CULTURAL

LITERACY

Prepared by: FRANK DAREN DE CASTRO BSNED-4

Learning Objectives:

• Define what is Cultural Literacy.

• Discuss the Cultural Literacy in the

Philippines.

• Enumerate what are the Challenges of

Cultural Literacy in the Philippines.
Cultural Literacy
• Ability to understand signs and symbols of a given culture
and being able to participate in it’s activity and customs as
opposed to simply being a passive ( and outside) observer .
(Hirsch 1983)

• The sign and symbol of culture include both its formal

and informal languages ,its idioms and form of expression
entertainment ,values customs , roles traditions and the
like most of which are assumed and unsated. Thus, they
learned by being part of the culture, rather than by any
formal means.
• In other word, a culturally literate
Filipino knows not only how to read and
write nor only how to survive in the
Philippine society, but also what it means
to be a Filipino and how to live life
fruitfully in a globalized world..
CULTURAL LITERACY
IN THE PHILIPPINES
CULTURAL LITERACY IN THE PHILIPPINES
• Philippine culture education program, invasions a nation of
culturally literate and empowered Filipinos together with the
department of education (DEPED) to formulate a cultural
heritage education program both local and overseas Filipinos.
This would be an integral part of Philippine education in its all
aspects.

•De Leon (2011) coins this propensity for Filipinos to

look at their culture and themselves through western
lenses as the “ DOÑA VICTORINA SYNDROME”
•Culture is often described
as being like an iceberg,
above the water are the
aspects of the culture that
you can easily see and
experience; language, dress,
food ,festivals and the like .
Below the water , where
can’t see it are the aspects
of the culture that those
within the culture know and
understand, often without
thinking about it or
questioning it.
 Challenges for
Cultural Literacy in
the Philippines
 Challenges for Cultural Literacy in the
Philippines
• As Applebee (1987) observes interesting discussion
on cultural literacy give rise to some very difficult
question which are particularly important to
multicultural, multilingual nation like Philippines.
What kinds of knowledge constitute cultural
literacy?
• It is know facts, names and dates or it is something more
experimental like being familiar with long story or particular
song .
• If culture is more than “ CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT”
should cultural literacy be one goal of education? If yes,
the how does one teach it?
• Whose culture must we be illiterate in to be considered, culturally
literate? Who decided which culture are included and which one are
excluded and on what bases?
• How is Cultural Literacy to be assessed and evaluate? How can
we know someone is culturally literate?

• Is Cultural education simply means for the dominant culture to

express its dominance over minority cultures?
• The term culture literacy is rather confusing is an abstract quality
that a people of region acquired through a social evolutionary
process maintaining from an ancient root cover civilizational source
literacy means ability to read any language in use at given location at
a given time.
•Language is necessary element of any cultural identity but my
any means a sufficient element but unique define culture

• Literacy is the very primary ability to decipher linguistic symbols

and hieroglyphics what is written, the may not understand the
meaning of the word pronounces.
Let’s watch!

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THANK YOU!