What Does It Mean to Be 21st Century Literate?

"The definition of literacy has truly evolved. It is no longer accurate to say that being
able to read and write defines an individual as being literate. Instead, it is more
accurate to look at the bigger picture. Competency and experience in different
environments will allow people to become considered literate in today’s standards"
(Oxford, 2018). It's necessary that educators teach their students a new definition of
what it exactly means to be 21-centry literate and “to try new things, and work with
students to find where learning is most comfortable for them to succeed” (Lynch,
2018).
So, in the past a there were two essential skills a person needed in order to be
considered literate; those essential skills were the skills of reading and writing.
Conversely, in 2021 a new definition of literacy and the essential skills associated
with it has emerged. Modern literacy or 21st Century Literacy is a new definition of
literacy for a new century. Since the advent of the digital age, technology and, more
importantly, informational technology has gone through rapid development. People
today receive information from a variety of sources and in a variety of mediums. A
person must be able to decode all this data in order to effectively participate in our
digital age. People need an additional skill set above and beyond reading and
writing. That new skill set can best be described as 21st Century Literacy skills. With
this new definition of literacy and the associated skills, several questions arise.
So what are the essential 21st Century Literacy skills? 21st Century Literacy skills
can be defined as “literacy skills (that) increasingly reflect technology use and the
abilities necessary to problem-solve, collaborate, and present information through
multimedia” (Pilgrim, Jodi; Martinez, Elda E.p.60 ,2013). As you might have been
able to surmise, the new literacy is heavily dependent upon a person’s ability to
decode, assimilate and distribute new information effectively. A big part of these new
literacy skills depends upon a person demonstrating informational literacy.
I’m sure the next question on your mind might be, ‘what is informational literacy?’
“Informational literacy has been historically used to reference the literacy skills
needed for information access and problem-solving. (Pilgrim, Jodi; Martinez, Elda
E.p.60 ,2013).” To put it succinctly, 21st-Century Literacy is the ability to utilize
information regardless of its source. A 21st-Century Literate individual is fully
integrated and empowered to maximize the data around them no matter where or
how it arrives.
Finally, the last question is, “how does a person gain these new literacy skills?”
That’s where the teachers come in. Their role is to provide students with the 21st-
century skill set. They do this by adapting their classroom and teaching
methodologies to reflect the needs of our century. This is something that can only be
done through design implementation, which is the idea of building the classroom to
fit the student, not building the student to fit the classroom. This can only be
effectively done when the classroom is designed to impart 21st-Century Literacy,
which can only be done with the right tools. Students need access to technology
within the classroom so they can grow into it. Once this has been accomplished, the
student is prepared to participate in their environment.
References:

Defining Literacy in the 21st Century: A Guide to Terminology and Skills

Pilgrim, Jodi; Martinez, Elda E. Texas Journal of Literacy Education. Sam Houston
State University, 1908 Bobby Marks Drive Box 2119, Huntsville, TX 77341. Web
site: http://www.texasreaders.org

Lynch, E. (2018, July 18). Elements of a Literacy-Rich 21st Century Classroom.

Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/3-elements-
of-a-literacyrich-classroom-environment.

Oxford, B. (2018, Spetember 23). Redifining Literacy in the 21st Century. Lynch, E.
(2018, July 18). Elements of a Literacy-Rich 21st Century Classroom. Retrieved
march 1, 2021, from https://medium.com/literate-schools/redefining-literacy-in-the-
21st-century.
REFLECTION

The National Literacy Trust's (2020, no page) definition of literacy, which connects
the literacy skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing for the purpose of
effective communication and within the context of making sense of the world, is apt.
It states that literacy is "the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in a way that lets
us communicate effectively and make sense of the world." To comprehend the
current evolutionary changes in literacy development for children, it is essential to
combine skills, purpose, and context.
First of all, the world of the twenty-first century has seen a revolution in the methods
of working, thinking, and living in the world, as well as in the tools for doing those
things. These devices has shown in the image below, are taken as a whole and are
referred to as 21st century skills by Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills
9(2014). The printed, aural, and visual media that serve as literacy sources have
undergone a significant change as a result of this revolution. On the one hand, this
change in the sources of literacy has made learning simpler by delivering rich,
relevant knowledge to the masses like never before, but it has also created new
problems for learners who may not always have the tools to sort through the deluge
of information. Of any case, this increase in literacy available to students is a
particular difficulty and necessitates a cautious yet courageous opportunity for
learning to be approachable, meaningful, and pertinent to the development of
knowledge and ICT literacy is also. I believe that this ease of access to literacy
resources is a double-edged sword, and that the only way we can help children and
other learners to make their way through this maze of data is by developing a
deeper awareness of the age and stage.
Multicultural & Global Literacy
What is Multicultural Literacy?
Multicultural Literacy consists of the skills and
ability to identify the creators of knowledge and
their interests (Banks, 1996), to uncover the
assumptions of knowledge, to view knowledge
from diverse ethnic and cultural perspective, and
to use knowledge to guided action that will create
a humane and just world (Boutte, 2008).

Multicultural Literacy then, brings attention to

diversity, equity and social justice to foster cultural
awareness by addressing difficult issues like discrimination and oppression
towards other ethnicities (Boutte, 2008). According to Boutte (2008) education
for multicultural literacy should help students to develop the 21st century skills
and attitudes that are needed to become active citizens who will work towards
achieving social justice within our communities. Because of the growing racial,
language and ethnic diversity in our country, Multicultural Literacy needs to be
transformed in substantial ways to prepare students to function effectively in
the 21st Century (Boutte, 2008).
By making small changes within the classrooms, it can create big changes
globally (Boutte, 2008). As diversity grows, there is a need for the emergence
of multicultural education that is more representative of the students in today’s
classrooms. By teaching students to be advocates for multiculturalism, we are
also sending a message of empathy and tolerance in schools as a need to
develop deeper understanding of others and appreciation of different cultures
(Banks, 2003). With this being said, in order for students to develop these
attitudes and skills, it requires basic knowledge prior to teaching students how
to question assumptions about cultural knowledge and how to critique and
critically think about these important cultural issues, which is what essentially
makes Multicultural Literacy a 21st Century Literacy (Banks, 2003).
What is Global Literacy?
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Global Literacy aims to address issues

of globalization, racism, diversity and social
justice (Guo, 2014). It requires awareness and
action, consistent with a broad understanding of
humanity, the planet, and the impact of human
decision on both. Global Literacy also aims to
empower students with knowledge and take
action to make a positive impact in the world
and their local community (Guo, 2014).

According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2015) A global citizen should

display most or all of the following characteristics:

   Respect for humans no matter their race, gender,

religion or political perspectives.
   Respect for diversity and various perspectives.
   Promoting sustainable patterns of living, consumption,
and production.
   Appreciate the natural world and demonstrate
respectful towards the rights of all living things.

How are Multicultural and Global Literacy Interconnected?

Every classroom contains students of different race, religion, and cultural
groups. Students embrace diverse behaviors, cultural values, patterns of
practice, and communication. Yet they all share one commonality: their
educational opportunity (Guo, 2014).
Teachers should teach their students that other cultures exist and that these
deserve to be acknowledged and respected. Integrating a variety of cultural
context into lessons and activities, teaches students to view the world from
many angles, creates a respect for diversity and enables students to learn
exciting information. As classrooms become increasingly more diverse, it is
important for educators to acknowledge an address diversity issues and to
integrate multiculturalism information into the classroom curriculum (Guo,
2014).
REFLECTION

As our communities become increasingly diverse, it is essential for schools to

embrace multiculturalism. Students must be adaptable and be able to integrate
into other environments and traditions, as well as being able to support those
from different backgrounds who may be working in an area that has a very
different culture to what they are used to. It is this flexibility and compassion that
makes our students so special.  

