dynamic processes. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43(3),
308-324. doi: 10.1044/0161-1461(2012/10-0083)
Newman, L., Arthur, L., Staples, K., & Woodrow, C. (2016). Recognition of family
engagement in young children’s literacy learning. Australian Journal of
Early Childhood, 41(1), 73-81
Senechal, M. & Young, L. (2008). The effects of family literacy interventions on children’s
acquisition of reading from kindergarten to grade 3: A meta-
analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 880-907. doi:
10.3102/0034654308320319
Steiner, L. M. (2014). A family literacy intervention to support parents in children’s early
literacy learning. Reading Psychology, 35, 703-735. doi:
10.1080/02702711.2013.801215
Terlitsky, A. B. (2015). Characteristics of family literacy programs that improve child
literacy, behavior and parenting skills. International Journal of
Pedagogies and Learning, 10(2), 121-138. doi: 10.1080/22040552.2015.1113846