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The Impact of Illiteracy and the Importance of Early Intervention

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Nicola Miranda

Around 1 in 5 people are completely illiterate. Additionally, around 3 billion people around the world struggle with basic level reading and writing ( World Literacy Foundation  [WLF], 2018). This has significant economic, social, and health impacts at both an individual and societal level.

Economic Impact

The  World Literacy Foundation  (2018) reported that illiteracy and low levels of literacy have estimated to cost the global economy approximately £800 billion annually. Specifically, in the UK, illiteracy costs their economy around £80 billion in 2018 due to costs associated with welfare, unemployment, and social programs, as well as reduced government tax revenue and productivity. 

Furthermore, as the global economy moves more towards a knowledge economy, literacy is an essential skill for individuals and states to compete in the global economy. When a high proportion of the adult population has poor literacy skills, many positions remain vacant as insufficient individuals are adequately skilled to fulfill those roles. This results in slower GDP growth in the long term (Lal, 2015).

Social Impact

Individuals with low levels of literacy are more likely to experience poorer employment opportunities and outcomes and lower income. As a result, they often face welfare dependency, low self-esteem, and higher levels of crime. Moreover, people with a low level of literacy have limited ability to make important informed decisions in everyday life as they struggle with tasks such as filling out forms and applications, understanding government policies, reading medicine or nutritional labels, and more ( WLF, 2018 ).

Furthermore, parents who are functionally illiterate often prioritize work before education, have lower expectations in regards to schooling, and the children of parents who fail to complete primary school are more likely to follow in their footsteps and do likewise. This leads to a cycle of disadvantage through generations. On the other hand, strong literacy skills among parents will have positive impacts on their children’s lives as they are more able to help and encourage their children in their schoolwork and communicate with their teachers effectively ( WLF, 2018 ).

You can help by donating to the World Literacy Foundation here.

Just $10 can help to provide key educational resources to children..

6 Impact of Illiteracy early intervention

Health Impact

Berkman et al.  (2004) found that people with low levels of literacy are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, have poor health literacy, and practice poor health behaviors. For example, people with low levels of health literacy are more likely to experience:

  • Higher hospital admission rates
  • A lack of engagement with health services such as cancer screening
  • A lack of understanding and adherence to medical advice

Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the great lack of health literacy globally. During this time, many people were challenged in understanding and applying the health information provided by health professionals and the government (Paakkari & Okan, 2020). Adequate health literacy is important in ensuring that people are able to understand and correctly apply health information to prevent disease, and the failure to do so increases the risk for disease transmission.

An Effective Solution: Early Intervention 

Early interventions targeting children in early childhood could be the most effective approach to increasing literacy skills in the long term. According to a  Harvard study  (2007), brain development occurs rapidly in the first few years of life, before formal schooling even begins, where over one million new neural connections are made every second. During these years, sensory pathways for early language skills and higher cognitive functions already begin to develop. 

5 Impact of Illiteracy early intervention

Developing literacy and language skills before formal schooling sets a child up for success in school and life. Children with a poor foundation in literacy before entering formal schooling are more likely to struggle academically and to drop out of school, increasing their likelihood of facing poorer employment and social outcomes in the future. Moreover, the quality of the environment at home and early childhood services is one of the key factors for literacy development. Hence, early childhood is a critical stage for parents and early childhood services to facilitate learning experiences for children ( Royal Children’s Hospital, 2008 ).

Rather than addressing the issue of poor literacy in adults when it arises, it is better to prevent the problem and its consequences in the first place through early childhood interventions. While investments in early childhood programs are commonly argued to be a burden on state budgets and taxpayers,  Heckman  (2018) found that quality early childhood programs actually have a 13% return rate for investment per annum as a result of improved education, health, social and economic outcomes. With these significant returns, these early childhood programs will pay for themselves eventually over time. Therefore, investments in early childhood education, particularly for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, will lead to short- and long-term social and economic gains.

For instance,  World Literacy Foundation’s  work in Victoria focuses on providing early literacy skills and school preparedness for children aged 0-5 years from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. For example, the organization’s work includes educating new parents to support their children in their learning, providing regular reading groups, and distributing books to young children who may lack access to them.

With the significant economic, social, and health costs low levels of literacy have on individuals, communities, and societies, this is a global issue that needs to be addressed. Investing in early childhood literacy programs will bring back greater returns not only economically, but also returns in health and social outcomes. 

Written by: Amanda Low & Nicola Miranda

  • Berkman, N. D., Dewalt, D. A., Pignone, M. P., Sheridan, S. L., Lohr, K. N., Sutton, S. F., … Bonito A. J. (2004). 87 Literacy and Health Outcomes: Summary. In AHRQ Evidence Report Summaries . Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11942/
  • Center on the Developing Child (2007). InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development . Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20few%20years,brain%20circuits%20become%20more%20efficient
  • Heckman. (2018). Social Media Content: Early Investments and Return on Investment for ECE/Childcare. Retrieved from https://heckmanequation.org/resource/social-posts-early-investments-and-return-on-investment-for-ece-childcare/
  • Lal, B. S. (2015). The Economic and Social Cost of Illiteracy Overview. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education, 1 (5), 665. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311562787_The_Economic_and_Social_Cost_of_Illiteracy_An_Overview
  • Paakkari, L., & Okan, O. (2020). COVID-19: health literacy is an underestimated problem. The Lancet. Public health, 5(5), e249–e250. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30086-4
  • Royal Children’s Hospital. Literacy in Early Childhood. Retrieved from https://ww2.rch.org.au/emplibrary/ccch/PB13_Literacy_EarlyChildhood.pdf
  • World Literacy Foundation. (n.d.). Australia. Retrieved from https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/australia/
  • World Literacy Foundation. (2018). The Economic & Social Costs of Illiteracy . Retrieved from TheEconomicSocialCostofIlliteracy-2.pdf  

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Just $10 can help to provide key educational resources to children, examples of illiteracy, types of illiteracy, cultural illiteracy, emotional illiteracy, civic illiteracy.

economic illiteracy consequences of illiteracy definition of illiteracy types of illiteracy what is the meaning of illiteracy what are the causes of illiteracy synonyms of illiteracy illiteracy and poverty historical illiteracy high illiteracy rate computer illiteracy biblical illiteracy cause of illiteracy science illiteracy civic illiteracy

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  • Speech Writing /

2-Minute Speech on Importance of Education in English for Students

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

  • Updated on  
  • Jun 26, 2024

Speech on importance of education

Speech on Importance of Education: Knowledge is power, and education is the ocean of knowledge. Education is a tool that can bring social change to society. A person who does not read books has no advantage over those who cannot. In every culture, education is given great importance because it has the power to enhance personal, economic, and global developments. 

Here is what Mahatma Gandhi said about education, ’ By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man; body, mind, and spirit. True education must correspond to the surrounding circumstances or it is not a healthy growth.’ Can you believe this century-old quote can still be of great significance? This is what we will do for you today. We will provide you with a speech on the importance of education, where we will provide samples and other details on how it can change our lives. 

Quick Read: Speech on Earth Day

Table of Contents

  • 1 Sample 1: 2-Minute Speech on Importance of Education
  • 2 Sample 2: 2-Minute Speech on Importance of Education
  • 3 10 Quotes on Importance of Education

‘A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.’ – Albert Einstein

Master the art of essay writing with our blog on How to Write an Essay in English .

Sample 1: 2-Minute Speech on Importance of Education

‘Good morning my friends and teacher (s). Today, I stand before you to present my ‘Speech on the importance of education’. We all want to progress and grow in our lives. Education is the only weapon that can bring peaceful and sustainable development. Every personal, professional, social, and environmental issue can be solved with an educated mind. 

Every society requires educated people for overall development. A society that has more education and civilized people will flourish and sustain better than those who lack education. That is why our government and educational institutions are promoting education.

In earlier times, education was given little importance, as most people were either engaged in agricultural or different manual labour jobs. With the advancement of science and technology, different sectors, like secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and quinary emerged. 

Education is the key that unlocks doors of opportunity, enabling individuals to reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to society. At a personal level, education allows us to understand the world around us. It empowers us to dream big, set goals, and work towards achieving them. 

Through education, we can understand our rights and duties towards our families, society and nation. We can explore innovative ideas, as were are constantly involved in learning and growing. 

Important people like big industrialists, politicians, movie actors, and even sportspersons are all educated, as they know the importance of education in life. Their contribution is essential for innovation, productivity, and economic competitiveness. 

Investing in education is like investing in a future workforce. It ensures that our society remains dynamic and resilient in the face of rapid technological and global changes.

When we talk about social justice and equality, education plays a major role. Education provides equal opportunities for people from different backgrounds. Making education accessible to everyone will help in building a fair and just society, one where talent and potential are recognized.’

Sample 2: 2-Minute Speech on Importance of Education

Good morning to the respected teachers and students,

Education is not simply acquiring knowledge; it is a process that develops our thoughts and broadens our perspectives. It prepares people to pursue their goals, attain them, and live fulfilled lives. Education provides opportunities and helps us to realise our greatest potential. It promotes critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, all of which are useful in both personal and professional situations.

Education is also a successful tool for economic development. It provides the individual with the skills necessary for the job market, enhancing their employability. Education promotes innovation, increases productivity, and improves global competitiveness. It also encourages development by promoting understanding and tolerance among people of different backgrounds. An educated society places a higher importance on justice, equality, and human rights. Education allows us to address social concerns such as poverty, inequality, and corruption.

Education has a wide-ranging impact on health and well-being. People who are educated are more likely to make informed decisions about their health. They are better able to understand healthcare facilities and carry out preventive measures. Despite its importance, providing high-quality education remains a global challenge. Poverty, gender injustice, and a lack of infrastructure prevent millions from getting the education they deserve. As citizens of this country, it is our responsibility to increase awareness so that everyone has access to a quality education. 

It will require collaborative efforts from the community and the government. Education is a major driver of personal, economic, and social development. It is the key that unlocks a door full of potential and opportunity. So, let us commit to and work towards a better educated and informed society by making education available to everyone.

Also Read: 2 Minutes Adult Education Speech for School Students

10 Quotes on Importance of Education

Here are 10 quotes on the importance of education. Feel free to add these quotes to your speech or any writing topics.

  • ‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.’ – Mahatma Gandhi
  • ‘The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.’ – Herbert Spencer
  • ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ – Nelson Mandela
  • ‘The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.’ – Martin Luther King Jr.
  • ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ – Malcolm X
  • ‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’ – Benjamin Franklin
  • ‘The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.’ – B.B. King
  • ‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.’ – W.B. Yeats
  • ‘Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.’ – John Dewey
  • ‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’ – Dr. Seuss

Also Read: Speech on Education in English for School Students

Ans: Education is an important tool for social change. Every society requires educated people, who can help in navigating the developmental changes and lead the country to new heights. Education means knowledge and power. Every society requires educated people for overall development. A society that has more education and civilized people will flourish and sustain better than those who lack education. That is why our government and educational institutions are promoting education.

Ans: Education plays an important role in a person’s overall development and life. It can make you a responsible citizen, can offer you a better life, and make you aware of your duty towards society and country. From a personal level to social development, education has the power to change the world and counter every problem hindering developmental activities.

Ans: Literacy and education can be used interchangeably, but there is a big difference in their meaning. A person’s ability to read and write is known as literacy. Education refers to the formal and informal learning experience that a person acquires through personal experience. 

Related Reads:

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With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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Judicature

Civic Illiteracy and the Rule of Law

by Don R. Willett

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

The past few years have been a wild ride, and I say that as a former rodeo cowboy. America has endured a confluence of overlapping crises: pandemic, recession, impeachment, social unrest. Arguably, the most normal part of recent times has been  Tiger King .

But we look for silver linings where we can. According to a 2021 survey, 51 percent of American adults can now name all three branches of government — up from 39 percent in 2020 (which was previously the all-time high). 1 But truth be told, our nation still has an abysmal civics IQ.

Two hundred thirty-five years ago, a throng of Philadelphians waited outside Independence Hall. And like most Philly crowds, it was tense. Our infant nation was floundering. The former colonies had yet to coalesce into a country.

On the Constitutional Convention’s final day, Benjamin Franklin delivered the last great speech of his life, urging adoption of the new constitution “with all its faults.” And Franklin found plenty of faults. He wanted federal judges to be elected, for example. But Franklin, 81 years old, flexed his considerable diplomatic skills and implored his fellow delegates to “doubt a little of his own infallibility.” “The older I grow,” said Franklin, “the more apt I am to doubt my own Judgment, and to pay more Respect to the Judgment of others.” 2 We could all use a refreshing dose of that intellectual modesty today — more humility and less superiority.

Related Reading: Involve, Inform, Inspire by Rebecca Fanning

We all know what happened next. A triumphant Franklin exited Independence Hall and was approached by Mrs. Elizabeth Powel, who blurted out, “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” And Franklin delivered his sharp-witted rejoinder, “A republic, if you can keep it.” 3 The survival of freedom depends on people, not parchment.

Eleven years earlier, the Declaration — our original birth announcement; the greatest breakup letter of all time — had proclaimed that we wanted government, as Lincoln put it four score and seven years later, “of the people, by the people, for the people.” 4 Our Founders, imperfect but inspired, aimed for something transcendent: not to enshrine a process — democracy — but to enshrine a promise — liberty.

Fast forward 200-plus years, and most Americans now say they do not trust any branch of government. The Father of the Country would be dismayed. Washington made clear in his first inaugural address that this is on us: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are . . . staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” And frankly, Washington was pessimistic, confiding to another delegate, “I do not expect the Constitution to last for more than 20 years.” 5

But civic illiteracy — obliviousness to the “what” and “why” of America — accelerates disattachment. Amid today’s pandemic is something endemic: a deep misunderstanding of American self-government.

It is undeniable that at the Founding, the ideals collided with the reality, America’s original sin of slavery. One-third of the Declaration’s signers were slave owners. We were flawed and stained at the start. America is imperfect, as all human things are.

Even so, the Declaration’s underlying ideals are timeless, and they are winning out. Lincoln would not abandon them even to avoid civil war. He described equal liberty as a gift “not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time.” 6  The Declaration was a linchpin argument for abolitionists, and the Supreme Court feebly tried to explain it away in Dred Scott .

My favorite piece of art in my chambers is an oil painting of Frederick Douglass. In his iconic speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” Douglass notes that the promises of liberty and equality in the Declaration are eternal, even if America broke those promises. 7

To be sure, there was a jarring disconnect between the commendable words of the Declaration and the condemnable deeds of those who adopted it. But those founding ideals still lay the foundation for righting wrongs, including the “new birth of freedom” wrought by our Second Founding and the Civil War amendments that belong at the center of America’s constitutional story.

The quest to live up to America’s ideals requires constant striving. Even the Fourteenth Amendment failed to fulfill its promise during its first 75 years. But the idea that “all men are created equal” set in motion an inexorable march.

Dr. King called on his fellow citizens not to tear down America’s heritage but to live up to it. He demanded not that our founding documents be changed to fit new ideals, but that our government change to fit the enduring ideals of our founding documents, which he called “a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” 8

The aspirational Declaration is preserved through the architectural Constitution. The Declaration declared the purpose of government: to secure our innate, God-given rights. The Constitution erected an ingenious structure to achieve that purpose.

Related Reading: Critical Life Skills Through Courtroom Experiences by Robin L. Rosenberg, Beth Bloom, and Hayley Lawrence

The Framers were not tinkerers. They infused Madisonian architecture with Newtonian genius: three coequal branches locked in synchronous orbit by competing interests. “Ambition . . . counteract[ing] ambition,” as Madison put it. 9

These three rival branches derive power from three unrivaled words, supersized on the page for all the world to see: “We the People.” In an era of kings and sultans, nothing was more radical than the idea that sovereignty resides not in government but in the governed.

Popular sovereignty is a duty, not a mere theory. Shortly after the Constitution was signed, Jefferson wrote from Paris: “Wherever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” 10

But again, We the People’s civic illiteracy is staggering:

  • Seventy-one percent of Americans can’t identify the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
  • Sixty-three percent can’t name one of their state’s U.S. senators.
  • Sixty-two percent can’t identify the governor of their state. 11

But there is a ray of hope:  naturalized Americans, those who’ve risked everything to help write the next chapter of the American story. When it comes to the U.S. citizenship exam, immigrants “get the job done.” Do you know what percentage of immigrants pass the civics test their first try? Ninety percent. The same 100 multiple-choice questions were given to some American high schoolers. The passage rate: Five percent 12

The generation with the greatest access to information is also the least informed.

But beyond education, we need engagement. Our Constitution is an exquisite charter of freedom, but freedom requires patriots, not passersby. Franklin said “if you can keep it” because he knew the secret sauce: an engaged, sleeves-rolled-up citizenry.

In 2019, the federal judiciary convened its first-ever national civics conference. Article III judges, including three Supreme Court justices, joined with law school deans, bar leaders, and others from Maine to Guam to discuss how the judiciary could help boost civics literacy.

A few weeks later, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in his year-end report on the federal judiciary, “Each generation has an obligation to pass on to the next, not only a fully functioning government responsive to the needs of the people, but the tools to understand and improve it.” 13 The habits of citizenship must be taught and learned anew by each generation.

And schoolchildren are often center stage in transforming our nation. Take Linda Brown, the schoolgirl at the center of  Brown v. Board of Education . When the Supreme Court rejected racial segregation, it stressed the importance of education as a crucible for good citizenship. And for many students, schools may be the only place they are exposed to the American political tradition.

As Jefferson put it, education enables “every man to judge for himself what will secure or endanger his freedom.” 14

For popular sovereignty to work, education must underscore, not undermine, our common civic identity.

Judges play a role, too. As Chief Justice Roberts put it, judges, “by virtue of their judicial responsibilities . . . are necessarily engaged in civics education.” 15

We explain our reasoning in written opinions, lead naturalization ceremonies, oversee mock legal proceedings, etc. The Judicial Conference of the United States recently affirmed that civics education is a core component of judicial service. And both the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the National Center for State Courts have developed terrific online resources for judges, teachers, attorneys, and parents. 16

American citizenship is not a spectator sport. A republic comes with responsibility. Self-government is not self-perpetuating. This raucous republic belongs to us all, and its preservation is up to us all. Franklin told Mrs. Powel, “if you can keep it.” A quarter of a millennium later, with every tool laid at our feet, there is no longer a question of capability. There is only a question of culpability.

America boasts the oldest written national constitution on earth. What an extravagant blessing! But preserving that inheritance requires a culture that prizes liberty and public-spirited virtue. For now, We the People are the world’s oldest constitutional republic.

If we can keep it.