According to a publication released by the Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development, "It's not just an add-on or an afterthought. Curricula
infused with multicultural education boosts academic success and prepares
students for roles as productive citizens". At OWIS, respect for our different
cultures and backgrounds is built into every aspect of our approach to learning.
Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, and they must be able to thrive in a
multicultural environment.
 SOCIAL LITERACY
Social literacy from the perspective of the social-cultural theory, is more than the
ability to read and write, and more than mastering literacy skills. Children can learn
literacy through social interaction between themselves and children and/or adults in
or outside school. Adults can use books, games, toys, conversations, field trips, and
stories to develop the literacy practices through fun.
Collaborative learning between schools, family, and community can help develop a
child's literacy. In addition, given today's technical knowledge, adults can take into
consideration how to use technology in the learning process and to employ it in
teaching children how to read and write in a social context.

"Literacy practices and events are always situated in social, cultural, historical and
political relationships and embedded in structures of power. Furthermore, literacy
practices involve social regulation of text, i.e. who has access to it and who can
produce it, and such practices are purposeful and embedded in broader social goals
and cultural practices. Moreover, these practices change and new ones are
frequently acquired through processes of informal learning and sense-making". [1] For
those reasons, teachers can design multiple levels of literacy activities and practices
to fit different students' abilities and way of learning and "provide
a pedagogical approach which fosters communities of learners,
plan classroom activities that embed meaningful opportunities to engage in the
analysis and construction of multimodal texts, and utilize teaching approaches that
move beyond the false tension between abstracting the codes of language and
learning their application for meaningful purposes". [2]

What is Social Literacy and why is it important?

Social Literacy is a students successful performance and understanding of

social Skills, organizational skills, and communication skills. It is the students
ability to connect effectively with those around them. Social literacy spans
across interacting with peers, family, coworkers, teachers, and even people
we may not have met face to face. 
Social literacy is so crucial in a persons success. The ability to communicate
and voice opinions and thoughts, as well as listening to opinions and thoughts
of others, is essential in learning. Firmly grasping social cues and norms is
extremely beneficial. In literally every single setting of our lives:school, home,
work, clubs and activities, interacting with people(whether face to face or
behind technology), we use our social literacy. We play so many roles
everyday and we socially need to understand how to play those roles
appropriately. For example: I would speak differently with my friends than I
would my mother, or I would chat on facebook differently than I would while
emailing a professor. Without an understanding of this communication, one
cannot function with success in society. 

Below are some examples of social literacy in a classroom. As you look at

these images, think about how many social interactions are occurring and
what students are learning about from being exposed to these social
situations.
REFLECTION

Similarly, ‘social literacy’ implies a level of skill in being able to form

respectful relationships. It implies learning about the give and take of
interacting with others. It includes the delicate, delightful and sometimes
very painful dance of sharing with others and allowing them to be ‘real’ to
us—beyond stereotypes and labels and beyond simply being a means to
fulfill our own needs.

Clearly social and emotional literacy can continue being built throughout
our lifetime. Perhaps a hallmark of remaining vibrant and youthful at heart
even as we age, is having the courage and humility to stay in the space of
continuous learning about feelings and relationships, knowing this kind of
literacy is never ‘done and dusted’. But for parents and early years
educators in particular, having some tools up their sleeve for building social
and emotional literacy with young children can help lay the foundations for
resilience and connectedness – qualities and skills that will serve them and
others for the rest of their lives.
What Is Financial Literacy, and Why Is It So
Important?
By;JASON FERNANDO
 Reviewed by :KHADIJA KHARTIT

Fact checked by: KIRSTEN ROHRS

SCHMITT

What Is Financial
Literacy?
Financial literacy is the ability to
understand and effectively use
various financial skills, including
personal financial
management, budgeting, and investing. The meaning of financial literacy is
the foundation of your relationship with money, and it is a lifelong journey of
learning. The earlier you start, the better off you will be because education is
the key to success when it comes to money.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 The term financial literacy refers to a variety of important financial skills

and concepts.
 People who are financially literate are generally less vulnerable to
financial fraud.
 A strong foundation of financial literacy can help support various life
goals, such as saving for education or retirement, using debt
responsibly, and running a business.
 Key aspects to financial literacy include knowing how to create a
budget, plan for retirement, manage debt, and track personal spending.
 Financial literacy can be obtained through reading books, listening to
podcasts, subscribing to financial content, or talking to a financial
professional.
Understanding Financial Literacy

In recent decades financial products and services have become increasingly

widespread throughout society. Whereas earlier generations of Americans may
have purchased goods primarily in cash, various credit products are popular today,
such as credit and debit cards and electronic transfers. A 2021 survey by the
Federal Reserve Board of San Francisco revealed 28% of all payments were via
credit card, with only 20% being made in cash.

Given the importance of finance in modern society, lacking financial literacy can be
very damaging to an individual’s long-term financial success. Unfortunately,
research has shown that financial illiteracy is very common, with the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority  (FINRA) attributing it to 66% of Americans.

Being financially illiterate can lead to a number of pitfalls, such as being more likely
to accumulate unsustainable debt burdens, either through poor spending decisions
or a lack of long-term preparation. This, in turn, can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy,
housing foreclosure, and other negative consequences.

Thankfully, there are now more resources than ever for those wishing to educate
themselves about the world of finance. One such example is the government-
sponsored Financial Literacy and Education Commission, which offers a range of
free learning resources.

Scope of Financial Literacy

Although there are many skills that might fall under the umbrella of financial literacy,
popular examples include household budgeting, learning how to manage and pay
off debts, and evaluating the tradeoffs between different credit and investment
products. These skills often require at least a working knowledge of key financial
concepts, such as compound interest and the time value of money.

Other products, such as mortgages, student loans, health insurance, and self-

directed investment accounts , have also grown in importance. This has made it
even more imperative for individuals to understand how to use them responsibly.

Financial literacy also covers short-term financial strategy as well as long-term

financial strategy. Financial literacy encompasses knowing how investment
decisions made today will impact your tax liabilities in the future. This also includes
knowing which investment vehicles are best to use when saving for retirement.
Benefits of Financial Literacy

Holistically, the benefit of financial literacy is to empower individuals to make

smarter decisions. More specifically, financial literacy is important for a number of
reasons:

 Financial literacy can prevent devastating mistakes. Floating rate loans

may have different interest rates each month, while traditional
IRA contributions can't be withdrawn until retirement. Seemingly innocent
financial decisions may have long-term implications that cost individuals
money or impact life plans. Financial literacy helps individuals avoid making
mistakes with their personal finances.
 Financial literacy prepares people for emergencies. Financial literacy
topics such as saving or emergency preparedness get individuals ready for
the uncertain. Though losing a job or having a major unexpected expense
are always financially impactful, an individual can cushion the blow by
implementing their financial literacy in advance by being ready for
emergencies.
 Financial literacy can help individual reach their goals. By better
understanding how to budget and save money, individuals can create plans
that set expectations, hold them accountable to their finances, and sets a
course for achieving seemingly unachievable goals. Though someone may
not be able to afford a dream today, they can always make a plan to better
increase their odds of making it happen.
 Financial literacy invokes confidence. Imagine making a life-changing
decision without all the information you need to make the best decision. By
being armed with the appropriate knowledge about finances, individuals can
approach major life choices with greater confidence realizing they are less
likely to be surprised or negatively impacted by unforeseen outcomes.

Strategies to Improve Your Financial Literacy Skills

Developing financial literacy to improve your personal finances involves learning

and practicing a variety of skills related to budgeting, managing and paying off
debts, and understanding credit and investment products.

Here are several practical strategies to consider.

