Introduction
A child-centered curriculum focuses on the child's strengths and weaknesses and allows the child to learn in a way that is beneficial for them. A curriculum and classroom that is child-centered encourages student engagement, independent learning and critical thinking. These three components go hand in hand and are extremely crucial when teaching and helping children develop their literacy and biliteracy skills. Students have to want to be, and really should be, involved in all aspects of their learning and in their education. They should be provided with lessons that interest them and that are relevant to their lives. They should be given lessons and activities that highlight, respect and appreciate their differences, beliefs, and life experiences.
As much as children need to be involved in their learning, teachers must be, too. Educators need to come up with strategies that help them to better understand their students, to know who they are what they have been through and use that to create meaningful lessons that will help the student retain the information instead of memorizing the content for a short period of time and then, eventually, completely forgetting about it once it is over. This type of learning environment is necessary for children to successfully achieve and understand the lessons that are being presented to them.
Teaching children how to read and write is extremely important and is an imperative skill that children are going to need and use for the rest of their lives. Encouraging and developing literacy and biliteracy skills is especially important in early childhood education. Child-centered classrooms are cognizant of the several ways children learn. Children learn by hearing others around them speak, but most importantly, they learn by reading books. Books should be introduced to children in the early years of their education.
Benefits of a Child-Centered Curriculum to Enhance Literacy Development
In the article "Teaching Children's Literature", it mentions what to teach and what not to teach, especially when teaching something as crucial as literacy and biliteracy. It mentions that children learn behaviors from their teachers, which is absolutely true. The attitude teachers have while teaching is the attitude that students, especially young children, will have while learning. It is important for teachers to be mindful of the way they carry themselves and the types of attitudes they portray, especially when teaching reading. Reading and writing are both precious and delicate. Educators need to teach their students to love reading and writing without forcing them to love it. Children need to fall in love with reading and literature at their own pace and teachers need to be there as a guide. Teachers need to be mindful and "think about the kinds of attitudes toward literature that particular exercises may produce" (p. 34). Teachers must let their students choose books that interest them and that call their attention. If teachers are constantly assigning books that are not interesting to them or giving them assignments that are not relevant, then teachers can lose that student and completely discourage them from reading and writing. Educators must find the perfect balance for each student, especially if books need to be assigned for a lesson. It is all about what the student wants and what interests them. Teachers should want their students to love reading and writing and to love books, so they must be conscious of how they go about teaching it.
In the text "Children's Literature in the Classroom: Engaging Lifelong Readers" the section "Reexamining Why We Read", Barone (2010) talks about how joyful it is for students to read. Barone (2010) mentions that children of all ages choose books by their favorite genre or author. Although all readers have different preferences, they all have some things in common. Adults and children read for different reasons whether it be for pleasure or to learn, to escape reality, to come to terms with reality, to feel included, to find themselves, and so on. There are so many reasons why children and adults choose to read. In order to create a classroom that encourages literacy and biliteracy I mentioned in my discussion that I want my students to be lifelong, avid readers. In order for me to do this, I must create an environment that is passionate and positive. I want my students to get immersed and lost in the readings. I want them to feel everything the characters feel. I know that doing all of this will take time and practice, but I am motivated to try it and to do it.
In the article "Theory in Practice: The Legacy of Louie Rosenblatt" motivates teachers to allow more reading to happen in their classrooms. The many theories and beliefs of Rosenblatt talk about the relationship that the reader has with the books they choose to read and how those books affect the reader's lives. Educators need to really understand how much thinking and detail goes into teaching reading and writing. It is important to share this knowledge with students and encourage them to talk about and express what they are thinking and what really goes on their minds when they read and that they should all take advantage of the time that is given to them to read and write independently or in groups. This information will hopefully motivate young children to read and to take it seriously, while also enjoying themselves in the process.
Baron (2010) mentions that engaging students while reading and/or writing is important. Student engagement is something that is crucial. If students are not engaged, then nothing will be learned or taken away from the lesson. Students need to be interested and find what is being discussed relevant to their lives. Barone (2010) also mentions strategies to engage students while writing. Writing is an extension of reading. Writing is just as important as reading. It takes reading to the next level of creativity. Barone (2010) gives ways to engage students when they are writing or reading a written piece. The poetic dialogue approach gives students the opportunity to decode the text and find an alternative way of writing it. This gets the students involved and engaged with the text. With this writing approach, children see that they have written a new poem from the original one (p. 76). It will teach students that there are several ways to get the same meaning across. This is something that educators should incorporate in their classrooms. It will take time on their end to organize it and perfect it to make sure students are completely engaged and interested. It is a creative activity and it gets children involved in decoding the text they are reading.
