Brandt

Brandt:

QfD&J:

1.

Brandt sees a literacy sponsor as something which does not only aid and support people with literacy skills but she believes that literacy sponsors can open some doors whilst closing others. Brandt sees sponsors as institutions, people and circumstances which make it possible for a person to become literate and shape the way the person actually acquires literacy.

2.

Sponsors are usually something which supports something else by giving them materials or equipment. For example schools (an institution) are sponsors of students but giving them text books. However a reason that a school may be a negative sponsor (in which it closes a door) is that sometimes schools cannot provide students with what they need so a different sponsor (parents) are needed. In my experience sometimes school has said they will provide me with a text book but haven’t had it due to a previous child not returning it so therefore I was unable to complete a piece of work.

4.

By stratified, I believe Brandt indicates that there are all different levels of opportunity, depending on the sponsor you use, depends on how well you will do. To gain a specific level you have to use the appropriate sponsor. In society today a high value is put on education due to going to university in order to get a good education and in the future to get a good job. As the importance (stakes) raise in these areas, it is important for good sources of sponsorship to be available. The sponsorship should open doors, rather than close doors, giving people the opportunity to achieve these high stakes.

A&EI:

1.

When I was younger, before I went to school, my parents and grandparents were my main sponsor. I learnt how to speak and write because of them and they may have used specific learning tools to help but they were the ones who helped the most. My Grandma’s was my main sponsor for learning how to spell and write. Every Sunday I would go to her house and we would do spellings and learn how to write them neatly. Another key sponsor in my life was when I got my laptop at the age of 13. My laptop helped me complete homework assignments and helped me research topics necessary to complete my homework. As well as using my laptop to research I would use libraries either in my local town or at school to rent out books and look up topics I needed to research. I believe these have been the main sponsors in my life outside of school then in school, I have received tutors and teachers help, as well as the use of textbooks. In schools there are always many people who are willing to help and assist you.

2.

In school, due to subjects following syllabuses, they always encouraged us to use certain books rather than others. Although we were encouraged to use specific books, on a very rare occasion were we told which books we can or cannot use. We were also encouraged to read outside of lesson materials to improve our grammar and once again we were encouraged to some books and not others just because they wanted to book to benefit us. In most subjects, at the start of the year we were given a list of books in which we were told that we could find all information on topics from these sources which was a huge help and which saved us a lot of time. Once again if we found a sponsor was unhelpful we could refer to mentors or the internet to help find specific information.

MM:

This article has given me a different outlook of my literacy skills. I have never really thought about how my skills are shaped and developed but I believe this article shows different sponsors we use in our lives and how they may affect our literacy skills and understanding. I also believe that I am still experiencing different types of sponsors today, from my parents to mentors and teachers. In college I am limited to different sponsors who allow me to complete different assignments, such as specific books and libraries.