  • Amid Pandemic and Protests, Civics Survey Finds Americans Know More of Their Rights , Annenberg Pub. Pol’y Ctr. (Sep. 14, 2020), https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/pandemic-protests-2020-civics-survey-americans-know-much-more-about-their-rights/ .
  • Benjamin Franklin, Final Speech at the Constitutional Convention (Sep. 17, 1787)  available at  https://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/pop_finalspeech.html .
  • Dr. James McHenry,  Papers of Dr. James McHenry on the Federal Convention of 1787 , 3 Am. Hist. R. 11 595, 618 (Apr. 1906),  available at  https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1836024.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A9c715b5dd9fde06356f58496a9f9c25d .
  • Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address (1863),  available at https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/gettysburg/good_cause/transcript.htm .
  • Herbert Mitgang,  New Light on 1787 and Washington’s Doubts , N.Y. Times (July 4, 1987), https://nyti.ms/3egD112 . Thankfully, he was wrong.
  • Abraham Lincoln, Address at Independence Hall (Feb. 22, 1861),  available at  https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/independence-hall.htm .
  • Frederick Douglass,  The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro  (July 5, 1852), in Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings 188, 204 (Philip S. Foner ed., 1999).
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream (1963),  available at  https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety .
  • The Federalist No. 51, at 289–90 (James Madison) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999).
  • Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price (Jan. 8, 1789),  available at  https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-14-02-0196 .
  • Michael Ford,  Civic Illiteracy: A Threat to the American Dream , Huffington Post (June 30, 2012), https://www.huffpost.com/entry/civic-literacy_b_1457635 .
  • Robert Holland & Don Soifer,  What if Students Can’t Pass Immigrants’ Citizenship Test? , Lexington Inst. (Sep. 28, 2014), https://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/what-if-students-cant-pass-immigrants-citizenship-test/.
  • Chief Justice’s 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary , Sup. Ct. of the U.S., at 4, https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/year-end/2019year-endreport.pdf .
  • Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Tyler (May 26, 1810),  available at  https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0365 .
  • Chief Justice’s 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary , Sup. Ct. ofthe U.S., at 2, https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/year-end/2019year-endreport.pdf .
  • Educational Resources , U.S. Cts., https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources .

Also In This Edition

  • In This Edition (Table of Contents Vol 106 No 1)
  • A Poem: Substance Abuse Trial (PDF)
  • Judicial Honors: Spring 2022
  • Do remote hearings help — or hurt — access to justice?
  • The Wonderfully Versatile Em-Dash (PDF)
  • Stopping the Presses: National Security Meets Freedom of Speech
  • Ebb and Flow
  • Walking Back Human Rights in Europe?
  • A Tale of Two Restrictions
  • Oral argument at the Supreme Court Before, During, and After the Pandemic
  • Collected Wisdom on Selecting Leaders and Managing MDLs
  • Remembering Judge Robert A. Katzmann
  • Civics Education Resources
  • Civics Tools for Teachers
  • Critical Life Skills Through Courtroom Experiences
  • One of the Most Rewarding Things I’ve Done as a Judge
  • A Model for Adult Civics Education
  • Joining Forces on Adult Civics Education
  • Involve, Inform, Inspire
  • Necessarily Engaged
  • Sober as a Judge
  • Civic Education: Answering the Call

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

About Don R. Willett

Don R. Willett is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was previously a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas.

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

What you need to know about literacy

What is the global situation in relation to literacy.

Great progress has been made in literacy with most recent data (UNESCO Institute for Statistics) showing that more than 86 per cent of the world’s population know how to read and write compared to 68 per cent in 1979. Despite this, worldwide at least 765 million adults still cannot read and write, two thirds of them women, and 250 million children are failing to acquire basic literacy skills. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the worst disruption to education in a century, 617 million children and teenagers had not reached minimum reading levels.   

How does UNESCO define literacy?

Acquiring literacy is not a one-off act. Beyond its conventional concept as a set of reading, writing and counting skills, literacy is now understood as a means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world. Literacy is a continuum of learning and proficiency in reading, writing and using numbers throughout life and is part of a larger set of skills, which include digital skills, media literacy, education for sustainable development and global citizenship as well as job-specific skills. Literacy skills themselves are expanding and evolving as people engage more and more with information and learning through digital technology.  

What are the effects of literacy?

Literacy empowers and liberates people. Beyond its importance as part of the right to education, literacy improves lives by expanding capabilities which in turn reduces poverty, increases participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health and sustainable development. Women empowered by literacy have a positive ripple effect on all aspects of development. They have greater life choices for themselves and an immediate impact on the health and education of their families, and in particular, the education of girl children.  

How does UNESCO work to promote literacy?

UNESCO works through its global network, field offices and institutes and with its Member States and partners to advance literacy in the framework of lifelong learning, and address the literacy target 4.6 in SDG4 and the Education 2030 Framework for Action . Its Strategy for Youth and Adult Literacy (2020-2025) pays special attention to the member countries of the Global Alliance for Literacy which targets 20 countries with an adult literacy rate below 50 per cent and the E9 countries, of which 17 are in Africa. The focus is on promoting literacy in formal and non-formal settings with four priority areas: strengthening national strategies and policy development on literacy; addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups, particularly women and girls; using digital technologies to expand and improve learning outcomes; and monitoring progress and assessing literacy skills. UNESCO also promotes adult learning and education through its Institute for Lifelong Learning , including the implementation of the 2015 Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education and its monitoring through the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education. 

What is digital literacy and why is it important?

UNESCO defines digital literacy as the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, evaluate and create information safely and appropriately through digital technologies for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. It includes skills such as computer literacy, ICT literacy, information literacy and media literacy which aim to empower people, and in particular youth, to adopt a critical mindset when engaging with information and digital technologies, and to build their resilience in the face of disinformation, hate speech and violent extremism.

How is UNESCO helping advance girls' and women's literacy?

UNESCO’s Global Partnership for Women and Girls Education, launched in 2011, emphasizes quality education for girls and women at the secondary level and in the area of literacy; its Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) project (2005–15) targeted women; and UNESCO’s international literacy prizes regularly highlight the life-changing power of meeting women’s and girls’ needs for literacy in specific contexts. Literacy acquisition often brings with it positive change in relation to harmful traditional practices, forms of marginalization and deprivation. Girls’ and women’s literacy seen as lifelong learning is integral to achieving the aims of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  

How has youth and adult literacy been impacted in times of COVID-19?

Since the start of the pandemic, several surveys have been conducted but very little is still known about the effect on youth and adult literacy of massive disruptions to learning, growing inequalities and projected increases in school dropouts. To fill this gap UNESCO will conduct a global survey “Learning from the COVID-19 crisis to write the future: National policies and programmes for youth and adult literacy” collecting information from countries worldwide regarding the situation and policy and programme responses. Its results will help UNESCO, countries and other partners respond better to the recovery phase and advance progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education and its target 4.6 on youth and adult literacy. In addition, for International Literacy Day 2020, UNESCO prepared a background paper on the impact of the crisis on youth and adult literacy.

What is the purpose of the Literacy Prize and Literacy Day?

Every year since 1967, UNESCO celebrates International Literacy Day and rewards outstanding and innovative programmes that promote literacy through the International Literacy Prizes. Every year on 8 September UNESCO comes together for the annual celebration with Field Offices, institutes, NGOs, teachers, learners and partners to remind the world of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights. The event emphasizes the power of literacy and creates awareness to advance the global agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society. 

The International Literacy Prizes reward excellence and innovation in the field of literacy and, so far, over 506 projects and programmes undertaken by governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world have been recognized. Following an annual call for submissions, an International Jury of experts appointed by UNESCO's Director-General recommends potential prizewinning programmes. Candidates are submitted by Member States or by international non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO.

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The Importance of Literacy Essay (Critical Writing)

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How Can Literacy Affect One’s Life? Essay Introduction

How can literacy affect one’s life essay main body, the importance of literacy: essay conclusion, works cited.

Literacy is a skill that is never late to acquire because it is essential for education, employment, belonging to the community, and ability to help one’s children. Those people, who cannot read, are deprived of many opportunities for professional or personal growth. Unwillingness to become literate can be partly explained by lack of resources and sometimes shame; yet, these obstacles can and should be overcome.

First, one can say that literacy is crucial for every person who wants to understand the life of a society. It is also essential for ability to critically evaluate the world and other people. In his book, Frederick Douglass describes his experiences of learning to read. Being a slave, he had very few opportunities for education.

Moreover, planters were unwilling to teach their slaves any reading skills because they believed that literacy would lead to free thinking and slaves’ aspirations for freedom (Douglass, 96). Overall, they were quite right in their assumption because literacy gives people access to information, and they understand that they can achieve much more than they have. This can be one of the reasons for learning to read.

Yet, literary is essential for many other areas of life, for example, employment. Statistical data show that low-literate adults remain unemployed for approximately six months of the year (Fisher, 211). This problem becomes particularly serious during the time when economy is in the state of recession. It is particularly difficult for such people to retain their jobs especially when businesses try to cut their expenses on workforce.

One should take into account that modern companies try to adapt new technologies or tools, and the task of a worker is to adjust to these changes. Thus, literacy and language proficiency are important for remaining competitive. Furthermore, many companies try to provide training programs to their employees, but participation in such programs is hardly possible with basic reading skills. Thus, these skills enable a person to take advantage of many opportunities.

Additionally, one has to remember that without literacy skills people cannot help their children who may struggle with their homework assignments. Moreover, ability to read enables a person to be a part of the community in which he or she lives. In his essay The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society , Jonathan Kozol eloquently describes the helplessness of illiterate people.

This helplessness manifests itself in a variety of ways; for example, one can mention inability to read medicine prescriptions, contracts, ballot papers, official documents, and so forth (Kozol, unpaged). While speaking about these people, Jonathan Kozol uses the expression “an uninsured existence” which means that they are unaware of their rights, and others can easily exploit them (Kozol, unpaged). To a great extent, illiterate individuals can just be treated as second-class citizens.

This is a danger that people should be aware of. To be an active member of a community, one has to have access to a variety of informational resources, especially, books, official documents, newspapers, printed announcements, and so forth. For illiterate people, these sources are inaccessible, and as a result, they do not know much about the life of a village, town, city, or even a country in which they live.

In some cases, adults are unwilling to acquire literacy skills, because they believe that it is too late for them to do it. Again, one has to remember that there should always be time for learning, especially learning to read.

Secondly, sometimes people are simply ashamed of acknowledging that they cannot read. In their opinion, such an acknowledgment will result in their stigmatization. Yet, by acting in such a way, they only further marginalize themselves. Sooner or later they will admit that ability to read is important for them, and it is better to do it sooner.

Apart from that, people should remember that there are many education programs throughout the country that are specifically intended for people with low literacy skills (Fisher, 214). Certainly, such programs can and should be improved, but they still remain a chance that illiterate adults should not miss. If these people decide to seek help with this problem, they will be assisted by professional educators who will teach them the reading skills that are considered to be mandatory for an adult person.

Although it may seem a far-fetched argument, participation in such programs can open the way to further education. As it has been said by Frederick Douglass learning can be very absorbing and learning to read is only the first step that a person may take (Douglass, 96). This is another consideration that one should not overlook.

Overall, these examples demonstrate that ability to read can open up many opportunities for adults. Employment, education, and ability to uphold one’s rights are probably the main reasons why people should learn to read. Nonetheless, one should not forget that professional growth and self-development can also be very strong stimuli for acquiring or improving literacy skills. Therefore, people with poor literacy skills should actively seek help in order to have a more fulfilling life.

Douglass, Frederick. “Learning to Read.” Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. Print.

Fisher, Nancy. “Literacy Education and the Workforce: bridging the gap.” Journal of Jewish Communal Service 82. 3 (2007): 210-215. Print.

Kozol, Jonathan. The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society. Vanderbilt Students of Nonviolence, 2008. Web.

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Class 11 English Core Writing and Grammar – Long Composition – Speech

CBSE Class 11 English Long Composition – Speech

I. BASED ON VERBAL INPUT

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Question 1: In order to promote reading habits in the students, your school has organised a Library Week. You are Ranjan/Reena. You have to speak in the morning assembly and inform the students about the week-long programme. You have noted the following points: — days and dates — new arrivals displayed — exhibition of books by some publishers — famous authors I poets to visit and interact with students — quizzes and competitions — more facilities in the library — new teenage magazines Write your speech in 150-200 words. Answer:

LIBRARY WEEK

Respected Principal,-Vice-Principal, teachers and friends! It gives me great pleasure to speak to you about the Library Week that our school has organised from 2nd to 9th September this year. This week is slightly different from the others. Here we have to shift the focus to mental attainment. The aim of celebrating this week is to inculcate reading habits among students. Reading, you know makes a man perfect. So new arrivals in the reference section such as encyclopaedia and dictionaries as well as general books will be displayed. National Book Trust and Oxford University Press are putting up an exhibition. We have invited Dr Kailash Vajpayee to inaugurate the exhibition. He will autograph the books and interact with students. Other authors like Khushwant Singh and Ruskin Bond will also pay us a visit. During the week, a quiz competition will be organised. The Reading section will have more new magazines of teenagers’ interest. I appeal to all of you to spend as much free time in the library as you can. Thank you.

Question 2: You are Ankit/Ankita. You have to deliver a speech on the topic “Education Gives One Power”. You have jotted down the following notes: Education trains mind—sharpens skill and abilities—Education: a source of power— improve self—be independent—earn money—ignorance to knowledge—removes superstition—develops a free spirit—important for women: gives them freedom from social ills—independent—responsible. Write your speech in 150-200 words. Answer:

EDUCATION GIVES POWER

Respected Principal, teachers and friends! Education provides us knowledge. It trains our mind and sharpens our skills and abilities. Education refines our tastes and temperaments and builds our thought process. Vocational courses help young boys to earn and learn together. They provide means of earning livelihood and open the route to employment. Professional courses, as is evident from the name itself, equip us for adopting various professions. Some of these highly skilled professionals seek placements or jobs in esteemed companies and business concerns. Thus education is important for our survival. Decent living is impossible without good income or high salary. Education improves the quality of our life and frees us of superstition, foolish, meaningless mind-blocks and rituals. If women are educated the whole family benefits qs the food is hygienically prepared, children are healthy, well-mannered and disciplined. Education gives us power over our environment. We can control the situation and shape our destiny. Education spreads awareness among people and gives them freedom from social ills. It makes people independent by providing them means to learn their living. They become responsible citizens and realise their rights and duties. In short, education gives one power. Thank you.

Question 3: You are Priya/Piyush. You are a member of the Environment Club of your school. After visiting many places you have realized that it is the need of the hour to protect environment. You decide to create awareness among the students. Write a speech in 150-200 words on ‘Environmental protection’ to be delivered in the morning assembly. Answer:

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Respected Principal, teachers and friends! Global warming has accelerated the rise of temperature on earth. The sea level is also rising and glaciers’ are melting away. Natural calamities are taking a toll of life on earth. Floods and scanty rainfall result in a crunch of food products, drinking water and disturb normal living conditions. The drought in Rajasthan has led to deaths and famine. Man is himself to blame for the deterioration of ecosystem. Depleting forests, industrial pollution, toxic-wastes, vehicular pollution, cutting of trees in cities, and lack of green cover are some of the contributory factors. The entire process of environmental pollution is becoming a vicious cycle. The urgent need of the hour is to protect environment. School children have begun to create awareness by compaigning against polythene bags and recycling waste material. Let us join hands to protect our forests, grow more trees, check toxic pollutants and change our lifestyle. Thank you.

Question 4: You are Anshu/Anita. You have secured 95 per cent marks in English. Your English teacher has persuaded you to share the secret of your success with your schoolmates. You decide to deliver a speech ‘English is an extremely scoring subject’ in the morning assembly. Write the speech in about 150-200 words. Answer:

ENGLISH: EXTREMELY SCORING SUBJECT

Respected Principal, teachers and friends! English is an extremely scoring, provided one follows a few rules, such as a good reading habit and the ability to be brief and specific in one’s answers. As far as the lessons in the CBSE textbooks are concerned, a thorough reading is essential. Questions asked from these lessons can be from any part of the chapter/story and could be about any minute detail. Remember the complete name of main characters and the author’s name. Your answer has to be in the same tense as the question. Secondly, the answer should be relevant and to the point. In order to get high marks in the comprehension passages and writing tasks, a student must have good communication skills as well as good reading habit. In article/report writing, questions on current affairs are often asked. Reading comes in very handy while writing such compositions. A report should always be written in the passive voice. In note-making, do not give more than five points. Give sub-points for each main point in a logical sequence. On the basis of the points, write a summary and give a title. In letter writing, be brief and accurate. Adopt the block format. Try to be creative while writing advertisements. The phrases/language should be catchy. These are*some points that may stand you in good stead. Thank you.

Question 5: Manish has to speak in debate supporting the motion that life in the country (a village) is preferable to life in the city. Below you can see his notes. Use the information to develop Manish’s speech in 150-200 words. COUNTRY (A VILLAGE) peace and quiet—soothing air—fresh and pure green fields all around—lovely sight helpful neighbours CITY vehicles—smoke industries—smoke-pollution crowded streets people hurry—never relax Answer:

LIFE IN A COUNTRYSIDE PREFERABLE TO LIFE IN A CITY

Respected Chairperson, Members of faculty and dear Friends! I stand before you to support the motion that life in the country side is preferable to life in the city. At the outset I will like to remind the audience about the numerous advantages that the villages offer. In fact life in the country has so many advantages over life in the city that I don’t think any one present would disagree with me. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet and has a soothing effect. The air is fresh and pure. Green fields which can be seen all around are a lovely sight. In the country people are friendly and the neighbours are helpful. On the other hand, cities are full of vehicles giving out smoke and creating atmospheric pollution. There is also air pollution from the chimneys of industries spewing off smoke. Moreover, the streets in the city are always crowded with people. Everyone is in a hurry and never finds time to relax. Village life is tension free. There is no undue hurry and excitement. The villagers may be poor in terms of income but they live a far happier life than the city dwellers. Hence I conclude that life in the countryside is preferable to life in the city. Thank you.

Question 6: Arun Kumar is a resident of Kalkaji. He is an active member of citizens’ forum. He is shocked to read the news that the Government has decided to increase the prices, of petroleum products with immediate effect. He wants to enlighten fellow citizens about the impact of Government decision on common man. Draft Arun’s speech in about 150-200 words highlighting the impact of the hike in prices of petroleum products on the life of common man. Answer:

IMPACT OF RISE IN PRICES OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

Respected Chairman and dear friends! The decision of the Central Government to hike the prices of Petroleum products has shocked all the consumers. The salaried classes and the middle-income group are the worst affected. As a common man, I resent this harsh decision of the government. The increase is not only sudden but steep also. The common man is already reeling under the spiralling prices. The recent hike in the cost of petroleum products will push the expenditure graph up by 30 to 40 per cent. The increase in the prices of diesel and petrol will not only increase the expenditure on one’s own vehicle, but also increase the freight of goods and their initial cost will. The essential commodities will get dearer. Fares of buses, autos and taxis will have an upward swing. Shopkeepers will enhance the prices of even those articles which are produce locally. This sympathetic rise in prices of commodities will make it difficult to five within a fixed income. This escalation will mean cutting down the necessary expenditure by curbing some needs of the family. I urge the Finance Minister to reconsider the decision which is bound to hit hard millions of working classes and salaried people besides, creating a vicious circle of spiralling prices. It is earnestly hoped that my views will merit some consideration at the hands of the authorities. Thank you.

