Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum

A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
(SEd Prof. 312/EEd Prof 312/TLEd Prof 312/PEd Prof 312)

A Self-Paced Learning Module for College

Students

MODULE 4

SOCIAL LITERACY

DR. MANUEL B. CABUNGCAL, JR.

 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

Social Literacy
Introduction
Beyond basic literacy which is popularly defined as a form of ability to read, write,
and do basic arithmetic, social literacy is a highly emerging subject in many academic
audiences. This is timely because social skills, knowledge and positive human values
are equally important. They support human abilities to become a responsible member of
the community.
The need for social skills is rooted on human diversity. People differ in many
ways as to age, ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs, socio-economic status,
sexual orientation, gender identity and race (Tamayao, 2013). These are inescapable
realities of life that one must face to live harmoniously with people and to eventually
succeed in a chosen field.
Learning Outcomes

 develop mindful understanding of the working definition of social literacy and

its importance
 discuss fundamental social skills and the role of schools in teaching them to
children, and
 create a sense of responsibility and cohesion in a socially-diverse society
Learning Content
Definition of Social literacy and Its Importance
Sociocultural Theory
Fundamental Social literacy Skills
Social Literacy in the Classroom

a. Definition of Social Literacy and Its Importance

According to Alata and Ignacio (2019) social literacy concerns itself with the
development of social skills that enable human beings to act positively and responsibly
in range of complex social settings. It is the knowledge of how to behave and treat other
people that is morally upright, just and equitable to promote positive and productive
relations.
Social literacy supports proactive working with people in the society to
successfully and deliberately mediate his world as family member, worker, citizen and
lifelong learner. It is the knowledge of how to behave and treat other people
appropriately. The ability to connect effectively with those around us is part of this
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

aspect of literacy. It spans across interacting with peers, family, co-workers, teachers,
and even people we may not have met face to face.
Social literacy is crucial in a person’s success. The ability to communicate and
voice opinions and thoughts, as well as listening to opinions and thoughts of others, is
essential in learning. Understanding social cues and norms is extremely beneficial in
building relationships with people. We play so many roles everyday and we socially
need to grasp how to play those roles appropriately. For example: I would talk differently
with my friends that I would my mother, or I would communicate differently that I would
while sending a message to my physician. Without an understanding of this unique
communication process, one cannot function very well in the society. The bridge to the
growth of social relations is to deeply understand each other both in verbal and non-
verbal communication.
By understanding social literacy, it may redound to fitting one’s self as a well-
adjusted member of the social circle. This is essential in mapping out the future of
children and young adults in order to become a responsible individual who cares about
others in bringing social justice to where the learner is in the future. In essence, social
literacy involves educating the heart – the heart of education.

b. Socio-Cultural Theory
The society contributes a lot to the development of an individual. Dealing with
people develops the culture of the place of interaction. Human learning is basically then
a social process. People learn from other people. They adopt the words, actuations,
beliefs, mannerisms, and other social hallmarks and characteristics of the community.
The socio-cultural theory grew from the works of Lev Vygotsky, who believed that
parents, caregivers, peers and the culture as a whole were responsible for developing
the child’s personality. According to Vygotsky, learning has its own basis in interacting
with other people. Once this has occurred, the information is then integrated on the
individual level.
In a separate but similar note, the sociocultural theory explains that learning
occurs during social interaction between and among individuals. It adheres that learning
takes place first through social interaction and second through individual internalization
of social behaviours (Drew, 2019).
Sociocultural theory focuses not only on how adults and peers influence
individual learning, but also, as cultural belief and attitudes affect how learning takes
place. Following his theory, children are born with basic biological constraints on their
minds. Each culture however, provides tasks for intellectual adaptation. These tools
allow children to use their abilities in a way that is adoptive to the culture in which they
live. For example, while one culture might emphasize memory strategies such as note
taking, another might use tools like reminders on rote memorization.
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

