Enabling Texts: Tools for Supporting the Literacy

Development of Youth of Color

Sandra Hughes-Hassell , PhD

School of Information & Library Science

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill @bridge2lit

http://libequity.web.unc.edu/

“Literacy is not just about decoding text. It is about becoming a superior human being that can act powerfully upon the world.” -Ernest Morrell

Professor of English Education and Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME) at Teachers College, Columbia University.

The Power of Stories "Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break a dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.”

-Chimamanda Adichie

Session Overview

• Define the concept of enabling texts.

• Identify the characteristics of enabling texts.

• Demonstrate how librarians might use enabling texts in their work with marginalized youth.

• Provide examples of enabling texts

Alfred W. Tatum, Ph.D.

University of Illinois at Chicago ● Dean of the College of

Education ● Director of the UIC Reading

Clinic

Enabling texts ● Texts marginalized youth find meaningful

● Texts which encourage and empower marginalized youth to take action in their own lives and the lives of others around them

● Texts that encourage marginalized youth to critique, understand, and move beyond some of the turmoil-related experiences they encounter both inside and outside school

Tatum, A. W. (2009). Reading for their life. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.

Traditional

Nontraditional

Digital / Audio / Multimedia

Characteristics of enabling texts

Promote a healthy psyche (Tatum, 2009)

● Portray characters who practice self-reflection, leading readers to look within and to define themselves.

Reflect an awareness of

the real world (Tatum,

2009)

● Honestly portrays

characters, issues,

problems, and

environments that

marginalized youth might

encounter in the real

world.

Focus on the collective struggle of

marginalized communities (Tatum,

2009)

● Neither ignore these struggles nor

paint marginalized communities as

merely victims of history.

● Challenge youth to critically examine

the challenges they face, whether

academic, social, economic, or

personal.

Serve as a road map for being, doing,

thinking, and acting (Tatum, 2009)

● Despite an awareness of societal

challenges facing marginalized youth,

enabling texts are positive in that they

affirm the power of both the individual

and the collective to improve one’s life.

Recognize, honor, and

nurture multiple

identities (Tatum, 2009)

● Characters portrayed as

having multiple identities –

academic, cultural, religious,

gendered, social, national,

etc.

Demonstrate

resiliency (Tatum,

2009)

● Portray characters

who are self-reliant

problem solvers.

Are interesting and provocative.

Provide positive reinforcement of the

characteristics of strong writing. (Tatum,

2009)

● Thematically rich

● Enaging and fast-moving

● Provoke deeper thinking from

their readers

● Awaken the intellectual curiosity

of the reader.

Avoid caricatures (Tatum, 2009)

● Stereotypes of Black, Latino, Asian, and

queer youth and communities are

prevalent in disabling texts. Enabling texts

avoid such caricatures, instead providing

well-rounded and multidimensional

characters. Often such texts succeed in this

regard by showing characters directly

challenging stereotypes.

Include a mentor or a role model

(Rawson & Hughes-Hassell, 2012)

● This role model relationship can

develop unexpectedly.

● The mentor figure does not have to

be physically present.

● Character is often significantly older

than the protagonist and passes

along wisdom and advice.

For enabling texts to meet their full potential, they must be used to engage students in dialogue about issues and concepts that matter in school and society and to do so from multiple perspectives and in relation to multiple identities. -Alfred Tatum

Example

Literacy Platform: Defining Self

Framing Questions:

How does a person communicate their identity to others who refuse to view them as an individual?

Is it more important to belong to a group or to be an individual?

Circle of Viewpoints

• Designed to explore diverse perspectives and viewpoints.

• Deeper and more intriguing way to review a chapter/book vs. a list of questions.

• Two main steps to launch the tool. 1. Choose a broad topic or issue. 2. Brainstorm a list of different viewpoints / characters.

http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03e_FairnessRoutines/CircleViewpoints/CircleViewpoints_Routine.html

Circle of Viewpoints Example

Topic: Cultural Appropriation

Viewpoints:

Sierra at beginning of novel Rosa Izzy Tee Sierra at the end of the novel Robbie Bennie Jerome Sierra’s Mom Nydia Wick Manny Sierra’s Uncle Sierra’s ancestors

Circle of Viewpoints Script Framework

1. I am thinking of ... the topic... From the point of

view of ... the viewpoint you've chosen

2. I think ... describe the topic from your viewpoint. Be an

actor - take on the character of your viewpoint.

3. A question I have from this viewpoint is ... ask a

question from this viewpoint.

Wrap up: What new ideas do you have about the topic that

you didn't have before? What new questions do you have?

Circle of Viewpoints Example 1. I am thinking of cultural appropriation from the point of

view of ... Robbie.

2. I think...Everyone should’ve known that Wick was no good.

Clearly, he had no real understanding of what shadowshapers

truly represent and how important voices are in our

neighborhood and community...

3. A question I have is...Why did people trust Wick in the

start?

Wrap up: What new ideas do you have about the topic that you

didn't have before? What new questions do you have?

Text Graffiti

1. Read the text silently.

2. Respond to the text in writing:

3. Pass your response to the person to your right.

4. Write a response to another person’s graffiti thoughts.

5. Repeat steps 2-4.

Write Around Exercise

Text Graffiti

Writing Reminders

1. Try to write so others can read your notes.

2. Use all the time you are given to write – keep your pen moving!

3. Write quietly. [The discussion will come later.]

Text Graffiti Small group discussion: Take 8-10 minutes to discuss in

your group. I’d like each group to be prepared to share one

powerful thought with the whole group.

Large group Round Robin: Sharing of powerful thoughts.

Debrief: Benefits of text graffiti as a technique for discussing

enabling texts

“The books showed the world not just as it is,

but as it could be--as it should be. They connect me to everything that has ever happened and to everyone that has ever lived.” “…It had to resonate with me.”

-MK Asante

Professor of Creative Writing and Film in the

Department of English and Language Arts at

Morgan State University

Morgan State University

Contact information

For more information visit: http://libequity.web.unc.edu/

For any questions or comments about today’s presentation,

please contact me at:

Sandra Hughes-Hassell smhughes@email.unc.edu

@Bridge2Lit