Week 9- Literacy Invitations

Week 9- Literacy Invitations

The idea of literacy invitations makes sense within the context of the philosophy of whole language instruction.  I think it is especially important that we instill in our students that, “inquiring into critical issues is complex work that won’t always lead to quick and easy answers” (Van Sluys, 2005, p. 25).  Supporting students to think critically and inquire into issues on their own will create a generation of learners that are able to transfer the knowledge that they have learned to different tasks and applications.  This is essential in a world that is advancing at such a pace that the jobs that students will work as adults do not exist when they are students.      

When thinking about how exactly to guide students to learn in this way I realized that even the simple words “You are invited to…” as suggested by Van Sluys (2005) gives the responsibility of the learning to the students.

I caught myself thinking about my kindergarten students and what invitations can look like for them.  We have a time during the day that is called ‘choice time’.  The goals of this time are for students to work creatively, imaginatively, and cooperatively.  There are many parallels between this time and invitations, as defines by Van Sluys.  One big difference between the two is that I have toys and materials in designated areas where children are supposed to play with them.  There is very little movement of materials out of their designated areas.  I liked the suggested idea of students communicating with the teacher, “Where are you working?”/” What do you need?” (Van Sluys, 2005, p. 28).  This would put emphasis on the plans and ideas of the students at the center of the learning where, by designating areas for materials, I am putting the materials at the center of the learning.