Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  Responsibilities of Readers

    Posted 06-07-2019 08:25 AM

    The Rights and Responsibilities of Reading

    Recently the International Reading Association (ILA) has promoted its 10-point "bill" of Children's Rights to Read. I've written about this before 

    Poster of ten rights of readers from the International Literacy Associationduring ILA's push earlier this year to get everyone on the planet to endorse these rights. I bring this up again, because I'm a believer that with every right comes some form of responsibility. For example, the right to vote carries with it the responsibility to be informed about candidates and ballot issues, and then to show up on voting day.

    The ILA's Rights to READ are not legal rights, of course. They are more like promises for us to make for the benefit of children everywhere. They were proposed as a way to establish some important and powerful beliefs about literacy and its unquestionable significance in the development of any kind of solid education.

    Given that, I invite you to reflect with me what might be the responsibilities that we should teach children that give them a clear, active role in protecting their reading rights and growing the literate communities in which they will live.


    Here are a few responsibilities I have thought of:                                                                                                    Click image to enlarge

    1. The responsibility to learn about and to access ideas and information that come from fully credible sources.
    2. The responsibility to step up and request assistance for navigating a challenging text.
    3. The responsibility to reject texts and authors that feel impertinent in their lives.
    4. The responsibility to state their expectations and needs for adequate free reading time for enjoying self-selected books.
    5. The responsibility to unblushingly question whether an assigned book meets their needs for pleasure or information
    6. The responsibility to consistently initiate conversations about their readings with classmates and families
    7. The responsibility to announce their eagerness to engage in writing, speaking and visually representing the personal impacts of their readings.

    What other rights do you feel should be listed here? Please share those with me and other readers to share more expectations you would like to see taught to help children shape and participate in the development of their literacy and their education.



    ------------------------------
    Mark Condon
    Vice President
    Unite for Literacy
    Louisville KY
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Responsibilities of Readers

    Posted 06-08-2019 08:10 AM

    Mark:

    I like the idea of rights that children have as readers.  Responsibilities can be turned around to be blameful if a child is unable to fulfill them.  Perhaps these are actually rights and the responsibility is for the adults to support children to engage with them.  Maybe each right has an action step that children could fulfill.  "Responsibility" is a very weighty word to rest on a child's shoulders--especially when there is a lengthy list of them and when attached to something that should be pleasurable. Also, I would avoid words that imply how children should feel.  "Unblushingly question" I think what you're getting at is that children should feel empowered to question adults about the assigned books.  They have this right whether they blush or they don't blush. They have all of these rights even if it's hard to take the action steps involved in getting them.  Alternative:  "The right to question whether an assigned book meets their needs.  Action step: Children can ask adults why they have assigned a book and and ask that they have the opportunity to choose one that more meets their needs."  I don't know if this resonates with what you're trying to get across.  



    Mark Condon wrote

    Here are a few responsibilities I have thought of:                                                                                                    Click image to enlarge

    1. The responsibility to learn about and to access ideas and information that come from fully credible sources.
    2. The responsibility to step up and request assistance for navigating a challenging text.
    3. The responsibility to reject texts and authors that feel impertinent in their lives.
    4. The responsibility to state their expectations and needs for adequate free reading time for enjoying self-selected books.
    5. The responsibility to unblushingly question whether an assigned book meets their needs for pleasure or information
    6. The responsibility to consistently initiate conversations about their readings with classmates and families
    7. The responsibility to announce their eagerness to engage in writing, speaking and visually representing the personal impacts of their readings.

    ​​

    ------------------------------
    Aren Stone
    Child Development Specialist
    The Early Years Project
    Cambridge, MA
    she/her
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Responsibilities of Readers

    Posted 06-10-2019 04:07 PM
    The color I would choose is Blue. One reason is that its my favorite color and this color is cool color which in my opinion seems to calm the children.

    ________________________________

    ORANGE COUNTY HEAD START INC. E-MAIL CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail communication and any attachments, including documents, files, or previous e-mail messages, constitute electronic communications within the scope of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 USCA 2510 et al. This e-mail communication may contain non-public, confidential or legally privileged information intended for the sole use of the designated recipient(s). The unauthorized and intentional interception, use, copy or disclosure of such information, or attempt to do so, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful under applicable laws. If you have received this e-mail communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by return e-mail and delete the original e-mail from your system.