Goodbye ABC -- Hello Literacy!

by June Meyer

If we cast our minds back to our childhoods and recall how we learned to read and write, the images of being taught the alphabet as ABC would be one of our key memories. In fact, graphic designs of upper and lower case letters are still displayed above chalkboards in many primary classrooms today. In some early childhood centres, the alphabet is a wall mural that depicts the appropriate pictures to teach children the connection between an object's initial sound and the corresponding letter form. However, confusion can quite easily arise, especially if "Aa is for aeroplane" and "Ee is for ewe."

The purpose of this article is to examine whether the alphabet, as an abstract set of coded symbols, is a developmentally appropriate method for teaching children to become competent readers and writers. If indeed, there is evidence that knowing the alphabet impedes the natural ways in which children acquire literacy knowledge, then what other alternatives might be considered?

Should we provide more child-centred opportunities for children to replicate the reading and writing behaviours that they observe in their families and communities? If dramatic play situations were organized with suggestive materials such as a suitcase full of writing materials, a store prop box containing items for recording transactions, or a telephone and message pad in the doctor's reception area, it is possible that we would observe children as recorders and reporters. We could then recognize how the emerging literacy behaviours of writing, reading and talking can be discovered through children's symbolic play (Meyer, 1994).

However, we can go further in our explorations by looking at how children as "meaning makers" (Wells, 1986) appear to have their own literacy knowledge prior to our curriculum planning of emergent literacy activities. If we can focus on the idea that children acquire their own knowledge only when they are actively engaged in their own learning, then it is possible to begin to understand how they might be thinking and learning.

Through the following stories (documented in the 1985 Commission Report, Becoming a Nation of Readers), children show us what they know about the literacy processes of communicating through writing, reading, talking and listening. If we allow ourselves to have an open mind whereby we respect and value childen's emerging literacy behaviors, then we will become attuned to how they appear to re-invent what they know and how they articulate their learning to us. In the following anecdotes, notice if the children incorporate the traditional ABCs into their ideas and note how each child conveys what he/she knows.

Meet Sarah

Five-year-old Sarah had finished creating a row of red, heart-shaped cookies complete with eyes, nose and mouth in contrasting green play dough. She told me that she would like to save them so that she could tell her mother about how she had made them. When I suggested that she might like to write the recipe for her mother to read, Sarah eagerly collected a paper and pencil. In bold capital letters she printed "SARAH" and then stopped. "I know my alphabet letters and I can do writing with them, but I don't know how to write the recipe about my cookies," she added rather dejectedly. Together we talked about the cookies and made some connections between the sounds of the "talk" and the shapes of those alphabet letters. Finally "SARAH'S HRT FASD CKS" emerged as the recipe. Then she turned to look directly at me and said confidently, "I do really know how to read and write you know!" Quickly she wrote "THE CAT SAT ON THE MAT." and with a broad smile read her story and added that she would really know more when she went to school. A month later, Sarah went to kindergarten.

In this anecdote, we notice that Sarah is aware of reading, writing and punctuation with the "'s" in SARAH'S, but her recipe seems more like a product arising from her dependency on the alphabet, which she appears to think is the key for unlocking the mysteries of literacy. Despite trying to make meaning and associations through the process of creating a recipe script with her own "invented spelling" (Clay, 1976), one cannot help but wonder if Sarah will ever break through the confines of the ABC barrier and feel confident about writing stories using her own system of written language at her developmental level of understanding.

Meet Benji

Benji, three-and-a-half years of age, brought me a large sheet of white paper and announced that he was going to paint on the easel, but that first he wanted to see me write my name "June" and then his name on the paper. I asked him where I should put the names and he pointed to the top right-hand corner, the space where we always printed the children's names. He watched intently as I formed each letter, and then he went to get a pot of paint and a brush. With his left forefinger, he pointed to the B, traced the letter and subsequently reproduced it in the centre of the page. Silently, he continued the process, placing the letters of "Benji" randomly all over the paper. Then he looked at the letter shapes in my name and said excitedly, "I've got this (e) in my name but in your name, it's at the end." He reported on the "j" shape and how it was "not at the beginning of" his name. He concluded by informing me that we both had "that one" (n) and it was in the same position in both of our names. In his final analysis, he declared that his name was bigger than mine "'cos it's got more letters in it and it is bigger to say!"

Here we see Benji deciding how to go about solving the problem of making his name. He seems to perform a sequence of pre-determined actions that are repeated until his name "Benji" is completed. Throughout the task he elicits a minimum of adult assistance as he sets about recording his own name in a way that makes sense to him.

