Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across The New Curriculum

CIT COLLEGES OF PANIQUI FOUNDATION
PANIQUI, TARLAC
BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

ACROSS THE NEW CURRICULUM
MODULE 1
WEEK 1
UNIT 1 – INTRODUCTION TO 21ST CENTURY LITERACIES
OBJECTIVE
At the end of this module, students should be able to develop a clear and practical understanding
of the following:
• Define conventional literacy; and

• Expanded views of literacy in the 21st century
INTRODUCTION
Literacy is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write (Literacy, Literate,
n.d.). Although it is the ultimate thesis of this chapter that 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.
This chapter explores several definitions of literacy and what being literate means in the multiplicity
of contexts in the 21st century, with the goal of raising awareness in readers who might be presently unaware
of the evolving perspectives on literacy and giving teachers the opportunity to pause and reflect on their
own literacies even as they attempt to teach the new literacies to their students.
TRADITIONAL OR CONVENTIONAL LITERACY

The word “literacy” stems from the word “literate,” which first appeared in the 15th century and is
in turn derived from the Latin word literatus, 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. Simply put, it is the ability to recognize
letters and words. This would be akin to recognizing that the sequence of letters “b-a-s-a” forms the
word basa in Filipino, even without understanding what it means.
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. This is the equivalent of reading the text
“Ang bata ay nagbabasa,” and being able to understand that basa here refers to reading and not to
being wet.
Based on this conventional view of literacy, we notice two things for reading (and therefore literacy)
to exist: (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 a series of incomprehensible doodles.
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 words, reading has not taken
place. Based on this, Schlechty (2001) defines the concept of functional 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.
As the rest of this module will argue, this synchronicity between decoding textual symbols and being
able to understand their meaning is a necessary part of being literate, even as the new contexts of the 21 st
century change the nature of what the “text” is, and what it means to “read” and “write.”
EXPANDED VIEWS OF LITERACY

