NAME:_______________________________________ DATE:_________________________

Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

Module 5
Unit 2. Teaching strategies for the development of literacy skills and teaching resources
C. Developing functional literacy
D. 21st Century literacy skills and teaching resources
I. Introduction / Rationale
Functional literacy uses a single focus on a subject of interest to the students as the content material for
developing literacy skills. Usually the subject matter is related to some aspect of the learners' work or family
life - such as agriculture, health or small business.
Teachers could design a program that teach literacy related to the functional skills to students. The essential
elements of this approach to literacy are the following:
1. Literacy programmes should be incorporated into and correlated with economic and social develop
2. Literacy programmes should preferably be linked with economic priorities and carried out in areas
undergoing rapid economic expansion.
3. Literacy programmes must impart not only reading and writing, but also professional and technical
knowledge.
4. Literacy must be an integral part of the over-all education plan and educational system of each
country.
5. The financial needs of functional literacy should be met out of various resources, public and private,
as well as provided for in economic investments.
The term 21st century skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits
that are believed—by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others—to be critically
important to success in today’s world, particularly in collegiate programs and contemporary careers and
workplaces. Generally speaking, 21st century skills can be applied in all academic subject areas, and in all
educational, career, and civic settings throughout a student’s life.
II- Learning Objective
 Demonstrate teaching strategies that promote literacy
 Show skills in the selection, development and use of age-appropriate instructional resources that will
develop literacy, and higher-order and creative thinking skills
 Design activities appropriate for the development of literacy skills
III- Content
What is Participatory approach?
 is a teaching strategy that incorporates themes or content area that are of interest to the learners. It is
under the umbrella of Content-Based Instruction (CBI) in that it uses topics for specific purposes.
 The themes derive from real issues that affect students’ daily lives where language learning is used as a
vehicle to solve social problems.
 is a brainchild of Brazilian language educator Paulo Freire.
 Researchers also referred to this method as the Freirean Approach to language literacy education. The
goal of this method is to use language learning as a tool to provide solutions to social problems that
impact learners in their daily lives.
 Freire contends that unjust social problems originate from illiteracy and the solution lies in helping
learners empower themselves from the circumstances they are in.
 In this method, the teacher and students collaborate with each other with the teacher acting as a guide
and facilitator. Over the course of the lessons, teachers in participatory approach eventually turn over
some facets of control to the students.
 The topics are generated based from students’ realities and previous experience which make up for an
authentic and meaningful learning experience.

The following list provides a brief illustrative overview of the knowledge, skills, work habits, and
character traits commonly associated with 21st century skills:
 Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information
 Research skills and practices, interrogative questioning
 Creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination, innovation, personal expression
 Perseverance, self-direction, planning, self-discipline, adaptability, initiative
 Oral and written communication, public speaking and presenting, listening
 Leadership, teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, facility in using virtual workspaces
 Information and communication technology (ICT) literacy, media and internet literacy, data
interpretation and analysis, computer programming
 Civic, ethical, and social-justice literacy
 Economic and financial literacy, entrepreneurialism
 Global awareness, multicultural literacy, humanitarianism
 Scientific literacy and reasoning, the scientific method
 Environmental and conservation literacy, ecosystems understanding
 Health and wellness literacy, including nutrition, diet, exercise, and public health and safety
Student – led Learning (Cooperative Learning)
 Cooperative learning involves students working together to accomplish shared goals, and it is this sense
of interdependence that motivate group members to help and support each other.
 When students work cooperatively, they learn to listen to what others have to say, give and receive help,
reconcile differences, and resolve problems democratically.
 The role the teacher plays in establishing cooperative learning in the classroom is critically important for
its success.
 This involves being aware of how to structure cooperative learning in groups, including their size ,
composition the type of task set; expectations for behavior; individual and group responsibilities; the
teacher’s role in monitoring both the process and the outcomes of the group experience.