Another concept in sociocultural theory is the Zone of Proximal Distance or

ZPD. According to Vygotsky, this is the distance between actual development level as
determined by independent problem solving & the level of potential development. This is
determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more
capable peers. It therefore includes all of the knowledge & skills that a person cannot
yet understand or perform on their own, but is capable of learning with guidance. As
children are allowed to lengthen their skills and knowledge, often by observing someone
who is more advanced, they are able to progressively stretch their ZPD.
Essentially, this theory tells that the child cannot learn many things without the
society. How can one learn language and other social skills without the family, friends,
school and the society as a whole? Indeed, no man is an island.
c. The Fundamental Social literacy Skills
Peers and schools play a formative role on the social skills development of
children. As cited by Alata and Ignacio (2019) these social skills are often expressed as
consisting of three inter-related components: social perception, social cognition and
social performance. Social performance is becoming more popular as to outcomes. In
literacy parlance, social skill is defined as the ability to interact with others in a given
social context in specific ways that are socially acceptable or valued and at the same
time personally interesting, mutually engaging, or primarily beneficial to others.
Several social skills needing mastery for a child are contained in this discussion.
These range from the ability to initiate, maintain, and end a conversation to reading
social signals to more complex skills such as solving problems and resolving conflict
(Lawson, 2003). The following examples represent some of the fundamental principles
of relating well to others. Children lacking social skills can be taught directly by adults at
home, teachers and other professionals using the strategies of modelling, role-playing,
rehearsal and practice.

 Greetings – Let us remember that greeting is subject to cultural differences.

Japanese, Indians, Eskimos, Chinese, Koreans and Filipinos differ in greeting
orientations. In this discussion, it only focuses on the Filipino way. The first
step to developing relationship of children with their peers is by social
interaction through greeting. It is not enough to say “hi!”, “kumusta!” or the
more practical way of greeting in this time of pandemic (COVID19) which is
putting one’s hand on the left breast while bowing the head. The facial
expression, the tone of voice and other gestures are as important as the
words. Again, it is not what one says that always matters but it is how it is
said that one knows that he/she is happy to see them.

 Initiating, maintaining and closing a Conversation- There are three aspects of

conversation which are equally important - initiating, maintenance and
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

closing. All of which require good listening and attention skills, as well as the
ability to take turns. There is an old Chinese adage which says “we have two
ears and one mouth” so we have to listen more than we talk in order to
sustain the “fire” of conversation and to eventually end up fruitfully. This also
amounts to respect. There are children who are impulsive. They do not know
when to talk and when to listen. Such deficiency of the child may create
indifference if not animosity. Conversation starts and ends with a smile as if
both parties prelude to meet each other again.
 Understanding the Listener – It is important to know whom you are talking
with and figure out how they take the ideas. To converse in a socially
appropriate manner, children must be able to take the perspective or point of
view of the other person. If the message hurts or offends the other party, this
leads to rejection and conversation may end up abruptly. If the message is
found to be desirable, the conversation becomes an endeavour that is
wanting to be repeated. To do this, always take the stand of the listener while
talking.
 Empathizing – Empathy is wearing the “shoes” of others. It means that one is
able to feel what the other person feels. It is a bridge to connect with other
people. When empathy is missing, social relationship becomes sour and
social rejection is imminent.
 Reading Social Cues – Lowering of the voice may hint a pause in a
conversation and allows the other party to speak. But to some, this is not
always the case. Therefore, the child has to grasp the social cues in a
conversation. Cues are the tone of voice, movements of the head, silence,
and other verbal or nonverbal signals. As they say, ‘good detectives” pay very
close attention to nonverbal cues.
 Previewing or Planning – This is also about anticipation. Conversations also
require that one previews or thinks about what effect the words or actions
may have on the listener before he says or does them. A good
conversationalist knows how to adjust in order to eliminate the negative effect
of the idea. This is to say again that both the idea and the manner it is said
are of equal weight.
 Problem Solving- Problems and conflicts may arise in social interactions.
What maybe sought to be desirable is to disagree in order to agree. But the
response to problems or conflicts may differ from one person to another. A
person who has a good problem solving skills often responds to such calmly
but there are people who get angry, insult or become physically aggressive.
Conflicts can be “necessary evils” to clarify recurrent issues that are sources
of misunderstandings. The best way to end a conflict is through the “meeting
of minds and hearts” or the so-called “win-win” situation. A “win-loss”, “loss-
win” of “loss-loss” situation has no place in this civilized human era. To avoid
conflicts, negotiation, mediation and compromise are needed. All of us must
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