Despite the popularity of American films in the Philippines, many Filipinos cannot follow the actor’s
dialogue, and thus resort to guessing the overall story based on the actions onscreen.
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 context. 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.”
Note that “reading” does not appear in UNESCO’s definition of literacy. Instead, literacy has taken
on a definition more akin to “knowing about something and what to do with it.”
In this vein, Mkandawire (2018) more succinctly posits that literacy is “a form of knowledge,
competence, and skills in a particular field of area,” being supported by UNESCO (2006), Barton (2007),
and Mkandawire, Simooya-Mudenda, & Cheelo (2017), which acknowledged that – as we have just pointed
out – modern views appear to equate literacy and knowledge.
This shift in the definition of literacy from “reading and writing” to “knowledge” is especially
important as we explore the “new” literacies of the 21st century that seem far-removed from the contexts
upon which conventional literacy is based.
When viewed from the perspective of conventional/traditional literacy, the concept of “new”
literacies is a bit of misnomer, as even these new literacies of the 21 st century make generous use of being
able to read and write, rather than supplant them as skills necessary for survival. However, when viewed
from the perspective of literacy as knowledge, the new literacies begin to make sense as they are the “skills
and bodies of knowledge” that are necessary for survival and productivity in the information age.
In the same vein of reasoning, the new literacies are not “new” per se – as in the sense that they
never existed before. Rather, we consider them to be 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 that is concise, complete,
and clear that is certainly new, given that it will be 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.
Case in point: Throughout history, humans have communicated on levels apart from the spoken and
written word, for example, visually, using the long-distance communication system of smoke signals used
by the ancient Chinese, the ancient Greeks, and the indigenous peoples of North America.
In the Victorian era, there was such a thing as “Language of Flowers,” where the kind, color, and
arrangement of a bouquet of flowers were used to communicate messages that could not otherwise be
spoken aloud in Victorian society (Greenaway, 1884). For example, a bouquet of oak leaves (representing
strength), purple roses (sorrow), white lilies (resurrection), and pale yellow tulips and rosemary (memory
or remembrance) would altogether communicate a message of sympathy, usually over the death of a loved
one.
Successfully interpreting these “visual languages” required a kind of “visual literacy” to understand
the message being presented and to manage the information encoded therein – skills which, as following
chapters will further reveal, are coming into use again in the 21 st century literacies. The difference is that
now we are not analyzing smoke signals or bouquets, but rather sounds, texts, and images from a hundred
different sources at a nearly non-stop rate to the point where accuracy, validity, and reliability of the
messages we interpret form the basis for some very important personal and collective decision-making.
Another difference involves the question of necessity: One did not need to be literate in the language
of flowers to live in a fruitful and fulfilled life in Victorian-era England, but to be not media or digitally
literate in the 21st century makes one vulnerable to manipulation by those who are, and such manipulation
can easy cost an individual time, money, property, and even life.
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). Never before have the opinions of a twelve-year-old child in an unheard-of town in an unheard-of
country been available to everyone on Earth to read and hear, and while adults might scoff at a child’s
opinions, that child might have more than a thousand online subscribers who certainly thing his or her
opinions are important, maybe even more so that the opinions of adults.
Simply put, three things have been critical in the rise of the new literacies:
1. Increased Reach – We are communicating with more people, from more diverse cultures, across
vaster distances than ever before.
2. Increased Means of Communication – We are communicating in more ways and at faster speeds
than ever before.
3. Increased Breadth of Content – We are communicating about more things than ever before.
How do we work together with people of different cultures who might have vastly different
perspectives on communication, work ethics, values, religious beliefs, and worldviews? What do we do
when some of these might be mutually exclusive to our own? In an age where information is power – where
knowing more and knowing first can spell the difference between success and failure – how do we leverage
both current and emergent technologies so that our endeavors are both productive and profitable? Moreover,
how do we navigate and manage the veritable minefield of information that was once considered taboo and
private and is now online, for all the world to see and judge, whether we like it or not?
Answering such complex question requires new set of skills and knowledge – ones that our school
system have never had to teach before. With these changes in with whom, how, and why we communicate,
new literacies are required not only to make sense of the changes, but also to use these new technologies
and paradigms in meaningful and productive ways – something required not only to students, but of teachers
as well.
To better address the need for teachers to be literate in these new literacies, these modules discuss
and explore them in the ensuing chapters, namely:
Globalization and Multicultural Literacy discusses how our increasing ability to communicate with
almost anyone, anywhere, in real time requires new skills and attitudes in interacting with people with
people with cultures, perspectives, worldviews, and priorities different from our own, particularly with the
end-view of not only peace and understanding, but also mutual benefit and productivity.
The module on Social and Financial Literacies meanwhile explores the need for the ability to
navigate our own social networks – of both the online and off-line variety – to not only communicate clearly,
but also to leverage resources which we ourselves might possess. At the same time, the chapter addresses
the notorious problem of short-sightedness in Filipino culture regarding personal finances and how this
must be addressed at an increasingly earlier age to help mitigate the ever-widening gap between the rich
and the poor.
Media and Cyber/Digital Literacies explore the emerging need to locate, verify, and ultimately
manage online information, especially in an age where information is power and where having the right
(and wrong) information and the ability to communicate it with others and use it to address real-world
problems easily spell the difference between both personal and career success and failure.
Ecoliteracy and Artistic and Creative Literacy explore the emerging demands for knowing how to
effectively and sustainably manage the natural resources that out increased industrialization and demands
for productivity are so rapidly eating up. The module also explores how this increase in productivity also
brings with it an increased demand for arts and aesthetics and the need to develop ways of effectively
communicating through the creative arts in industries dominated by objective date.
Finally, Critical Literacy addresses the increasing need to discern the underlying (and often tacit)
messages behind the new “texts” of the 21 st century, particularly in an ever increasingly multicultural
society where ideas, cultures, and ideologies vie with one another for power and dominance in the minds
of the masses.
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

Answer the following questions cogently but honestly. Write your answers in the spaced provided.
1. Compare and contrast the traditional concept of literacy to the modern view of literacy.
2. Describe the changes in the 21st century that have led to the rise of new literacies
Prepared by:
Karol Kent Geoffrie M. Manzano, RPm, LPT