2. Inquiry – based Classroom Environment

 You are most likely familiar with a KWL chart that depicts what students KNOW (K), what they
WANT to know (W), and then eventually, what they LEARN (L).
 Inquiry-based learning focuses on the “want to know” portion of a KWL chart
 However, true inquiry involves a student seeking the answers themselves, as opposed to a teacher
simply providing the information through lecture and direct teaching
 Teachers are facilitators, as opposed to just a teacher imparting information. They prompt student
questioning and idea sharing with purposeful questions, ensure that students have access to resources
and set clear expectations for their behavior. Most importantly, students are held accountable for their
own actions.
 The benefit of true inquiry is a genuine feeling of student ownership as students are given meaningful
tasks that are engaging and challenging. Additionally, student accountability increases when students are
part of a cooperative group and have others depending on them
3.Collaborative Activities
 Collaborative activities are any activities where learners are working co-operatively in pairs or groups.
For example:
Pair or group discussions, completing shared tasks in a pair or group, e.g. matching, sorting, ranking
 Activities or games with a competitive element, e.g. bingo Drama and role play
Information exchange activities, including barrier games and jigsaw activities

For collaborative activities to work effectively it is important to:

 consider the grouping of learners carefully
 establish the type of behaviour that will be expected from learners and ensure that everyone is clear what
their role
 Think about what you want them to get from the discussion and decide which language or languages
you want them to use.

4. HOTS Activities
 Higher-order thinking takes thinking to a whole new level. Students using it are understanding higher
levels rather than just memorizing facts.
 They would have to understand the facts, infer them, and connect them to other concepts.
 Teaching strategies to enhance higher-order thinking skills in your students.
 Help students understand what higher-order thinking is and why they need it. Help them understand
their own strengths and challenges. You can do this by showing them how they can ask themselves good
questions.
 Lead students through the process of how to connect one concept to another. By doing this you are
teaching them to connect what they already know with what they are learning. For example, let’s say
 that the concept they are learning is “Chinese New Year.” An even broader concept would be
“Holidays.”
 Teach students to make inferences by giving them “real-world” examples. You can start by giving
students a picture and focus on the details. Then, ask them to make inferences based on what they see in
the picture
 Encourage students to ask questions, and if for some reason you can’t get to their question during class
time, show them how they can answer it themselves or have them save the question until the following
day.
 Graphic organizers provide students with a nice way to frame their thoughts in an organized manner. By
drawing diagrams or mind maps, students are able to better connect concepts and see their relationships.
This will help students develop a habit of connecting concepts
 Teach students to use a step-by-step method for solving problems. This way of higher-order thinking
will help them solve problems faster and more easily. Encourage students to use alternative methods to
solve problems as well as offer them different problem-solving methods.
 Creative thinking is when students invent, imagine, and design what they are thinking. Using creative
senses helps students process and understand information better.
 Encourage students to think “outside of the box.”
 When concepts that are being learned are difficult, encourage students to create a movie in their mind.
Teach them to close their eyes and picture it like a movie playing. This way of higher-order thinking
will truly help them understand in a powerful, unique way.
 Higher-order thinking requires students to really understand a concept, not repeat it or memorize it.
Encourage students to elaborate their answers by asking the right questions that make students explain
their thoughts in more detail.
 Question-Answer-Relationships, or QARs, teach students to label the type of question that is being
asked and then use that information to help them formulate an answer. Students must decipher if the
answer can be found in a text or online or if they must rely on their own prior knowledge to answer it.

5. Creative Learning
 The method that is based on the use of theatre techniques in order to stimulate learning in the classroom.
It has been developed for children of elementary school and is based on the principle that children learn
better when they participate in the learning process in comparison with being passive listeners.
 The use of theatre techniques in the elementary school is proven to be very effective for the
improvement of the school performance of the children.
 It addresses at the same time linguistic intelligence, logical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-
kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, naturalist intelligence.
 It makes the class more attractive and it promotes the active participation of the students in the class
improving in this way the educational performance of the children.
 The aim of the Creative Learning Method is not to promote the independent use of theatre in the school
curricula but to embed theatre techniques in the main subjects of the school (languages, maths, physics etc) and
to use it in order to promote learning of specific topics of the school curriculum.
INSTRUCTION: Encircle the letter of the correct answer

