Happy Halloween!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been prominently featured in the news lately. In this month's newsletter, I decided to use an AI program to generate questions or prompts* about fairy tales and their role in promoting literacy among both adults and children. I also inquired about the future of literacy in light of AI's ability to compose and create content. The program I used, called ChatGPT, generates human-like responses and helps users steer conversations toward specific lengths, formats, styles, details, and languages. Honestly, the AI responses were both impressive and somewhat alarming. What will AI programming do to our creativity or our writing skills? Our ability to reason or solve problems? Are we relinquishing our power and growth to a program, or can we harness that power to improve our future and environment? I suppose time will tell.
* Prompts are instructions that guide ChatGPT to produce the desired content
Here are the responses I received from ChatGPT to my prompts:
Fairy tales help improve literacy skills
Promote to ChatGPT: Please write an article about how reading fairy tales helps adults and children improve their literacy skills.
While traditionally associated with children, fairy tales offer a wide range of benefits for literacy development in both children and adults. The timeless narratives and moral lessons found in these stories create a shared foundation that can be instrumental in enhancing reading skills, comprehension, and language development across age groups.
Benefits for Children’s Literacy
For children, fairy tales serve as an accessible introduction to literature. These stories are often simple, with repetitive structures and familiar themes, making them easier for young readers to follow and understand. By engaging with fairy tales, children:
1. Develop Vocabulary: Fairy tales often introduce new words in context, helping children expand their vocabulary in a natural and engaging way. These stories frequently use descriptive language, encouraging children to think critically about words and their meanings.
2. Improve Comprehension: The clear, often linear structure of fairy tales—with defined beginnings, conflicts, and resolutions—helps children understand narrative form. They learn how stories are constructed, which improves their comprehension of more complex texts later in life.
3. Boost Critical Thinking: Fairy tales often involve moral dilemmas or complex character decisions. By engaging with these, children start to develop critical thinking skills as they analyze the characters’ actions and the consequences of those actions.
4. Cultural Awareness and Moral Understanding: Many fairy tales are steeped in cultural traditions and contain universal themes of right and wrong. This introduces children to different cultures and fosters a sense of empathy as they navigate the moral lessons presented.
Benefits for Adults
Though fairy tales are often dismissed as “child’s play,” they also have significant value for adult readers, especially in literacy development for those with low reading skills. For adults, reading fairy tales can:
1. Build Confidence: Fairy tales are accessible and non-intimidating for adults with low literacy. These familiar stories, which they might recall from childhood, provide a comfortable entry point back into reading. Success in reading these texts can boost self-esteem, encouraging continued learning.
2. Enhance Language Skills: Fairy tales use straightforward language but with a richness in expression. This can help adult readers develop their understanding of grammar and syntax, allowing them to tackle more complex reading materials over time.
3. Foster Family Literacy: When adults and children read fairy tales together, it creates a bonding experience while improving literacy for both. Adults improve their reading fluency and comprehension by practicing, while children benefit from reading the stories aloud. This intergenerational reading experience reinforces literacy for the whole family.
4. Stimulate Imagination and Creativity: Fairy tales often involve fantastical elements that stretch the imagination. For adult readers, engaging with these stories can rekindle creativity, making reading more enjoyable and promoting further exploration of literature.
Lifelong Learning
Both children and adults benefit from the literacy skills cultivated by reading fairy tales. Literacy is not just about reading but understanding, interpreting, and applying information in everyday life. Fairy tales, with their universal themes and relatable characters, serve as a powerful tool in developing these critical skills for all ages.
Fairy tales are more than just entertainment; they are a bridge to greater literacy, creativity, and empathy, helping individuals improve their quality of life and strengthen their communities. Through programs like Literacyworks, these foundational stories can support adults and children alike in their journey toward lifelong learning and achievement.
Promote to ChatGPT: Will AI affect the literacy rates in America in the future?
AI has the potential to significantly impact literacy rates in America, both positively and negatively. On the positive side, AI technologies can enhance educational tools and create personalized learning experiences for adults with low literacy. AI-driven platforms can provide tailored content, real-time feedback, and adaptive learning paths that can help individuals improve their reading and comprehension skills at their own pace. This could make education more accessible, especially for those in underserved communities or those who face challenges like time constraints or learning disabilities.
Additionally, AI could assist in breaking down language barriers for English learners, as seen in programs like the Literacyworks Center, where many participants are ESL learners. AI-powered translation tools and language learning apps can make it easier for individuals to improve their English skills, which is critical to both educational and employment success.
However, there are potential downsides. As automation increases and AI takes over more jobs, individuals with low literacy could find it even more difficult to compete in the job market, particularly in positions that require technical or digital literacy. Without access to the proper training, AI could exacerbate the divide between those who are literate and those who are not, leaving many behind in an increasingly tech-driven economy.
The key challenge will be ensuring that AI is leveraged to enhance literacy programs and make them more inclusive, providing support to those who need it most while addressing the digital divide.
BOOK SUGGESTION
This discussion about AI reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Isaac Asimov. In several of his stories, he introduced the Three Laws of Robotics, a set of rules designed for robots’ AI brain programming. These laws were first presented in his 1942 short story "Runaround," which is part of the 1950 collection "I, Robot."
The Laws
The Three Laws, presented to be from the fictional "Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D.", are:
The First Law states that a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
The Second Law states that a robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except when such orders would conflict with the First Law.
The Third Law states that a robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Paul Heavenridge
Literacyworks Center Students
Four things are true about each of the students we will briefly discuss: They started at SRJC taking English as a Second Language classes, they are all low-income, each is highly motivated, and all are members of Literacyworks Center.
Sharon has been in the program for several years. She has a wonderful family, and she loves to cook. She has generously brought homemade snacks to our group workshops. Sharon found a calling in the culinary arts program at the college. In addition to attending classes full-time she also worked in a restaurant. During the pandemic, Sharon faced frustration and challenges as her hands-on classes were taught remotely. However, this past May, she earned a Certificate in Culinary Arts and was one of the speakers at the graduation ceremony. She now manages the kitchen at a prominent restaurant in Sonoma County and maintains a friendship with the staff at Literacyworks.
Ben has a young family and has been attending the JC for several years. Although he started in ESL classes, his confidence in his academic abilities has grown considerably. That confidence and his success in school have made him an active supporter of other students. His naturally outgoing nature has helped him find a place within the college community and a way to support others. Ben loves to volunteer to help other students. He graduated this year and has applied to the X-Ray Technician Program. Ben will do well in whatever he sets out to do.
Mitchie came to her last one-to-one interview in May. She brought flowers to the Literacyworks Staff in appreciation of the support she has received. She has been in the program for several years, and watching her grow into a self-assured young woman has been fascinating. Mitchie graduated from the SRJC a few days after our interview. As we discussed her future, her eyes started to tear as she explained that she had been accepted to the University of California Santa Cruz, where she is now attending.
Adrianna is a hard-working student who has faced many challenges. Literacyworks Staff have helped her utilize many support programs both on campus and in the community. She aims to become a professional translator, possibly working in the court system to support new immigrants with legal matters. Adrianna’s self-determination has helped her find the resources she needs to be successful in school and life. She is willing to ask for help when she needs it. Adrianna is visually impaired.
Chris Schultz
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