Instructor
Submitted to:
Dr. Nestor B. Castro

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 2
WEEK 2
UNIT 2 – GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURAL AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACIES
OBJECTIVE
of the following:
• Globalization and its implications on both the national and individual level;
• Cultural and multicultural literacy in the Philippines; and
• One’s personal level of cultural and multicultural literacy.
INTRODUCTION
Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between people, business entities,
governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade and investment and supported
by information technology (Levin Institute, 2017).
To better illustrate this, consider two people from different countries, for example, the Philippines
and South Korea. Let us say they meet in college and become good friends, so that the Korean comes to be
treated like a member of the Filipino’s family. After some time, the Korean returns to her own country, but
something has changed – she notices an aspect of her culture that she finds herself wishing to be more
Filipino. She knows very well that she cannot change Korean culture as a whole, so she decides to just
change herself. She does not change everything, of course – just a little thing here and there; she is obviously
Korean, but she just does a few things differently from those who have never been to the Philippines.
Now suppose a little more time passes and the Korean is very happy with the changes she has made
to her life that makes it just a little more Korean. Let us say some of her colleagues noticed how she does
some things differently and they become curious, so she tells them about her experiences in the Philippines
and how that in some ways, she wishes to do things the way the Filipinos do. Her colleagues decide to give
it a try, and they find that they like this different way of doing things, too.
Now let us say that when we look at the person from the Philippines, something similar has taken
place: the Filipino, while still being Filipino through and through, has made a few changes in her life as a
result of her experience of Korean culture through her friend during their years in college. Some of her
friends have also noticed it have made similar little changes in their own loves.
Because our exposure to the concept of globalization has largely been through an economic lens, it
is tempting to limit globalization as something that concerns economists and businessmen. But globalization
and its effects go beyond import or export and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Notice that in our
illustration, even if they themselves had never been to Korea or had not met a Filipino. Now scale this up
to the point where it is not just two people from two different nations interacting, but millions of people,
from nearly two hundred different countries, where we are no longer integrating just languages or
mannerisms or food recipes, but everything from styles of clothing, forms of entertainment, education,
technology, manufacturing, ways of doing business, ideas, and whole worldviews. This is globalization we
know it today.
Globalization as a phenomenon is not new. Nations and cultures have been interacting and
integrating with one another for millennia. Consider how ancient Greek culture was so widespread across
the Mediterranean that even the Egyptians could speak their language, and how Rome was so inspired by
the Greeks culture that they adopted it wholesale. Consider how so much of the Chinese, Arab, and Indian
cultures have become part of our own; these interactions and subsequent integrations did not happen
recently, but even during centuries before there was even a political entity known as the Philippines.
What is different now, however, is the speed at which globalization is happening, its overall shape,
and its effect on the lives of ordinary people. Not only are we interacting with, learning from, and integrating
knowledge gleaned from other cultures and nations at an unprecedented rate, there is now also a sense that
no matter where one lives or how limited is one’s face-to-face interaction with members of another nation
or culture and how limited one’s time is spent online, globalization and its effects are inescapable. Even
remote villages will be exposed to the latest KPOP hit, if they have access to a radio. If they produce rice,
they will also feel the effects of more affordable rice imports from Thailand and Vietnam. If they have
access to a kerosene stove, they will feel the effects of the fluctuations in oil prices originating from Arab
nations. All these things take place without having to know anyone from or anything about Korea, Thailand,
Vietnam, or the Middle East.
THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION

The effects of globalization are multi-dimensional. As shown earlier, they range from economic to
cultural, on both national and individual levels.
Meyer (2000) summarizes the effects of globalization as follows:
• Economic, political, and military dependence and interdependence between nations;
• Expanded flow of individual people among societies;
• Interdependence of expressive culture among nations; and
• Expanded flow of instrumental culture around the world.
Economic Dependence/Interdependence
When the term globalization entered the Philippine public mindset in the early 90s, it was popularly
understood to be a mainly economic phenomenon, and a negative one at that. The idea that foreign-owned
businesses could come into the country and freely “set-up shop,” thereby choking-out local industries was
not a welcome thought, even though it was erroneous.
While Philippine society has come to realize that this early perspective represented a shallow
understanding of globalization, the fact of the matter is that globalization has brought economic
development to our society as a whole. By attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), new technologies,
employment opportunities, and money have come into the country. The phenomenon of a taxi driver owning
multiple smartphones to browse social media while stuck in traffic because of the rise of the number of
vehicles on our roads is testament to this fact.
This does not mean, however, that there have been no negative effects of globalization. Kentor
(2001) notes that foreign capital dependence increases income inequality in four ways: (1) It creates a small,
highly paid class of elites to manage these investments, who create many but usually low-pay jobs; (2)
Profits from these investments are repatriated, rather than invested in the host country, therefore inhibiting
domestic capital formation; (3) Foreign capital penetration tends to concentrate land ownership among the
very rich; and (4) Host countries tend to create political and economic climates favorable to foreign capital
that in turn limit domestic labor’s ability to obtain better wages. In simple words, “the rich become richer,
and the poor become poorer.”
Hout (1980) observes that international dependence (another word for globalization) tends to
suppress adult wages, which in turn perpetuates the role of children as economic necessities (the familiar
saying “Kapag maraming anak, maraming katulong sa hanapbuhay”), leading to explosive population
growth.
In a chain reaction of negative effects, this explosive population growth creates a large sub-sector
of society that is insulated from economic development yet competes for resources with the rest of the
population. Coupled with the economic inequalities in which society is couched, this encourages political
instability, resulting in policies that favor the redistribution of income, which in turn discourages investment,
which then slows economic growth.
Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence

