Literacy in the Community

• For part A of Inquiry One investigation I will be going to the East Lansing Meijer, Post Office, and the surrounding community of my school, Pinecrest. I chose to go to these locations because these are places my students go or are around quite frequently. I asked my students where they go around East Lansing and these were some of the most popular responses. A lot of them like to go to friend’s houses, or they recalled places that they go with their parents. All people of the East Lansing community, including the parents and students of the local schools, visit places like Meijer and the Post Office. I also chose to do look around the neighborhood by the school because that is where many of the kids live.
• I expect to see a lot of diversity around the East Lansing community. I think a bias of East Lansing is it is all about MSU. While MSU is a large part of the East Lansing community it is not by any means the whole thing. I think people forget that this is a community filled with families, schools, restaurants, shops, and lots of local resources. I expect to see people of all ages, races, and ethnicities. Because East Lansing is so diverse and mixed in with a university I expect to see a wide range of people. With that being said I do expect to see not as many children out, because I am going during the school day where I am guessing most kids are at school. While this is a bias of East Lansing I also think it is a good example of an archetype, meaning that it is a perfect example of what a college community is like. This community is full of students, professors, and educators that add so much to the uniqueness of the community.
• I think it depends what an outsider would see depending on where in East Lansing they looked around. At the beginning East Lansing to an outsider might seem like just college students and bars but when one looks closer they would find churches, schools, community centers, parks, libraries, grocery stores, etc. I think the view of East Lansing changes once you become a part of it. This is because I think most often East Lansing is associated with Michigan State University, instead of being a community on its own. But like it says in the LEAD 21 article, “Globalization has increased immigration, inter-language contact among people in schools and the world of work, and the profusion of alternative media by which we communicate across distance and context, mostly by use of written language,” (page 1). I thought this was a great quote to go along with the inquiry project we are doing. Whether we like it or not there is language everywhere, and we have to use language everyday all day in order to communicate with people, read signs, tell time, for safety, etc. It is important how language is portrayed in communities.
• Some of the interconnections that can be made at Meijer would be having signs displayed throughout the store labeling where things are located, how much things cost, what items are which, events going on in the local community, and actual literacy being sold at Meijer. Some interconnections going on at the Post Office would be talking about the types of things that can be sent through the post office like letters, and how you would address a letter. Some interconnections that can be made around the school neighborhood are important signs about the school zone, the school sign itself and important messages displayed there, when the school ground closes, etc. There are a lot of interconnections that can be made throughout the places I will be visiting to deepen my knowledge about the East Lansing community.
• The traditional literacy I expect to see in the community are things such as signs, posters, pamphlets, books, cards, etc. Even though technology has become a big part of our world, I think traditional literacy is a major factor in communities today. When one goes to the library for example you are going to see not only traditional literacy in the form of books that are there, but also with signs up talking about future events, etc. Places in the community are visited physically and therefore these places have to have traditional literacy to communicate.
• TASK 4

• What I noticed in the East Lansing community is that my predictions were correct about being a diverse community of people. I noticed that there was a wide range of restaurants, stores, and community centers. What surprised me is that is how much literacy is found within the community. Once I looked deeper into this assignment it was really interesting to me how pretty much everything in the community has to do with literacy or some form of literacy. I forgot how even communication is a form of literacy and how important it is for a community to flow. What didn’t surprise me is how many places there are in the East Lansing community to go. With it being such a diverse community both in race, and in age there are plenty of unique places to go. This community experiences has helped me learn about my school and students by going to places they enjoy and seeing more in depth the life my students are experiencing. I think this is a great extension to getting to know your students and finding out their interests. This not only encompasses their interests but the interests of the community in general. I think this experience will help me in my teaching because it introduced me to the resources that are available not only at my school but in the community. I think it is very powerful to bring outside resources into the classroom to give students authentic experiences. Just by having a person come into your classroom and talk about a subject that they are an expert at is just as powerful for students as going on a field trip. I think this will help me understand my students as literacy learners because it just reminded me how many different types of literacies there are. I think it is important to remember that every student is comfortable with one type of literacy and it is important for the teacher to figure out what that is and help that student grow and expand rather them telling them they have to do it a certain way.