Question 7: You are Navneet, a member of school Literacy Club, which has organised literacy classes in villages and city slums under the adult education programme. Draft a speech in 150¬200 words highlighting the importance of educating the illiterates. Answer:

ADULT EDUCATION

Respected Chairperson, distinguished guest and dear friends! Education provides all round development of our personality—body, mind and soul. Unfortunately, a vast number of our population remain uneducated. The rate of school drop-outs is increasing fast. To overcome the ever increasing number of illiterates Adult Education programmes have been launched by the Ministry of Education. Many voluntary and social organisation have also come forward to render service. The National Literacy Mission is an organization engaged in Adult Education. It has helped to eradicate illiteracy in India to a great extent. School and college students can also help in the noble mission. They can offer voluntary service during their free period, that is, vacation. They can organize adult literacy classes in their streets or villages. It is hoped that these educated villagers will prove helped in the development of the nation. Education will give them awareness and knowledge. They will gain information, dignity and self-respect. They will become good citizens of the nation. They will become free from the social bondage, exploitation and humiliation. Education will not remain ornamental. It will become a part of their personality. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(273-1)

THE BRAIN-D1LJN PROBLEM

Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends! The problem of brain-drain has assumed serious proportion in the last thirty years or so. The nation spends its hard earned meager resources on the education and training of its doctors, engineers, scientists, etc. But these highly talented and trained men and women of genius migrate to developed countries. They desert the ranks for the lure of money, better facilities and living conditions. Some of them get opportunities for fulfilment of their ambitions and development of personality as there is full scope for it. They enjoy unlimited freedom for experiments and research and fear no resources crunch. The parent countries become poorer by the depletion of resources as a result of migration of trained and talented persons. The migrants too feel maladjusted in the new country where they are considered second grade citizens. Living and working in an alien culture among foreigners, they find themselves cut off from their own social modes and customs. They do suffer emotional vacuum as the memories of friends and relatives in their country haunt their minds. India too has been facing this problem. We must take steps to ensure them better facilities, improved living conditions, freedom for experimentation and research. In addition to this, their talents must be utilised for proper work and their work must be given due recognition. These measures, if adopted seriously, can check the problem effectively. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(274-1)

THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST AID

Respected Principal, teachers and friends! First Aid is of immense help in case of an emergency or accident when the victim is to be given immediate help before some qualified doctor arrives or the victim is shifted to some nearby clinic or hospital. The importance of first aid can be judged from the fact that many precious fives are saved because they had been administered proper first-aid before the patients received attention from a professional medical practitioner. The knowledge of first aid proves handy in a crisis. A person receiving bum injury, a victim of accident bleeding profusely, a drowned casualty or someone suffering from poisoning need urgent and immediate attention. Administration of immediate first aid provides the necessary relief till the case is attended by a competent doctor. Thus first aid can sometimes give a second life to a person. Hence it is always beneficial to get acquainted with the basic fundamentals of first aid. It is our moral duty to help the people in distress. But the aid rendered by an untrained person may sometimes prove harmful. Hence it is essential to have proper knowledge of first aid. Mere reading of books will not be sufficient. You must know the practical application too. Careful and correct use of first-aid can be beneficial as it can save precious human lives from the jaws of death. Hence I exhort my colleagues to get the requisite knowledge by joining first aid classes. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(275-1)

EXAMINATIONS—TEST OF EFFICIENCY

Respected Chairperson, teachers and dear friends! Examinations are the tools in the hands of the teacher to assess the performance of the students. Tests provide information regarding the student’s grasp of the subject as well as achievement. Like any other object, examination too, has two sides—the brighter side and the darker side. Let us concentrate on the positive aspects or the advantages of examinations. Examinations are essential at school and college level as they help to test the efficiency of the students. The promotion of the students to the next class depends on their qualifying the lower class. Thus the examinations provide the students a stimulus to work regularly and punctually. The annual examination is usually held at the end of the academic year, i.e., in March or April. The students know that they must cover their syllabus within the prescribed time-frame. Examinations provide a visible proof of the students grasp of knowledge and reproduction. Examinations inspire the sense of competition and increase the efficiency of the students. Regular examinations inculcate good values among students. They learn to become regular, systematic, methodical and punctual in their studies. Random or irregular testing is self-defeating because it tests the ignorance of the students rather than their knowledge. The students are caught unawares. Thus irregular tests should be discarded as a wastage of time and energy. They serve neither as a test of comprehension nor as test of achievement. These days it has become fashionable to talk about doing away with examinations altogether. If there were no examinations, the students would lose interest in studies and become non-serious. This “holiday from examinations” will promote idleness, carelessness and irresponsibly. Hence, to conclude, we must agree that objective periodic and regular testing is helpful to the student’s as it ensures the real assessment of his worth and personality. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(276-1)

MISUSE OF SCIENTIFIC GADGETS

Respected Chairperson, teachers and students! Twentieth century has witnessed a revolution in the field of science and technology. Everyday we hear of numerous latest gadgets produced to make our life easy and comfortable. Recently, however, some cases have come to fight where criminals and unscrupulous elements have misused the gadgets of science for their selfish and refarious ends. Committing dacoity, kidnapping or murders using stolen vehicles has become a routine. Telephone is misused by anti-social elements. Young Romeos misuse the telephone for eve-teasing. Rash driving, honking of horns and playing loud music are some other tricks used by them. Unscrupulous operators of cable network screen vulgur films depicting glorification of violence and sex. These films directly encourage evils like smuggling, drinking and drugs. The hard-core terrorists use bombs hidden in toys to hit their targets. Remote control comes handy to them to accomplish their plan. The powerful beams of lasers are used by modem day criminals to break the safest safe. The remedy does not fie in banning the gadgets, but in arousing public consciousness. Police and administration must exercise effective vigilance. Law enforcement should be strict and law-breakers be given exemplary punishment. Thank you.

Question 12: Shweta has to deliver a speech in the morning assembly on the topic: ‘The Generation Gap is destroying family life’. Write her speech in about 150-200 words. Answer:

THE GENERATION GAP IS DESTROYING FAMILY LIFE

Respected chairman, honourable judges, members of the staff and my dear Mends! I stand before you to speak my mind on “The Generation Gap is destroying family life’. There are many points to support this contention. The generation gap has caused à chasm between the old and the young. There is a clash of ideas and ideals, tastes, way of thinking and life-style. The young hanker after luxury, comfort and material happiness. They believe in full enjoyment and complete freedom. The elders insist on moral and spiritual values. They advocate renunciation and control on desires. The children think that their parents are slave to customs. The generation gap is evident in behaviour and manners of the two classes. The elders believe in strict obedience to a superior authority. They want that children must respect their elders and learn to be polite. The children pine for freedom. They resent all sorts of curbs. They demand freedom of expression. They want to have a say in family affairs. They insist that their views must be given proper consideration. This leads to bickerings, heart-burning and tension in the family. The elders insist on discipline and strict compliance of their orders. They advocate smiling acceptance of punishment meted out for breach of discipline. The young insist on unrestrained freedom and frankness. They advocate freedom of self-expression and are unwilling to tolerate any interference in their personal affairs—career, love-affair or marriage. Thus there is a wide gap between the two generations. This difference in their way of thinking and behaviour is destroying family life. Hence, I conclude that ‘The generation gap is destroying family life’. Thank you.

Question 13: Swati attended a seminar where speakers narrated their experiences of adverse impact on modern gadgets on our daily life. She has also experienced how these gadgets fail when needed most she decides to enlighten her school mates on this helpless state by delivering a speech in the morning assembly on the topic ‘Modern gadgets have made us slaves to machines’. Write her speech in 150-200 words. Answer:

MODERN GADGETS HAVE MADE US SLAVE TO MACHINES

Respected chairperson, honourable judges, members of the staff and my dear Mends! Today I stand before you stoutly and wholeheartedly to speak on ‘Modem gadgets have made us slave to machines’. We have become so dependent upon machines for everything that out life would come to a stand still without them. Science and technology have transformed the life style of modem man. In fact the modem civilization has become highly mechanised. Right from the time we get up to the time we go to bed we depend on one or the other modem scientific gadget. He uses fridge to store food and keep it cool. Fans, room coolers and air conditioners keep him cool. Telephone increases the range of his voice whereas car multiplies the speed of his legs and now he can fly even like a bird. In his office too he dictates letters on dictaphone, which his secretary types on a typewriter, another device of modem science. Now he can store information in a computer. Mobile phones, television and cable network have become quite common. Most of these gadgets are based on electricity. Now think of a day when electricity fails. All the activities of the morning are shelved or delayed. There is no hot water for shaving or bathing. No tea or sandwich for breakfast. No computer, television or airconditioner can work without electricity. We feel miserable because we have become so used to them. The modem gadgets have helped the world to leap forward to a glittering civilization. They have provided tremendous power and unlimited knowledge to man. In fact the modem gadgets have revolutionised every phase of man’s life. Man has become so dependent upon them that it is impossible to conceive of modem man’s life without these gadgets. Hence, we can safely conclude that modem gadgets have made us slaves to machines. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(278-1)

ILLITERACY IN INDIA

Respected members of the faculty and dear friends. It is indeed shocking that even after more than five decades of independence, we have failed to spread the fruit of literacy among the masses. It is most unfortunate that even today almost half the population of India is illiterate. It is disheartening to note that in the last thirty years the literate population has risen by a mere three thousand lakhs and in the last fifty years the literacy rate has gone up by 38 per cent. Since the population of the country is increasing fast, we have to take immediate and urgent steps to spread the fruits of literacy among the masses. The lamp of knowledge should be taken to the farthest nook and comer of the far flung villages as well as the nearby slums. Let us not lose our patience while engaged in the noble task of spreading literacy. Let us adopt literacy as a mission and as our obligation towards society and the nation. The students of schools can play a very effective and constructive role in educating the illiterates. “Each one teach one’ should not remain a mere slogan. It should be translated into reality. The young students should come forward and accept it as a challenge. I therefore call upon each one of you to take a solemn pledge to educate at least one illiterate per year. I hope that all of you will rise to the occasion and take up cudgels to remove the blot of illiteracy from the fair name of our nation. Thank you.

Question 15: Harsh is deeply upset to read a report of death of people in thousands due to hunger and homelessness. He wonders why these homeless persons couldn’t be provided shelter at night in educational institutions and places of worship. Harsh decides to deliver a Speech in the morning assembly to motivate the students, teachers and Principal to take pity on the plight of the homeless and provide them night shelter. Write his speech in 150-200 words. Answer:

SHELTER TO HOMELESS

Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends! I invite your attention to a social cause. Every year thousands of homeless people die of extreme cold. It is the responsibility of the state and the citizens to provide facilities to houseless persons to sleep indoors during chilly weather. Since creating new shelters is both time-consuming and costly, we must find enough shelters for homeless people in all our cities from the existing stock of buildings. A large number of spacious buildings at prime locations are vacated every night. These are schools, colleges, offices and places of worship that lie empty every night. There is no reason why these buildings can’t be additionally redeployed with small modifications as night shelters for. the homeless. You may ask why school and college premises should be deployed additionally as shelters at night. It is not just that most school and college teaching spaces are vacant during night and the same space can be used by dispossessed people who do not have a place to sleep, without any-extra cost. Far more important is the fact, that this step would provide these educational institutions an opportunity to fulfil their social commitments as responsible social institutions and teach children and young people first-hand social empathy and social responsibility. I do hope that the authorities of our school would realize the plight of these homeless persons and open the doors of our schools to them at night. It will show fight to the entire country. Thank you.

Question 16: You are Mehak/Mahesh. Read the newspaper report below. Then write a speech on ‘Water-Borne Diseases—A threat’ to be delivered by you at the occasion of ‘World Health Day’. Write this speech using information from the report together with your own ideas. You may use not more than 200 words.

ALL WATER SAMPLES FAIL

Samples of drinking water drawn from the municipal limits of the district were found to be contaminated. The samples collected by the district health authorities from the municipal councils and the public health water resources of these towns were found to contain unacceptable levels of bacteria and were unfit for human consumption. The district civil surgeon admitted that the bacteria in water might be the source of various diseases including diarrhoea, cholera, hepatitis and typhoid. The contaminated water is more harmful for visitors than the locals.

WATER-BORNE DISEASES—A THREAT

Respected Principal, distinguished guests, teachers and friends! The report published in the newspaper is shocking. It brings to the fore the callous attitude of the administration. It is a total failure of the Water-Board to provide clean, safe water to the people, a basic necessity. The report categorically says that this water is unfit for human consumption. What are we going to do about this? Are we going to get together and fight or let water-borne diseases like cholera, hepatitis and typhoid spread? Contaminated water can cause these deadly diseases which can cause large scale deaths, if not treated immediately. These water samples must be shown to the Municipal Commissioner and an explanation demanded. On the one hand, we celebrate World Health Day, on the other hand, the basic commodity-water-is impure, I’m sure the concerned authorities will look into the matter and ensure clean and safe drinking water for the public. Thank you.

Question 17: On festival days students burst fire-crackers not knowing how much pollution they cause. You are Suresh/Sudha the Head boy/Head girl of your school. You wish to tell them some facts about bursting fire-crackers and the other sources of pollution. Prepare a detailed speech to be delivered in the school assembly. You may use the following hints and your own ideas. You may use not more than 200 words.

(a) Increase in air pollution because of suspended particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, etc. (b) Increase in respiratory diseases like Asthma, Bronchitis, Heart attacks, etc. (c) Increase in noise—pollution causing deafness.

POLLUTION CAUSED BY FIRE-CRACKERS

Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends! Good Morning! Today I would like to talk about a subject that we all do know but scarcely pay any heed to it. On the days of festivals most of us burst fire crackers not realizing the amount of pollution they cause. Thus we are ourselves degrading the environment. The bursting of fire crackers increases atmospheric pollution. The suspended particulate matter like nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide are added up when a cracker is burst. The increase in atmospheric pollution gives rise to respiratory problems like asthma and bronchitis. The cases of heart-attacks and strokes multiply. The noise pollution created by bursting of crackers may cause deafness as well. We may enjoy the bright light and the sound of explosion for a few seconds, but we ignore the permanent damage caused by bursting of crackers. We ourselves inhale the extremely harmful particles as we ignite the crackers. Hence it becomes the duty of each one of us to keep our environment clean and refrain from bursting crackers. Let us put an end to this wasteful exercise of burning our hard- earned money. Thank you.

II. BASED ON VISUAL INPUT

Question 18: You are Hemant/Harsha the Head boy/Head girl of your school. The following photo adverts caught your attention in a newspaper. You decide to make the school population aware of the pollution caused by plastic bags. Prepare a speech you intend to deliver in the morning assembly the next day giving useful suggestions and write it in not more than 200 words.

HINTS FOR HELP

  • made of harmful chemicals
  • things in them become unhealthy
  • check drainage
  • animals may eat; stuck in their bodies
  • not easy to “kill’ them.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(281-1)

POLLUTION BY PLASTIC BAGS

Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends! Good morning to you all! While going through the morning newspaper today, I came across two photo advertisements. These highlight the major problem created by the steady use of harmful polybags made of recycled plastic. The government agencies as well as voluntary organizations have made a number of efforts to propagate the harmful effects of plastic bags. However, it seems that habit die hard. Most of us still prefer to ignore the gravity of using plastic bags. Advertisements, it is said, are far more effective than the written speech. One of the advertisements reads “Kill the plastic bag before it kills your future.” It strikes the nail on the head. It clearly indicates the extreme harmfulness of these plastic bags. Let me elaborate the point further. The plastic bags are made of harmful and toxic chemicals that contaminate the environment. The things that we keep inside them become unhealthy. A single plastic bag is enough to choke the whole drainage system. If these bags are discarded carelessly, some animal may eat them. These get stuck in their bodies. A little effort and awareness on our part now can save us from a lot of future problems. Let us start using cloth or gunny bags and completely boycott the use of plastic bags. Once we revert to the old cloth/gunny bags we can convince the shopkeepers not to use plastic bags. This step will enable us to keep our environment clean, green and healthy. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(282-1)

VANA MAHOTSAVA DAY

Respected teachers and dear friends! It is good that our school is celebrating the Vana Mahotsava Day. It is only recently that man has realized the importance of afforestation and growing more trees. In these days of ever increasing pollution, trees are the best friends of human beings. The importance of planting more and more tree lies in the fact that the number of trees preserved is quite low as compared to the number of trees planted. Some of the trees wither away due to lack of proper nourishment and care and some are cut down. Two random examples are sufficient to prove the point. The number of trees planted in 2003 was 4000. Of these more than 1000 dried (withered) of the old trees about 2500 were cut. Thus the loss of trees was just 500 less than the plantation that year. However, due to preservation of the old trees the number of preserved trees stood around 1500. Let us consider another example. The highest number of trees 8000, were planted in the year 2007. But in the same year 3000 trees withered and 5000 were cut. Only 4000 trees survived. These figures clearly indicate that the loss of trees due to cutting or withering is almost equal to fresh plantation. This is not a healthy sign. Hence our endeavour should be not only to plant more and more trees every year, but also to preserve them in greater number. Proper care and nourishment is as necessary for trees as for children. Let us look after these tender saplings as we look after our young brothers and sister and guard them from every danger—natural or man-made. I am confident that the willing co-operation of all my young friends will certainly make this programme highly successful. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(283-1)

NATIONAL LITERACY DAY

Respected teachers and dear friends! The population of our country is increasing at a tremendous speed and along with it the number of illiterates, especially in the rural areas, is shooting up. This tendency is a cause of concern for all the enlightened citizens who are busy in developmental activities or welfare programmes. Knowledge or education makes a person civilized, cultured and self-dependent. Education is a medium to transmit knowledge from one person to another over time and space. Today the world is on the threshold of a revolution. National boundaries are breaking up and the nations of the world are coming closer. The world is becoming well-knit. The rich and developed countries are making rapid advances due to their advanced science and technology. The poor and undeveloped countries are lagging behind in this race of progress simply because their people are illiterates and uneducated. In order to convey one’s thoughts and feelings and to understand others, education is essential. Literacy is the first step in this direction. Poverty and lack of opportunity have hindered majority of poor persons from attaining formal education. The percentage of illiterates is far higher than that of matriculates or graduates. Concerted efforts have been made during the last twenty-five years to take the lamp of knowledge to every nook and comer under the National Literacy mission. School teachers, students, social workers and voluntary agencies have come forward to lend a helping hand in this noble mission. The Government of India has launched Adult Education Programmes. With the constant efforts of dedicated workers the pace of literacy has picked up. Students have adoped the slogan ‘Each one, teach one’ in its real meaning. “

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(284-1)

HIKE IN PRICES OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

Respected Chairperson and dear friends! The cartoon given above reveals the cartoonist’s sense of humour at the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products. These prices are a gift of the new government to the already over-burdened common man. Though the price-rise varies from ₹ 2 per litre in case of petrol to ₹ 1.50 per litre of diesel, the consumers are adversely affected both directly as well as indirectly. The rise in the prices of diesel will lead to a hike in the bus fares and freight of goods. Everyday consumable articles will become costlier. The hike in LPG prices is enough to raise the ire of the harassed housewife who doesn’t know how to balance her meagre budget against this onslaught. In fact, the effects of price-hike will percolate to all sections of society—commuters, transporters, farmers, traders, consumers, etc. Increase in cost of tariff will make goods dearer and people will face the shortage of essential items or they will have to shell out more. This will indirectly boost hoarding and black-marketing. Corruption and black money will increase and the means of the common man will shrink. The government must reconsider this hike and roll back the increase on LPG and diesel. No one will protest if more tax is levied on luxury items such as big cars, air conditioners, super computers, air-travel, etc. Frequent rise in prices is not good governance. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(285-1)

