Journal Article

Reimagining Our Inexperienced Adolescent Readers: From Struggling, Striving, Marginalized, and Reluctant to Thriving

Greenleaf, Cynthia L., Hinchman, Kathleen

2009

Overview

This commentary invites Americans to confront what these authors view as the travesty that typically passes for literacy instruction for older youth in the United States who struggle with reading. In too many U.S. schools, these young people face an impoverished curriculum, receiving literacy instruction that is ill suited to their needs, or worse, receiving no literacy instruction at all. The authors invite Americans to consider, in contrast, teaching that helps young people to read a wide range of texts more effectively.They also ask Americans to reimagine instruction that acknowledges such young people and that helps them to acknowledge themselves, as thriving, literate, intelligent human beings with important contributions to make--including interpreting the First Amendment. In this article, the authors explain why they believe dramatic change is essential. They introduce one young man who struggles with reading but who has begun to thrive, and they consider the implications of the young man's growing success for future policy, research, and classroom practice.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,International Reading Association
• Subject: Adolescents / At Risk Students / Civil Rights / Commentary / Constitutional amendments / Constitutional Law / Cultural identity / Cultural instruction / Educational Change / Federal Legislation / First Amendment / Foreign aid / Freedom of speech / Grade 9 / High school students / High schools / Human rights / Identity / Internet / Learning / Learning environment / Linguistics / Literacy / Literacy Education / Low income groups / Males / Marginality / Outcomes of Education / Pedagogy / Reading Difficulties / Reading Instruction / Reading Motivation / Reading Skills / Responsibility / Schools / Secondary School Curriculum / Secondary School Students / Secondary School Teachers / Self Concept / Special education / Teachers / Teaching / Teaching Methods / United States / Young adults / Youth