Читать книгу Lit 21 - New Literary Genres in the Language Classroom - Группа авторов - Страница 8

Contemporary trends, of course, affect the conditions of reading and the demands made on modern readers (Delanoy et al. 2015, Hall 2005, Hammer et al. 2012, Lütge 2013, NCTE 2013, Paul 2010, Proserpio/Gioia 2011, Ribbat 2005, Wyse et al. 2010, Thaler 2016b, 2012). The New London Group (1996) has brought to our minds the need of a new definition of being literate in modern culture. With society and technology changing and literate environments becoming more complex, readers have to possess multiple literacies, which are dynamic and malleable (Friesen 2011). Since digital natives grow up using technology as a learning tool, they can navigate and comprehend digital media, interpret coded language and decode graphics. They are expected to read, understand, analyse, evaluate and create multi-modal texts.

Compared to older digital immigrants, however, younger readers tend to have a shorter attention span, which calls for shorter, varied and more attractive input. In our multioptional society it seems important to give people more options on how they consume entertainment – and books.

Until recently, the intended reader was mainly an upper-secondary student with rather advanced linguistic abilities and some intrinsic interest in literature. Recent developments now offer the opportunity to include new reader groups. “In contrast, the focus on young learners and multi-modal texts includes engagement with less advanced and more reluctant learner groups” (Delanoy 2017: 19). More diverse and alluring text formats may also counteract the so-called Leseknick, i.e. a considerable decrease of reading interest at the beginning of adolescence (Bland 2013: 74, Lewis 2015).