A survey conducted in late 2018 found that three in five Filipinos believe that the United States
would intervene on behalf of the country in case of war (Viray, 2018). Despite the current very conservative
stance of the US on its foreign policies, this can be taken as evidence of the Philippines’ dependence on
both the political and military power of the US in order to maintain its sovereignty as a nation-state in the
Southeast Asia region. Similar things can be said of Russia and the many communist nations throughout
the world.
The point is that where there are some forms of economic dependence/interdependence, political
dependence/interdependence is not far behind, as the participating nations strive to protect their investments
and interests in one another.
Expanded Flow of Expressive and Instrumental Culture

Expressive culture, as the term suggests, deals with how a particular culture expresses itself in its
language, music, arts, and the like. Globalization encourages the monetization of these cultural artifacts and
their import/export among participating cultures; the increased consumption of which changes the
consuming culture. Case in point, KPOP music and culture was a relatively niche occupation ten years ago.
With very few people aware of its existence, let alone actual fans. Today it is practically ubiquitous in
Philippine society, alongside the consumption of all things Korean, from skin-care products to instant
noodles.
Instrumental culture, on the other hand, refers to “common models of social order” (Meyer, 2000)
– that is, models or ways of thinking about and enacting national identity, nation – state policies both
domestic and foreign, socio-economic development, human rights, education, and social progress. A simple
example of this is the Philippine educational system: Closely patterned after the American educational
system, education leaders in the country closely follow the educational trends in America and select
European countries, perceiving them to be global leaders in the field. While this has served us to an arguably
satisfactory degree thus far, it is interesting to observe that the problems and difficulties in American
education eventually show-up in Philippine education, albeit five to ten years removed.
Expanded Flow of People among Societies

