A deep discussion on Iiliteracy, the current education crisis, and possible solutions!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

The topic of illiteracy is not a topic that is discussed readily, due to the fact that like other sensitive topics, there is a stigma that goes along with it. You don’t know it, but you might know someone who is illiterate, and they have done such a great job hiding it, that you have blindly overlooked the fact that they carry with them a deep sense of shame.

There are signs that you might have missed; now that you are reflecting, have you noticed these behaviours in someone that you are close with:

• They often find excuses to read material given to them
• They prefer to memorize information rather than write it down
• They forget to show up for meetings despite written confirmations
• They regularly ask someone to write for them

You might be thinking, “We live in North America, a developed country that has public and private school establishments. Of course everyone can read, or at least has the opportunity, right?”  Unfortunately, research shows that education has reached the crisis stage in North America. Of course, the situation isn’t new; it has developed over a period of decades. Believe me when I say that this isn’t news to people who have been paying attention to what’s been going on in our society.

September 8^th, 2022, was #NationalLiteracyDay and reports now show that a staggering 54% of US adults have a literacy level below the 6^th grade, and 48% of Canadians are below the high school level. That number is indeed eye opening and goes to show us that there is something amiss when it comes to the education that is being provided to our children.

Sometimes it just happens; life is what it is, people fall through the cracks, and they do not have the chance to have a fulfilling educational experience. If you have not been through it, you will not understand the embarrassment and shame that comes with not being able to read. You won’t know how negatively it impacts a person’s thoughts, and behaviour. The person is conscious of their inability, and to them, they have failed to comply with social norms. They fear that others won’t view them as highly as a result. The ensuing embarrassment may be accompanied by feelings of awkwardness, exposure, shame, guilt, or regret.

It is a very awkward feeling when you are embarrassed about something; your fight-or-flight response kicks; so imagine if you can being continuously placed in situations where you feel this need to defend yourself; it can be tacking, so individuals who are functionally illiterate avoid situations that make them fearful, because all it does is increase the chance of: embarrassment, shame, and anxiety reoccurring.

As much as someone may try to avoid reading, it eventually will catch up with them and this is why I want to introduce a helpful solution. The best way to deal with illiteracy is head on, and a great way to do this is to make reading and learning fun.

I came across Mrs Wordsmith (https://us.mrswordsmith.com/) a company dedicated to gamifying literacy and making learning fun. They have done this by making games that evoke laughter and fun, and something that can be done as a family activity. The great thing about learning this way is there is excitement when playing a mobile game, because it produces an “active state” in the brain, making it especially receptive to learning. The more fun kids and adults have, the more they retain what they are presented with.

There have been studies done that support the idea of gamifying literacy; (Kapp, 2012) (Abrams and Walsh, 2014) noted that learners benefit from instant feedback and increased engagement, as well as boosted self-esteem and feelings of satisfaction when challenges are overcome. People learn better when they interact with new words in a variety of stimulating contexts, accompanied by movement, images, and sounds.

(Shoukry et al. 2015) found that mobile games are especially effective as educational tools because they present bite-sized chunks of curriculum in a context that feels natural and familiar to players. Through games, learning becomes a part of the learner’s life in a way that they look forward to rather than avoid.

I checked out their website and decided to try some of their games with the students I work with. I found that they were effective in teaching new words, in a fun way. It is not invasive, which makes it perfect for adults! Blah Blah Blah Phonics Card Game is definitely a game that you can play with your family, and I also experimented with Storyteller’s Word a Day. It is a creative booklet of 180 outside-of-the-box words for anything life throws your way! It was created in a way to develop word understanding and awareness, with: synonyms, word pairs, story starters and more!

Ms Wordsmith most recently announced a partnership with Roblox coming in 2023 that will take the gamified learning experience even further!

There are solutions to any problem that life throws at us, all we have to do is recognize the problem, issue, or challenge, and search for the answers. Life can be simple, let’s stop making it hard.