1.It uses a single focus on a subject of interest to the students as the content material for developing literacy
skills.
A. Traditional literacy
B. Functional literacy
C. Basic literacy
D. Technological literacy
2. Functional literacy subject matter is related to some aspect of the learners' work or family life.
A. interest
B. talent
C. social status
D. work or family life
3.Literacy programmes should be incorporated into and correlated with _______ and ______________plans.
A. economic
B. social development
C. educational
D. Both a and b
E. Both b and c
4.Literacy programmes must impart not only reading and writing, but also _______ and _______________.
A. basic and traditional skills
B. professional and technical knowledge
C. Practical and vocational learning
D. All of the above
5.It must be an integral part of the over-all education plan and educational system of each country
A. curriculum
B. society
C. literacy
D. All of the above
V- Learning Activity:
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. (The class will be divided into 5 groups.) Make a lecture-demonstration on teaching strategies that promote
learners’ literacy skills
2. The class will be divided into 5 groups. Each group will discuss among themselves strategies of particular
literacy skills using the ENVOY strategy.
VI. Assessment / Reflection
INSTRUCTION:
Write a reflection about strategies for the development of literacy skills and teaching resources based on their
schema Presentation.

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VII. Feedback / Comment

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INSTRUCTION: Encircle the correct answer
1.Participatory approach is also known as __________.
A. Fredrich Approach
B. Freirean Approach
C. Newton Approach
D. Georgian Approach
2. A teaching strategy that incorporates themes or content area that are of interest to the learners.
A. Participatory Approach
B. Cooperative Approach
C. Technical Approach
D. Thematic Approach
3.Participatory Approach is under the umbrella of ____________in that it uses topics for specific purposes.
A. FBI
B. BPI
C. CBI
D. FTI
4.The themes derive from real issues that affect students’ daily lives where ________ is used as a vehicle to
solve social problems.
A. physical learning
B. language learning
C. actual learning
D. practical learning
5.In Participatory Approach, the teacher and students ____________with the teacher acting as a guide and
facilitator.
A. collaborate with each other
B. communicate with each other
C. learn from each other
D. All of the above
6.It refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed to be critically
important to success in today’s world
A. modern skills
B. 20th century skills
C. 21st century skills
D. technical skills
7.The following provides a brief illustrative overview of the knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits
commonly associated with 21st century skills:
A. critical thinking
B. Problem solving
C. reasoning
D. All of the above
8.The following provides a brief illustrative overview of the knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits
commonly associated with 21st century skills:
A. leadership
B. collaboration
C. ownership
D. Both a and b
E. Both b and c
9.It can be applied in all academic subject areas, and in all educational, career, and
civic settings throughout a student’s life.
A. modern skills
B. 20th century skills
C. 21st century skills
D. technical skills
10.It involves students working together to accomplish shared goals.
A. Common learning
B. Shared learning
C. Group learning
D. Cooperative learning
11.When students work cooperatively, they learn to listen to what others have to say, give and receive help,
reconcile differences, and resolve problem democratically.
A. diligently
B. cooperatively
C. intelligently
D. All of the above
12.The role the teacher plays in establishing cooperative learning in the classroom is _____________for its
success.
A. conditional
B. necessary
C. critically important
D. All of the above
13.Inquiry-based learning focuses on the __________portion of a KWL chart.
A. want to know
B. knows
C. wants
D. All of the above
14.It involves a student seeking the answers themselves, as opposed to a teacher simply providing the
information through lecture and direct teaching.
A. Cooperative learning
B. Inquiry-based classroom
C. Creative learning
D. Participatory approach
15.These are activities where learners are working co-operatively in pairs or groups.
A. Cooperative learning
B. Inquiry-based classroom
C. Creative learning
D. Collaborative Activities
16.Students prompt questioning and idea sharing with purposeful questions.
A. Cooperative learning
B. Inquiry-based classroom
C. Creative learning
D. Participatory approach
17.The method that is based on the use of theatre techniques in order to stimulate learning in the classroom.
A. HOTS activities
B. Inquiry-based classroom
C. Creative learning
D. Participatory approach
18. Lead students through the process of how to connect one concept to another.
A. HOTS activities
B. Inquiry-based classroom
C. Creative learning
D. Participatory approach
19.Information exchange activities, including barrier games and jigsaw activities
A. HOTS activities
B. Collaborative activities
C. Creative learning
D. Participatory approach
20. When concepts that are being learned are difficult, encourage students to create a movie in their mind.
A. HOTS activities
B. Collaborative activities
C. Creative learning
D. Participatory approach
IX- References:
• https://ealresources.bell-foundation.org.uk/
teachers/great-ideas-collaborative-activities
• http://languageeducation.pbworks.com
• https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies
• http://sedin-project.eu/project/creative-learning/