The fact that globalization encourages the movement of people between nation-states should come
as no surprise to us. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates that there were 2.3 million Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs) during the period of April to September 2017, who were responsible for up to
205.2 billion pesos in remittances (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2018).
Meyer (2000) observes three reasons for this: socio-economic migration, political expulsion, and
travel/tourism.
Socio-economic migration explains the Philippines’ OFW phenomenon. Filipinos travel abroad to
find better economic opportunities for themselves and their families for lack of said opportunities here.
Political expulsion, on the other hand, has more to do with trying to escape the political climate of
a particular country, thereby forcing an individual to seek asylum (and ultimately, resettlement) in another
more favorable country.
Travel for the sake of leisure (i.e., tourism) is a strong indicator of economic development as more
and more Filipinos are able to finance short-term travels abroad, fueled by curiosity that is fed by social
media and enabled by globalization.
CULTURAL LITERACY
Cultural Literacy is a term coined by Hirsch (1983), referring to the ability to understand the signs
and symbols of given culture and being able to participate in its activities and customs as opposed to simply
being a passive (and outside) observer. The signs and symbols of a culture includes both its formal and
informal languages, its idioms and forms of expression, entertainment, values, customs, roles, traditions,
and the like – most of which are assumed and unstated. Thus, they are learned by being part of the culture,
rather than by any formal means.
To illustrate this, consider the following statement: “the classroom was in absolute bedlam.”
Without any sort of background, the reader is forced to guess the word “bedlam” from its context within
the sentence. As it turns out, “bedlam” refers to a scene of uproar, confusion and chaos. The term is British
in origin, referring to a psychiatric hospital in London by the name of St. Mary Bethlehem that was once
representative of the worst excesses of insane asylum during the 14th century and “bedlam” is a corruption
of the word “Bethlehem” in the name. While it is one thing to know that meaning of the word, note that it
is knowledge of its cultural origins that better enables a person to both appreciate and participate in
conversations and activities.
Of course, by its very definition, cultural literacy is culture-specific, but it is not limited to national
cultures, contrary to what many people assume. The culture of one workplace can be very different from
another, just as the culture of a particular school can differ widely from another school nearby.
There are far too many cultures for any one person to be literate in all of them. As more and more
Filipinos travel – both domestically and abroad – as the result of globalization and the increased
opportunities it brings, the need to develop new cultural literacies come to the fore.
Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) is the government body tasked with the
documentation, preservation, and dissemination of Philippine culture, both locally and abroad. Part of how
the NCCA is addressing this and related matter is through the establishment of the Philippine Cultural
Education Program (PCEP), which “envisions a nation of culturally literate and empowered Filipins”
(NCCA, 2015). Designed to make cultural education accessible to all sectors of Philippine society, the
PCEP held national consultative meetings, conferences, workshops, art camps, and festivals on culture-
based teachings and good governance from 2003 to 2007. As a result of Republic Act 10066 (2010), PCEP
has been designated as the body, together with the Department of Education (DepEd), tasked to “formulate
the cultural heritage education programs both for local and overseas Filipinos” that are to be an integral part
of Philippine education in all its aspects.
Cultural education – and thus cultural literacy – in the Philippines is quite a challenge, given that
Philippine culture is a complex blend of many indigenous and colonial cultures and varies widely across
regions, and the average citizen us almost as ignorant of other Philippine cultures as foreigners are. To point
out, consider the question, “What makes something or someone ‘Filipino’?”
The average reader will be hard-pressed to pin down a definite answer. De Leon (2011) argues that
this is in part to a colonial mindset among Filipino artists that inhibit the full development and realization
of Filipino artistic creativity – a kind of artistic and cultural creativity that is fully Filipino.
De Leon (2011) coins this propensity for Filipinos to look at their culture and themselves through
Western lenses as the Doña Victorina Syndrome, a kind of inferiority complex wherein anything and
everything natively Filipino is considered by the Filipinos themselves as being inferior, backward, and
worthless in comparison to their Western counterparts, and therefore a source of embarrassment and unease.
As De Leon puts it, our low self-esteem borders on self-contempt, the results of which are doubt in the
Filipino capacity for achievement, perverse delight on belittling ourselves, lack of respect and even outright
contempt for one another, and blind dependence on foreign goods, concepts, techniques, approaches, and
expertise (2011). The biggest challenge then, according to him, is the deconstruction of the negative self-
images and notions of ourselves that we have imbibed over generations through “a workable, effective
program of education that can make Filipinos more responsive and sensitive to Filipino dignity, needs,
values, and cultural potentials and assets.”
For De Leon, it is excellence in the arts – via an expression that is truly Filipino – that can form the
core of national unity. Of course, this remains to be seen.
Challenges of Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

