Tips for Teen Literacy
by Guest Blogger Dr. Anesha Fuller
Dr. Anesha Fuller, Ed.D. is a New York City public school educator, author, adjunct professor, and serial entrepreneur. Dr. Fuller has written two books and is also the founder of the No Rest Until Success Foundation which is based on the premise of giving every child ownership of their learning. Dr. Fuller ensures that each child is set on a path to make a serious commitment to lifelong learning for themselves and everyone they come in contact with throughout life. Each child is taught to question, assess, and re-assess, to constantly renew and improve their knowledge and skills. Children are taught to believe in themselves and take risks in order to achieve at their highest levels.
Raised without her parents in the Brownsville/East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, Dr. Fuller’s success story stems from exposure to the power of education and the places a solid education can take you. Her struggles have created a sense of purpose to motivate and encourage others to use education to lift themselves out of poverty or the battle or rut they may be in. She hopes to inspire people to a promising tomorrow.
Read on to learn more about her and tips for helping with teen literacy.
Reading books has always been my way of learning and writing has always been my expression. My work in literacy is so important to me because I have come from the native island of Jamaica, where education, let alone literacy, is vital. I fell in love with literacy as a kid and even more so as I grew into adolescence.
Our children have become so privy to the virtual world that it affects their literacy. In some cases, it can be good. However, in some cases, it is terrible as it creates a literacy gap in our children that, in turn, impacts them when they set off to college. As we are now in a time where most everything is online, we need to help our high schoolers fall in love with literacy. We live in the virtual era, where many high schoolers wonder, “Why should I read when it can be read to me? Or, I can speak into my phone or log online and search for the answer?”
As a high school educator and a college professor, I offer steps for families to take to improve literacy for their high schoolers. Some of these tips can help you as a parent to help your child become a better reader and writer.
Here are a few tips:
Work on comprehension strategies: Encourage your high schoolers to read. After they finish reading, have them focus on understanding the text. Ask them open-ended questions that dig for deeper thinking before, during, and after reading. Practicing these comprehension strategies are behaviors that can lead to students applying them to improve their understanding and learning from text.
Initiate deeper discussion: Create opportunities to discuss topics that provoke them to think more strategically.
Increasing the use of vocabulary: Engage in activities and supply explanations that illustrate the meaning of individual words. This can include pointing out exciting or unfamiliar words to your high schooler whenever possible and explaining what the words mean. You can also help your adolescents pronounce challenging words correctly so they will not fear difficult words when they meet them.
Help to build their fluency: Engage your high schoolers to read various texts, including fiction and non-fiction, at a proper pace and with expression when reading orally. Encourage your high schooler to set a schedule where they can read and then write about what they read in the evenings or on the weekends.
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