Literacy Development Strategies for Monolingual Children
There are many strategies to help the literacy development in monolingual children. When children are so young, teachers need to find effective ways to teach children about reading and writing. Once of the ways teachers can "hook" children into the lesson and into learning about literacy is exposing them to different types of genres of books. One of the genres that is most effective in teaching monolingual children about literacy and learning to love reading and writing is the genre of fantasy books. Fantasy books are a great way to introduce children to reading and writing. Fantasy books appeal to children because they talk about a world that is beyond theirs. With fantasy books, children are learning how to be creative and imaginative which is an important skill to develop at such a young age. While they are enjoying themselves when reading fantasy books, they are learning so many skills that they are going to be needing and using for the entirety of their lives.
When some educators think about fantasy books, they are quick to judge and say that fantasy books have no educational value or are not useful, when in fact, they most certainly are. Hannah Scott (2016) discusses that fantasy books have "been one of the most long-standing genres in history" (p. 2). Scott (2016) goes on to mention that fantasy books help individuals escape their own reality and help people, specifically children, through the obstacles and difficulties that growing up may bring. Fantasy books can also help develop a child's imagination. Imagination and being able to create a multitude of pictures and places in your mind is a crucial skill and this particular genre of books helps facilitate that skill. According to Scott (2016), fantasy books help "promote imagination, push boundaries, and challenge notions of right and wrong" (p. 9). Fantasy books do not only take children to worlds beyond reality, but they can also touch on several political, social, and personal issues which is what makes this genre so appealing and easy to gravitate towards.
Fantasy books offer so much to a reader. Flanagan (2014) states that fantasy books "make it more 'open' to different… meanings" (p. 13). Fantasy books are open to interpretation. Many children who are reading the same book may have different and/or opposing feelings towards the book and that is completely acceptable. That is why so many children prefer this genre of book. These kinds of books can take a serious, and somewhat difficult situations or topics and can translate it into "a more playful and exaggerated manner" (p. 23) which can be a huge help and allow the child to recognize, understand, and comprehend these issues. According to Flanagan (2014) "children can often be persuaded to read fantasy without the adults in their lives resorting to bribery" (p. 24) which can eventually lead them to venture off to discover other genres of books and allow them to become engaged and active readers for life.
Faulkner (2015) discussed that young children should be encouraged to read books from the fantasy genre. He goes on to mention how fantasy books can spark imagination and creativity and "excites not only their imagination, but their curiosity as well" (p. 8). Fantasy books also have the ability to lead a child to live their lives in a unique way that best suits them. These kinds of books can give a child courage. It gives them the courage to be curious and to be their true selves. It will "help equip them to adroitly navigate the word around them" (p. 13). It is important that educators facilitate their students on this journey to self-discovery. Encouraging a child to start reading fantasy books, especially at a young age, is imperative to their growth and development. If they are introduced to these kinds of books at an early age, it will enable their ability to be empathetic and to understand difficult and important issues that are going on in the world around them. Faulkner (2015) finishes off by stating that when parents and teachers of young child encourage the reading of fantasy books, it "will help ensure they develop the skills necessary to successfully express themselves creatively" (p. 12).
There are many individuals who believe that fantasy books and fairy tales are not educational that they could actually harm children's thinking in the long run, but that is definitely not the case. According to Docherty (2014) creativity and imagination "can define the type of education, career and life they [will] have" (p. 2). These are the type of critical skills that children are going to constantly be developing and growing throughout their lives and to know that fantasy books allow a child's mind to wander these place and thoughts is magnificent and revolutionary. Diving into this genre of books and stories is not only beneficial to cognitive and emotional development, but the obvious fact is that fantasy books are enjoyable and entertaining to read. A child who is reading fantasy books and stories does not understand how much they are actually learning and developing. They are just simply enjoying themselves while reading their book and wandering off into their own world that they created in their minds.
In hindsight, fantasy books should not be shunned or discredited or deemed as non-educational or harmful. They should be celebrated and encouraged. These kinds of books can teach children about the difficult issues that people face on a daily basis in society. They teach children how to deal with their emotions and the emotions of others and help make an easy transition from child, to adolescent, to young adult, to grown adult and so on and so forth. Fantasy books can also be an escape and a safe haven for children who have difficult lives at home or are going through something that might be affecting them in other aspects of their lives. Most importantly, fantasy books are fun to read. Children gravitate and choose these kinds of books first because they are creative and intuitive. Again, it is important that educators and/or parents to allow children and opportunity to read fantasy books. They are, in fact, an educational tool that will live on for generations to come.