As Applebee (1987) observes, interesting discussions on cultural literacy give rise to some very
difficult questions which are particularly important to a multicultural and multilingual nation like the
Philippines.
• What kinds of knowledge constitute cultural literacy? Is it knowing facts, names, and dates, or is it
something more experiential like being familiar with a story or a particular song?
• If culture is more “caught than taught,” should cultural literacy be one of the goals of education? If
yes, how does one teach it?
• Whose culture must we be literate in to be considered “culturally literate”? Who declares which
cultures are included and which ones are excluded, and on what bases?
• Is cultural literacy education simply a means for the dominant culture to express its dominance over
minority cultures?
• How is cultural literacy to be assessed and evaluated? How can we know someone is “culturally
literate”?
MULTICULTURAL LITERACY
As culture begin to mix and change as a result of globalization, conflicts inevitably arise over
identity, values, and worldviews. This situation consequently needs for a literacy that enables us to quickly
and easily identify and resolve such conflicts, preferably before they even begin. This has come to be
understood as multicultural literacy.
Multicultural Literacy as a set of skills and knowledge is difficult to define because of how it
changes depending on the contexts in which it is discussed. For example, multicultural literacy as defined
in American literature is different from how it is deployed in a more European context.
In America, multicultural literacy has very strong leanings toward knowing or identifying the poly-
ethnic origins of knowledge with the express goal of fostering equality, diversity, and social justice. This is
in direct response to the “Euro-centric” and “white-dominant” traditions of education that in the eyes of
American cultural minorities (particularly the blacks) is a form of racial injustice. This is very foreign to
the Philippine context, which, despite having our own deeply ingrained traditions of discrimination, does
not have the same issues of discrimination as in the United States, nor the same amount of hostility.
Nevertheless, the fact that the perceived need for multicultural literacy stems from a slighted sense of justice
for “the other” (that is, any individual, group, or culture that another individual, group, or culture considers
“not of us,” for any reason) cannot be ignored in our attempts to pin down a functional definition of
multicultural literacy for ourselves.
Meanwhile, in Europe, multicultural literacy comes more in the form of intercultural
communication competence (ICC), which is defined by Dusi, Messetti, and Steinbach (2014) as a composite
of skills, abilities, attitudes, personality patterns, etc. necessary for clear and productive communication
with cultures other than our own. Similarly, Fantini (2006) defines it as “a complex of abilities needed to
perform effectively and appropriately when interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally
different from oneself.”
Clearly, the broader and more magnanimous European definition of multicultural literacy is more
fitting for the Philippine context, even if the exact definition of what ICC consists of is still being hotly
debated. For the purposes of this module, it would be wise to include how justice contributes to the literacy;
that is, there would be no discussion on multicultural literacy if not for the lack of justice in a multicultural
discussion of discourse.
We define multicultural literacy here as knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that any
communication with a culture different from our own is clear, productive, and respectful such that their
differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned or treated as inferior.
It is important to realize that under this definition, a “different culture” is not just limited to
“someone from another country,” but could also include someone whose gender, economic background,
religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or even sense of fashion is different from our own.
The skills and knowledge required for one to be multi-culturally literate are not more language skills,
since it is assumed that some medium of communication already exists between two cultures. Rather, true
multicultural literacy consists of perspectives, attitudes, and beliefs about other cultures that affect the
manner in which we communicate and the motives behind our communication. Here are some examples:
1. Be selfless – An attitude of selflessness – one that is less concerned with how I feel and more
concerned with how I am making others feel – is crucial to multicultural literacy, as so much of the
offense and conflict associated with the meeting of different cultures is the result of a “me first”
attitude: I should be accommodated, you should be the one to adjust to me, I should feel comfortable
with you before I make efforts to make you feel comfortable, etc. Such selflessness is not instinctive
to people, and is especially difficult when one feels insecure of oneself and identity.
2. Know that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us – Hand-in-
hand with a dismissive attitude toward another culture is the idea that nothing good can come from
them. Furthermore, there is a tendency to ignore or outright dismiss evidence to the contrary. Simply
acknowledging that good ideas and products have come from cultures we might not like goes a long
way in preparing our minds to perceive them as being equally valuable.
3. Be willing to compromise – Any significant interaction with someone from a different culture is
governed by the principle of “He/She wants something, and I want something.” In other words,
cultures do not interact out of pure magnanimity. If both of you are willing to give the other what
they want, well and good. But what happens when one or both are unwilling to give what the other
wants? There must be a compromise: a reciprocal adjustment of demands and expectations to
accommodate what the other party is willing to give.
4. Accept that there are limits – At some point however, one or both cultures will be unwilling/unable
to adjust their wants for the sake of the other any further. Beyond this point, the productivity of the
interaction drops and one must either change the purpose of the interaction or walk away, accepting
that what you want cannot be had from that particular source. Attempting to force the other party to
adjust (when you refuse to do the same) only results in misunderstanding, hurt, and conflict. The
sooner we accept this, the sooner we can set realistic expectations of one another.
ISSUES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING MULTICULTURAL LITERACY IN THE

PHILIPPINES
A number of important issues stand in the way of Philippine educators attempting to learn
multicultural literacy for themselves and teach it in turn to others, which are different from what can be
found in Western literature, particularly those of the United States.
Conflicting Requirements for Peace

When all is said and done, the heart of multicultural literacy is peace among different cultures – that
is, productive and non-violent interaction. It is easy to assume that all cultures value peace to the same
degree and are therefore willing to make the same compromises in order to attain it, but this is not
necessarily true.
Take for example the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, which is really a conflict over territory: Both sides
desire peace, but they do not desire it enough to be willing to compromise. In a very real sense, both sides
would rather live in perpetual conflict with one another rather than give-up their claim to the land which
each side believes is rightfully theirs.
Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback

