Ready To Learn

Media Message

12 Reasons to Use Television Programs to Support Literacy

VIDEO HAS UNIQUE ABILITIES TO MATCH LETTERS AND WORDS WITH SOUNDS Video and computer animation are capable of highlighting sight words, syllables and/or letters as they are being spoken more accurately (and therefore, more effectively) than a live teacher (whose fingers are too large to point to single letters at a time and whose pointers are too small to indicate full syllables).
VIDEO CAN REPEAT WITHOUT BOREDOM AND IN SHORT TIME FRAMES More than any other communication tool, video has an ability to include many repetitions in a very short time. So a program like Between the Lions can model four or five different sounding-out strategies 30 times in five minutes. Repetition on video aids memory, provides much needed reinforcement and does it in less time than a live teacher could. That saves teachers precious class time needed for individual instruction or coaching, which video can’t do.
VIDEO TELLS STORIES IN EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND WAYS Previewing aids comprehension, especially for remedial readers. Sometimes teachers do this by talking about the key features of a story or a book before asking students to read it. Or they review important vocabulary so the words won’t look so strange when a student encounters them in a text. Video can also be used to help preview. If a student can follow the story on video first, it makes reading the text easier. And when reading is easier, the reader is likely to have more success when reading. More success leads to more reading, and more reading provides the practice needed to become a better reader.
VIDEO ATTRACTS STUDENTS TO BOOKS The notion that if you show a student a video or film they won’t read the text only holds true when students are being asked to read things that don’t really interest them. When a film or TV show is popular, the sales of the book version of that film skyrocket. When Reading Rainbow features a book, kids flock to libraries to borrow that book — even reluctant readers.
NARRATIVE VIDEO PROVIDES PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES Retelling stories, making up endings, identifying beginning/middle/end or more complex sequencing all help build emergent literacy skills. Students who can acquire these skills using video, a “text” which they enjoy and with which they feel comfortable, will be able to apply these skills to printed text with more confidence.
VIDEO PROVIDES A BRIDGE BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD Low literacy parents sometimes feel that they can’t contribute to their child’s emergent literacy skills, but they feel comfortable with TV. By teaching them how to use video to help their children practice emergent literacy skills (such as those described in #5), we provide a way for them to help build their children’s skills that is both genuine and productive. That helps parents feel important as teachers as it helps children gain literacy skills.
VIDEO BUILDS CONFIDENCE AS IT HELPS READERS IDENTIFY LITERARY CONCEPTS Character, set, point of view.
VIDEO CAN MODEL READING By showing people reading, video can provide a diversity of role models. That’s especially important for children who don’t see people reading at home. In addition to showing ordinary people reading, video can show students’ heroes reading. It can also show how and when reading is used in the context of real, daily routines.
VIDEO’S IMAGE-BASED COMMUNICATION PROVIDES ACCESS FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS Because it uses visuals, and because many visuals can be understood even when one doesn’t understand the accompanying dialogue, video can be an excellent way to help English as a Second Language speakers understand stories. They can then speak about those stories with their children and, ultimately, have an easier time learning to read the stories in English. Furthermore, as educator Paulo Friere points out, true literacy requires more than decoding skills. It also requires an understanding of the culture that produced the text. After all, you may be able to decode a word, but if you have no idea what the word means or to what it refers, you don’t have comprehension, which means you don’t have literacy. It is unrealistic to expect people with limited literacy skills to learn about unfamiliar cultures from text. For them, video can play an important role in providing the knowledge that is a prerequisite to understanding the texts they are learning and how to decode.
VIDEO CAN EXPAND VOCABULARY Although standard children’s TV fare uses a very limited range of words and can actually inhibit vocabulary development, well-designed educational programs (like the ones in PBS 45 & 49’s Ready To Learn schedule) are specifically designed to use language that viewers can understand while introducing just enough new words to challenge the learner and help increase their verbal repertoire.
VIDEO CAN PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR LANGUAGE FROM MULTIPLE SPEAKERS Before children can read words, they must hear them. In some homes, conversation is limited or those who engage in conversation have limited verbal skills. Video can provide complex conversations that children listen in on. And parent training can help parents learn to how to engage children in conversations based on the TV programs they enjoy.
VIDEO HAS CLOSED CAPTIONING Research suggests that seeing words on screen can aid some people in acquiring reading skills. Even though closed captioning was invented to give people with hearing limitations access to what’s on screen, it can also help hearing people associate printed text with the spoken word, thereby improving their reading skills.