 Create a Budget—Track how much money you receive each month against
how much you spend in an Excel sheet, on paper, or with a budgeting app.
Your budget should include income (paychecks, investments, alimony), fixed
expenses (rent/mortgage payments, utilities, loan payments), discretionary
 spending (nonessentials such as eating out, shopping, and travel), and
savings.
 Pay Yourself First—To build savings, this reverse budgeting
strategy involves choosing a savings goal (say, a down payment for a home),
deciding how much you want to contribute toward it each month, and setting
that amount aside before you divvy up the rest of your expenses.
 Pay Bills Promptly—Stay on top of monthly bills, making sure that
payments consistently arrive on time. Consider taking advantage of
automatic debits from a checking account or bill-pay apps and sign up for
payment reminders (by email, phone, or text).
 Get Your Credit Report—Once a year, consumers can request a free credit
report from the three major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and
TransUnion—through the federally created website
AnnualCreditReport.com. Review these reports and dispute any errors by
informing the credit bureau of inaccuracies. Because you can get three of
them, consider spacing out your requests throughout the year to monitor
yourself regularly.

In a 2021 survey by the Federal Reserve, 22% of adults in the United States
reported not being okay financially and not living comfortably financially.

 Check Your Credit Score—Having a good credit score helps you obtain the

best interest rates on loans and credit cards, among other benefits. Monitor
your score via a free credit monitoring service  (or, if you can afford to and
want to add an extra layer of protection for your information, use one of
the best credit monitoring services ). In addition, be aware of the financial
decisions that can raise or lower your score, such as credit inquiries
and credit utilization ratios.
 Manage Debt—Use your budget to stay on top of debt by reducing spending
and increasing repayment. Develop a debt-reduction plan , such as paying
down the loan with the highest interest rate first. If your debt is excessive,
contact lenders to renegotiate repayment, consolidate loans, or find a debt-
counseling program.
 Invest in Your Future—If your employer offers a 401(k) retirement savings
account, be sure to sign up and contribute the maximum to receive
the employer match. Consider opening an individual retirement account (IRA)
and creating a diversified investment portfolio  of stocks, fixed income, and
commodities. If necessary, seek financial advice from professional advisors
to help you determine how much money you will need to retire comfortably
and develop strategies to reach your goal.
Example of Financial Literacy

Emma is a high school teacher who tries to inform her students about financial
literacy through her curriculum. She educates them on the basics of a variety of
financial topics, such as personal budgeting, debt management, education and
retirement saving, insurance, investing, and even tax planning. Emma reasons that
although these subjects may not be especially relevant to her students during their
high school years, they will nonetheless prove valuable throughout the rest of their
lives.

Understanding concepts such as interest rates, opportunity costs, debt

management, compound interest, and budgeting, for example, could help her
students manage the student loans that they might rely on to fund their college
education and keep them from amassing dangerous levels of debt and endangering
their credit scores. Similarly, she expects that certain topics, such as income taxes
and retirement planning, will eventually prove useful to all students, no matter what
they end up doing after high school.

Why Is Financial Literacy Important?

The lack of financial literacy can lead to a number of pitfalls, such as accumulating
unsustainable debt burdens, either through poor spending decisions or a lack of
long-term preparation. This, in turn, can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy, housing
foreclosure, or other negative consequences.

How Do I Become Financially Literate?

Becoming financially literate involves learning and practicing a variety of skills

related to budgeting, managing and paying off debts, and understanding credit and
investment products. Basic steps to improve your personal finances include
creating a budget, keeping track of expenses, being diligent about timely payments,
being prudent about saving money, periodically checking your credit report, and
investing for your future.

What Are Some Popular Personal Budget Rules?

Two commonly used personal budgeting methods are the 50/20/30 and 70/20/10

rules, and their simplicity is what makes them popular. The former entails dividing
your after-tax, take-home income pay into three areas—needs (50%), savings
(20%), and wants (30%). The 70/20/10 rule also follows a similar blueprint,
recommending that your after-tax, take-home income be divided into segments that
cater to expenses (70%), savings or reducing debt (20%), and investments and
charitable donations (10%).
What Are the Principles of Financial Literacy?

There are five broad principles of financial literacy. Though other models may list
different key components, the overarching goal of financial literacy is to educate
individuals on how to earn, spend, save, borrow, and protect  their money.

What Are Some Examples of Financial Literacy?

As a high school student transitions to college, they may be faced with the daunting
task of deciding which school to attend and how to finance their education. This
may including how much money they should be saving from their after-school job,
how the terms of their loan will work, and what opportunity costs existing throughout
their decision-making process.

In this example, the student will make more financially responsible decisions if they
are more financially literate. Financial literacy in this example extends to savings,
employment, budgeting, loans, and financial planning. Using financial literacy and
making smart decisions, the student can set themselves up for long-term success.

The Bottom Line

Financial literacy the knowledge of how to make smart decisions with money. This
includes preparing a budget, knowing how much to save, deciding favorable loan
terms, understanding impacts to credit, and distinguishing different vehicles used
for retirement. These skills help individuals make smarter decisions and act more
responsibly with their personal finances.

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REFLECTION

Financial literacy can enable an individual to build up a budgetary guide to

distinguish what he buys, what he spends, and what he owes. This subject
additionally influences entrepreneurs, who incredibly add to financial
development and strength of our economy. Financial literacy helps people in
becoming independent and self-sufficient. It empowers you with basic
knowledge of investment options, financial markets, capital budgeting,
etc.Understanding your money mitigates the danger of facing a fraud-like
situation. A few strategies are anything but difficult to accept, particularly
when they’re originating from somebody who is by all accounts learned and
planned. Basic knowledge of financial literacy will help people with foreseeing
the risks and argue/justify with anyone learned and well-informed.
 Media Literacy and Digital Literacy: how
they differ and why they matter

John Grisham

The term media literacy is used to

describe the study of mass
communication. In media literacy,
we consider the entire spectrum of
communications and how they may
influence our sense of reality. The
content of the media is examined
through a lens that reflects its
political bias, whether it be
deliberate or unconscious. Digital literacy focuses on comprehending how
technology affects society and digital media. It covers how digital media is used, why
it's important to understand the effects of that media on society. I'll be discussing the
differences and similarities of these two forms of literacy and why they are both
important to improving our media landscape.

Media literacy and digital literacy are similar in that they both teach individuals how
to interact with media. However, there are key differences between the two. Media
literacy looks at media as a whole and how it can influence our perceptions of
reality. Digital literacy focuses on understanding how digital media tools such as
social media platforms, websites, and apps interact with society at large. There is
also a difference between the way these two forms of literacy are taught.

Media literacy is usually approached through critical thinking while digital literacy is
approached through education with technologies and various digital communication
tools. The media is a powerful tool that can be used for good or evil. Media literacy
allows us to take control of media rather than being controlled by it, which is why
media literacy has become such an important part of the curriculum in schools all
over the world.
Digital literacy gives readers another key skill they need to succeed in today's online
world by emphasizing 21st-century skills concerning how to consume online news
articles. In short, media literacy is the ability to evaluate, analyze, and understand
media messages in all forms with a critical eye while digital literacy helps individuals
navigate an increasingly online world. Media has always been used as a tool for
shaping public opinion; this was true even before internet technology existed.
However, the media's influence on society has never been greater than it is today.

If citizens are to succeed in a media landscape fraught with media bias and agenda-
heavy media messages then media literacy will be amongst the required literacy
skills. In addition, with the advent of social media and increasing patterns of news
consumption within these platforms, digital literacy will be a critical complementary
form of literacy worth learning.

Interactions between Media Bias and Media Literacy

Media literacy is a useful form of literacy because bias exists on the part of both the
content producer and consumer. Media literacy can help us understand media
messages on a deep level and this can help mitigate the influence of media bias.
However, media literacy cannot prevent or undo media bias no matter how hard it
tries. The reason for this is that media messages are created by humans; they are
subjective rather than objective which means there will always be some degree of
subjectivity present within them - even if minimal. People are biased by nature and
media is a reflection of this

All media is biased

In addition, not all media outlets are created equal. They are not objective 100% of
the time, so knowing when to spot inconsistencies in information, writing, and facts
all help the reader determine the validity of these sources. Media messages can still
contain media biases even if they come from a source known for being less biased-
like Axios or Reuters. In other words, media literacy is useful to determine how much
objectivity is present in the message itself.