INCREASE IN VIOLENCE AND SOCIAL UNREST

Respected Principal, teachers and students! During the first decade of the millennium a disturbing trend was noticed in the society. The peace loving citizens of locality were rocked by a spurt in cases of violence and social unrest. A close scrutiny of the ‘Violence’ graph reveals a hundred per cent increase during the year 2003-2004. The upward swing went on mounting higher steadily during the next year and showed no sign of abatement. It stuck to a steady level during 2006 as well. Perhaps it was due to some strict measures adopted by the law enforcing agencies. It might also be the proverbial lull before the storm as the violence graph touched the peak in 2007 and maintained the same level during 2008. Violence against women and misbehaviour with them are manifestations of sexstarved male chauvinism to assert their Supermacy and dominance. The elimination of potential rivals during elections is the bane of politics. Apart from these murders or those committed by extremists to cause panic or by hardened criminals for extortions at the behest of their masters. The net result is the same heinous extermination of a particular individual/ group or section of society. It is high time urgent steps were undertaken by the state as well as society to curb anti-social elements as well as propagators of violence. Deterrent punishment and speedy disposal of cases can be an effective curb on the nefarious designs of these offenders against state and society. Thank you.

cbse-class-11-english-long-composition-speech-(286-1)

IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM

Respected Chairperson and distinguished guests! Tourism is a thriving business for earning valuable foreign exchange as well as providing an opportunity for cultural exchange and generating employment. India has a rich heritage of art, sculpture, music, dance and drama. Many European countries have promoted tourism as a trade. In some countries it is run like an industry. We, in India, are running it in a non-professional or amateurish manner as is evident from the troughs is the graph of domestic as well as foreign tourists. It is high time we regarded travel and tourism as an industry and launched action plans to accelerate the growth of tourism. A nodal financial institution catering to the specific needs of tourism industry should be established. The main stumbling blocks in the development of tourism at present are lack of infrastructure, inadequate ways of reaching hotels, tourist sites, gateways, etc., paucity in the number of coaches and cars (specially air-conditioned ones), ill-maintained roads. Conferences, cultured exchanges, tourism exchanges, leisure trips, education trips, holiday trips or business trips should be segregated and facilities available be publicized as an attractive package. The need and aspirations of the various categories of tourists should be carefully analysed and adhered to in the sphere of accommodation, food, entertainment and guided tours. Last but not the least the hotel industry should adopt a business like attitude in greeting and sending off the visitors with a smile. Give them a pleasant experience and prepare them to undertake a repeat visit soon. Thank you.

Radical Eyes for Equity: Third Grade Retention: The Fool’s Gold of Reading Reform

  • Grade Retention
  • Reading Instruction

Here is a report on reading reform across the US that is very important, but likely not in the ways intended:  The Effects of Early Literacy Policies on Student Achievement , John Westall and Amy Cummings.

A key value in this report is the comprehensive data on reading reform in the US, such as these two figures:

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

Notably, most of the US has early literacy policy, significantly clustered since about 2010. While this is important context, the figures also reveal a key problem with this report—the source being a conservative think tank, ExcelinEd.

ExcelinEd  is a Jeb Bush venture and represents the political and ideological connections among third grade retention, reading policy, and political gain.

I want here to focus on that dynamic, specifically how this report provides further evidence of the need for intense and critical re-evaluation of third grade retention.

ExcelinEd is grounded in Florida’s reading reform and high rates of grade retention that have produced exceptionally high NAEP scores in grade 4 reading (an outcome this report confirms across the US), but the  largest decrease from grade 4 to grade 8 reading scores .

Let’s here note what Westall and Cummings detail about grade retention:

  • Third grade retention (required by 22 states) significantly contributes to increases in early grade high-stakes assessment scores as part of comprehensive early literacy policy.
  • Retention does  not  appear to drive similar increases in low-stakes assessments.
  • No direct causal claim is made about the impact of retention since other policy and practices linked to retention may drive the increases.

Here is where this report is important, I think, but, again, not as intended:

Similar to the results for states with comprehensive early literacy policies, states whose policies mandate third-grade retention see significant and persistent increases in high-stakes reading scores in all cohorts. The magnitude of these estimates is similar to that of the “any early literacy policy” estimates described in Section 4.1.1 above, suggesting that states with retention components essentially explain all the average effects of early literacy policies on high-stakes reading scores. By contrast, there is no consistent evidence that high-stakes reading scores increase in states without a retention component.

Grade retention has immediate political appeal since we as a nation primarily discuss and judge schools and students based on high-stakes testing data.

What is lost in that political appeal is that this report clearly notes that we still have significant gaps in understanding the role of retention in raising test scores, evidence that early test score increases fade by middle grade testing, and evidence that retention creates inequity and non-academic harm in students.

Therefore, third grade retention is the Fool’s Gold of reading reform.

What I suspect you will not see emphasized by the most ardent reading reform advocates is the closing concessions in this report:

Although our study sheds light on the potential benefits of early literacy policies, there are some limitations that point to areas for future research. For example, while we provide evidence that comprehensive early literacy policies and retention mandates play an important role in improving state summative assessment scores, we cannot examine the mechanisms by which these policy components improve outcomes. Further research on the implementation of these policy components is therefore vital to understanding how early literacy policies operate. Additionally, we only focus on short-run test-score outcomes. However, prior work has established the importance of early literacy skills in determining non-cognitive outcomes and long-term student success (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Fiester & Smith, 2010; Hernandez, 2011; Sparks et al., 2014). To fully understand the benefits of early literacy policies, it is important to enumerate their non-cognitive and long-term impacts. Finally, this study does not examine the costs associated with early literacy policies.

I want here to emphasize the need to critically examine “mechanisms by which these policy components improve outcomes.”

Again, as I have stressed before, we need a more standard and understandable set of terminology and assessments that produce NAEP and state-level high-stakes testing data that can help drive authentic reform (not misleading early gains and then drops in later grades).

Currently, NAEP “proficient” remains misleading and the terminology used in state-level testing is incredibly mixed and difficult for the media, the public, and political leaders to navigate (see the information provided  here ).

Next, since England has implemented early literacy reform at a comprehensive and national level beginning in 2006, we must heed to  lessons found in their outcomes .

In terms of the impact of grade retention on high-stakes testing, the UK implements phonics checks that have shown  score increases by age month , suggesting that age-based development could be driving scores instead of any policy or instruction:

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

And thus, I agree with this argument from the UK:

There is certainly a strong argument for changing primary assessment to take account of age to lessen the risk of singling out summer born pupils as the low achievers. Assessments should be fewer in number, standardised, comparable with one another and generate norm-referenced age-standardised scores. And even then, the phrase ‘ below age-related expectations ‘ would be a misnomer; pupils with low attainment for their age would be more appropriate. This is not about re-designing the assessment system for Ofsted; this is about creating a more efficient and effective approach that would provide accurate, timely data capable of ironing out the creases caused by differences in age and allow attainment to be tracked over time. Yes, it would allow Inspectors  – and teachers – to identify those in the lowest 20% nationally – for their age! – but it would also have an interesting side-effect: a move to age standardisation would signal the end of expected standards as we know them.

My concern has always been that since NAEP is grade-based, grade retention removes the lowest scoring students from the testing pool and then reintroduces them when they are biologically older than their grade peers. Both of those skew test data by distorting the testing pool.

The  NAEP Long-term trend (LTT) data  is age-based and often reveals different outcomes that grade-based NAEP.

Finally, we must start with better data but also be more honest about what we know and do not know.

The first thing we know is that high-stakes testing data is causally related to  out-of-school factors at 60%+ rate .

And as this report concludes, we do not know how the matrix of policy reforms [1] impact high- and low-stake testing:

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

This report is incredibly important in that it does suggest that despite that complex list of different policy elements, grade retention may be the single policy that produces the outcomes that are politically attractive (this same dynamic holds in college admission where despite using a matrix of admission criteria, SAT/ACT scores often are the determining data point).

Finally, although this report identifies evidence on grade retention as mixed, the  body of research  over decades confirms significant negative consequences from retention.

Therefore, until we can answer these questions, we are making political and not educational decisions about early literacy in the US:

  • How causally linked is biological age with high-stakes assessment, and thus, how does grade retention distort grade-level testing?
  • What are the criteria for assessments that are labeled “reading” and does that criteria impact the ability to increase test scores without improving student achievement?
  • Are there policies and practices linked to grade retention that can support student achievement without negative outcomes for those students?
  • How do we reform reading in the US by focusing more on equity than high-stakes testing data?

I predict that if we answered these questions we would expose grade retention as Fool’s gold in reading policy.

And unless we change how we are debating and mandating reading policy, those students who need and deserve reform the most will continue to be cheated by education reform as industry.

[1] Note that although most of the current state-level reading policy is identified as conforming to the “science of reading,” many of the mandates support practices not supported by the current body of research (LETRS training, Orton-Gillingham phonics, decodable texts, etc.):

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

This blog post has been shared by permission from the author. Readers wishing to comment on the content are encouraged to do so via the link to the original post. Find the original post here:

The views expressed by the blogger are not necessarily those of NEPC.

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

P.L. Thomas

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Educating for our new normal: how the end of illiteracy can begin now.

Forbes Technology Council

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Richard Carranza is Chief of Strategy and Global Development at IXL Learning .

Educators can give their communities a powerful tool that will help alleviate entrenched socioeconomic disparities. The resource is important for maintaining self-esteem, sharpening problem-solving abilities and honing conflict management skills. It is essential for high school graduation and crucial for success in secondary education. The benefits it provides are intergenerational, passed down from educators to their students and their students' children.

This tool is vital for maintaining a functioning society. Governments use it to assist citizens in voting, following medical instructions and even navigating around town.

The tool is literacy, and unfortunately, far too many people do not have enough of it.

If you can easily understand this sentence, then you can do something that one in five American adults struggle with. Roughly 48 million of your neighbors—the populations of Oregon, Washington, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nebraska and Delaware combined—have difficulty with everyday tasks because of their inability to read. Many can't read at all.

To prevent the pool of adults who struggle with reading and writing from expanding, we need to employ new technology, updated research and modern teaching methods to address the problem where it begins—early childhood.

A Pendulum Swing Toward Science-Based Reading

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average fourth-grade NAEP reading score in 2022 sank to a point "lower than all previous assessment years going back to 2005 and was not significantly different in comparison to 1992."

We are in a crisis of academic stagnation, but the worst could be yet to come. If students cannot read proficiently by the third grade, they may be held back , struggle to catch up and become four times less likely to graduate from high school. This would jeopardize the lives of millions of soon-to-be adults who would have to navigate the world without fundamental skills for success.

As schools grapple with declining reading scores, the pendulum of instruction recently swung toward " structured literacy ," which emphasizes the systematic and explicit teaching of literacy components. Structured literacy is based on the science of reading , a body of research about what matters and works in literacy instruction.

Forty-five states and Washington, D.C., have now passed at least one bill related to reforming reading instruction, with many of them emphasizing the science of reading. However, many educators are not fully trained on how to instruct using the latest research-based practices and are usually juggling competing priorities that make it difficult to quickly get up to speed.

Edtech has emerged as an innovative tool to structure learning, improve teaching with evidence-based practices and ensure that academic stagnation is no longer an unavoidable tragedy.

Transforming Literacy Instruction With Edtech

In a traditional classroom, educators were often unable to meet the daily needs of every student, especially while addressing learning loss. However, in our "new normal" era, technology has emerged as a powerful tool to align instruction with the science of reading and boost achievement.

When learners struggle with reading or writing, it can be challenging for teachers to untangle the problem and provide the right support. This is why formative adaptive assessments are critical to learning recovery strategies. They help educators evaluate skill levels, pinpoint knowledge gaps across the science of reading's pillars and provide personalized instruction that builds reading skills more effectively.

Assessments should also be used to help children who have suffered the most. Until recently, remedies for learning disabilities were only available to those with time and money, but the proliferation of edtech is changing that paradigm. Educators and lawmakers are increasingly mandating and providing millions of dollars of funding for digital assessments like dyslexia screeners because they have incredible potential to identify at-risk students.

Other tools like reading modes , multi-sensory lessons and personalized activities help students with learning differences grow their reading skills by reducing their cognitive load. Moreover, AI is becoming an incredible partner for teachers, as it automates time-consuming tasks such as assigning skills and grading assignments. This frees up educators to spend quality time with students and accelerate reading and writing performance.

Holistically Revamping Literacy Education

These innovative resources support students in building knowledge and fluency at their own pace, enabling teachers to provide individualized, explicit and systematic instruction to all learners. However, innovation alone is not enough. The decline in early literacy scores is a complex issue that spans K-12 education, college courses, teacher preparation and professional development. That means we need a holistic strategy. Isolated changes, like replacing one bald tire on a car with all of them worn out, will not be effective.

A national commission with representation from all levels of education could provide guidance on how to teach children how to read, highlight research-based edtech tools, and recommend how to integrate the science of reading into teacher preparation programs and professional development. We should also reorient our relationship toward technology in the classroom (to think that teachers once suspended students for using devices in school!) and implement it to teach in a multi-dimensional way.

Additionally, universities and teacher preparation programs should require mandatory coursework on reading instruction rooted in the latest research. These steps are important because educators often enter the profession without the necessary training in science-based reading instruction. Local conversations between school districts, superintendents, teacher associations and unions are also essential for this to work, and states should play a leading role in determining necessary credentialing requirements for educators.

By merging innovation, research and pedagogy, we can transform the way we teach and learn how to read. The combination has the potential to jump-start a new era of academic achievement. It could also be the beginning of the end of illiteracy.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

Richard Carranza

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Importance of Education Speech for Students and Children in English

February 27, 2023 by Prasanna

Importance of Education Speech: Education is an integral part of human lives. Education and knowledge are not only essential for personal development, but it is also required for the development of the economy. Education nurtures an individual’s thinking and supplies them with the ability to think, act and grow in life. Education also empowers people and helps them become efficient in all aspects of living and experience in respective fields of work.

Education in childhood, and through Higher Secondary plays a vital role in the formative years of a children’s life. It shapes their personality, ability to work and helps them discover their true potential. Higher Education is essential for training and skill development. Hence Education, in all forms and at any point in life, plays an indispensable role in our lives.

Students can also find more  English Speech Writing  about Welcome Speeches, Farewell Speeches, etc.

Long and Short Speeches on Importance of Education for Students and Kids in English

Below, we have compiled one long speech on the topic of 500 words, one short speech of 100-150 words. Further, we have also provided ten lines. Below, we have provided speeches on the Importance of Education in Life.

Importance of Education

Long Speech on Importance of Education 500 words in English

Importance of Education Essay is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Good Morning to my dear friends, respected teachers and honourable chief guests. Today, I would love to make use of this platform to present before you a speech on the importance of Education.

Education is a term that we have grown up listening to since we were kids. Right from the beginning of childhood, till this very moment, we have been surrounded by Education and its need and importance. We have always been told by our parents, guardians and teachers that Education is essential and we should all take it seriously. But let us first address the matter of what is Education?

By definition, Education is the systematic mode via which students are instructed, and imparted knowledge in a school, college or any other institutional organisation. This is the theoretical definition of what the term Education implies. However, in practice, Education encompasses a holistic and wholesome training and development of an individual. Education is how an individual possesses knowledge about various aspects in life, becomes empowered and acquires the ability to think freely and uniquely.

Education is imparted to us in kindergarten, high school and throughout till university. But even apart from that, our very own lives teach us lessons. It is via the experience gathered in living daily life, through which we learn some of the most important and toughest lessons about life and existence. Education is essential because it leads to the development of the mind and the intellect. Education can hence be defined as a mode which helps in the overall growth and framing of an individual’s personality and intellectual potentiality. Keeping this view of Education in mind, we can well conclude that it is an essential phenomenon, and each human being should have the right to access proper and definitive Education.

The primary objective of Education is to impart knowledge. Education also has its fair share in building the thinking capacity of people’s minds. Hence, Education supplies people with knowledge and facts and also encourages them to integrate that acquired knowledge into practical and professional lives via necessary training. Education, thus, also plays a primary role in supporting the economic, social and cultural sector of a country.

The need to learn, develop and implement is yet another goal which Education fulfils. Apart from imparting knowledge, people are also vested in civic and social responsibilities. Education makes people aware of their duties and what is ethical and unethical in life. Training also helps in emotional integration. In a literary community, there exist no petty issues such as meaningless and irrational conflicts and contradictions. An educated population knows how to co-exist and cooperate with their peers and colleagues. Hence, to attain world peace, justice, freedom and equality, Education is essential. Everyone should have the right to educate themselves and grow life.

For the various reasons stated above, everyone must get access to Education. India, as a country, is the second-largest in terms of population. Out of its total demography, more than half of the people form a part of the growing community, aged thirty and below.

Thus for a country that is filled with new and young minds, Education is essential.

Short Speech on Importance of Education 150 Words in English

Importance of Education Essay is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Dear friends and teachers, I would like to give a short speech on the Importance of education today.

Every individual is born with their capacity to think and judge. Education is the medium through which they learn about how to implement their talents and put them into practice.

Hence, for India’s development and growth, the Indian youth must have enough resources to learn and educate themselves. Education helps with out-of-the-box and critical thinking. The youth of India, with proper Education, can bring in an innovative wave of thought and practice into the country. This will help the country to grow and develop further and become one of the largest think-tanks in the world.

On a worldwide level, about 37% of the total illiterate population is Indian. Closer to home, 26% of the Indian people do not receive Education and guidance. The Central Government, along with various state governments of the country, have come up with multiple policies to educate the people of the country. But all those attempts have been mostly in vain.

The solution to make this country flourish and progress is to make Education free for every individual. More than half the people in our country go without receiving Education due to lack of money and opportunities. Only a privileged few people are capable of attaining proper Education and making positive use of it.

Hence, Education is significant. It opens up people’s minds and makes them understand, develop and grow. As fortunate individuals, who have the privilege of attaining proper Education, we should all gather together and make it possible for the underprivileged individuals to become entitled to their right to learning and achieving Education.

I want to conclude my speech here. I could convey to all the purpose, need and importance of Education in life.

10 Lines on Importance of Education Speech in English

  • Education is an essential aspect of life, growth and development.
  • Without Education, there is little prospect of a country’s development and excellency.
  • With Education comes the power to learn and implement.
  • Education plays an essential role in character building as well as in shaping the personality of individuals.
  • Of all the people in the society, the youth should be entitled to the Right to Education.
  • By educating the youth of society, a country can ensure its future development and progress.
  • Education vests individuals with the ability to think and hold opinions on different matters.
  • Education also helps us in learning about our history, roots, culture and our past.
  • Everyone in society should realise the need and purpose of Education in life.
  • For a developing country like India, Education is essential.

