Within Sara Kajder's 2010 book, "Adolescents and Digital Literacies: Learning Alongside Our Students", she addresses several adolescent literacy myths and concerns. Included within her words is a variety of ideas and solutions that teachers, school programs, and policymakers can utilize.
Kajder swiftly exposes the truth behind several adolescent literacy myths. The following are examples of such misconceptions-
- “Literacy refers only to reading.” - While literacy does include reading it also “encompasses …, writing, and a variety of social and intellectual practices that call upon the voice as well as the eye and hand.”
- “Students Learn everything about reading and writing in elementary school.” - Although a foundation of literacy learning is establish in elementary school “literacy learning is an ongoing and nonhierarchical process.”
As studies continue to show students struggling with literacy it is important to discount myths such as these and move into a place where progress can be made.
In an early study it was found to be that a whopping "40 percent of high school seniors never or rarely write a paper of three or more pages", this is an alarmingly high number. As these students graduate many are unprepared for the expectations of college level writing. Kajder illustrates the following four “dimensions of adolescent literacy” and the changes needed to be made from within to allow for “effective adolescent literacy”.
- “Shifting Literacy Demands”- Proficiency begins as students engage with a subject matter is presented as being clearly presented. When presented writing prompts students must be able to “reflect on their current understandings, questions, and learning processes (to) help improve content-area texts.”
- “Multiple and Social Literacies”- It is important for teachers to help the students to bridge their “everyday literacy practices” with the many classroom literacy disciplines. This includes utilizing electronic applications such as the Nook and iPad to create an interesting forum of which the student to work upon.
- “Importance of Motivation”- It is important for adolescents to be motivated enough to want to explore different subjects, eras, and genres within literacy. By “allowing student choice in writing tasks and genres can improve motivation.”
- “Value of Monocultural Perspectives” - Introducing the students to the issues and challenges that various cultures and ethnicities face in a tangible and empathetic manner will help them “move between cultures and communities and develop transnational understanding and collaboration.” This understanding will promote the student to step outside their comfort zone when deciding on the literature they will read.