Even if you're consuming news from a reputable source that doesn't mean you won't
encounter media bias because these organizations are often run by like-minded
individuals who bring their subjectivities with them into every piece of content
created which then becomes part of any media message shared through their
platform(s).

In a world where media literacy is important to navigate through media bias, we all
must become media literate for our society as a whole to create, consume, and
share media messages with fewer biases. This means recognizing and
understanding the presence of media bias within articles, video clips, audio clips,
interviews, etc. It also entails knowing how media bias is created in media messages
and how to spot it. We need to know what media literacy is, why media bias occurs
within media messages, and how we can reduce the presence of media bias within
our content creation/sharing behavior.

Public Perception and Propaganda

This marriage between media bias and public perception is nothing new either. In
the past media outlets have been used by authoritarian rulers to establish and
spread propaganda. For example, Walter Duranty of the New York Times was
awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for his coverage of the Soviet Union.

The media bias that surrounded this story is one based on omission and media
literacy could help us understand why this message was created (and how it's
different from other more objective stories). Duranty did cover certain aspects of life
within the USSR: like "industrialization" and "collectivization." However, he omitted
any mention of the fact that peasants were being forced off their land or executed if
they didn't comply with government orders to join collective farms- which
contradicted everything else printed about these issues by multiple NYT journalists
at this time. Duranty even called reports coming out of Russia regarding famine as
nothing but unverified rumors while ignoring facts presented to him by British
sources. This propaganda campaign may have been masterminded by Stalin but it
only worked because of a subset of liberal culture in the U.S. Because so many
Soviet sympathizers and ideological communists wanted the idea of a communist
utopia to be real their bias prevented them from seeing Duranty's reporting for what
it was.
Social Media and Digital Literacy

Of the various forms of media, the most prevalent today is retrieved and shared
through online technology. It has become even easier to search Google for
information and to easily find content from a site you agree with politically. Another
aspect of media literacy today is digital literacy. Media misinformation is oftentimes
due to a lack of fact-checking or poor data collection techniques. A potential solution
to this is to educate those who interact with digital content and enable them with the
skills necessary to discern fact from fiction and fake news from fact-checked
reporting.

Digital Echo Chambers

Platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter are often used to share and discuss
politically charged news with friends and family members alike, however, this tends
to lead to increased bias for those who interact with it daily. The content shared on
social media platforms is one-sided due to an "echo chamber" effect in which
algorithms suggest content that reaffirms established beliefs.

This media bias is dangerous when it comes to making decisions in elections. For
example, viral stories on these platforms were shown to affect the outcome of the
2016 U.S Presidential Election in which media coverage surrounding candidate
Hilary Clinton's email scandals, paid speeches and other topics were covered with a
negative tone while media coverage for Donald Trump focused primarily on his
taxes, sexual assault allegations and lack of experience rather than policy
differences between the two.

No one is Immune

As media literacy is increasingly important for proper civic engagement, digital

literacy may be a solution to digital media misdirection as well; however, it's difficult
to implement considering how widespread online media sharing has become. Digital
literacy should focus on education in information literacy and an understanding of
how social platform algorithms can cause confirmation bias. There is a conception
that young people aren't as affected by online echo chambers present in social
media and that older internet users have more need of digital literacy. Articles about
the effects of Snapchat and Instagram filter dysphoria show that this may not be the
case.
In 2018 several news sources began reporting on millennials who became so
accustomed to how they looked when Snapchat filters were applied that it caused
extreme dissatisfaction with physical appearance in their absence. The phenomenon
is referred to as body dysmorphic disorder and has been observed by some plastic
surgeons whose patients requested surgeries reminiscent of these filters.  Although
this subject hasn't been fully studied these cases might suggest something profound
about the influence of social platforms on our lives. If cases like this prove anything
it's that even users who are considered to be more familiar with technology can fall
victim to digital manipulation.

The Importance of a Healthy Media Diet

Media literacy is something that many media organizations have taken on as their
mission. In the era of "fake news" and media bias, it has never been more important
to ensure your media diet isn't filled with junk food from unreliable sources. There
are several ways digital literacy can help you learn how to build a healthy media diet
for yourself. This involves more than an awareness of when technology is
manipulating your perception. Digital literacy also means knowing how to find factual
information, identify biases, and filter out the noise. Just like food diets are meant to
help keep your body in good shape, digital literacy and media literacy help people
keep their minds healthy.

The Media Food Pyramid

What media do you consume? Who is your

trusted media source(s)? What are some
media sources that you view as biased or
unreliable? The media diet of each individual
can vary. The important thing to remember for
everyone is that the healthiest media diets
involve audiences reading and watching a
variety of different types of media, including
those from partisan and bipartisan organizations.

There's also value in experiencing all kinds of media: print, digital, audio, video - so
long as they help expand horizons rather than narrow them. Some popular
examples include newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post; cable
networks CNN and Fox; radio stations NPR (National Public Radio) or PRI (Public
Radio International); websites such as Vox or Buzzfeed; and media outlets based in
other countries.
Despite these guidelines, there is no universal rule that can be applied to media
consumption since there is such a diverse range of media available for audiences to
choose from. The reality is we all have different views and opinions about what
types of media we trust or find useful, so while some might feel comfortable only
consuming digital content with open source licenses (which means readers know
exactly how their work has been used), others may not care as long as they enjoy
reading the content.

Digital Influences

It can be hard to know sometimes how healthy your media diet is when you're
snacking on social media. That's why digital literacy is as important as media
literacy. Consuming digital content can be addicting and it can be hard to know
when you are being manipulated or swayed by digital sources.

Digital literacy involves knowing how to identify when technology is being used as a
tool for propaganda, including the psychological tactics that are often employed
through digital media. It also means learning about different kinds of media bias and
recognizing patterns in media messages so you can look beyond them to the truth. It
also includes understanding all the ways social media influencers use their platforms
to affect content creation and consumption through algorithms, ads, sponsored
posts, or stories. Other forms of online influence include bots (fake accounts),
astroturfing (internet marketing campaigns), and click-bait headlines: these things
exist on both sides of the political spectrum and it's important not only to be able to
see but question them too.

Learning these skills becomes increasingly important to maintaining a healthy 21st-

century digital media diet. Knowing how to recognize the effect of algorithms on
content feeds and to research potential influences behind outlets and online
messages. Since media outlets and content creators often utilize similar marketing
tactics, understanding how to spot these influences can also help audiences
become more media literate.

Literacy skills when Creating and Sharing Content Online

Media literacy is not just about the media we consume; it's about what we create as
well - which helps build digital literacy too by encouraging the effective use of social
media for sharing articles and messages. But participating in media creation is only
effective if you know your audience - but maybe instead of only focusing on
reaffirming their opinions, we need to think about ways in which we can challenge
preexisting beliefs and biases instead of simply pandering to them.

Challenging your Audience is OK

There is a notion that challenging readers with new perspectives will turn those
readers away this simply isn't true. While it's true that challenging a person's beliefs
can put that person on the defensive it's also possible that it can cause cognitive
dissonance or a mental state in which a person has conflicting thoughts or
behaviors. This delicate state can either cause someone to either double down and
justify their position or as some therapists have noted it can elicit a change in
behavior or views.

If anything, media creation should be about fostering a dialogue between people

who don't necessarily agree all the time. Unfortunately, the media literacy skills that
are important for media producers to have are not always shared by media
consumers or vice versa. This disparity in skill sets can affect the quality of content
shared online which again highlights the need for digital literacy. It's a vicious cycle
and we need to be mindful of what we're sharing with our audience as well as how
we're able to effectively engage them on platforms like Facebook.