FAQ’s on Importance of Education Speech

Question 1. What is proper Education?

Answer: Education can be defined as the method by which people acquire knowledge, skills and training about various aspects of life. Proper and correct Education means the Education that can help a person to lead a successful and happy life.

Question 2. Is Education important in life?

Answer: Yes. Education and learning is very important in life for growth and development.

Question 3. Why is Education important?

Answer: Education is essential because it allows the overall holistic and wholesome development of individuals and makes them self-sufficient and skilful.

Question 4. Should everyone receive Education?

Answer: Yes. Education is the birthright of every human individual.

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Susan Wojcicki, Former Chief of YouTube, Dies at 56

The business executive helped turn Google into an internet juggernaut and became one of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley.

A woman in a leather jacket and white T-shirt sits against a dark background.

By John Yoon and Mike Isaac

Susan Wojcicki , who helped turn Google from a start-up in her garage into an internet juggernaut, and who became one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent female executives with her leadership of YouTube, died on Friday. She was 56.

Her death was confirmed by her husband, Dennis Troper, who wrote on Facebook that she had been living with lung cancer for two years. He did not say where she died.

Ms. Wojcicki’s more than two decades with Google began in 1998 in her house in Menlo Park, Calif., part of which she rented to her friends Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the company’s founders. For $1,700 a month, the two used the garage as their office to build the search engine.

Ms. Wojcicki, who had been working at Intel, soon joined Google as one of its earliest employees and was its first marketing manager. Over the years, she reached its executive ranks, becoming Google’s most senior woman employee. She eventually led YouTube, which Google acquired in 2006, and which became one of the world’s largest social media companies.

“She is as core to the history of Google as anyone, and it’s hard to imagine the world without her,” Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, said in a statement .

When she became YouTube’s chief executive in 2014, Ms. Wojcicki was hailed as the most powerful woman in advertising. She had made Google enormously profitable, and she was expected to repeat the trick at YouTube. She led Google’s ad business and played a key role in its acquisition of DoubleClick , an advertising technology company, in 2007.

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Teaching their kids financial literacy helped set this couple up for retirement

Man and woman smile at camera with Greek houses made from white concrete behind them

Australians can set themselves up for a more comfortable retirement by teaching their children financial literacy, according to a financial advisor.

A OECD study found only 34 per cent of adults reached the minimum target score on financial literacy.

What's next?

Teaching children discipline, goal setting and delayed gratification are good starting points for building financial literacy, according to the experts.

Newly retired couple Andrew and Michele Ryan are in their "go-go years", and are travelling the world instead of stashing away savings toward their children's inheritance.

"There are the 'go-go' years, the 'go-slow' years, and the 'no-go' years," Ms Ryan said.

"That is the focus of what we're doing, to get out and experience things while we can."

The couple credit their freedom to the financial independence of their daughters — both aged in their 20s — and the rigorous money education they worked hard to give their children when they were younger.

Couple smile with the ancient Acropolis behind them

"It just gives us the comfort to know that we're not worried about leaving money for them because we know that they have the skills to make it," Mr Ryan said.

"We actually do have friends that are making sure that they have money for their kids and they're still paying for them in their 40s."

Research published by financial services company AMP in June found that although three in four older Australians believed it was important to pass their wealth onto their children, 70 per cent were unwilling to compromise their retirement lifestyle to do so.

The Ryans can relate.

They're currently enjoying a month-long holiday in Indonesia, followed by a cruise from Brisbane to Victoria, booked for the Melbourne Cup.

"We know that there will be something left, but we're not saying that we have to leave everything to them and therefore sacrifice our travel or our retirement," Ms Ryan said.

Two photos of an older couple on holidays, outside a stone building and in a boat.

How important is financial literacy?

An international survey by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2023 found that on average across its 39 member countries, only 34 per cent of adults reached the minimum target score on financial literacy.

Financial advisor Ben Greany said teaching financial literacy to your children was integral to setting up your own retirement.

"The ones [retirees] that do it well, do have children that have been successful in their own right and do have their own financial stability," the central Queensland-based advisor said.

Ben Greany

Mr Greany said the intergenerational consequences of financial literacy issues were obvious.

"If someone has had parents that have always struggled and not done their own budgets well, you'd expect that to flow through to the children," he said.

"The discipline of saving is very hard, it's not something you would just pick up naturally … you would have to be taught and influenced in some way."

side of man's head looking at computer screen

Teaching the 'value of money'

Mr Ryan, 58 — a carpenter by trade who went on to work in local government — retired earlier this month. 

Ms Ryan, 65, retired in February from her career as a vocational teacher at TAFE Queensland, and still operates a small side-hustle as a travel agent.

But the couple said their preparation for retirement started decades ago when they began teaching their daughters fiscal lessons from an early age.

Mr Ryan said one of those strategies had their daughters funding items they wanted, while big ticket-purchases — such as a car — were split half-and-half.

"It taught them the value of money," he said.

"If you give your kids something, then it has no value to them, and they'll damage that car or they'll damage that phone and there's no financial consequence."

He said there was also an emphasis on work ethic.

"They had jobs since they were 14 years and nine months," Mr Ryan said.

"[When they graduated] they were just keen to get into the world, earn their own money and set themselves up."

A young girl hugs an older couple.

Hailey Ryan, the couple's youngest daughter, applauds her parents' approach.

She said being taught a good work and financial ethic from a young age had allowed her parents to have more financial freedom.

"They don't have two daughters relying on them," the 25-year-old said.

She welcomed her parents' adventurous spirit and ability to enjoy their retirement years.

"They have worked really hard, so I think it is really exciting opportunity to spend money the way they want to," she said.

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Literacy: Why it matters

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There are few skills more important to acquire in today’s world than literacy. Literacy is a gateway to academic achievement and a significant influence on outcomes as diverse as earning potential and health and wellbeing. High levels of literacy across society are vital to happy, healthy and fulfilling lives [1] . However, despite the undeniable importance of literacy, literacy levels have been flatlining or in decline in many countries across the world, especially in a number of western nations.

This research summary outlines the benefits of literacy for both education and broader life outcomes. Literacy here is conceptualised as the ability to read and write proficiently. Using this definition does not negate the significant role that other modes of literacy, including oracy and listening skills, have on individuals’ life outcomes. It also recognises that each of these modes of literacy is interrelated – for example, early oral language skills are known to strongly predict later reading comprehension [2] . However, given that the vast majority of research studies that inquire into the importance of literacy define it in terms of reading and writing, it is practical for this brief summary to take reading and writing as its focus. 

Literacy and educational success

Literacy is essential for educational success and underpins a student’s ability to access the breadth of the curriculum and achieve highly across it. Children who lack adequate levels of literacy risk experiencing a narrowed curriculum, ongoing difficulties with self-expression and limited future pathways.

From the start of formal schooling, students who struggle with literacy will seriously struggle both to access written material used in classrooms and to express themselves in tasks that involve writing. Subject areas like English and the social sciences are extremely dependent on student literacy, as the vast majority of learning tasks within these areas require substantial amounts of reading and writing, even in the early years of schooling [3] . If students have low reading levels, they will be unable to properly process the complex texts required to succeed in these subject areas. For instance, they will find it difficult to make inferences and to summarise information they read, which will significantly limit their ability to build the knowledge and understanding they need for future success [4] . Similarly, students with insufficient writing skills will struggle to express themselves with the level of competence and sophistication required to succeed in these subjects. The converse is also true, and research has consistently shown that so-called ‘writing-to-learn’ interventions, where writing is embedded into instruction as a way of deepening student understanding of content, lead to improved academic achievement in these subjects, especially if such interventions are sustained throughout a student’s years at school [5] .

Literacy is just as important for students to access the curriculum and achieve academic success in subjects not traditionally associated with literacy. Research has shown that literacy is crucial for mathematics and science achievement, especially as these subjects move to focus more on ‘real-world’ problem-solving tasks which require students to engage with complex texts [6] . We also know that literacy-based interventions focused on improving reading are an important way to improve student outcomes in these subjects [7] . While less is understood about the relationship between writing ability and achievement in subjects like science and mathematics, some research has shown that students’ ability to express themselves clearly and accurately in writing is central to doing well in these subjects [8] . It is also the case that, as with reading-based interventions, interventions in science and mathematics classrooms that support students to become better writers, such as the ‘writing-to-learn’ style interventions above, support their achievement in these subjects [9] .

Finally, research indicates that there is a significant relationship between literacy and what is typically termed ‘fluid intelligence’, that is, the ability to reason efficiently and critically, particularly in the context of solving novel problems [10] . It is difficult to define the direction of this relationship with a great degree of precision, but it is likely bidirectional, which means that fluid intelligence supports literacy development and also that gains in literacy may support gains in fluid intelligence. Therefore, in addition to providing students with opportunities to learn and supporting success across the curriculum, literacy likely also supports the development of general cognitive skill [11] .  However, this is still an emerging area of scholarly inquiry.

Taken together, the above evidence makes the importance of literacy for educational success clear. It is essential to ensure that students are highly literate if we want them to be able to access the full breadth of the curriculum and reach their full potential within the education system.

Literacy and broader life outcomes

Beyond formal education, literacy is an important factor when it comes to a range of life outcomes, from income levels to improved happiness and health.

Literacy and income

A range of studies have shown that improved literacy levels directly correlate to improved income levels for individuals. For instance, the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) study found that moving from the lowest levels of literacy to the highest levels of literacy (as measured by their scale-based system) resulted in an 8-10% increase in hourly earnings for those with an upper secondary education, and a 15-18% increase for those with a tertiary level education. This was the case even when controlling for a range of factors such as age, gender, and parental education levels [12] . A similar study from the United Kingdom found that, even when controlling for factors as diverse as an individual’s socio-economic status, the school they attended, parental involvement in their education and so on, those with what they called ‘functional literacy’ (a reading age of 11 or above) were able to earn on average 16% more than those with lower levels of literacy [13] . The data for New Zealand mirrors these international trends, with higher literacy levels directly correlating with higher earning potential [14] .

Literacy and health

The links between literacy and health outcomes are many and varied. A number of studies show strong correlations between literacy and general health outcomes, and demonstrate that more literate individuals enjoy better health and live longer [15] . Even when controlling for other potential factors which could explain health outcomes like age, gender, socio-economic status, income, ethnicity and so on, lower literacy has been consistently associated with outcomes as diverse as more hospitalisations, lower vaccine uptake, lower participation in screening programmes (such as those for certain forms of cancer) and increased recourse to emergency care [16] . In particular, a number of studies looking at the relationship between literacy and health have focused on individuals’ ability to engage with the complex texts necessary to navigate health systems, self-administer prescription drugs correctly, and follow public health guidelines and general advice. Put simply, looking after your health often requires reading and comprehending a significant amount of complex information, and studies have shown that patients who struggle with understanding this information – such as the instructions on prescriptions or information forms provided by health services – will suffer poorer health outcomes as a result [17] . To summarise, a more literate population is also a significantly healthier population with a longer life expectancy.

Literacy and crime

As with income and health, a range of factors in a person’s life course clearly influence whether or not they end up within the criminal justice system. However, research has shown that literacy levels remain a predictor of criminal activity, even when controlling for other key factors typically associated with an individual’s likelihood of committing a crime [18] . The UK-based National Literacy Trust surmises that this is likely to be because issues with literacy may compound other already extant risk-factors, further limiting a person’s life chances in ways which can ultimately, if indirectly, lead to criminal activity [19] . While it is important to be careful in claiming any direct causal link between literacy levels and rates of offending, literacy may be considered as one of a broad range of factors involved in understanding why someone may end up committing an offence.

Literacy, identity, and wellbeing

In addition to mediating some of the life outcomes explored above, literacy is also an important bedrock for identity, something which can have a number of positive flow-on effects for individuals and their communities. This is particularly the case where individuals and communities are able to gain or regain literacy in their heritage language(s). In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori who have developed literacy in te reo Māori (the Māori language), including both oral literacy and skills in reading and writing, have been shown to have stronger cultural identities and greater overall wellbeing [20] . Strengthened literacy in heritage languages also means that individuals find it easier to engage in particular cultural spaces where these heritage languages are predominant. This improved sense of cultural identity has positive effects on mental health in particular [21] . Beyond cultural identity, literacy also supports the development of self-understanding, the understanding of others and self-expression through reading and writing, all of which can positively affect mental health more broadly [22] .

[1] Morrisroe, J. (2014). Literacy changes lives 2014: A new perspective on health, employment and crime . National Literacy Trust.

[2] Kendeou, P., van den Broek, P., White, M. J., & Lynch, J. S. (2009). Predicting reading comprehension in early elementary school: The independent contributions of oral language and decoding skills.  Journal of Educational Psychology, 101 (4), 765–778.  https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015956

[3] Lee, C. D., & Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy. Final report from Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy.  Carnegie Corporation of New York.

[4] Denton, C. A., Enos, M., York, M. J., Francis, D. J., Barnes, M. A., Kulesz, P. A., … & Carter, S. (2015). Text‐processing differences in adolescent adequate and poor comprehenders reading accessible and challenging narrative and informational text.  Reading Research Quarterly ,  50 (4), 393-416.

[5] Bangert-Drowns, R. L., Hurley, M. M., & Wilkinson, B. (2004). The effects of school-based writing-to-learn interventions on academic achievement: A meta-analysis.  Review of Educational Research ,  74 (1), 29-58; Graham, S., Kiuhara, S. A., & MacKay, M. (2020). The effects of writing on learning in science, social studies, and mathematics: A meta-analysis.  Review of Educational Research ,  90 (2), 179-226.

[6] Dempster, E. R., & Reddy, V. (2007). Item readability and science achievement in TIMSS 2003 in South Africa. Science Education , 91 (6), 906-925; Helwig, R., Rozek-Tedesco, M. A., Tindal, G., Heath, B., & Almond, P. J. (1999). Reading as an access to mathematics problem solving on multiple-choice tests for sixth-grade students. The Journal of Educational Research , 93 (2), 113-125; Jiban, C. L., & Deno, S. L. (2007). Using math and reading curriculum-based measurements to predict state mathematics test performance: are simple one-minute measures technically adequate?. Assessment for Effective Intervention , 32 (2), 78-89; O’Reilly, T., & McNamara, D. S. (2007). The impact of science knowledge, reading skill, and reading strategy knowledge on more traditional “high-stakes” measures of high school students’ science achievement. American Educational Research Journal , 44 (1), 161-196.     

[7] Cervetti, G. N., Barber, J., Dorph, R., Pearson, P. D., & Goldschmidt, P. G. (2012). The impact of an integrated approach to science and literacy in elementary school classrooms. Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 49 (5), 631-658; Fang, Z., & Wei, Y. (2010). Improving middle school students’ science literacy through reading infusion. The Journal of Educational Research , 103 (4), 262-273; Tong, F., Irby, B. J., Lara-Alecio, R., & Koch, J. (2014). Integrating literacy and science for English language learners: From learning-to-read to reading-to-learn. The Journal of Educational Research , 107 (5), 410-426.

[8] Hebert, M. A., & Powell, S. R. (2016). Examining fourth-grade mathematics writing: Features of organization, mathematics vocabulary, and mathematical representations. Reading and Writing , 29 (7), 1511-1537; Powell, S. R., & Hebert, M. A. (2016). Influence of writing ability and computation skill on mathematics writing. The Elementary School Journal , 117 (2), 310-335.

[9] Cross, D. I. (2009). Creating optimal mathematics learning environments: Combining argumentation and writing to enhance achievement. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education , 7 (5), 905-930; Jurdak, M., & Abu Zein, R. (1998). The effect of journal writing on achievement in and attitudes toward mathematics. School Science and Mathematics , 98 (8), 412-419; Miller, D. M., Scott, C. E., & McTigue, E. M. (2018). Writing in the secondary-level disciplines: A systematic review of context, cognition, and content. Educational Psychology Review , 30 (1), 83-120); Graham, S., Kiuhara, S. A., & MacKay, M. (2020). The effects of writing on learning in science, social studies, and mathematics: A meta-analysis.  Review of Educational Research ,  90 (2), 179-226.

[10] Peng, P., Wang, T., Wang, C., & Lin, X. (2019). A meta-analysis on the relation between fluid intelligence and reading/mathematics: Effects of tasks, age, and social economics status.  Psychological Bulletin ,  145 (2), 189.

[11] Miller-Cotto, D., & Byrnes, J. P. (2020). What’s the best way to characterize the relationship between working memory and achievement?: An initial examination of competing theories.  Journal of Educational Psychology ,  112 (5), 1074; Peng, P., & Kievit, R. A. (2020). The development of academic achievement and cognitive abilities: A bidirectional perspective.  Child Development Perspectives ,  14 (1), 15-20.

[12] Lane, M., & Conlon, G. (2016). The impact of literacy, numeracy and computer skills on earnings and employment outcomes.  OECD Education Working Papers , No. 129, OECD Publishing, Paris,  https://doi.org/10.1787/5jm2cv4t4gzs-en .

[13] McIntosh, S., & Vignoles, A. (2001). Micro-analysis of the effects of literacy and numeracy. In Bynner et al. (Eds), Improving adult basic skills: Benefits to the individual and to society . London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

[14] OECD. (2015). PIAAC Country Note: New Zealand . Accessed at: https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/Skills-Matter-New-Zealand.pdf

[15] Bostock, S., & Steptoe, A. (2012). Association between low functional health literacy and mortality in older adults: Longitudinal cohort study.  BMJ ,  344 .

[16] Berkman, N. D., Sheridan, S. L., Donahue, K. E., Halpern, D. J., & Crotty, K. (2011). Low health literacy and health outcomes: An updated systematic review.  Annals of Internal Medicine ,  155 (2), 97-107.

[17] For a general overview see: Berkman, N. D., Sheridan, S. L., Donahue, K. E., Halpern, D. J., & Crotty, K. (2011). Low health literacy and health outcomes: An updated systematic review.  Annals of Internal Medicine ,  155 (2), 97-107. Specific studies include: Wagner, C., Semmler, C., Good, A., & Wardle, J. (2009). Health literacy and self-efficacy for participating in colorectal cancer screening: The role of information processing. Patient Education and Counseling, 75 (3), 52-7;  Davis, T. C., Wolf, M.S., Bass III, P. F., Thompson, J. A., Tilson, H. H., Neuberger, M., et al. (2006). Literacy and misunderstanding prescription drug labels. Annals of Internal Medicine , 145 (12), 887-894; Schillinger D., Barton, L. R., Karter, A.J., Wang, F., & Adler, N. (2006). Does literacy mediate the relationship between education and health outcomes? A study of a low-income population with diabetes. Public Health Reports , 121(3), 245-254. doi:10.1177/003335490612100305

[18] Bynner, J. (2009).  Lifelong learning and crime: A life-course perspective . National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education (NIACE); Parsons, S. (2002).  Basic skills and crime: Findings from a study of adults born in 1958 and 1970 . Basic Skills Agency.

[19] Morrisroe, J. (2014). Literacy changes lives 2014: A new perspective on health, employment and crime.  National Literacy Trust .

