I watched Nicole Kidman give an amazing performance today in Photograph 51 and it made me realise how a missed opportunity can transform how a person is remembered and the impact, as a result, that a person may be able make during their lifetime.
How does this link to my research you may be thinking, well I am very interested in exploring literacy underachievement and arguably you could say that this in itself is a result of several missed opportunities. I am a teacher who used to be a Police Officer (a long story) but I have seen for myself from both professions the impact that poor literacy skills can have on a person’s life. I was surprised to recently find out that currently in the United Kingdom one in six people struggle with literacy and have the literacy skills below the level expected of an 11 year old (Jama and Dugdale, 2012) and that this is a figure that has been unchanged since 2003 (DfBIS, 2012). Perhaps more worrying is that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) literacy leagues put those surveyed in the UK’s younger generation (16-24) at the same level in literacy assessments as the eldest adults surveyed (55-65) (OECD, 2013). For me it is this level of stagnation within literacy attainment that is an ever present cause for concern, especially for those who work within the field of education.
Within my research study I hope to look at ways and methods of teaching that will help to empower staff to enhance the literacy skills of those we teach. I remember fondly my experiences of English at school and it was these happy times of disappearing with Alice down the rabbit hole that resulted in becoming and English teacher. However, I recognise that for everyone the joy of English and literacy is not the same. We all know ourselves how bad memories seem to hang around far longer than the good ones. Far too often I have heard people recall moments from their schooling which always start with a negative memory. I also know first-hand, from family experience, what a bad experience of literacy can do for a person’s self-confidence and how long lasting those beliefs are. Trying to find a way to eradicate these bad feelings and memories of literacy and school, may to some, be unachievable but it is something I want to try and find some answers to.
I am a cup half-full kind of person. I was told my career, as a Police Officer, was pretty much over at just 27, it was a career that I thought I would stay in for 30 years. Ten operations, lots of metal and a right hand that has significantly reduced movement and is full of arthritis later, it still presents me with daily challenges, but I will not let it define me. Mindset to me is key and this is why I am also looking to build this in to my research as I believe it could be central to equipping learners with the literacy skills and confidence levels they need in order to go on and fulfil their true potential in life.
Tomorrow will be spent with my highlighter and several cups of tea as I prepare to make a dent in my literature review, for all my colleagues I hope that you enjoy the rest of your half-term.
References
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2012) The 2011 Skills for Life survey: A Survey of Literacy, Numeracy and ICT Levels in England. London: DfBIS.
Jama, D. and Dugdale, G. (2012) Literacy: State of the Nation – A picture of literacy in the UK today. London: National Literacy Trust.
OECD (2013) OECD Skills Outlook2013: First results from the survey of adult skills. OECD Publishing. Available at: http://skills.oecd.org/documents/OECD_Skills_Outlook_2013.pdf (Accessed 18 October 2015).
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