Literacy starts long before reading or writing, say WSU education students
OGDEN, Utah — Early childhood education majors Ashley Ardon and Katelyn Hurst are demonstrating how a better understanding of literacy can help children succeed long before they learn to read or write.
Ardon and Hurst explain that early childhood literacy starts with pattern recognition, storytelling, social interactions, and many other foundational skills that eventually lead to reading and writing.
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in the Melba S. Lehner Children’s School
“It doesn’t just come from opening a book and learning how to read or learning the alphabet,” Ardon said. “Literacy is all around children at all times. Just by coming to school and having conversations with teachers and peers, they’re learning how to read and write.”
From behavior technician to early childhood educator
Ardon was initially studying web design when she started at Weber. At the same time, she was a behavior technician at a clinic for autistic individuals. There, she discovered a passion for working with children and wanted to expand to early childhood education.
The 22-year-old started working at The Melba S. Lehner Children’s School, which is a developmental early childhood program as well as a training lab for WSU early childhood education majors to learn about working with children and families. A few months later, she decided to officially change her major.
Ardon has seen the children grow and learn in many different ways, especially through the school’s child-led curriculum. This type of individualized instruction encourages kids to be curious and explore their interests, which promotes independence and choice-making skills.
“The children show us what they need and how to go about lesson-planning for them,” Ardon said. “If a child mentions paint, we’ll get out paint and ask how they want to use the paint. Do they want to use their hands or feet, and go based on what they need.”
Ardon hopes to eventually become a mentor teacher at Weber State, so she can continue working with children while also being an example for future educators.
Where play becomes learning
From a young age, Hurst knew she wanted to be a teacher and work with children.
After student teaching at the MSL Children’s School for a semester, the 23-year-old knew early childhood education was the right classroom setting for her.
“It’s so cool to see how the children learn through play,” Hurst said. “We can see their growth in literacy with scribbling as they’re starting to learn how to write. Or when they’re making their own stories by drawing pictures.”
Through this self-paced learning, Hurst said she’s seen how early childhood literacy develops and grows.
Her favorite part about working with children is seeing their faces light up during moments of understanding. Whether they’re drawing or trying to open a jar, she said their “aha” moments make the hard days worth it.
After graduation this month, Hurst will be searching for a teaching position, preferably in the second grade.
Expanding what literacy looks like in education
Ardon said early childhood education and the foundation of literacy isn’t always widely understood, which is why it’s important to her to provide children with skills that will set them up for the rest of their lives.
Sheila Anderson, WSU’s early childhood education program director, said the MSL Children’s School’s approach to emergent literacy focuses on holistic learning experiences and self-initiated tasks.
“We conceptualize literacy not as a discrete skill, but as the process of becoming part of a community,” she said. “It grows from the desire to express needs, ideas, creative and emotional experiences, while seeking to understand and connect with others.”
The MSL Children's School is supported by the Melba S. Lehner endowment, which helps advance higher education for early childhood educators while elevating the quality of educational experiences for young children.
Through enrichment opportunities and hands-on student teaching experience, Hurst said the Early Childhood Education program has helped shape her perspective as a future children’s teacher.
“Try taking a step back and observing kids in their natural environment,” Hurst said. “If you see them playing in the park, stop and think about what they’re trying to do. Are they trying to climb a tree? What are they trying to figure out? Then maybe you’ll see they understand a lot more than you think.”
Elva Mora, Marketing & Communications
- Contact:
Rachel Badali, Public Relations Director
801-626-7948, rachelbadali@weber.edu