1. Literacy Autobiography

     
    Part of connecting with our adult learners is making a connection with them as LITERACY LEARNERS ourselves.  By way of developing a literacy autobiography to share with your adult learners, Task 1 asks that you compose a reflective literacy autobiography presentation that includes the following components:
     

    bullet Your first recollections of reading/writing/literacy experiences; interview family members, etc., to refresh your memory, if necessary.  Include titles and impressions of the first books you remember reading.  Include any samples of your early writing (some people save these things) or descriptions of stories you remember having written at a young age.  You may include photographs, writing samples, images of book covers, etc. 
     
    bullet Elementary, middle and secondary school literacy experiences (be reflective and "dig deep").  Do you remember reading groups?  Describe any books you remember reading in school, your own progress (above grade level, at grade level, below grade level).  Do you remember any exciting events at your school or in specific classrooms that involved or were planned around books?  Did you have "speech" contests or other types of performance-based literacy events at your school? 
     
    bullet Personal introduction and description of your previous and current home literacy environment, culture, attitudes and daily oral and written literacy practices.  Do you read for pleasure?  What types of books?  How often?  Who are your favorite authors?  What do you write, when do you write, what are the purposes for which you write?  What types of reading materials do you have in your home?  What are the literacy habits of others who live in your home? 
     
    bullet How previous and current oral and written literacy experiences impact your current attitudes, practices, uses and literacy instruction (reading, writing, oral language use) in the classroom (be SPECIFIC using real life examples and application) and in your personal literacy experiences (in other words, what are your reading and writing practices).  We "are" what we have experienced as far as literacy is concerned.  Bad experiences often leave negative feelings toward reading/writing.  Positive reinforcements help us learn what to value.  What is the current BIG picture for where you are in your own literacy development and what factors do you feel account for your present behaviors? 
     
    bullet If you had to take your past experiences, reflect on your present literacy practices and develop a "philosophy" describing your own personal views regarding literacy, what would you say?  Take this opportunity to synthesize and verbalize your "gut" literacy philosophy.  Wax poetic if needed (smile). 

    Your literacy vignette may be submitted in one of the following formats:

    bullet PowerPoint Presentation
    bullet Book (see bookmaking ideas)
    bullet Webpage (with images) - as WKU students you have web space available to you
    bullet Scrapbook (with text on each page - it has to tell a STORY of your literary life)
    bullet Video  production
    bullet Poster boards
    bullet Am open to other ideas that include visual representation with documentation

    Here are two examples that might help you plan your Literacy Autobiography.  Thank you to Brenna McCormick and Andrea Deal for being generous enough to share their work with us:

     

     

    Rubric for this assignment.

By Dr. Pam Petty - pam@pampetty.com
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