The Falling Literacy Rate

The definition of literacy means the ability to read and write. There are a majority of American adults that are illiterate, which means that they can't read nor write. Several minority groups also have higher rates of illiteracy. Children who are diagnosed with a learning handicap, such as forms of autism, ADD, ADHD, or dyslexia may also require more help with literacy because of the problem with reading and writing.

The reason why I pose this remark is that as cities are under quarantine, schools are distance learning, or canceling summer vacation for students and having a year-long school year, the literacy rate may fall. Here are a few reasons why.

1. No Practice, No Effort

Students need to learn how to read and write, how else are you going to understand a book or spell your name? What if you need to read and understand the law, or paying your taxes, if you can't read and write, then you can't do the basic requirements of most employers or schools.

Distance learning could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how your child is doing in school. But the key thing about homework is that it is practice so that way when you get to a higher learning situation or having a job, all these problems and writing and reading capability can be done efficiently and swiftly. If your child is doing bad in school or distance learning, then any person who lost their job and seeking unemployment or getting another job can work on the issue at hand until the child is capable of succeeding in school. If your child is doing well in their distance learning, then providing rewards and breaks between homework can help reset or restructure the brain to keep these important changes in mind.

But the overall issue with distance learning is that those who need a physical environment such as a school may not do well. If the parents cannot keep the child, focused or work on critical issues with child development, then distance learning is a disadvantage and the child's retention may slip, leading to a decrease in literacy. It is everyone's focus in a place where families live on top of one another, that they can have creative or structural outlets where their time and effort can be concentrated and succeed in ensuring proper literacy and educational requirements.

2. Write the homework, type later

If your child is having to do computer essays, and English assignments on the computer, this could hinder their use of written forms of writing. If any parent has the time to sit down and work with the child on writing out answers and essays, the child can then memorize certain words that they spell wrong, rather than a computer automatically writing out the answer for them.

The other option can be that the child writes out their assignment and can be taught manuscript or cursive writing at home. It's simple really, get out a piece of lined paper. During a grammar lesson or writing assignment, have the child write in a normal writing format, such as manuscript writing, and then switch over to cursive writing once the answer has been properly written or responded in regards to the questions. Think of the written form of answers as serif versus sans serif. Serif means that it has lines and points that define where a word or sentence starts and where it ends. Sans serif means that there is no defined outline to the word, it can blur and read at a much faster pace.

It is also useful to teach them cursive and manuscript if the child needs to learn how to write their name for state tests or college level entrance exams, which require written essays at the end portion of the exams. The best part of this writing practice is that the child can learn new words and proper grammar structure, without the help or aid of a computer. Then of course, if the teacher or educational system requires an online written document for any particular assignment, it is already written on a piece of paper and the child can copy their writing word for word and turn in papers and assignments prompt and on-time. Plus, the child can earn higher grades if they have already written out an answer before they submit it online because they structured the answer correctly instead of sitting at a computer screen waiting for the answer to come to them.

3. Breaks between Reading and Writing

The best way to keep the literacy rate high or achieve a high literacy rate can be simple. Breaks. Give your child a ten-minute break between any reading or writing assignments. This way they can remember the words and how they are structured. If they need to do longer assignments of reading, have then done a chapter a day or a simple page a day. Take a ten-minute break, and then write out the answer to any of the questions in regards to what the child has read or stopped to at a certain point.

If anyone can practice this with their kid or provide a quiet learning environment for their kid and work on their assignments with ten-minute breaks, then literacy rates would improve and kids would be a whole lot smarter than just writing out an answer on their tablets.