Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Sta. Mesa Manila

College of Education
Department of Business Teacher Education

A Self-Learning Outcome-Based Education (OBE)

Instructional Materials in EDUC 30173
Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum
with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Lesson 1
INTRODUCTION TO 21ST CENTURY LITERACY

Contributors:

DR. CARMENCITA CASTOLO

MS. RUTH PERIDA

EDUC 30173: Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21 st Century Skills Page
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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

LESSON 1:
INTRODUCTION TO 21ST CENTURY LITERACY

Learning Outcomes

After completion of this lesson, you will be able to competently do these:

Upon completion of this module, the student will be able to:

1.define conventional literacy, and

2.explain the various views on literacy in the 21st century.

Course Materials

Literacy is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write (Literacy,
Literate, n.d. in Alata& Ignacio, 2019). Although it is the ultimate thesis of this chapter, such a
traditional definition no longer suffices in the information age. A thorough understanding of
literacy and its past nuances will give us a solid foundation in exploring and discussing the “new
literacies of the 21st century and why possessing them is now mandatory for both teachers and
students in all levels of education.

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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

Traditional or Conventional Literacy

The word “literacy” stems from the word “literate,” which first appeared in the 15 th
century and is in turn derived from the Latin word “litteratus”, meaning “(a person) marked with
“letters” that is, “distinguished or identified by letters” and it carried with it the idea that such a
person was cultured and educated. Since the subjects of the time (e.g. grammar, logic, arithmetic,
geometry, etc.) all had written texts (which were composed of letters) that had to be studied, the
ability to read and write was therefore of prime importance, leading to the strong association of
being “literate” with the ability to read and write.

Miller (1973) divides this conventional concept of literacy into three sub-categories:

1. Basic Literacy – It is the ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken sounds in order
to decode written materials and translate them into oral language.
2. Comprehension Literacy – It is the ability to understand the meaning of what is being
read. To capitalize on the example above, this would be like knowing that “basa” can
mean either “to read” or “to be wet.”
3. Functional or Practical Literacy – It is the ability to read (i.e. decode and
comprehend) written materials needed to perform everyday vocational tasks.
Based on this conventional view of literacy, two things exist for reading (and therefore
literacy): (1) a text (consisting of symbols and grammar) to be read; and (2) a meaning or
message being communicated by the text for the reader to extract. Without a text, there would be
nothing to read; without meaning, the text is reduced to series of incomprehensible doodles.

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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

It should therefore be noted that even in Miller’s definition of literacy, the act of reading
implies a level of understanding. Simply knowing how to say a word (or a series of words) is not
the same as being able to understand what it means. Without understanding of the meaning of the
words, reading has not taken place. Based on this, Schlechty (2001) defines the concept of
functionality illiteracy as the state of being able to read, but not well enough to manage daily
living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level.

Expanded Views of Literacy

Despite the ubiquity of the traditional view of literacy, Roberts (1995) notes that “in the
past fifty years, hundreds of definitions of ‘literacy’ have been advanced by scholars, adult
literacy workers, and programme planners,” with even the United Nations Educational Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2006) acknowledging that literacy as a concept has proven
to be complex and dynamic, it being continually defined and interpreted in multiple ways.

In 2004, UNESCO formally defined literacy as “the ability to identify, understand,

interpret, create, communicate, and compute, using printed and written materials associated with
varying contexts.” Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve
their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community
and wider society.

This shift in the definition of literacy from “reading and writing” to “knowledge” is
especially important in exploring the “new” literacies of the 21 st century that seem far-removed
from the contexts upon which conventional literacy is based.

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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

In the same vein of reasoning, the new literacies are not “new” per se – as in the sense
that they never existed before. Rather, they are considered new because the contexts in which old
skills and knowledge are being employed are new, both in nature and in scope. The ability to
translate textual information into images is not a new skill, but it is the ability to do so in a way
how ninety percent of the population will be informed on the issue. Similarly, being able to
verify the truth – value and veracity of a document is not a new skill – but being able to do so
when there are a hundred similar documents available to you online is.