[20] Te Huia, A. (2015). Perspectives towards Māori identity by Māori heritage language learners. New Zealand Journal of Psychology , 44 (3); Matika, C. M., Manuela, S., Houkamau, C. A., & Sibley, C. G. (2021). Māori and Pasifika language, identity, and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online , 1-23.

[21] Williams, A. D., Clark, T. C., & Lewycka, S. (2018). The associations between cultural identity and mental health outcomes for indigenous Māori youth in New Zealand. Frontiers in Public Health , 6 , 319.

[22] Mar, R. A., & Oatley, K. (2008). The function of fiction is the abstraction and simulation of social experience.  Perspectives on Psychological Science ,  3 (3), 173-192; Smyth, J. M. (1998). Written emotional expression: Effect sizes, outcome types, and moderating variables.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology ,  66 (1), 174.

By Taylor Hughson

PREPARED FOR THE EDUCATION HUB BY

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

Taylor Hughson

Taylor Hughson is a doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, investigating the development of national and international teaching policy frameworks. Prior to beginning his studies in Cambridge, he completed an MEd and MA at Victoria University of Wellington and was a secondary school English teacher in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand. 

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Trump’s plans if he returns to the White House include deportation raids, tariffs and mass firings

President Joe Biden has a lot of unfinished business from his first term that he intends to continue if reelected. It’s a far different vision for the country than Donald Trump has outlined during his own campaign. (Nov. 12)

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FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla.Trump is already laying a sweeping set of policy goals should he win a second term as president. Priorities on the Republican’s agenda include a mass deportation operation, a new Muslim ban and tariffs on all imported goods. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

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FILE - President Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking in the East Room of the White House, early Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Washington. Trump is already laying a sweeping set of policy goals should he win a second term as president. Priorities on the Republican’s agenda include a mass deportation operation, a new Muslim ban and tariffs on all imported goods. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, July 29, 2023, in Erie, Pa. Trump is already laying a sweeping set of policy goals should he win a second term as president. Priorities on the Republican’s agenda include a mass deportation operation, a new Muslim ban and tariffs on all imported goods.. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women Lilac Luncheon, June 27, 2023, in Concord, N.H. Trump is already laying a sweeping set of policy goals should he win a second term as president. Priorities on the Republican’s agenda include a mass deportation operation, a new Muslim ban and tariffs on all imported goods.. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking Oct. 11, 2023, at Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Hialeah, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

NEW YORK (AP) — A mass deportation operation. A new Muslim ban. Tariffs on all imported goods and “freedom cities” built on federal land.

Much of the 2024 presidential campaign has been dominated by the myriad investigations into former President Donald Trump and the subsequent charges against him. But with less than a year until Election Day, Trump is dominating the race for the Republican nomination and has already laid out a sweeping set of policy goals should he win a second term.

His ideas, and even the issues he focuses on most, are wildly different from President Joe Biden’s proposals . If implemented, Trump’s plans would represent a dramatic government overhaul arguably more consequential than that of his first term. His presidency, especially the early days, was marked by chaos, infighting and a wave of hastily written executive orders that were quickly overturned by the courts.

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  • Nikki Haley, Trump’s major GOP challenger, suspends her campaign after being soundly defeated across the country.
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Some of his current ideas would probably end up in court or impeded by Congress. But Trump’s campaign and allied groups are assembling policy books with detailed plans.

A look at his agenda:

DISMANTLING THE ‘DEEP STATE’

Trump would try to strip tens of thousands of career employees of their civil service protections. That way, they could be fired as he seeks to “totally obliterate the deep state.”

He would try to accomplish that by reissuing a 2020 executive order known as “Schedule F.” That would allow him to reclassify masses of employees, with a particular focus, he has said, on “corrupt bureaucrats who have weaponized our justice system” and “corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus.” Given his anger at the FBI and federal prosecutors pursuing criminal cases against him, Trump probably would target people linked to those prosecutions for retribution.

Beyond the firings, he wants to crack down on government officials who leak to reporters. He also wants to require that federal employees pass a new civil service test.

THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER

Trump has pledged to “immediately stop the invasion of our southern border” and end illegal immigration.

As part of that plan, he says he would immediately direct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to undertake the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. He would target people who are legally living in the United States but harbor “jihadist sympathies” and revoke the student visas of those who espouse anti-American and antisemitic views.

In a bid to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump says he will move thousands of troops currently stationed overseas and shift federal agents, including those at the Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI, to immigration enforcement. He also wants to build more of the border wall.

Trump wants to reimpose his travel ban that originally targeted seven Muslim-majority countries and expand it to “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the country.” In the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel, he has pledged to put in place “ideological screening” for immigrants. His aim: bar “dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs,” as well as those who “empathize with radical Islamic terrorists and extremists.”

To deter migrants, he has said he would end birthright citizenship, using an an executive order that would introduce a legally untested interpretation of the 14th Amendment. The order would prevent federal agencies from granting automatic citizenship to the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally. It would require that at least one parent be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for their children to be eligible for passports, Social Security numbers and other benefits.

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Trump says he will institute a system of tariffs of perhaps 10% on most foreign goods. Penalties would increase if trade partners manipulate their currencies or engage in other unfair trading practices.

He will urge that Congress pass a “Trump Reciprocal Trade Act,” giving the president authority to impose a reciprocal tariff on any country that imposes one on the U.S.

Much of the agenda focuses on China. Trump has proposed a four-year plan to phase out Chinese imports of essential goods, including electronics, steel and pharmaceuticals. He wants to ban Chinese companies from owning vital U.S. infrastructure in sectors such as energy, technology and agriculture, and says he will force Chinese owners to sell any holdings “that jeopardize America’s national security.”

FOREIGN POLICY

Trump claims that even before he is inaugurated, he will have settled the war between Russia and Ukraine. That includes, he says, ending the “endless flow of American treasure to Ukraine” and asking European allies to reimburse the U.S. for the cost of rebuilding stockpiles.

It is unclear whether he would insist that Russia withdraw from territory in Ukraine it seized in the war that it launched in February 2022.

Trump has said he will stand with Israel in its war with Hamas and support Israel’s efforts to “destroy” the militant group. He says he will continue to “fundamentally reevaluate” NATO’s purpose and mission.

TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

Trump says he will ask Congress to pass a bill establishing that “only two genders,” as determined at birth, are recognized by the United States.

As part of his crackdown on gender-affirming care, he will declare that hospitals and health care providers that offer transitional hormones or surgery no longer meet federal health and safety standards and will be blocked from receiving federal funds, including Medicaid and Medicare dollars.

He would push Congress to prohibit hormonal or surgical intervention for transgender minors in all 50 states.

Doctors typically guide kids toward therapy before medical intervention. At that point, hormone treatments such as puberty blockers are far more common than surgery. They have been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and are standard treatments backed by major doctors’ organizations, including the American Medical Association.

Trump’s goal, he says, is for the U.S. to have the lowest-cost energy and electricity of any nation in the world, including China.

Under the mantra “DRILL, BABY, DRILL,” he says he would ramp up oil drilling on public lands and offer tax breaks to oil, gas, and coal producers. He would roll back Biden administration efforts to encourage the adoption of electric cars and reverse proposed new pollution limits that would require at least 54% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030.

And again, he says, he will exit the Paris Climate Accords, end wind subsidies and eliminate regulations imposed and proposed by the Biden admiration targeting incandescent lightbulbs, gas stoves, dishwashers and shower heads.

Trump has pledged to terminate the Department of Education, but he also wants to exert enormous influence over local school districts and colleges.

He would push the federal government to give funding preference to states and school districts that abolish teacher tenure, adopt merit pay to reward good teachers and allow the direct election of school principals by parents.

He has said he would cut funding for any school that has a vaccine or mask mandate and will promote prayer in public schools.

Trump also wants a say in school curricula, vowing to fight for “patriotic education.” He says that under his administration, schools will “teach students to love their country, not to hate their country like they’re taught right now” and will promote “the nuclear family” including “the roles of mothers and fathers” and the “things that make men and women different and unique.”

To protect students, he says he will support school districts that allow trained teachers to carry concealed weapons. He would provide federal funding so schools can hire veterans, retired police officers, and other trained gun owners as armed school guards.

HOMELESSNESS

Trump wants to force the homeless off city streets by building tent cities on large open parcels of inexpensive land. At the same time, he says he will work with states to ban urban camping, giving violators the choice between being arrested or receiving treatment.

He also wants to bring back large mental institutions to reinstitutionalize those who are “severely mentally ill” or “dangerously deranged.”

PUBLIC SAFETY

Trump would again push to send the National Guard to cities such as Chicago that are struggling with violence. He would use the federal government’s funding and prosecution authorities to strong-arm local governments.

He says he will require local law enforcement agencies that receive Justice Department grants to use controversial policing measures such as stop-and-frisk. As a deterrent, he says local police should be empowered to shoot suspected shoplifters in the act. “Very simply, if you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store,” he said in one recent speech.

Trump has called for the death penalty for drug smugglers and those who traffic women and children. He has also pledged a federal takeover of the nation’s capital, calling Washington a “dirty, crime-ridden death trap” unbefitting of the country.

speech on importance of educating the illiterate

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speech on importance of educating the illiterate

Why campus teach-ins on freedom of speech are so important

With the academic year just a few short weeks away at college and university campuses nationwide, many are bracing for a reprise of last spring’s ugly protests, encampments and violent clashes among faculty, staff and students.

Many administrators seemed like deer caught in headlights, unable or unwilling to acknowledge how serious the problem was at their institutions. Their feeble public responses made matters worse.

This led some college and university presidents to rehearse their testimonies when called before congressional subcommittees. Still, others assumed the controversial role of mediators as they worked to reach settlements with those who had established illegal encampments and refused to vacate when requested.

In short, what seemed lost in the moment was the primary — and arguably most important — role that college and university presidents should play — that of educators. In an era where the notion of a “teachable moment” is celebrated as a positive social good, the glaring lack of teachable moments here has been glaringly apparent. That needs to change.

It’s high time for college and university presidents to reclaim their responsibilities as educators regarding the boundaries of freedom of speech — particularly when trespassing, property destruction, specific threats of violence and outright violence are involved. Alas, too little attention has been devoted to articulating how the exercise of free speech — a cherished constitutional value — includes peaceful civil disobedience but excludes much of the destructive campus behavior that took place.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is a leading national nonprofit organization involved in First Amendment advocacy and research. In a FIRE survey conducted in conjunction with College Pulse last year, only 37% of students think it is never acceptable to shout down a speaker. Only 55% think blocking other students from hearing the speaker is unacceptable. And a growing number — 27% in that survey — think violence can be an acceptable way to stop a campus speech. These are alarming numbers.

Here’s a practical and impactful step that can be implemented at various higher education institutions right before classes begin. Remember teach-ins? This educational format became popular in the 1960s, as campuses brought all students together to learn about threats to the environment on what became known as Earth Day. Other teach-ins soon became popular, including those regarding the Vietnam War.

According to Yale’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, “Teach-ins empower students to learn about a specific topic or issue through multidisciplinary lenses and develop/evolve their perspectives by the end of the forum. … Teach-ins allow us to connect and discuss important issues as a campus community.”

Organizing a successful teach-in on freedom of speech needs to be approached thoughtfully and supported by necessary resources from various academic units. It will require organizing a range of speakers and a defined agenda. Community outreach will also be necessary.

One critical element should be considered. The college or university president should marshal all required support for a freedom of speech teach-in and have all activities coordinated directly from his/her office. That will send a strong signal about its importance.

The president (or the provost serving as the chief academic officer), as a well-informed moderator and visible institutional leader, should preside over the teach-in. The teach-in can be livestreamed and archived online to be viewed throughout the year, including by alumni and others unable to attend.

Ideally, a freedom of speech teach-in should be held on the same grounds where the prior campus demonstrations or encampments took place. Using these open campus spaces for a truly educational purpose may strike some as ironic.

However, in the long run, it can help reassert the vital role of teaching in higher education that many have forgotten. This essential mission needs to be reasserted forthrightly since widespread lessons about the First Amendment are timely and necessary.

— Stuart N. Brotman is the author of “The First Amendment Lives On.” He is an endowed professor of journalism and electronic media at the University of Tennessee. He wrote this for  InsideSources.com .

English Summary

Short Speech on World Literacy Day in English for Students and Children

Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends. Very good morning to all of you. We all have gathered here to celebrate World literacy day and I would like to speak some words on world literacy day.

UNESCO with the help of various literacy programs aims to create a literate world and promote literacy for all. UNESCO has stated the importance of literacy. It states that it is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment, and a means for social and human development.

The main purpose of celebrating this world literacy day is to encourage awareness among people about literacy so that everyone knows about their individual and social rights. It is as important as food to live.

UNESCO decided to celebrate this day with a goal to remove various social problems including poverty, gender inequality, uncontrollable population growth, etc.

So today I would request you all to celebrate this day with a positive spirit. You can celebrate this day by donating a book, by visiting a library, by teaching an unfortunate child, etc.

Lastly, I would like you all to stand up and take the pledge on this literacy day, we learn, we teach, we inspire, to make our future full of knowledge and success.

Thank you all for listening to me patiently.

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  • Importance of Education Speech

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Speech on Importance of Education in English for Students

In one's life, education is an important concern. It is the key to a successful future and to the numerous opportunities we come across in our lives. For an individual, education has many advantages. It not only enlightens the mind but also enhances the thought process of a person. This makes it possible for students to qualify for jobs or pursue higher education. Moreover, education develops the personality, thoughts, and social skills of humans. It not only prepares an individual for various experiences and circumstances in their life but also makes them hold a unique significance in society.

It increases the knowledge of a person and provides them with confidence that is going to help them through their life. Education is important for people of all age groups. People of any age group can get education anytime and anywhere, education has no limitations if you want to have it you can get it anytime and from anywhere. When you talk about education it not only makes you a self-dependent person but it is going to cultivate such values in you that will help you to be a respected person in society.

Long Speech on Importance of Education in English

Today I am going to speak about the Importance of Education. Education plays a key role in the development of an individual. When we think of education, the first thing that strikes our minds is gaining knowledge. Education not only provides an individual with Education is a tool that provides knowledge, skill sets, techniques, and information to people, allowing them to understand their rights and duties to their family, society, and nation. It enhances vision and perspective to see the world. Not only this but it is also the most significant element in the nation's evolution. One will not explore innovative ideas without education. It implies that one can not develop the world as there is no creativity without ideas and there is no development of a nation without creativity.

There are certain ways in which you can teach the students and small children about the importance that education holds. Following are some important ways that you need to follow while teaching the students about the importance of education.

Since we all know that children tend to observe whatever is happening around them, you need to focus on being their role model, if you want them to learn something important like education.

Education can empower individuals in various ways. It helps in eradicating poverty, as it makes an individual capable of getting a job and fulfilling all the basic needs and requirements of the family.  A well-educated person is not easily fooled and is less likely to be involved in social evils. It makes them less susceptible to cheating and getting involved in crime. An increase in educated people ultimately boosts the trade and commerce of a country. It provides the citizens with a deeper understanding of law and order and they are more likely to become law-abiding citizens, as they understand the importance of law and order. Education helps in fighting several societal evils; it demolishes certain sexist customs of child marriage, the Dowry system, Sati Pratha, and also encourages women to become independent.

Education empowers women to stand up for themselves and voice their opinions. A good education adds to the communication skills of a person and helps them express themselves more effectively. We are regarded as a valuable source of knowledge for our society as educated individuals. Education helps us to teach necessary morals, good manners, and wise ethics to others. As well as being good at the physical, mental and social level,besides, it promotes the feeling of living a better life. A good education is constructive, which creates our future. This allows an individual to enhance his mental, physical and spiritual level. By offering knowledge of many areas, it makes us confident individuals. It's enough to say that education matters. Studies show that those educated are more likely to live longer, live healthier lives, and help strangers more.

While children are young, investing in different types of education ensures that they have a strong foundation. Good education is intended not only to get hard work and good results but to accomplish new things for the welfare of the whole human race. Not only does education allow us to study history, science, mathematics, geography, and other subjects, but it also teaches us how to deal with life's bad situations. Therefore, education is essential for a better future. Education not only means getting bookish knowledge but it involves you having knowledge that will help you to evolve as a better human and the one who can protect society from all the evils. 

Short Speech on Importance of Education in English

Today, I am here to share my views on the importance of education. Education among uneducated and poor people is still an issue in this modern, technologically advanced world that urgently needs to be addressed. People's education is a solution to all social, personal, and business issues. To live in society, proper and higher education makes us more civilized. 

Besides, it is very well known that education often generates self-confidence. To have self-confidence, which leads to many positive effects and success in life, is a great blessing for us. It enables us, for instance, to handle specific tasks, to tackle the challenges of life, and to maintain positive positions. Education also directs the individual's undeveloped capabilities, attitudes, interests, impulses, and needs into desirable channels. With the aid of education, the individual can change and modify his environment according to his needs. There are two aspects to man—biological and social. Education not only maintains and transmits the social aspect of mankind but also provides you with knowledge about the biological aspects.

In addition to preserving and transmitting social elements from generation to generation, education also contributes to the enrichment of culture. Our Constitution provides for free and compulsory education, the right of minorities to set up and administer educational institutions, education for weaker sectors, secular education, education for women, primary education in the mother tongue, preservation of national heritage, education in the Union Territories, etc. These constitutional provisions are nothing but our attempt to attain the objective 'Education for All'. Having the right education will help you to be a good human and also enable you to understand how to survive in our society and tackle all the difficulties in our way easily. Whenever we talk about education we know that we are talking about the growth of an individual as a whole. Education is the basic necessity that everyone should have. It helps you to grow mentally and will enable you to be a better human being.

10 Lines on Why Education is Important in Our Life Speech

The ultimate way to gain victory over personal and social problems is education.By altering our mind and personality and improving our confidence level, it transforms us completely from outside as well as inside. 

There are no constraints, people of any age group can get an education at any moment. This allows us to shape our moral conscience.

Anyone can receive education at any age, you just need to have the will to get educated and all the paths are open for you. Education is the most important weapon to improve a person's life. Not only does it provide you with information about the norms of the society but also increases the chances of employment.

Being well educated never only means earning certificates and good salaries from recognized and reputable organizational companies or organizations, but in life, it also means being a good and social person. 

Education is the fundamental right of all capable of bringing any desired change and upliftment in the human mind and society.

Teachers play a very important part in providing a good level of education. The basic education that we receive is from our school. All the basic manners about the ways how to behave or protect the environment and all the other basic education that help you to be a well behaved and sophisticated individual. 

Better education instills better communication among individuals. Furthermore, education helps an individual make better use of technology. This is a technical world, today everywhere you come across a number of technologies every second person is a user of technology whether it is a phone, laptop or any other technology. You only can use these technologies when you are having a better education and knowledge about these technologies.

Whatever we learn from our parents and teachers stays throughout life with us and we pass it on to our next generation.

Our goal of getting an education should be to help other people in society who are needed to get over their vulnerabilities and superstitions. We have often observed that lower sections of society are still so much into superstitions but if they are educated in the right way then only they can overcome such superstitions and can lead a better life.

By maintaining the balance between body, mind, and soul, keeps our mind calm and peaceful.

One can open his/her lock to success through the key of education.

