Literacy & the Language Classroom

(This will be the first in a series)

I think that I can honestly say on behalf of all language teachers that the pandemic and the year of hybrid teaching definitely affected the literacy levels of our current students. I would not go so far to say that as a result we are in the midst of a literacy crisis per se (that remains to be seen in future years), but I can say with conviction that current student reading and writing abilities are not where they were pre-Covid. For so many students, losing a year of in-person schooling delayed their literacy development. NOTE - I am also not going to oversimplify in saying that Covid is the sole cause for this. 

Although there is huge debate regarding the definition of "literacy" in general, research has shown that there is a definite correlation between students' reading/writing levels in L2 and their pre-existing levels in their L1 - the higher these L1 levels which students bring into their L2 classes, the higher their levels will eventually be in L2, with the converse being true as well. As I began to research student literacy in general (and I will admit that I knew very little), I learned a few things:

1. Traditionally in American schools, grades pre-k to 3rd/4th are when the actual teaching of reading skills and fundamentals are targeted.
2. Following this, student classroom literacy skills are continually developed through the reading of level-appropriate content material in various academic subject areas.

Based on this model then: our post-4th grade L2 classrooms should be another avenue for students to develop, to reinforce, and to further their literacy skills through the reading of level-appropriate L2 content material. So a few questions then:

1. Why is reading so important in literacy and language development? I think Krashen says it best: 
• "Reading, especially free voluntary reading, is crucial for developing high levels of literacy and academic success, with research supporting its benefits, including improved comprehension and vocabulary, and it is easier for both students and teachers compared to traditional skill-building methods." - Krashen
• “Our reading ability, our ability to write in an acceptable writing style, our spelling ability, vocabulary knowledge, and our ability to handle complex syntax is the result of reading.”
• "You want to get better at a language? Listen and read, listen and read."
2. What effect does reading in L2 have on one's reading ability in L1? The answer is A LOT! A 2016 study was done involving Turkish students who were involved in an L2 reading course and were given an L1 reading test afterwards. These students' L1 reading skills were positively affected by their reading in L2, as they scored higher than those students who took the same test but were not involved in that L2 reading course. So, reading in L2 does have a positive effect on students reading ability in L1!
3. Why the need then for level-appropriate L2 content material? While reading in L2 plays a major role in both students' L2 language acqusition and in their continued reading ability development in L1, we as teachers must be very deliberate in ensuring that what our students read in L2 is level appropriate for their literacy levels in L2 (and not in L1!). We need to understand that while our students may be entering our L2 classrooms with an 8th grade or higher reading level in their L1, they are still novices when it comes to understanding what they are reading in L2.

I am not going to be so idealistic to think that reading in L2 will magically restore student L1 literacy levels to to where they were pre-Covid, but I will say that reading level-appropriate L2 material will definitely benefit and have a positive effect in students' L2 language acquisition and continued L1 literacy development.

Next blog post: Characteristics of Novice-level Readings