What is Literacy (And Why Should I Care)?  Literacy is commonly defined as the ability to read and write, or knowledge in a specific field.  Literacy is about more than just reading and writing, including all forms of communication.  Literacy is crucial for communication purposes in all stages of life.  In order to be productive citizens, students must have effective literacy instruction in school. Methods- The Photo Story Approach  Photo Story is a research method in which participants use photographs to engage in research.  Three (3) high school students took pictures in response to the question: “What is literacy to you?”  The students were then interviewed about their pictures and thoughts. What are students calling literacy?  Analyzing Literature  Writing Essays  English Class  Music  Drawing/Painting/Visual Arts  Math  Board Games  Photography  Hiking  Skiing  Oral Conversations  Religion  Typing  Maps  Reading “Just for Fun” Conclusions  Students learn literacy both in and outside of the classroom.  Students can learn a literacy without understanding that it is literacy.  There are many different categories of literacies.  Students learn literacy from multiple different role models and instructors.  There is a lack of explicit literacy instruction outside of the English classroom. Productive Classroom Literacy Instruction Melanie GoeddelEnglish Teaching University of Montana Background of Participants  9 th graders from Missoula County  2 females, 1 male  2 white students, 1 Latino student A Student Wants You to Know…  Literacy is all different forms of communication.  It’s important for students to learn how to enjoy reading.  Students need to explore literacies for themselves.  Literacy should be more than just textbook-style learning.  The definition of literacy shouldn’t be rigid.  Literacy is about love.  Students should be able to explore and play to learn literacy.  Literacy involves thinking “outside the box.”  Literacy learning is a process that evolves from scribbles to sentences. Implications for Literacy Instruction  Teach students broad categories of literacy which you explicitly define as literacy.  Allow students to explore literacies for themselves.  Teach literacies in all subjects and content areas.  Let students have time to learn through play.  Don’t neglect physical and active forms of understanding the world. Literacy in Three Pictures What are teachers calling literacy?  Analyzing Literature  Writing Essays  English Class Literature Cited Bean, T., & Harper, H. (2008). Literacy Education in New Times: In These Times. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 4-6. Luttrell, W., & Parker, C. (2001). High school students' literacy practices and identities, and the figured world of school. J Res in Reading Journal of Research in Reading, 24(3), Mclean, C. A., & Rowsell, J. (2013). (Re)designing literacy teacher education: A call for change. Teaching Education, 24(1), Wendt, J. L. (2013). Combating the crisis in adolescent literacy: Exploring literacy in the secondary classroom. American Secondary Education, 41(2), 38. Acknowledgements  Jessica Gallo  Study Participants  Davidson Honors College Undergraduate Research Award