MY LITERACY LIFE MAP

Reading Response #1

Tori Dickinson

INTRODUCTION

Throughout my life I’ve had a variety of

different experiences involving literacy. These

are eight of the experiences that I believe

are/were important and influence the active

learner and student that I am today.

EQAO TESTING

G

rade 3 literacy testing

I

received several level 2s on my final results

T

his was both a positive and a negative experience

I

was upset that I did poorly and very disappointed in myself however, I

learned that it’s ok to make mistakes and that I should continue to try and

improve

PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST

G

rade 4

G

rades 4-6 students were required to write a speech or story to be performed in

front of the class

M

y teacher chose mine as one of the best in the class and I competed in a public

speaking competition in front of the entire school as well as parents

T

his was a positive experience—I was proud of my accomplishments and realized

I was capable of not only writing well, but I was great at public-speaking too

RED MAPLE BOOK CLUBI

n Grade 7 I participated in an Red Maple book club at my school

I

read several novels in a short time and was allowed to vote for my

favourite book

T

his was a positive experience as I learned how to discuss and

analyze literature, as well as, how my opinions mattered (our votes

were submitted along with other students’ to determine which

author would receive the Red Maple award

CREATED MY OWN WEBSITE

I

n grade 8 and 9 (before Facebook/Twitter/Myspace) I created my

own website which included photos of my friends, quizzes, quotes,

etc.

T

his was a positive experience as many of my friends and family

members used my website and complimented me about it

T

his helped me realize that I could use my writing skills/literacy in a

fun way

FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY ENGLISH ESSAY

2

007

I

received my first ever mark in the 60s

T

his was both a negative and a positive experience

I

was upset and disappointed in myself for not doing a better job but I

learned to reflect on how I could have improved my essay and learned

the importance of seeking help BEFORE an assignment is due

MY YEAR ABROAD IN FRANCE

2

011-2012

L

ast year I studied abroad in France (and travelled throughout Europe)

I

improved my French literacy skills

I

communicated with friends and family via e-mail, blogs, Facebook, and letters (in both English and French)

T

his was a positive and (sometimes) negative experience

I

t was a positive experience because I gained further knowledge of the French language I became able to easily read and comprehend

and texts in French, as well as improved my writing and grammar skills

I

t was a negative experience because the educational system is very different in France. Some of my professors were very harsh and

criticized in a non-constructive way any mistakes that were made by myself or classmates. This made me at times question my abilities

H

owever, I learned to try and use criticism as a way to improve and motivation to work harder. I succeeded in all of my courses and am

much more confident in my reading and writing abilities (in French)

WORKING AS A LITERACY TUTOR

J

une 2010-August 2011

J

une 2012-August 2012

I

was a literacy tutor at the Learning Disabilities Association of Peterborough

I

worked with children in SK – Grade 10 on further developing their reading and writing skills

through the use of assistive technology software (I.E. Dragon Naturally Speaking, Kurzweil 3000)

T

his was a positive experience as I gained experience working with students with learning

disabilities and/or ADHD and further developed my teaching skills (including teaching literacy)

I

learned more about various assistive technology software and the ways in which it can be used to

help students with learning difficulties further develop their reading and writing skills

TODAY

L

iteracy is a regular part of my life (both French and English literacy)

I

read both for leisure and for academic purposes

I

write both for leisure and academic purposes (Facebook, e-mails,

etc. vs. assignments)

R

esumes, LinkedIn

CONCLUSION

These key literacy experiences (and others) have greatly

contributed who I am as a student and a future teacher.

These experiences have allowed me to reflect on my

strengths and weaknesses (in literacy) and have allowed

me to apply the skills that I have developed to teach

others how they can be successful readers and writers

(during tutoring sessions and classroom placements).