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FAQs on Importance of Education Speech

1. How does education help an individual to get employment?

Education provides an individual with information on vivid topics. It not only instils knowledge into an individual but also makes them more confident. It is an obvious fact that if you have information on all the topics that your employer is going to ask you then only you can answer them and it instills a lot of confidence in you. It is observed that an employer always looks for a confident individual who can carry forward the work in difficult situations also. So education is the basic need for employment.

2. Mention the ways in which education will help society?

Education is the most important when we want to bring some changes to our society. We know that the lower uneducated section of the society still follows a lot of superstitions, if only we can educate them with the proper information they can come over these norms and superstitions.

Education helps society by spreading knowledge,  the more knowledge the society will gain, the better will be their standard of living.

3. How can you instill education in the children?

To instil education in children, you need to follow a few important tips.

You need to become a role model for the children. They tend to learn from what they observe in society.

You need to give them diverse opportunities to learn different topics then only they will be able to gain more knowledge.

They should focus more on learning rather than studying. Only studying will not be beneficial anyhow except gaining you some marks.

4. What is the importance of education in an individual's life?

Education provides a person with the knowledge and along with it, it boosts your confidence. It helps you to improve in your career and not only that it also improves your personal life. There are no limitations when we talk about education. You can get an education anywhere at any time, you just need to be willing to acquire the education. Numerous sources will be provided to you that will increase your knowledge. There is a popular saying that says that a person never stops getting educated and it is a fact.

5. How can education change the world?

Education improves the economic growth of the country. It not only increases economic growth but also increases innovation, productivity, as well as human capital. Education besides this fosters positive changes in the society by removing superstitions and many useless norms that were followed for a long time back without the knowledge behind these norms. Education also encourages political participation, environmental sustainability, along with social equality among the individuals of the society.

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20Q: The Importance of Explicit Literacy Instruction in Early Elementary Grades

Angela anthony, phd, ccc-slp.

  • 20Q with Ann Kummer
  • Literacy and Phonological Awareness
  • School Intervention and Collaboration in Schools

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speech on importance of educating the illiterate

From the Desk of Ann Kummer

Learning to read is one of the most important “jobs” of childhood. It can be said that the earlier that a child learns to read, the more successful that he or she will likely be in many other aspects of life. This is because reading is an amazing exercise for the mind! Among other things, reading promotes early cognition, memory, reasoning, and verbal language skills. It opens the door to a world of knowledge of how things work and of people, places, and things. It stimulates imagination and creativity. It helps the child to develop focus and concentration. It also provides entertainment and helps the child to calm down and relax. It is no wonder that early reading skills are the key to academic learning and success.

So, how can we, as speech-language pathologists, promote literacy skills in young children? Fortunately, Angela Anthony, an expert in this area, will answer our questions on this topic through this 20Q article.

By way of introduction, Dr. Angela Anthony is an Associate Professor at Eastern Illinois University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in childhood language disorders, literacy, and sign language. She also mentors student research and supervises diagnostics and treatment in the university clinic setting. Dr. Anthony previously served as a member and Coordinator of ASHA SIG 10: Issues in Higher Education and is a past president of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

This course is designed to guide speech-language pathologists in understanding key processes in literacy development, and to provide tools for differentiating between typical and disordered written language. In addition, brief descriptions of suggested intervention strategies and references to related resources are provided for further exploration.

Now…read on, learn, and enjoy!

Ann W. Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, FASHA, 2017 ASHA Honors

Contributing Editor 

Browse the complete collection of 20Q with Ann Kummer CEU articles at  www.speechpathology.com/20Q

Learning Outcomes

After this course, readers will be able to: 

  • Discuss typical developmental processes and milestones in written language development.
  • List areas of deficit associated with dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
  • Describe evidence-based intervention strategies for literacy-based deficits.

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Angela Anthony

1. When does a child really start learning to read?

From the very beginning! It is never too early to read to your child – even infants can learn about the basics of books from shared reading experiences and opportunities to physically explore age-appropriate books. By about 8 months of age, naming pictures in books will draw the child’s attention for a short time, and the child can show enjoyment in hearing stories. From 1-3 years, you will see development in abilities to name pictures, enjoyment of rhymes, understanding concepts such as turning pages, directionality of words, and front and back of the book, and the ability to listen to stories for up to 15 minutes. Children ages 3-5 will begin to recognize familiar words, pretend to read books, and say rhyming words. Between the ages of 5 and 6 years, children begin to make direct connections between spoken words and print (ASHA, 2010a). This provides the foundation for decoding individual words. Typically, children are developing decoding skills to read words from about kindergarten through third grade. By third to fourth grade, typical readers are skilled enough in decoding that they can learn new content from what they read (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

2. Don’t most children learn to read on their own, just by being exposed to books?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Children need explicit instruction on how to decode (i.e., read individual words) and comprehend (i.e., understand) what they read. This need for explicit instruction is related to the fact that reading is not an innate skill, but is an invention of human culture (Wolf, 2007). Although spoken language does develop naturally for typically developing children through exposure, “reading is an acquired act, an invention that must be learned at a conscious level” (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020, p. 49). Although both spoken and written language rely on the foundation of phonological skills, reading requires attention to print and conversion of that written code to the relevant phonological information. The letters themselves do not carry meaning; thus beginning readers must learn how to translate these symbols into meaningful linguistic information (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

3. I have heard about the “Simple View” of reading. If reading is explained by a “simple view,” why do so many children struggle to learn how to read?

The simple view of reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990) gives us the foundation for a well-known theory that is also supported by research. It tells us that both decoding and language comprehension are necessary for a child to become a successful reader. However, multiple areas and systems of the brain are involved in becoming a successful reader. Skilled readers must build new connections in their brain, use specialized areas of the brain to recognize patterns of printed information, and develop the ability to automatically connect these areas through pathways (Wolf, 2007). Technological developments have allowed researchers to identify these areas of the brain, which include connections between the frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes. We know that skilled readers develop more efficient brain pathways than less skilled readers and that individuals with dyslexia rely on a different brain pathway than skilled readers (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

4. I have heard that reading instruction should be “systematic” and “code-based.” What does this mean?

The term “structured literacy” is currently used to describe explicit, systematic, and cumulative literacy instruction in the areas of phonology, sound-symbol association, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and semantics (IDA, 2019). Systematic means that skills should be taught in a sequential, developmental order, across multiple levels of literacy tasks (Spear-Swerling, 2018). Systematic instruction is also cumulative – including assessment and instruction that includes repetition of past skills in addition to consideration of the next skill the child is ready to learn. This can be applied by implementing a cycle of new instruction, assessing to evaluate the application of new and earlier learning, and then using assessment results to differentiate instruction – providing review and extra practice where needed and moving on to new skills when appropriate (Burkins & Yates, 2021). “Code-based” instruction includes emphasis on learning letter names, letter sounds, relationships between letter names and sounds, syllable patterns, and morphemes. Eventually, these word-level skills are used as a foundation for developing an understanding of sentence structure, paragraph structure, and overall text structure. Spear-Swerling (2018) offers a useful discussion on how systematic, code-based instruction differs from typical literacy practices often found in classrooms.

5. The early elementary children I work with are learning sight words in the classroom. Do children have to learn all words by sight? Is memorizing word lists equal to decoding?

No – there is a difference between sight words and decoding. Decoding is the code-based process described previously. Children learn to identify letter-sound connections, and then use phonological and morphological understanding to identify parts of words and sound them out. Sight words are irregular words that cannot be sounded out using letter-sound correspondence (e.g., the, is, two), and thus must be recalled from memory. These words can be problematic for children as they frequently appear in children’s books (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020). Oftentimes, schools will use sight word lists such as the Dolch Word List; these are commonly used words at each grade level that all children should be able to read automatically. These word lists can easily be found by searching “Dolch sight word list” on the internet.

One caution – the term “sight words” is sometimes used to describe words that do follow letter-sound patterns which are automatically recognized by children who no longer need to use the decoding process to sound them out. These words would be better described as being automatically decoded using mental graphemic representations (MGRs), that is, an accurate image of the complete written word stored in memory, thus bypassing the need to decode (Wolter & Apel, 2010).

6. What if the child I am working with doesn’t “get” phonological awareness? How do I help that child?

As a first step, take a look at the hierarchy of phonological and phonemic awareness skills that children develop. In general, the phonological hierarchy starts with larger “chunks” of information (e.g., rhyming words, segmenting syllables) to smaller “chunks” of information (e.g., segmenting and blending phonemes, manipulating phonemes). Although it is appropriate to work on more than one phonological skill at a time, there is a developmental sequence of skills. Make sure that you are working at the appropriate level with the child. Schuele & Boudreau (2008) provide additional details related to the implementation of intervention, including phonological and phonemic awareness benchmarks, strategies for teaching, and instructional sequences.

If a child is receiving research-based instruction in phonological awareness and is still struggling, this could be a red flag for dyslexia or other reading disabilities. By definition, a deficit in the phonological component of language is the primary deficit in dyslexia (IDA, 2010). In addition, children with speech-sound disorders are at greater risk of reading difficulties; more severe speech-sound deficits combined with difficulties with phonological awareness skills increase the likelihood of a child having reading difficulties (Tambyraja, Farquharson, & Justice, 2020). Thus, a child who is struggling to develop phonological awareness may need to be referred for literacy-based assessments to identify or rule out potential deficits.

7. What is morphological awareness?

Morphemes are the smallest units of words that convey meaning (Owens, Metz, & Haas, 2007). Kamhi & Catts (2012) define morphological awareness as the “explicit ability to consider the morphemic structure of words, how word spellings change as the result of adding a morpheme(s) to a base word, and the relationship between morphologically related words” (p. 228). So, morphological awareness draws attention to these units of meaning and helps children apply this information to their attempts to decode and comprehend text. For example, if I know that the morpheme “-ed” indicates past tense, I can identify words that indicate something already happened. If I look at the word “jumped” and use my morphological knowledge, I can break the word into “jump” and “ed” which can help with both my decoding (looking at smaller segments of the word without having to sound out each individual phoneme) and I can attach meaning to the root word “jump” and to the morpheme “ed” to know that the action happened in the past.

Thus, like phonological awareness, morphological awareness provides a foundation of knowledge for children to apply to word-level reading skills (Nelson, 2010). Growing evidence also suggests that morphological awareness intervention may be beneficial for children with language impairment (e.g., McLeod & Apel, 2015).

8. What about spelling? Is there a systematic way to teach children how to spell?

Yes! There are developmental sequences in spelling acquisition, and intervention approaches that follow this sequence. Ideas about developmental spelling were first documented in the early 1970’s in the work of Charles Read (1971, 1975) and Carol Chomsky (1971) and soon after in the work of Edmund Henderson and his colleagues (Beers & Henderson, 1977; Henderson & Beers, 1980). Since that time, extensive work has been done to support the developmental model and to create approaches to teaching and intervention based on this knowledge. One example is Words Their Way (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston, 2012), which provides assessment and intervention strategies focused on the layers of English orthography (i.e., alphabet, pattern, and meaning) and the integration of phonics, spelling, and reading instruction. Their approach includes five spelling stages: emergent, letter name, within word, syllables and affixes, and derivational relations. Their approach to intervention, word study, integrates the alphabet, pattern, and meaning layers of orthography to help learners develop knowledge of generalizations in English spelling as well as specific knowledge about word patterns. Another explicit and integrated approach to word study is presented in SPELL-Links to Reading and Writing (Wasowicz, J., Apel, K., Masterson, J. J., & Whitney, A., 2015). SPELL-Links is based on the connectionist model, which is expanded to include the integration of five linguistic properties: phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge, mental orthographic images of words, semantic knowledge and morphological knowledge and awareness. These linguistic properties are the foundation for the lessons in each spelling pattern.

9. How is spoken language comprehension related to reading comprehension?

Reading comprehension begins with listening comprehension – the ability to understand spoken language. Understanding spoken language requires connections of three processing systems in the brain, including phonological processing (i.e., listening for speech sounds), meaning processing (i.e., attaching meaning to chunks of phonological information), and context processing (i.e., connecting to background knowledge). These systems are also used in reading comprehension (Burkins & Yates, 2021). The key difference between listening and reading comprehension is the modality in which the child accesses the information. That is, spoken language is accessed through the auditory system, while written language is accessed through the visual system. When a child sees a word on the page, a skilled reader connects the print letters to the corresponding phonological and meaning information (Kamhi & Catts, 2012).  As speech-language pathologists, this means that we can play a unique role in supporting children at risk for reading disabilities, given our extensive training in spoken language development, as well as prevention, identification, assessment, and intervention of spoken and written language disorders (ASHA, 2001).

10. What is my role as the SLP related to literacy, and how does it differ from what other professionals do?

The ASHA Practice Portal document on written language disorders includes the following statement: “Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play a critical and direct role in the development of literacy in children and adolescents and in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of written language disorders, including dyslexia” (ASHA, n.d.a.). The SLP’s training includes knowledge about spoken language, which is the foundation of written language development. Thus, SLPs should be involved in preventative activities, such as collaborating with classroom teachers to provide lessons for all children in early literacy skills, such as print knowledge, phonological and phonemic awareness, narrative, and vocabulary (Justice & Kaderavek, 2004; Kaderavek & Justice, 2004; Terrell & Watson, 2018). The SLP’s role continues throughout the school-age years, focused on services for students with communication disorders when the disorder has an impact on the educational success of the student. Collaboration with teachers continues to be important to support linguistic elements of the curriculum for students with disabilities and those at risk for failure (ASHA, 2010b).

While classroom teachers take on the role of Tier 1 instruction in reading and writing, specialized literacy professionals can provide individualized support to teachers and students to address the needs of students with literacy difficulties. The International Literacy Association (2015) published a research brief that describes and distinguishes the roles of school-based literacy professionals, including reading/literacy specialists, literacy coaches, and literacy coordinators/supervisors. The SLP may collaborate with some or all of these professionals in providing literacy intervention. Roles may vary by setting or even by district or individual school, depending on which professionals are available (ASHA, n.d.a).

11. Does it matter if a child has a diagnosis of dyslexia or if they have a different type of reading disability?

Yes. Shaywitz & Shaywitz (2020) emphasize that a specific diagnosis of dyslexia is important for a child to receive appropriate intervention. If we simply list strengths and weaknesses in a child’s literacy skills, we are doing a disservice to the child and his or her family. It is also important that the child understand that dyslexia causes their brain to work differently and that there are ways to improve reading skills.

Differential diagnosis is also important to help clinicians and teachers understand what patterns of strengths and weaknesses are present, and what should be targeted in intervention. Kamhi & Catts (2012) present four subtypes of poor readers based on the simple view of reading. Children with dyslexia will present with good listening comprehension, but poor word recognition. Inversely, children with a specific comprehension deficit will have poor listening comprehension in the presence of good word recognition. In this model, children who have poor skills in both word recognition and listening comprehension are described as having a mixed reading disability. Children who have good word recognition and listening comprehension may still have reading difficulties, though these difficulties would not be explained by the simple view.

Systematic and explicit instruction is appropriate for any child with a reading disability; however, the interventionist needs a clear understanding of where the child’s strengths and weaknesses lie in order to determine appropriate goals and objectives.

12. When a child is diagnosed with dyslexia, will they only have difficulty with decoding? The simple view states that they have good comprehension.

The primary deficit area in dyslexia is in the phonological system. Difficulties with awareness of speech sounds is most closely related to difficulties in word recognition, poor spelling, and poor decoding (IDA, 2008). It is important to note that the simple view categorization of dyslexia is based on good listening comprehension (Kamhi & Catts, 2012). Deficits in reading comprehension are not a primary consequence of dyslexia, however, when a child struggles to decode words, they will use more cognitive energy, and have less ability to focus on reading comprehension. Therefore, difficulties in reading comprehension may be a secondary consequence of dyslexia (IDA, 2008). However, individuals with dyslexia who are very bright often have excellent vocabulary and reasoning skills, combined with strong world knowledge, which aids in comprehension of connected text despite any difficulties with decoding of individual words. In fact, comprehension performance can be equal to that of typical readers (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

13. Recently, I hear more people referencing the “science of reading”. Haven’t we been studying reading for decades? What is so new about the current science?

Yes, we do have decades of research on effective reading instruction, however that research has unfortunately not been consistently applied in curriculum design or in classroom implementation. The definition of the “science of reading” published by The Reading League (2021) states “the science of reading has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop; why some have difficulty; and how we can most effectively assess and teach, and therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties” (p. 6). This cumulative evidence includes knowledge of how reading is processed in the brain, how skilled reading develops, as well as instructional practices that are effective for key skill areas related to literacy. The Reading League is a nonprofit organization with the goal of promoting knowledge about the existing evidence in reading instruction through training, teaching resources, and the publication of articles supporting the science of reading. Many states have established local chapters of the organization. More information can be found at thereadingleague.org.

14. I have a child on my caseload with auditory processing deficits. Could this impact their ability to learn to read?

Yes. When we look at processing skills, there is a continuum of skills that start with auditory information that is processed in the brain through the phonological system. This is where linguistic information is first processed as meaningful, and transitions from auditory processing to language processing. Given that we know that phonological processing is a foundation for literacy skills, an auditory processing deficit could in turn impact literacy. Any auditory deficit (i.e., hearing loss or auditory processing difficulties) could negatively impact phonological processing and therefore literacy skills (Richard, 2017).

15. Where do I start with intervention for a child with literacy difficulties?

The answer depends on the child’s age and ability level. Target areas range from emergent level skills such as rhyming, beginning sound awareness, drawing attention to print in the environment, and encouraging children to explore writing materials to early and later school-age skills such as decoding, fluency, comprehension, and writing processes and products. ASHA (n.d.b.) outlines specific skills in the emergent, early elementary, and later elementary and beyond stages in the Practice Portal document titled “Written Language Disorders: Intervention Target Areas,” found here: https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/written-language-disorders/intervention-target-areas/.

16. Can I provide intervention effectively in a group? Is classroom instruction still effective for struggling readers?

The key to intervention for literacy disorders is that it is individualized. If you are able to work with a small group of children who have similar literacy levels, you can target similar goals with all participants. However, Tier 1 classroom instruction alone will not be enough to help a student remediate literacy deficits. We know that intervention must be more intensive than typical instruction (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

Many schools use a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) as a framework for identifying students who need additional supports in academic, social, emotional, and behavioral skills. This involves screening and progress monitoring at Tier 1 and using data-based decision-making to identify students who may need additional supports at Tier 2 or Tier 3 (Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports, 2022). Of note in specific relationship to literacy intervention, Shaywitz & Shaywitz (2020) caution that RTI (an earlier form of MTSS) was designed “to serve students with relatively mild learning problems. However, currently, RTI is being used to serve children who are often severely dyslexic and who, after typically six weeks or so of instruction, are funneled back into their regular classrooms, unremediated and, sadly, destined to fail” (p. 291). Thus, it is important to be aware of the severity of a child’s deficits related to literacy and ensure that they are getting the appropriate intensity of services to meet their needs.