Literacy Development Strategies for Bilingual Children
Bilingual or dual language children need to work twice as much when learning to develop their literacy skills. According to Ford (n.d.) "children need explicit instruction in English vocabulary, as well as opportunities to hear and speak the language throughout the day" (p.1). Helping bilingual or dual language children does not mean taking away their L1 completely and only teaching them English. Educators need to be mindful of this and understand that being literate in two languages is an advantage and should be treated as such. Children who are in bilingual or dual language programs need to develop their literacy in both languages. In order for children to do so, their teachers need to make sure that they are exposing children to rich language input (Ford, n.d., p. 4). When children are exposed to language through reading and speaking in both their L1 and L2, they are learning and developing the skills to read, write, and speak.
Children learn how to speak before they learn to read and write. That is why reading aloud to children is so important. When the teacher reads out loud to a child, that child learns. They learn the meaning of words and how they are pronounced and used in a sentence and in a story. It is important that teachers of bilingual and dual language children read out loud and give the children an opportunity to hear the words that are being spoken. It is also important for the teacher for provide books in the child's L1 and L2 language and allow for children to interact with the books and with each other. This is especially true if the children are in a dual language program. In a dual language program, there are children who are only native in the L1 and other children who are native English speakers. This allows the opportunity for children to learn either language from each other. This can only happen if the teacher allows the children to interact with one another.
It is important to understand that "high-quality early childhood education programs can have a significant impact on children's later academic achievement (Ford, n.d., p. 20). A quality program can build a strong and impactful foundation for literacy. This structured and sturdy foundation will allow the child to build and to grow for their entire lives. Making sure that the child has a quality education from the very beginning of their lives up until they are eight years is important as those first eight years are the most crucial and when the child will learn the most. It is imperative to take advantage of those years and help the child learn and be literate/biliterate. This will make any learning that happens outside of those eight years a whole lot manageable. Children will not struggle in school as much if they have that quality education and set literacy foundation.
Another strategy that can be incorporated for both monolingual and bilingual children is the use of technology in the classroom. There are so many online programs that facilitate the learning of literacy. It is very important for educators to use technology in their classrooms in any way possible, but especially to facilitate literacy learning. Students nowadays are becoming more and more familiar with technology. They are growing with technology and evolving with it, so it is important to use it and take advantage of it. Children are now using computers and iPads to play educational games and apps, so why not use it as a way to teach them about reading and writing. Incorporating technology and having a student-centered classroom go hand in hand. It is obvious of the importance to having a student-centered classroom and that the students' needs are to be considered when writing lesson plans or conducting activities, especially when it comes to teaching literacy.
Conclusion
Reading and speaking to monolingual and bilingual children is extremely important. Allowing them unlimited access to books and to literature will allow these children to learn and to develop their literacy skills for years and years to come. These children will benefit from teachers helping them to develop their literacy from such a young age. Giving children the opportunity at a young age to be literate/biliterate is such an advantage and will encourage and motivate the child to become avid and lifelong readers, writers, and learners.
It is also important for educators to introduce books of different kinds of genres, but especially books and writings that are in the fantasy genre. Allowing monolingual and bilingual children to explore fantasy books will help them understand the world in their own way and will help them to develop their imagination and creativity which is crucial for learning and understanding the content that is being taught in school.
Teachers should also allow their bilingual and dual language student to interact and socialize with each other. Doing so will help the child learn the English language and will encourage them to read books and write. Literacy and biliteracy are very important for a person, especially when they are children.
References
Docherty, S. (2014, June 5). 5 Reasons why fairy tales are good for children. In Scottish Book
Trust. Retrieved from http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/reading/2014/06/5-reasons-why-fairy-tales-are-good-for-children
Faulkner, R. T. (2015, October 22). Why Children Should Be Encouraged to Read Fantasy &
Science Fiction. In Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@RodFaulkner/why-children-should-be-encouraged-to-read-fantasy-science-fiction-1c1a8acc7fa3
Flanagan, V. (2014, March 2). Children's fantasy literature: why escaping reality is good for
kids. In the Conversation. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/childrens-fantasy-literature-why-escaping-reality-is-good-for-kids-22307
Scott, H. (2016, November 3). The Importance of Fantasy in Children's Literature. In Teachers
Register. Retrieved from http://www.teachersregister.co/news/the-importance-of-fantasy-in-children-s-literature/