According to Williamson (2008) there is a need for expanded literary instruction at the post-secondary levels because a continuum of college readiness among first-year students exists. The typical college student has not developed the advanced literacy proficiency to handle the complexities and volume of college level reading requirements expected in an array of gateway courses.
https://www.crla.net/docs/TheTerrainofCollege91913.pdf
Hello Karen,
At first glance it appears literacy has a verry limited definition. Is literacy solely about reading the word?
Second, what is a best practice? I have been in education for 25 years and I still have no idea.
Looking foward to hearing from you
Douglas
Hi Douglas:
Of course there are different types of literacy such as information literacy, traditional literacy, multicultural literacy, transliteracy, visual literacy, media literacy, civic literacy, or economic literacy, to name a few. My question was narrowly focused on college reading because I work with freshman students whose reading experiences have not prepared them for the levels, amount and types of reading expected of them at our research university. This is particularly true for the reading intensive general education course requirements.
In addition to the white paper I referenced in my original posting, I recommend scholarly journals such as the Journal of College Reading and Learning (JCRL), Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy; and The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults (which mentioned the literacies listed above) regarding this topic. Reading journal articles is one thing; hearing from those in the trenches developing college level reading skills is another which is why I posted the question in the first place. I hope some of those who have had successes in doing so will share their "best practices."
I would recommend teaching students how to read textbooks, journal articles, and research articles. As well, wide reading enhances vocabulary and comprehension. It may seem simple, but wide reading of advanced expository text with specific instruction related to comprehension is the best strategy by far.
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