How to Promote Literacy and Skilled Communication

Posted: August 02, 2013

[caption id="attachment_11471" align="alignright" width="333"]© alphaspirit - Fotolia.com[/caption]Many people over the age of 40 feel that there isn't much hope for the survival of proper grammar and usage of the English language in communication. Rather than take a passive approach to that belief and do nothing, we need to help future generations develop a love of reading, learning, and expressing themselves through the written word. Here's some advice on what you can do to help.

You may or may not agree that English-language usage is deteriorating, but it is clear that many young people are unable to express themselves well in writing according to contemporary standards. How can we develop a population of competent writers?

First, we must avoid exaggerated notions of an entire generation of illiterates. It is true that electronic communication media like texting and Twitter discourage careful composition. (Twitter requires conciseness, but coherence is often a casualty.) It is true that absorption in high-tech entertainments such as computer games distracts youth from the rewards of reading. It is true that a tragic focus on quantitative evaluation of students has caused a decline in qualitative expression. But I’ve read lots of articles and books written by people who weren’t even born when I began writing and editing professionally but are already more talented than I’ll ever be. The English language as we know it isn’t going anywhere (not in our lifetimes, anyway).

Yes, we must acknowledge that our society does not value the written word the way it used to, but we must not dramatically bemoan the death of literacy. Here’s what we can do, both on an individual level and a societal one, to improve our collective competency in writing:

We can advocate for extensive and intensive writing experiences for children that are developmentally appropriate. Don’t push children to learn to read and write when they aren’t ready, but when they are ready, inundate them with meaningful opportunities to express themselves in writing — crafting narratives, not filling in worksheets.

Read the entire article How to Promote Literacy and Skilled Communication, at DailyWritingTips.