What this tends to look like is an adherence to objective journalism practices and
having a politically diverse writing staff in addition to the literacy skills highlighted
here. However, putting your personal bias aside to report objective facts can be
difficult when your media organization is funded by ads, paid content/reader
subscriptions. Especially the latter because of that assumption that readers will
expect a certain type of viewpoint and they might unsubscribe when that viewpoint is
challenged.

Digital Citizenship

Digital literacy for media creation is important but it's also about digital citizenship
and how we engage with one another online. It boils down to being able to think
critically, knowing where you're getting your information from, understanding the
difference between fact and opinion, verifying sources before sharing them on
platforms like Twitter or Facebook, etc. There are many resources available that
teach digital literacy concepts including this digital citizenship curriculum created
by Common Sense Education.

In addition, when media creators and consumers focus on these literacy skills more
nuanced conversations evolve in public forums which helps spread ideas further
than they would have gone otherwise while at the same time building empathy
through dialogue instead of simply reaffirming each other's preconceived notions.
REFLECTION

Media literacy and digital literacy are different but they both play an important role in
today's media climate especially when it comes to the media diet we all need to
have for our well-being and to decrease the effects of echo chambers. By
recognizing how various outlets use psychological tactics is key for creating and
sharing content that challenges preconceived notions while at the same time
encouraging empathy through dialogue rather than reaffirming beliefs.

Learning information literacy skills becomes increasingly important when engaging

with media online as the distinction between consumption and production narrows.
We all have to do our part to practice 21st-century digital media skills when
engaging with the internet content we access and create regardless of our age. In
addition to this digital responsibility, practicing general media literacy will also be
key.
Ecological Literacy – a basic Life Skill
Ecological Literacy is a basic life-skill
that every human being on our
planet should be supported to
develop and is part of our personal
development. Ecology as a science is
about the relationships between
organisms and their natural
environment. Over the last two hundred
years through the process of
industrialization people’s relationship
with their natural environment changed
drastically. This change process, in
large driven by technological
advancements, also changed people’s
experience of the role and purpose for our natural environment. With new
technological advancements people were able to increase agricultural productivity,
which resulted in large population growth, and by freeing a significant percentage of
the workforce from farming this further helped to drive the Industrial Revolution. In
the 18th Century the world population was around 1 billion people. We are currently
at 7.2 billion people, with the expectation to reach 9 billion people around 2050. Two
hundred years ago the whole issue of living sustainably was not in question. There
were plenty of resources and the impacts of human activities were not felt at a large
scale. It is only recently that people start to comprehend the impacts of human
activity and human development, from the perspective of sustainability.

The manner in which we have changed our planet over this short period of time is
unprecedented, and we did so with little understanding or knowledge of the long-
term and ‘unwanted consequences. People probably believed that nature is resilient
and resources will replenish, and that these resources are freely available and can
thus be utilised by anyone. The necessity to develop systems thinking, to learn to
see connections over time and place, and to understand the fundamental principles
of living systems did not arise. The necessity for this kind of literacy, also called
ecological literacy, is evident today. This also puts into perspective that our current
ecological crisis can only be resolved by learning to think and act in ways that
we never had to do before. This also calls for the development of new models,
new policies, new legislation, new forms of organization, and a different kind
of education. This new way of thinking also requires that we learn to collaborate
and learn to connect our actions for sustainability to reach the critical mass required
for changing the directions in which we are currently heading.

An ecologically literate person understands that we are all part of a living system
and what key principles, such as interdependence and interconnectedness, really
mean. An ecologically literate person translates this understanding into actions that
demonstrate conscious efforts to minimize negative impacts on our life-sustaining
systems and maximize value contribution to our collective wellbeing, now and for the
future generations.

The question “if everybody were to live like me, what would happen to our
natural world and future wellbeing?” is an essential question to honestly assess
whether we truly care about the impact of our choices and actions. In conversations
with people from many parts of the world, I have noticed that in general few people
are committed to the process of ecological living. Quiten often people make
assumptions that to live ecologically would imply too many sacrifices to their
comforts and not be realistic. For sure, ecological living will require making changes
to our lifestyle and for some people this may indeed imply consuming less. This
does, however, not need to lead to deprivation of our basic needs. We can live well
and live ecologically. It does require, however, a very different way of thinking and
checking assumptions that we are not used to. It will also require for many of us to
make the investment to learn more deeply what we buy with our money and what
we buy into. For example, checking the supply chain that is involved for making the
goods and services that you purchase is essential if you want to know whether your
way of living is supporting child labour, killing of rainforests, destruction of natural
habitats, adding to the decline of vital eco-system services, and contributing to
human related climate change. This ad, click here, by Greenpeace to make people
aware of the supply chain involved in the making of Nestle’s Kit Kat is a good
example.

A common reaction for people when they start to learn more about ecological living
is a sense of overwhelm and apathy; not knowing where to start, what to change
and convinced that there is little they can do to make a difference. We have become
so lazy and dependent on fossil fuels that it does take a conscious effort to learn
how to live well with renewable energy resources. The societies in which we are
currently living are the results of hundreds of years of fossil fuel-based energy
systems to drive and sustain the socio-economic developments. The assumptions
then were that these resources are infinite and can be exploited indefinitely without
much consequence to the climate conditions. Economic growth was seen as the
main driver for any other form of development, and this justified the exploitation and
unconstrained usage of fossil fuels. In these socio-economic development models,
natural capital is not accounted for, this video, click here, explains this very well.

ECOLOGICAL LITERACY, AN ACTIVE LEARNING PROCESS

Ecological or sustainable living is based on a very different set of premises and
principles compared to what has become ‘normal’. Society today is fabricated in such
a way that information about the true costs and impacts of our choices and actions
remain hidden and mostly unaccounted for. Getting feedback and information about
our impacts requires a process of active learning and asking questions, which people
often find too much trouble. In order to assess the true costs and impacts of our
choices and actions we need criteria that make these impacts visible over time and
beyond artificial boundaries.

We can get these criteria from stuyding the basic facts of life. Fritjof Capra, co-
founder of the Center for Ecoliteracy, describes these facts as follows:

 Matter cycles continually through the web of life.

 Most of the energy driving the ecological cycles flows from the sun.
 Diversity assures resilience.
 One species’ waste is another species’ food.
 Life did not take over the planet by combat but by networking. Source: click here.

By understanding these basic facts of life we can then assess how to live our life
in harmony with these principles. For example, if we know that matter cycles
continually through the web of life and we introduce plastic in the environment, we
can expect that plastic will also enter the food cycle of many different organisms with
the big problem that plastic does not break down, it remains even when in very small
pieces. Have a look at this video to understand better the magnitude of this problem.

If we take the principle of ‘one species waste is another species food’, here too we
can see that the way we live is contrary to this principle. Most of our waste gets
dumped, and rather than it serving as a food source it is intoxicating our natural
environment. If we look at the principle ‘most of the energy driving the ecological
cycles flows from the sun’, then here too we can see how unsustainably we are
living. About 90% of the energy that people use in the world today comes from
burning fossil fuels. Burning any carbon based fuel converts carbon to carbon dioxide.
Unless it is captured and stored, this carbon dioxide is usually released to the
atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that was removed from the
atmosphere millions of years ago by animal and plant life. This leads to increased
concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is one of the key causes for
climate change and global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of a number of
gases that are transparent to the visible light falling on the Earth from the Sun, but
absorb the infra-red radiation (heat) emitted by the warm surface of the Earth,
preventing its loss into space. This increase of atmospheric CO 2 and other gasses are
changing the global climate systems, which is expected to have severe impacts,
amongst which increase in “extreme” weather events, rise in sea level, coral
bleaching, and extinction of plant and animal species, and more. Click here to see a
video that explains these consequences well. When we assess human activity with
these basic facts of life we start to understand why current human activities are
simply not sustainable. What is not yet mentioned here is that apart from fossil fuel
consumptions and waste generation, we are also destroying in that same vicious cycle
the habitats of so many species and eco-systems. It is said that we have now created
the largest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs. The
2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report states that: ”..over the past 50 years,
humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any
comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing
demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel. This has resulted in a
substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth. In addition,
approximately 60% (15 out of 24) of the ecosystem services it examined are being
degraded or used unsustainably, including fresh water, capture fisheries, air and
water purification, and the regulation of regional and local climate, natural hazards,
and pests.”

