Rizal Technological University

Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City

College of Education

Part 1 of the Series in 21st Century Literacies

Traditional Literacy
The term “literacy” came from the word “literate”, which means “(a person)
marked with letters” —that is, “distinguished or identified by letters” —and it carried
with it the idea that such a person was cultured and educated. Since the subjects of the
time (e.g., grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, etc.) all had written texts (which
were composed of letters) that had to be studied, the ability to read and write was
therefore of prime importance, leading to the strong association of being “literate”
with the ability to read and write.

Miller (1973) shares this common concept of literacy into three sub-categories:
1.Basic Literacy — It is the ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken sounds in order to decode written
materials and translate them into oral language. Simply put, it is the ability to recognize letters and words. This would
be akin to recognizing that
the sequence of letters “b-a-s-a” forms the word basa in Filipino,
even without understanding what it means.
2.Comprehension Literacy — It is the ability to understand the
meaning of what is being read. To capitalize on the example above,
this would be like knowing that basa can either mean “to read” or “to be wet”.
3.Functional or Practical Literacy — It is the ability to
read (i.e., decode and comprehend) written materials needed to
perform everyday vocational tasks. That is the equivalent of reading
the text “Ang bata ay nagbabasa.” and being able to understand that
basa here refers to reading and not being wet.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)

Back in 2004, UNESCO officially defined literacy as “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create,
communicate, and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a
continuum if learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to
participate fully in their community and wider society.”
Look that “reading” does not appear in UNESCO’s definition of literacy. Instead, literacy has taken on a
definition more akin to “knowing about something and what to do with it.”
In this note, Mkandawire (2018) more concisely suggests that literacy is “a form of knowledge, competence,
and skills in a particular field or area,” being supported by UNESCO (2006), Barton (2007), and Mkandawire

Questions:
1. Given the conventional concept of literacy, how literate are you?
2. How deep is your level of understanding?

Reflection:
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