These so-called “new” literacies arose from the increasing availability of communication
technologies that were once unavailable to the average individual. Technologies like blogging
and vlogging, social networking, and even text-messaging change and expand both the extent
and the form of our communication – blending text, sound, and images in ways unforeseen and
unprecedented (Richardson, 2014).

Three things have been critical in the rise of the new literacies:

1. Increased Reach – people are communicating with more individuals, from more
diverse cultures, across vaster distances than ever before.
2. Increased Means of Communication –people are communicating in more ways and at
faster speeds than ever before.
3. Increased Breadth of Content – people are communicating about more things than
ever before.
To address the need for teachers to be literate in these new literacies, this course
discusses and explores them in the ensuing modules, namely:

1. Globalization and Multicultural Literacy,

2. Social and Financial Literacies,
3. Media and Cyber/Digital Literacies,
4. Ecoliteracy and Artistic and Creative Literacy, and
5. Critical Literacy.
Readings:

Printed Materials

Alata, E. & Ignacio, E. (2019).Building and enhancing new literacies across the curriculum.

Quezon City: Rex Book Store, Inc.

EDUC 30173: Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21 st Century Skills Page
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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

Miller, G. (1973). Linguistic communication: Perspectives for research. Newark, Del.:

International Reading Association.

Roberts, P. (1995). Defining literacy: Paradise, nightmare, or red herring? British Journal of
Educational Studies, 43(4), 412-432.

Schlechty, P. (2001).Shaking up the schoolhouse: How to support and sustain educational

innovation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Online Materials

Richardson, W.(2014).New literacies in the classroom. Retrieved from

https://modernlearners.com/new-literacies-in-the-classroom
United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (2004). The plurality of literacy

andits implications for policies and programmes[PDF File]. Retrieved from

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001362/136246e.pdf

United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006). Education for all global
monitoring report[PDF File]. Retrieved from
http://www.unesco.org/education/GMR2006/full/chapt6_eng.pdf

Activities / Assessment Tasks

Activity 1

Journal Writing:
1. You can use a diary or journal. Write about a particular story from your life. The story
must have a central theme.
Creating a Storyboard:
2. Create a storyboard that visually organizes the flow of the story. Assign a particular

EDUC 30173: Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21 st Century Skills Page
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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

image to portions of the script.

Assignment

Essay-writing:

Write an essay about one of the new literacy which you think is mostly needed in
our society. Expound your ideas.

Assessment

A. Identification. Identify each of the following with a word or group of words. Write your
answers on the spaces provided.

1. The ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken sounds in order to decode written
materials.
2. The state of being able to read and write.
3. Communicating with more people.
4. The ability to understand the meaning of what is being read.
5. Communicating about more things than ever before.
6. The ability to read.
7. Stems from the word literate.
EDUC 30173: Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21 st Century Skills Page
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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

8. Involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve goals.

9. Communicating in more ways and at faster speeds.
10. Consisting of symbols and grammar.

B. Essay Writing.

Describe the changes in the 21st century that have led to the rise of new literacy.

References

Books and Online Sources:

Alata, E. & Ignacio, E. (2019).Building and enhancing new literacies across the curriculum.
Quezon City: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Miller, G. (1973). Linguistic communication: Perspectives for research. Newark, Del.:

International Reading Association.

Richardson, W. (2014).New literacies in the classroom. Retrieved from

https://modernlearners.com/new-literacies-in-the-classroom

Roberts, P. (1995). Defining literacy: Paradise, nightmare, or red herring? British Journal of
Educational Studies, 43(4), 412-432.

Schlechty, P. (2001).Shaking up the schoolhouse: How to support and sustain educational

innovation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (2004).The plurality of literacy
and its implications for policies and programmes[PDF File]. Retrieved from
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001362/136246e.pdf

EDUC 30173: Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21 st Century Skills Page
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Lesson 1: Introduction to 21st Century Literacy

United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006).Education for all global
monitoring report[PDF File]. Retrieved from
http://www.unesco.org/education/GMR2006/full/chapt6_eng.pdf

EDUC 30173: Building and Enhancing Literacy Across the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21 st Century Skills Page
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