There was no teacher planning or teaching of this name writing -- it emerged spontaneously, with no cues or directive prompts to guide what was being created. Feuerstein (1980) feels that children are "open learning systems" who become literate as they share and focus upon "something of mutual interest" with a person who empowers them to feel competent and successful. We can recognize that Benji is indeed developing his own concepts of writing and reading as he has initiated, maintained and sustained his own meaningful learning experience.

Meet Riley

Six-year-old Riley invited me to play one of his computer games and gave me the choice of deciding which one. I noted that there were two of us who would be playing and he selected one that had male and female characters. It soon became apparent that I had no idea of how to play the game and, after the first two moves with the mouse, I became a passive onlooker while he assumed the leadership role. When I asked what I should do to take part in the game, he responded, "I'm doing it for you, so you can learn." The figures continued to bounce and zap around the screen.

In this scenario, we note how Riley appears to take on the role of teacher: he explained what he was doing for me by first manipulating the moves and then orally describing what had transpired. If we put ourselves, as adults, into the role of being a sincere, naive "learner" who needs help, we have the privilege of being able to observe how children make meaning through assessing the situation. We can also observe how children employ strategies for conveying information in a constructive way so that it is understood by the adult who is being "taught."

Catherine Snow (1983) believes that literacy occurs during social interactions through conversations that become "shared histories." She says that such dialogues are stories that are important as "oral preparation for literacy." Riley had just started grade 1 where there were many opportunities to engage in listening and talking (e.g. through explaining, reasoning, disclosing, informing and questioning). These opportunities are what Well's calls "collaborations or communicative exchanges" and they support learning and literacy as children are "meaning makers" (1986).

Meet Mary

Mary, four and a half years of age, could often be found in the book corner sharing a book with an adult. In most of these situations, it was Mary who was "reading" to the adult and informing him/her about the characters, setting, theme and plot of the story, while the listener remained spellbound and attentive.

From Mary's obvious interest in being an active story-reader, we can assume that she recognizes the content and structure of a story, delights in sharing her knowledge with someone else and appears to have a very positive attitude towards books. Juliebo believes that we need to recognize the importance of children "being initiators of literacy learning" (1985) so that "they can build and expand upon their pre-school literacy experiences with books."

Reflections Upon Literacy

The above anecdotes illustrate that being literate is more than just singing the alphabet by rote and concluding that "now I know my ABC, won't you come and play with me?" It goes beyond building towers with ABC blocks. As educators, we need to be aware of how children themselves perceive literacy. We also need to recognize that being literate involves the following developmental processes:

• Children engage in critical thinking as they explore the function of writing and reading.
• Children become "meaning makers" as they investigate ways of expressing reading and writing through their own systems of print.
• Children become sensitive to the ways in which they communicate their knowledge when they share their ideas, as knowledge, with others.

Implications for Practice

As educators and parents, we need to continually observe, interpret and evaluate how young children re-invent the knowledge that they have acquired about literacy -- whether they are engaging in social interactions or in solitary experimenting during play. We need to reflect upon how we can find out about their knowledge by looking at all kinds of emerging literacy behaviors. If we want to make the commitment to ensuring that children are the ones who initiate and search out meaning, then we should consider the following:

• Appreciate children's unique learning styles and trust that they will be successful in discovering the purpose for reading and writing without being formally taught.
• Accept that children may solve problems in ways that seem unconventional and unorthodox to us as adults: we should honour their ventures and risk taking.
• Observe and recognize that children are on a continuum of learning; by incorporating all levels of thinking processes, they are establishing life-long literacy skills and a positive attitude towards learning.
• Engage in children's conversations by letting them be the initiators.
• Provide quality books for sharing, telling and reading -- find out about Canadian children's literature.
• Stay informed about past and current research in the field of emerging literacy and share this knowledge with parents.
• Explore literacy opportunities in the community, such as the "Read to Me" programs and events in libraries.

Inspiration

Let us say "good-bye" to that which prevents children from being authentic "meaning makers." As Freire stated, "The teacher is no longer merely one-who-teaches, but one-who-is-himself-taught in dialogue with the children" as he/she in turn learns from them (1970).

June Meyer, M.Ed., is an instructor in the Early Childhood Department of the University College of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.

Wells, G. The Meaning Makers: Children Learning Language and Using Language to Learn. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1986.

This article first appeared in Interaction published by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Spring, 1995.

Posted by: the Canadian Child Care Federation, September 1996.

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