17. Is nonfiction harder to learn to read than fiction?

Harder vs. easier is not a good comparison; fiction and nonfiction are different. They have different text structure, different purposes, and different content. What is important is that children are exposed to both fiction and nonfiction, beginning in the emergent stage of literacy learning. Historically, nonfiction was not commonly found in early elementary classrooms (Duke & Bennett-Armistead, 2003). Today there are numerous nonfiction trade books found on the library and bookstore shelves or found in a quick search of any online bookseller, even for preschool and early elementary readers.

Why is early exposure to nonfiction, and specifically informational text, important? Once children move into fourth grade and beyond, they are expected to “read to learn” – and a large portion of that text will be informational. If we wait to expose children to this genre, they will have to work even harder to learn from text in the middle and upper elementary grades. This genre also exposes children to a different set of vocabulary and is found widely in functional daily life (Duke & Bennett-Armistead, 2003).

18. I know that the children I work with are aware of their deficits, but should I be talking about dyslexia? How would I explain the impacts of the neurological differences associated with dyslexia?

It is important for children to understand that dyslexia is due to a difference in their brain function, and that they can learn skills and use accommodations to be successful. In the second edition of Overcoming Dyslexia, Shaywitz and Shaywitz (2020) share numerous stories of individuals of all ages who were relieved to learn of their diagnosis of dyslexia, as it allowed them to develop an action plan for intervention. Structured literacy intervention can remove the “mystery” of the code for individuals who struggle. For children, solving the mystery can also help parents and teachers gain confidence that they are meeting the child’s learning needs.

19. There seem to be a lot of moving pieces when it comes to the development of skilled reading and writing and how this all relates to spoken language. Can you provide some “big picture” perspective of how oral language and written language are connected?

A visual model is often helpful to understand the “big picture” of a complex topic. One of the most commonly cited representations of the necessary elements of skilled reading development is Scarborough’s Reading Rope (Scarborough, 2001). It uses the visual of the strands of a rope twisted together, including the language comprehension strands of background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge, and the word recognition strands of phonological awareness, decoding, and sight word recognition. Subsequently, the language comprehension and word recognition strands are twisted together to generate skilled reading.

Another, more recent representation is Wasowicz’s (2021) Language Literacy Network. This model also visually represents the receptive and expressive components of language comprehension and language expression, as well as the underlying linguistic skills that are necessary to recognize and produce printed words, as well as the integration of these components that results in skilled reading and writing. This model can be accessed directly at https://learningbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TLLN_11x8.5.pdf.

20. I work with children with severe communication deficits, many of whom are nonverbal. Is it appropriate to focus on literacy with these children?

By all means, yes! Kaderavek & Rabidoux (2004) outlined the “Interactive to Independent” model for developing literacy goals for children with severe communication deficits. Their model expands the traditional views of what it means to be literate to include more socially mediated practices such as participating in storybook reading, storytelling, and drawing. The model integrates three theoretical foundations including the social interaction model, the participation model, and the situated pragmatics model. The resulting interactive to independent model includes interactive contexts with a more knowledgeable peer, removal of barriers that limit access to social interaction, and approaches that include participation in naturalistic contexts. The five levels of the model outline a modified progression from emergent to conventional literacy on a continuum from interactive activities to independent activities. Emergent literacy goals include building attention and responsiveness during interactive literacy activities (Level I), to developing turn-taking within those activities across a variety of contexts (Level II). The transition to more conventional literacy occurs at Level III, when the focus is on making connections to written forms, still with support from a communication partner. At Level IV, the use of these more conventional written language forms is targeted with support. The ultimate goal is some level of independence in conventional literacy, with support provided as needed for new tasks or contexts (Level V). Kaderavek & Rabidoux (2004) also provide two case studies in their article as examples of how the model may be applied.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the first-year graduate students in CDS 5210 Language and Literacy at Eastern Illinois University in the summer of 2022 for their suggested questions to use in this article.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2010a). “Getting Your Child Ready for Reading and Writing.” Available at www.asha.org/slp/schools .

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2010b). Roles and responsibilities of speech-language pathologists in schools [Professional Issues Statement]. Available from www.asha.org/policy/ .

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2001). Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language-Pathologists With Respect to Reading and Writing in Children and Adolescents [Guidelines]. Available from www.asha.org/policy . DOI: 10.1044/policy.GL2001-00062

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.a). Written Language Disorders (Practice Portal). Retrieved June 13, 2022, from www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Written-Language-Disorders/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.b). Written Language Disorders: Intervention Target Areas (Practice Portal). Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/written-language-disorders/intervention-target-areas/

Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2012). Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction (5 th ed.). Pearson

Beers, J. W., & Henderson, E. H. (1977). A study of developing orthographic concepts among first grade children. Research in the Teaching of English, 11, 133-148.

Burkins, J., & Yates, K. (2021). Shifting the balance: 6 ways to bring the science of reading into the balanced literacy classroom. Stenhouse Publishers.

Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports (2022). Essential components of MTSS. mtss4success.org/essential-components

Chomsky, C. (1971). Write first read later. Childhood Education, 47, 296-299.

Duke, N. K., & Bennett-Armistead, V. S. (2003). Reading and writing informational text in the primary grades: Research-based practices. Scholastic.

Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10.

Henderson, E. H., & Beers, J. (Eds.). (1980). Developmental and cognitive aspects of learning to spell. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Hoover, W. A., & Gough, P. B. (1990). The Simple View of Reading. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2, 127-160.

International Dyslexia Association (2008). Definition of dyslexia. https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/

International Dyslexia Association (2019). IDA dyslexia handbook: What every family should know. https://dyslexiaida.org/ida-dyslexia-handbook/

International Literacy Association (2015). Research brief: The multiple roles of school-based specialized literacy professionals. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/literacy-professionals-research-brief.pdf  

Justice, L. M., & Kaderavek, J. N. (2004). Embedded-explicit emergent literacy intervention I: Background and description of approach. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35, 201-211.

Kaderavek, J. N., & Justice, L. M. (2004). Embedded-explicit emergent literacy intervention II: Goal selection and implementation in the early childhood classroom. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35, 212-228.

Kamhi, A. G., & Catts, H. W. (2012). Language and reading disabilities (3 rd ed.). Pearson.

Kaderavek, J. N., & Rabidoux, P. (2004). Interactive to independent literacy: A model for designing literacy goals for children with atypical communication. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 20, 237-260.

McLeod, A. N., & Apel, K. (2015). Morphological awareness intervention: Study of a child with a history of speech and language impairment. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 36 (4), 208-218. DOI: 10.1177/1525740114560371

Nelson, N. W. (2010). Language and literacy disorders: Infancy through adolescence. Allyn & Bacon.

Owens, R. E., Metz, D. E., & Haas, A. (2007). Introduction to communication disorders: A lifespan perspective (3 rd ed.). Allyn and Bacon.

Read, C. (1971). Pre-school children’s knowledge of English phonology. Harvard Educational Review, 41 (1), 1-34.

Read, C. (1975). Children’s categorization of speech sounds in English. Urbana, IL: NCTE Research Report No. 17.

Richard, G. J. (2017) The source for processing disorders (2 nd ed.). ProEd.

Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. Neuman & D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy (pp. 97-110). Guilford.

Schuele, C. M., & Boudreau, D. (2008). Phonological awareness intervention: Beyond the basics. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 39, 3-20.

Spear-Swerling (2018). Structured literacy and typical literacy practices: Understanding differences to create instructional opportunities. Teaching Exceptional children, 51 (3), 201-211.

Shaywitz, S., & Shaywitz, J. (2020). Overcoming dyslexia (2 nd ed.). Vintage Books.

Tambyraja, S. R., Farquharson, K., & Justice, L. (2020). Reading risk in children with speech sound disorder: Prevalence, persistence, and predictors. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63, 3714-3726. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00108

Terrell, P. & Watson, M. (2018). Laying a firm foundation: Embedding evidence-based emergent literacy practices into early intervention and preschool environments. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49, 148-164.

The Reading League (2021). Science of Reading: Defining Guide. www.thereadingleague.org/what-is-the-science-of-reading

Wasowicz, J., Apel, K., Masterson, J. J., & Whitney, A. (2015). SPELL-Links to reading and writing: A word study curriculum (2 nd ed.). Learning by Design.

Wasowicz, J. (2021). The Language Literacy Network Infographic. Retrieved from https://learningbydesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/TLLN_11x8.5.pdf

Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid: The story and science of the reading brain. Harper Perennial.

Wolter, J. A., & Apel, K. (2010). Initial acquisition of mental graphemic representations in children with language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 53, 179-195.

Anthony, A. (2022). 20Q: The importance of explicit literacy instruction in early elementary grades.  SpeechPathology.com . Article 20526. Available at www.speechpathology.com

angela anthony

Angela Anthony, PhD , CCC-SLP

Dr. Angela Anthony is an Associate Professor at Eastern Illinois University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in childhood language disorders, literacy, and sign language. She also mentors student research and supervises diagnostics and treatment in the university clinic setting. Dr. Anthony previously served as a member and Coordinator of ASHA SIG 10: Issues in Higher Education and is a past president of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

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Yasmine Cuestas: ‘Everyone Deserves to Learn, to Grow, and to Prosper’

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When Yasmine Cuestas decided to pursue her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling online through the NC State College of Education, she never expected the community she would find within her cohort. 

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I love to research articles concerning children’s mental health in general, children’s resilience and experiences concerning early childhood trauma and how it affects them into their adulthood.

What is the most meaningful moment you have had so far as a College of Education student?

The most meaningful part about being in the College of Education is the level of genuine friendship and appreciation of my cohort. Through all of the courses we have taken through NC State, we have communicated on an academic and social level that is beyond what I predicted I would have, being that we are an at-distance track. We share our interests, discuss current events, meet with one another, and share our happy and sad moments. When NC State says we are a Pack family, this cohort really means it.

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Speech on Importance of Adult Education in simple and easy words

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The importance of adult education should not be undermined in the present times, especially when the world has become so modernized. The adult education should be imparted in each and every institution so that the youth of today doesn’t hesitate from discussing their innermost thoughts. We should favor adult education and encourage our government to spread its knowledge everywhere. Therefore, even here the speeches on the importance of adult education have been covered to give a detailed understanding about the subject and enlighten the people. You can in fact refer to both short speeches on the importance of adult education and long speeches on the importance of adult education while writing an assignment or framing a speech for any particular occasion.

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Long and Short Speech on Importance of Adult Education

Importance of adult education speech 1.

Good Morning My Dear Friends – I hope you all are doing well in your lives! Since today is a speech ceremony day the topic that I have chosen for myself is the Importance of Adult Education.

As we all know how much important the adult education is. Not everyone, especially girls, get an opportunity to learn or go for higher studies, but if they do they can realize their dreams and are able to discover the unlimited possibilities associated with their lives. Adult education helps people in becoming more self-sufficient and up-to-date. Many adults who unfortunately remain illiterate consider themselves incapable of learning once they cross their tender age. But we should encourage them and tell them that education has no age limitations. Adult education will not only make them independent, but will also enable them to differentiate between good and bad.

In the previous times, girls were not allowed to attend school as they were only made to do the household work and were married off quite early – as a result of which they were never able to realize their true potential. Sending girls to attend school was considered a taboo because the people believed that it will make them aware of their rights and they will then start retaliating against the oppressive system prevalent in our society. However, it is when various reforms took place during the colonial period for “female education”; the uneducated women realized the importance of education and began sending their daughters to school. Unfortunately, those very illiterate women continued to remain uneducated. It is through adult education that such women get a chance to realize their dream of acquiring knowledge.

During the colonial times, children of several poor peasant families couldn’t get any opportunity to learn because they had to contribute towards their family work. At the time when India gained independence, i.e. in the year 1947, the literacy rate in India was 12.2 percent only and today it has reached somewhere around 74 percent. The statistics clearly indicate that the literacy rate in India is successfully growing, but we cannot afford to overlook the yet another big percentage of adult population which remains illiterate. In today’s complex world and modern democracy like ours, Indian citizens ought to be given the gift of education. They should remain aware about what is happening around, such as corruption and terrorist activities. Therefore, in order to given education to the adults, I believe we must encourage adult education in our society.

Some of the salient features of adult education are given below:

  • Some adults lose the ability to exercise their brain due to continual rest, but if they are involved in the learning process, they will not only gain education, but will also use their time constructively.
  • Research has shown that older people who are actively engaged in learning do not suffer much from poor memory conditions as education keep their mind active.
  • If adults remain busy in some constructive activity, like adult education they will remain happy and positive.

Thus, adult education should be given due prominence and more and more people should come to the forefront in educating the adults.

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Importance of Adult Education Speech 2

Hon’ble Principal, Vice Principal, Teachers and My Dear Students – Warm Greetings to one and all!

I am a student of Class – IX and wish to speak on the Importance of Adult Education. You must be wondering why I have chosen to talk on this subject. When I closely observe my surroundings, I find that children are fortunate that they go to school and gain education. But what about those adults who are illiterate and living a miserable life due to poor working conditions and meager family income. The majority of such people tend to get overlooked and pass their whole lives under the burden of illiteracy. They feel ashamed of going to school (specials schools that are meant for them) and remain unaware of the endless opportunities that wait for them if they acquire education. If not anything big, they will at least be able to become self-reliant and will be able to fight against their exploitation that takes place in our society.

There is no reason to doubt that education plays a very important role in our lives. It is an important foundation for building strong lives, society and then nation as a whole. Thus, education should be imparted to each and every citizen irrespective of what background he/she comes from, irrespective of their gender or what his/her age is. There should not be any set age for gaining knowledge because learning should be a lifelong process. Therefore, if our adults are uneducated we should introduce adult education and teach them necessary skills whereby they can gain better employment opportunities and strengthen themselves as well as their families.

India is the world’s second largest nation when it comes to the population size; however that big part of the population is afflicted with illiteracy and lack even basic education or knowledge. In order to bring down the illiteracy rate or create a boost in the literacy rate; adult education becomes of paramount importance.

Adult education is defined as that system of education which is aimed at giving opportunity to the adults who couldn’t study in their childhood due to any reason possible. Therefore, adult education opens another door of opportunity for them to get educated and acquire some skills and become able to read, write and gain knowledge of new things. In order to realize the importance of education, it becomes important to become educated first as an uneducated person will not be able to give value to education and this thought cannot contribute towards the growth and development of our society and nation as a whole.

Moreover, in order to give right direction to the upcoming generation, our present generation needs to be sufficiently educated so that they can guide their next generation in the way that it leads to the progress of families, societies and nation as a whole and where the youth can feel responsible towards his/her family and motherland. It is not about giving adults the bookish knowledge, but social education so that they can lead their lives healthily and acquire a sensible understanding of things. Please remember that ignoring education is even a more grave sin than remaining illiterate because such people are a burden to the humanity and cannot lead it.

So let’s take a pledge of educating our adults and giving them the light of knowledge so that they can also shine in their own ways.

Thanks You!

Importance of Adult Education Speech 3

Respected Principal, Vice Principal, Dear Colleagues and Lovely Students – Warm Greetings to all of you!! Hope this day finds you in a good spirit!

Children, as you all know that our school is going to be a part of one education program, run by an NGO, meant for the adults. It is considered important to educate our children on the sensitivity of Adult Education and why it is so important in our present-day society. I hope you understand that democracy in the absence of education is meaningless. It is knowledge or education that helps a nation progress and takes it to the great heights of achievement. But sadly speaking, the current situation in India is so distressing that the majority of our population lives under deplorable conditions and cannot afford even basic education. Currently, more than half of the people in India are illiterate who cannot even understand what is good for them or not. They work at meager wages and let themselves be exploited by the capitalist system.

Adult education is the desperate need of the hour because it is being a powerful auxiliary, including a pertinent incentive to basic education. If our adult will remain uneducated, the government effort to achieve complete literacy rate in our country will not come to fruition.

Social education is required so that our adult can utilize their time in recreational activities and towards building a healthy lifestyle. Lastly, ignorance and illiteracy are a sin and illiterate adults are no less than a burden in our society. They are like stagnant water that cannot breed new life. Therefore, we should try and promote adult education in our living surroundings. The aim of all good teaching boils down to produce positive changes in human behavior and develop compassion, empathy and sensitivity towards their fellow beings. Adult education can prove to be a great emancipator for the adults in our society, if done rightfully and with a good heart.

Here are a few important points in relation with adult education, let’s try and understand these:

  • We should understand that not every adult has had the opportunity to become educated. But when they are turned old and getting an opportunity to learn and discover a new side to themselves they should not get discouraged and go ahead.
  • Learning is a lifelong process and if adult people are getting to gain knowledge even at this juncture, it should be much appreciated.
  • Adult education will make the adults confident about themselves and empower them to take sensible decisions about their lives.
  • The aptitude and confidence gained through adult education will prove to be valuable not only for them, but also for their families and communities.
  • It will give adults the opportunity to better their skills and place themselves well in the employment sector.
  • Last but not the least, it will also bring down the illiteracy rate in our country and contribute in the overall growth of our nation.

Thus, the potential of adult education should be unleashed so that more and more people can benefit out of it and make our place a better place to live in.

Importance of Adult Education Speech 4

Respected Teachers and My Dear Students – Heartiest Greetings to all!

I, Mrs. Shalini Avasthi, your Civics Teacher would want to take this opportunity on our Annual Function Day for delivering a speech on the importance of Adult Education. Children, as you all know, that the root cause of evil in this world is illiteracy. It hinders in the way of progress and development of a nation. The darkness of illiteracy engulfs everything and leaves people’s lives dissipated. They fail to realize the significance of their existence and live an animal-like existence. They are not able to understand what exactly they want from their lives and remain contended in living a mechanical life.

I know it is not possible to carry the torch of education everywhere, but in whatever small ways we can help in educating the adults, we should do and try to free them from their lifelong suffering. By educating the adults we can give them a purpose of life and improve their standard of living.

Our Indian Constitution has made universal compulsory education an indispensable part of the state’s directive principle; however very little has been done towards this direction. There are still plenty of opportunities for the children to get educated, but our adults seldom get any platform to polish their skills or gain knowledge so that they can also embark on the path of wisdom.

The problems related with adult education are many. Firstly, the illiterate people are leading a dreadful existence. They are not able to attend the schools. Even attending evening classes is not possible for them because they work day and night to fill their empty stomachs. Therefore, offering adult education in the absence of proper food, clothing and shelter is almost like causing a mockery of their situation. We should try to understand the gravity of the situation. It is Kerala that has been able to uproot the evil of illiteracy from its region. In fact, every other state should try to follow its footsteps and promote adult education proactively everywhere.

But the question that now arises is how adult education can be promoted so that more and more people can benefit out of it? It can be promoted in a number of ways. If every literate person can take out some time to teach the uneducated masses, it will serve a great purpose. Mass campaigns should be run to encourage adult education if not at a global level, then at least at a national level. Its importance can be taught through the medium of radio, television and other medium of instruction. It also becomes the responsibility of the government to create favorable conditions for the adults where they can become a part of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs.

The establishment of modern libraries should be facilitated, especially in villages. Village libraries must own a collection of informative or educational books. Latest journals and leaflets should be there in order to spread more awareness amongst the masses. Attaining a 100 percent literacy of the masses is a huge task and everyone must work towards achieving it.

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