The dimensions of sustainability are multiple and complex. Sustainable development, therefore,

includes three dimensions – environmental, economic and social. Ecological living, which gives us
the larger understanding of how things connect and are interdependent, starts by addressing the root
causes for our negative impacts on the environment. Unless we understand first why our actions
may cause negative impacts on our natural environment, it will be difficult to know how to create
positive impacts instead. Ecological living, and thus ecological literacy, provides people with the
tools, knowledge and wisdom for taking concrete actions on their deeper desire to contribute to
a better world and future. Intention alone and heartfelt desires for everybody’s happiness and
wellbeing are not enough – there are specific actions and changes that are needed, some of which
includes stopping the wrong kind of actions. It is said that the road to hell is paved with good
intentions.

In summary, Ecological living means to live in a way that:

1. Respects and replenishes the carrying capacity of our planet;

2. Honours our interrelatedness with all expressions of Life;
3. Enhances the qualitative aspects of our relationships, and;
4. Brings forth the best of our human capacities for the co-creation of an
ecologically sustainable and caring world.

Ecological living thus begins with environmental literacy; e.g. taking care of our
environment, minimizing waste, reducing pollution, using renewable energy sources,
etc, yet does not stop there. As mentioned earlier, the environmental, social and
economic dimensions are interwoven. Ecological living is thus the result of a vast
awareness that our life is a living system that is nested within larger systems that we
are part of, formed by, depend on, impacted by and impact on. Each of these systems
that are human made have elements in them that interact with natural eco-systems. We
cannot make any system, not even technologically, that does not somehow use
resources or space that is provided by through our natural world. This radical
understanding of interdependence is necessary if we want to learn how to live more
ecological.

Ecological living and sustainable development as a change process calls for systems

thinking, development of care and courage, learning how to become a change maker
with the ability to connect and collaborate with other people for sustainability.

DEEP ECOLOGY

People generally acknowledge on a superficial level that they share the planet with
countless beings who are all part of the Web of Life. The deeper value for this Web of
Life, or network of relations, connections and dependencies often remains
unacknowledged. This Web of Life provides a lot more than resources for us to
live; it also provides incredible opportunities for co-evolution through co-
learning and co-creation. Ecological living is thus also a statement and
acknowledgement that all beings and life forms have intrinsic meaning for their place
within the Web of Life, which is a very different perspective from the dominant
exploitive view that humanity has been and is currently pursuing. More often than not,
society values what is derived through what others can gain, which is different from
intrinsic value. The field that acknowledges this deep interrelatedness with the Web of
life and intrinsic value of all beings is called ‘Deep Ecology’. Whereas superficial
environmental agency would instruct not to cut down too many trees because it causes
disruptions in the vital eco-systems services that trees deliver, a deep ecologist would
say don’t cut those trees because of their intrinsic value from their place within the
Web of Life. Watch the following videos to get a better understanding of Deep
Ecology

THE PATH TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

Our current path as humanity is sadly incredibly destructive; impacting vital eco-
systems, planetary resources, natural habitats, traditional / indigenous cultures,
healthy climate conditions, our unique biosphere, and the foundations for the
sustainability of our societies. It was not designed or intended to lead to these
outcomes; it was probably designed with many good intentions to advance our living
conditions through economic growth and development and the use of technology to
make our life easier. Unfortunately, many of these kinds of intentions were not
developed through integrated thinking that is necessary to estimate, measure, evaluate,
and understand impacts of human activities across space and time by looking at
society from a dynamical system’s perspective. As a word of caution, I don’t believe
that all of these path-makers had noble intentions at heart. Some of the high-level
designers for our societies did and do have access to more information to better
understand the impacts, and have no moral problem with exploiting and / or killing
people and our natural environment to remain in power. These people have done their
utmost to protect their own self-interests and create confusion around sustainability
issues and outcomes.

The golden question then becomes? How do we change the path that we are
currently on? How do we change direction? What critical mass is required for this
change? In all the talking about sustainability, sustainable development and climate
change, and despite all the growing awareness, there is a still a huge gap between
what we collectively consume and waste in terms of our planetary resources and what
is needed for ecological sustainability. And this gap is further kept in place by those
who maintain, at any cost, their deeply invested self-interests in keeping humanity’s
dependencies on fossil-fuel based energy-systems.

There is much talk that renewable energy resources can replace our dependencies on
fossil fuels. It is true that renewable energy resources play a key role if want to gear
society towards sustainability. It is, however, not sufficient to use this as a mere
substitute for fossil fuels; more drastic changes are required in the way that we
use resources, generate waste, design building, and create energy demands. The
message nobody likes to hear or share is that many of us simply use too much and
waste too much. Click here to learn more about the Story of Stuff. Purchasing and
wasting less does not need to deprive you of anything you need; it can actually
become a fun creative journey that may even help you to rediscover some of your
parents or grandparents old repurposing strategies for creating new products with old
or previously used materials. On a more fundamental design level we need to apply
very different sets of design principles by learning from nature in order to create
vehicles, buildings, and cities that can come closer to living in harmony with the basic
facts of life that were mentioned earlier. This process of learning from Nature’s design
principles is called biomimicry.

ECOLOGICAL LIVING PRACTICES

Here are some practical suggestions for how you can support the change for
sustainability via ecological living. In order to sustain outer actions for ecological
living it is helpful to remember and draw inspiration from the inner, or personal
development dimensions, of ecological living.

Inner ecology
  Become a Catalyst for the changes that are needed to help co-create a better
world and future.
 You are part of the Web of Life – widen your circle of care and relatedness
with non-human beings and spend time in Nature to become NATUREwise.
 Make the most of our sustainability crisis, which is forcing us to learn, dream,
think, design, act and relate in new ways. Every challenge offers opportunities
for further and deeper growth; when we reach the end of what we can do with a
set way of thinking.
 Join others around the world as Catalysts and Change Agents for Sustainability.
 Nurture Nature inside yourself – take care of your body and become aware of
your natural body rhythms.
 Become more energy efficient from the inside-out: worry less, stress less,
reduce anxiety and procrastination and learn to recycle your own energy. How?
By cleansing transforming and transmuting your inner belief and processing
systems that hold into place old patterns of thought, emotion, memory and
belief. Don’t waste this precious creative energy –learn to compost your own
waste! No need to dump or project this onto others.
 Become aware of rights, needs and wellbeing of future generations and explore
how you can support this in your actions.

Outer ecology

 Educate yourself about the resources that you, your family and / or organisation
utilise to fulfil and sustain your needs. How can you reduce your ecological
footprint?
 Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle!
 Be aware of the real price for goods and services that you use. Cheap products
often have hidden costs (e.g. the cost of child-labour, animal cruelty, or
degradation of ecosystems). Find out about any child-labour practices or
natural resources that were sacrificed in the process of producing these
products and services.
 Recycle your grey-water.
 Collect and use your rainwater.
 Create an organic vegetable garden.
 Compost your organic waste and use the compost in your garden.
 Create a garden (with a balance of endemic/indigenous plants) to support local
wildlife (animals, insects, trees and plants).
 Create a roof garden (green roof) as a natural air-conditioning alternative and to
increase your garden space.
 Buy organic and local produces as much as possible.
 Support local businesses and organisations that care for our planet.
REFLECTION

The capacity to comprehend the environmental processes that support life on

earth is known as ecological literacy (sometimes referred to as ecoliteracy).
Being ecoliterate entails comprehending the organizing principles of ecological
communities, or ecosystems, and using those principles to build livable,
sustainable human communities. The survival of humanity depends upon our
ecological literacy our ability to understand the basic principle of a connected
nature and how to live accordingly. this means that ecological literacy must
become a critical skill for all humans to embrace if we are to remain on earth .