be friends. After all, we are interconnected by a certain link – blood, religion,

race, etc.
 Apologizing-No one is perfect. Everyone makes social mistakes at one time
or another. A person with social grace is confident enough to make a sincere
apology for an error. Apologizing is not a lip service. This is a courageous act
and is the quickest and easiest way to correct a social blunder. Apologizing
does not always mean committing mistakes. One may at times apologize
because he values the relationship or wants to preserve the friendship with
the other party. But when committing mistakes, apologizing is a sign of
humility and maturity.

d. Taking on Social Literacy in the Classroom

School is the place where children spend the majority of their time with peers. It
is therefore a natural and perfect setting for children to learn and practice social skills.
While teachers do not have to teach a class in social skills, they can take advantage of
every opportunity to help children improve their social skills. They should be alert to
teasing and bullying and aware of children that are rejected or ignored by their peers.
They should work cooperatively with the children’s parents to prevent the humiliation,
embarrassment, and distress that befall these children. Pairing a socially inept child with
a socially adept one, involving children in cooperative instead of competitive learning
exercises, identifying and acknowledging the strengths of all children, understanding
social weaknesses, and creating an environment in which diversity is accepted and
celebrated can greatly enhance all children’s social abilities, sense of belongingness,
and self-esteem, not just in the classroom but in the life as well.
After all, there is more to life than the core subjects of math, science, English
language, arts, and social studies. Personal and interpersonal skills – such as
responsibility, self-management, integrity, honesty, collaboration and leadership are
critical for success in college, career, and life (Grafwallner, 2016).
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

Summary
 Social literacy is understanding and practicing the social skills, knowledge
and positive values that support human abilities. It involves educating the
heart.
 The socio-cultural theory tells that people learn from other people through
interaction.
 The fundamental social skills include appropriate greetings, initiating,
maintaining and closing conversation, understanding the listener,
empathizing, reading social cues, previewing or planning, problem solving
and apologizing.
 The school does not directly teach social skills but it is a perfect place to
practice them through providing appropriate activities by the teacher.

Teaching and Learning Activities

Activity 1: List down your daily routine that involves social literacy skills. Which
one/s is/are your strength/s? weakness/es? How do you go about your weaknesses?
Activity 2: Go over the social literacy skills. Ask an adult and a peer about their
thoughts on these and try to compare with your own opinion.
Activity 3: Pair with a classmate and discuss Vygotsky”s socio-cultural theory in
relation to the acquisition of social literacy skills.

Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading

Blake, Caitrin, Why Today’s Students Need Help Boosting Their Social Intelligence?
http://resilient educator.com
Grafwallner, Peg, Taking on Social Literacy on the Classroom.
http://wwwliteracyworldwide.org.
Students’ Social Literacy in the Daily Journal, http://www.researchgate.net
Vega, Violeta A. et. al., 2009, Education in the New Social Milieu, Lorimar Publishing ,
Inc. Quezon City, Philippines.

Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

Online (googleclassroom/googlemeet/zoom conferencing/messenger).
Modules (hard copy/soft copy/online) are provided for the students for self-paced
learning.
 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

Assessment Task
Answer/Do the following:
a. Craft your own definition of Social literacy.
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b. Answer a 15-item multiple-choice type of test via zoom conferencing or
googlemeet.

b. As a future educator/educator, what tasks do you provide your students to

enhance their social skills? Explain these tasks.
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c. Why do social skills differ from one child to another? How can you apply your
knowledge on ZPD in educating intellectually and socially-diverse learners?
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 Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum
A Self-Paced Learning Module for College Students- First Edition

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d. They say that the level of social skills can “make or break” the future of an
individual. Do you agree? Defend your answer.
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References:
Alata, Elen Joy, MA Ed. & Eigen John T. Ignacio, MA Ed., 2019. Building and
Enhancing New
Literacies Across the Curriculum. Rex Book Store, Inc.

Tamayao, Antonio I., Ph. D., 2013. Social Dimensions of Education. Rex Book Store,
Inc.
Tompkins, Gail E., 2018. Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach: Pearson