Artistic And Creative Literacy

When we practice artistic literacy—by exploring an artist’s process, understanding
artistic concepts, and learning skills within an artistic discipline—we inspire
contemplation on the human experience, challenge our beliefs and perceptions, and
cultivate our ability to revise what we think we know. We gain entrance to works of
art that may have seemed inaccessible; we experience a sense of ownership and
belonging.
What follows is an account of artistic literacy as both a defining concept and a
pedagogical framework. Drawn from the writing and thinking of the Cal
Performances Artistic Literacy staff, in joyful collaboration with affiliated artists and
educators, the observations and declarations set forward here build on decades of
best practices while seeking also to offer a firm foundation for next steps. This is a
living document—one we hope to revisit and revise as our work continues to inform
us.

Where Does the Phrase "Artistic Literacy" Come From?

To quote Descartes, “One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible

that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another.” As a phrase,
“artistic literacy” can be traced to numerous disparate conversations concerning best
practices in arts-based learning and community engagement.

For instance, the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards spearheaded an
extensive and inclusive review process culminating in the 2014 release of the
National Core Arts Standard (NCAS)—a narrative "conceptual framework" document
for arts learning that included the following definition:

"Artistic literacy is the knowledge and understanding required to participate

authentically in the arts."

Less defining than it is inviting, this statement opens onto a complex set of
questions: What is authentic participation in an art form? What does knowledge of
an art form look like and how can it be taught and experienced? What is
understanding of an art form? How can we know when someone has sufficient
knowledge and understanding to participate authentically?

Our thinking and work aims seriously to answer these questions—to move from
merely imagining to actively creating new laboratories for inquiry-based explorations.
Having our home base in a public university-affiliated performing arts center means
our model was catalyzed in particular by live works of art and by the challenge of
creating supportive experiences for audience members across an extraordinarily
diverse range of backgrounds and needs.
Consequently, where the NCAS document frames "authentic participation" primarily
in terms of art-making—foregrounding the explicit cultivation of expressive
techniques within each of five major categories (dance, media arts, music, theatre,
and visual arts)—our approach is more interested in participation as defined through
a sense of personal, meaningful connection. While this sense may indeed be aided
by direct experiences of art-making, we find it important to distinguish art practice
from arts access.

Through our artistic literacy model, we seek to facilitate individual experiences of the
arts that, regardless of each participant's prior knowledge, feel both personally
relevant and specifically accessible.

Artistic Literacy as an Agent for Personal, Meaningful, Connection

For many audience members and some teachers, the purpose of seeking out more
knowledge or skill around a work of art is to arrive at a confident value judgment—an
ability to distinguish “good” art from “bad.” By focusing instead on how audience
members derive meaning from their arts encounters, we propose a different
purpose: to move from a state of indifference to a state of curiosity, and to thereby
lay the groundwork for whole continuities of future experience.

Like John Dewey, we believe that the quality of an experience impacts the meaning
we attribute to it and that meaningful experience both reinforces and inspires
additional forms of learning. At the same time, we hold that individuals derive
meaning from their contemplation of each experience in constellation with the many
other things that inform their lives.

For these reasons, we define the quality of an arts encounter less in terms of the
perceived worth, richness, or virtuosity of the featured artwork, than in terms of the
presence or absence of structures that allow an audience member to acknowledge
and treat as valid their personal paths to meaningful connection.

Central to our methodology is a detailed accounting of the many ways a sense of

meaning can emerge from artwork to artwork, individual to individual. Equally central
is a commitment to the labor of articulation and translation—of determining the
vocabulary, concepts, and pedagogical modes that propel and expand an audience
member's inquiry into their own experience.

Though we do find special value in works of art that offer numerous points of entry
across a broad range of audience demographics—works that often, therefore, are
widely considered to be "great"—we firmly believe that an audience member needn't
arrive at similar conclusions in order to have had a meaningful encounter.

In place of questions about excellence, likability, or “getting it right,” therefore, we

ask the following: “What does it mean to you that the artist has performed this work
in your presence?” This is the question we hope our audience members will feel
increasingly able to hear and to answer.

Why "Artistic" and Why "Literacy"?

These two words—each loaded with its own social, psychological, emotional and
intellectual resonances—frequently meet with some resistance when used in
combination. Yet it is precisely because of the weight they can carry that we
continue to find them effective.

In the United States, the standardized teaching of linguistic and numerical literacy
gives primary status to these two forms of meaning-making, as if all knowledge can
be seized and expressed through numbers and words alone. The very existence of
artistic expression, however, challenges this assumption.

Some assert, often vehemently, that works of art speak for themselves. In some
cases, for some people, this may indeed feel true. But many others, including a
growing number of researchers, assert that the arts are more akin to a set of
languages (or, for that matter, a series of interlocking codes).

As we suggest above, connecting with and through the arts—even, and perhaps
especially, when one is not seeking to be thought of as an artist—requires
introduction, practice, community, context, and mentorship over time. We feel the
word "artistic" captures this interactive process and steers us away from thinking of
the arts in terms of passive encounters impervious to pedagogy.

We've also noticed that naming a “literacy” often evokes its opposite: illiteracy. This
can create anxiety for some and a feeling of insult for others because illiteracy is
frequently associated with ignorance, lack of capacity, or lack of status, rather than
lack of opportunity. Part of the work of claiming "artistic literacy" as a phrase is in
pushing back against the stigmas and presumptions surrounding conditions of
illiteracy.
By holding artistic literacy on par with numerical and linguistic literacy, we make
explicit its role in our ability to make sense of our shared human experience. We
also call for a more robust understanding of the conditions and potentials for access.

Framing Artistic Literacy as a Human Right

Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins: “Everyone has the
right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts, and to
share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” As such, “enjoyment” of the arts is
formally recognized as a human right in and of itself. But what does this really
mean?

Implicit in Article 27, we feel, is the assumption that works of art have and give
meaning, and that—in a world of increasing divisiveness and isolated experience—
the act of gathering together around art and performance holds continuing
significance for individuals and communities.

At the same time, we note that access to "enjoyment" is as challenging and thought-
provoking to ensure as access to "free" or "authentic" participation. To have such
access to the arts—whether the end result is a feeling of enjoyment or simply of
having participated fully and wholly as yourself—you must first have the means to
perceive and overcome informational, transportational, social, and economic
barriers, among many others.

By framing artistic literacy in terms of human rights, we emphasize it as a necessary

source of power and self-actualization for all and assert that it is significantly
deserving of our resources, attention, and time.

Engagement is an Outcome

In the process of developing and hosting opportunities for artistic literacy to flourish,
it can be easy to confuse potential strategies with desired outcomes. By reminding
ourselves that engagement is something that must be cultivated—rather than
something we can simply demand or enact—we are better able to perceive and
uphold the qualities of a supportive learning environment.

Audience engagement is one of the most challenging things to measure. Traditional

metrics like audience size, ticket sales, or attendance at satellite events give us little
actual insight into the quality or depth of each individual’s experience. Even
observational data like how long someone lingers at a post-performance chat, how
many questions they ask, or how active they are in conversation with others can
only tell us so much.
Having the means to articulate or act on a sense of connection is itself a trained skill,
and those who feel able to report their experiences are only a subset of the those
who might have something to say. Add to this the fact that a feeling of engagement
might not come about immediately—it might only emerge after many days or weeks
of reflection or make itself known through a desire to reflect over time.

Because our goal is to support personal, meaningful connections, our model

prioritizes strategies that encourage audience members not only to feel personally
welcome at each event, but also to feel supported and seen in their experience of an
artwork. Structure, light facilitation, and hospitable, social spaces are all integral
aspects of our events, and we keep ourselves grounded through what we call our
“Four I’s”:

Invitational

Inclusionary

Intentional

Intimate

We’ve learned that these qualities, when foundational to a learning environment, are
most likely to foster the outcomes we value.

REFLECTION

Art and creativity teach problem-solving, which is a critical skill for success in life.
By engaging in artistic activities and study, children develop confidence in their
abilities, and they learn how to innovate. The arts encourage risk-free
exploration, and it is this freedom that builds Confidence.
Image result for artistic and creative literacy reflection
Art-infused education is a compelling way to help children learn. Research shows
that using art across the curriculum increases student engagement. Art builds
21st century readiness and develops the 4C's: Creativity, Critical Thinking,
Communication, and Collaboration skills.

Critical Literacy
What is critical literacy?
Critical literacy is a central thinking skill that a tertiary education seeks to develop in
students.

It involves the questioning and examination of ideas, and requires you to synthesis,
analyses, interpret, evaluate and respond to the texts you read or listen to.

How do I start this process?

Critical literacy starts with reading or listening. For the purposes of critical literacy in
academic writing, we are generally talking about your work with reading texts.

There are two parts to engaging with academic research or texts:

A reporting element where you describe what you’re engaging with; and
A reaction or response element where you then respond to and interpret the text.
The first element is necessary, but the second element is crucial to being critically
literate.

Critical questions
The first thing you need to do is to identify key elements of text as you read. To do
that, you need to ask questions and make notes.

Reporting/describing questions
Who are the authors/researchers? What did they do?
What is the main position or argument or themes of the text?
How did they do the research? Where was it done? With who?
What did they find? What do they conclude or recommend?
Then you need to ask some deeper level questions.
Critical/interpretive questions
What are the researchers claiming? Is it in scope with the study? Do the findings
support the aims?
What are the strengths of the study? Limitations? Weaknesses? What makes you
think so?
Are any biases evident? Is the source reliable?
Is the research pivotal? Important? Why?
Is there other research that supports or contradicts it?
Is it replicable? Is it applicable to your study?
Tip: the key to recording these thoughts and responses to text is to make organised
notes as you read.

Making notes
Try to group notes by some sort of organising principle. This will vary depending on
the assignment, but it may be:

Topical as determined by the sections of an assignment. E.g. section 1 of the paper

might be the research that examines causes of something, while section 2 looks at
effects, 3 at solutions
Thematic so research is grouped by larger themes
By author, grouping together authors/studies by similarity or difference
By more generic themes, such as major studies or chronology – ordering by time.
Tip: as you read, make reference notes of the sources, at least author name(s), year
and title of the publication.

Next consider the connections or ideas emerging from the groupings and how they
fit with the work you are doing.

A useful exercise at this stage is to create a mindmap or flowchart of the notes as a

visual representation can give a fresh perspective on how studies relate to each
other.

Critical Writing
Reporting
When you are reporting on what you have read, you are describing the study.

If the idea is clearly finished, use simple past (e.g. Evans (2010) found that…)
If the idea still has currency now or is a still-held belief, use simple present (e.g.
Wright (2011) maintains that…)
If there needs to be a link made from past to now, use present perfect (e.g. Wang
and Lu (2015) have shown…)
However, don’t stop there; you need to move on to critical engagement.

Interpreting
There are a range of elements to critically engaging with text. On one level, you
might interpret or highlight the significance or importance of the ideas you are
reading. For example:

Evans (2010) found that the method was successful and this was significant
because it represented a major shift from prior research.
Wright (2011) maintains that the true focus should be on the method not the
outcome, and this is crucial as it highlights a renewed focus on the process of
development. This, in turn, suggests that…
This type of interpretive language, therefore, is powerful as it shifts your writing from
the descriptive to the critical and it also shows your voice – it is you reacting to the
ideas in the text.

Other examples of This type of language are:

This is important because… This tells us that…
This shows* that… (*suggests/implies/gives the impression/means that…)
This is worth noting as/because it…
This calls attention to… highlights the need for…
This can be illustrated by…
What this means* is… (*shows/tells us/reveals/highlights/points to/implies)
…importantly* suggests that… (*crucially, significantly)
…which points to/suggests the need for…
…which is vital/crucial/significant/illustrative as it…
…which shows/illustrates that…
…meaning that …
…illustrating/pointing to the need for…
In doing so, it points to…/In so doing, tells us that…

Critiquing
Another key element to critical literacy is to form opinion or response to the value of
the text or the research; in other words, to evaluate it.

Perhaps one of the most important things to realise as a student is that you can be
critical – you are expected to be. You can do this in a range of ways.

The impulse when attempting to be critical is to look for the negative, however,
critique is inherently evaluative and as such can be:

Positive (strengths-based), and/or

Negative (limitations-based), and/or
When appropriate, solutions (action/recommendation-based)
A layered approach
One way to approach the writing of critique is to layer the ideas by reporting,
critiquing and offering a response.

Example one
Brent (2010) found that students created highly homogeneous peer groups, based
on familial likeness and similarity in social and cultural background. The study,
however, was limited in its application as Brent chose to collect data over a short
time period at a single site. It may have been more illustrative to broaden the scope
of the study to track students’ peer groups over a longer period of time at a range of
sites.

Legend: Reporting (what the author found) , Critique (negative limitation from you) ,
Solution (from you)

Example two (focusing on the critique)

One of the limitations of the research of Manning and Ng (2014) is that it focused
solely on student attitudes using a large-scale likert-scale survey. West (2017)
points out that consideration of how these attitudinal measures relate to the real-life
social and cultural context of the school was not explored in this research. James, in
her pivotal 2016 study, however, did exactly that when she studied attitudes towards
learning combining a robust, school-wide survey with focused research on 10 key
students.

Legend: Critique (negative limitation from you), Elaboration on the critique (using
another author) , Solution (from another author, with positive critique)

Functional language of critique

Here are some examples of the language and phrases you can use.

Limitations – negative critique

One of the limitations with his explanation is that it …
The key problem with this position is that …
The study fails to take into account the importance of …
Strengths – positive critique
This was significant / influential in that it …
This landmark / pivotal / thorough study proposed that …
She correctly points out that …
Constructive suggestions
The study would have been more useful if it had …
The findings may have been more applicable if …
The paper may have been more convincing if it …
Similarity/difference
Bond (2001) found… Similarly, Bennet (2003) also argued that … Evans (2010)
supports these ideas saying that …
Unlike Bradley (2001), however, Bennet (2003) maintained that it was more about…
while Lee (2004) argued …
REFLECTION

A Critical Reflection (also called a reflective essay) is a process of

identifying, questioning, and assessing our deeply-held assumptions –
about our knowledge, the way we perceive events and issues, our beliefs,
feelings, and actions. When you reflect critically, you use course material
(lectures, readings, discussions, etc.) to examine our biases, compare
theories with current actions, search for causes and triggers, and identify
problems at their core. Critical reflection is not a reading assignment, a
summary of an activity, or an emotional outlet. Rather, the goal is to
change your thinking about a subject, and thus change your behavior.

ADVENTIST COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY INC,

 AN INSTITUTE OF FAITH AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
ACMONAN TUPI SOUTH COTABATO 9505

EDEL 105
BUILDING ENHANCING

REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRST SEMISTER

SUBMITTED BY: LESLIE ANN F. BAGUIO

SUBMITTED TO: MAAM JEANNEL LOU PEROY