The increasing demand for multicultural sensitivity, inclusion, and diversity in the recent years has
also given rise to resistance from groups who believe that their identity is being “watered-down” by the
needed compromises.
Case in point is the very recent proposal of “Ortograpiya ti Pagsasao nga Ilokano” by officials of
the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) in October of 2018. The proposal was met with the intense
backlash from a group of Ilokano writers and language advocates over the “incompetence in preparing the
Ilokano orthography that didn’t conform with the existing orthography being used by the Ilokano writers
and experts,” claiming that the proposed orthography was based on Tagalog and not Ilokano and that the
commission’s attempts to compel the regional language to conform to the standards of the Ortograpiyang
Pambansa (National Orthography) would “destroy the identity of the Ilokano language” (Dumlao, 2018).
In the ensuing online firestorm, one particular individual commented on how such regional pride is
out of step with modernity, particularly with our need to be united as a country. Now this sentiment is
consistent with the multicultural literacy of being able to put aside differences for the sake of a common
goal, but notice how for the Ilokanos, national unity (as far as language is concerned) is not worth the cost
of giving-up their ability to determine the orthography of their language for themselves.
Such issues become even more complex and clouded when they come to a head of economics, social
justice, and religion. What is to be done when accommodating the idiosyncrasies of another culture means
decreased economic opportunities for other members of my culture? What about when we must decide
between gender equality and retaining a venerable, historical institution like the Boy Scouts of the
Philippines? What about if, for the sake of peace, one culture must compromise on its religious values? We
might think that peace is worth it, but what if the other culture believes otherwise?
We see here that while multicultural inclusiveness is by and large a good thing, it comes with a cost.
Part of the identity of the host culture becomes diluted and lost – the inevitable result of the compromises
necessary for it to have some form of multicultural understanding. In effect, pushing for multicultural
inclusion might very well be asking some cultures to decide which has more value: Inclusion or Identity?
We must be aware that these questions are easier to answer for the culture that wants to be
accommodated (because it will cost them nothing), rather than the one that must do the accommodating.
The Persistence of the Problem

On the surface, multicultural literacy might seem to just be a matter of “good common sense,” and
understandably so, no one actively desires to experience discrimination regarding what they know and what
they can and cannot do simply on the basis of race, ethnicity, or in the case of the Philippines, region of
origin. It therefore makes perfect sense to collectively refrain from such behavior under the assumption that
“If you don’t do it to me, I won’t do it to you.” And yet, to our horror and shame, the practice persists.
Worse, we sometimes find ourselves participating in and justifying such discriminatory behavior – if only
online and not in real life (as if anything written or posted online is not, in fact, in real life).
Therefore, the primary issue that educators face in teaching multicultural literacy to their students
and learning it for themselves is, “Why does this problem persist?” Or to put it in another way, “Despite all
out advances in science, technology, and culture, why is this still a problem today?”
Boutte (2008) suggests that issues of discrimination in all its forms (racial, religious, tribal, cultural,
etc.) are really issues of hatred, which she defines in an educational setting as “the lack of compassion and
lack of respect for the right of others,” and that such hatred must be fought and its roots must be attacked,
because for as long as hatred exists in the human mind, real peace will be impossible (Vreeland, 2001).
If this is true, then it leads to some interesting questions: For one, what is the root of this hatred?
Boutte (2008) suggests that, at least in an educational context, such hate is often unintentional, but is usually
the result of a lack of education. Now if a lack of education is to blame, then a lack of education in what,
exactly? Is it awareness of the existence of those different from us? Is it awareness that those different from
us are worthy of respect?
The former is unlikely: Thanks to the Internet, we are very much aware of the existence of people
and cultures that are fundamentally different from us, yet this has done nothing to mitigate the hatred that
Boutte speaks of. The latter question is more promising, but presume that something exists in all individuals
– regardless of color, language, religion, education, social status, etc. – that is worthy of respect. If this is
true, what is this something? How do you teach it?
To date, no literature exists within academia that gives a definitive, authoritative, and final answer
to these questions.
Another issue in teaching and learning multicultural literacy is better posited as a question: “Why
should I treat people of another culture with respect?”
It might seem that the answer to the question is a simple one: for peace. But as we have seen earlier,
not everyone values peace to the same degree. What if, for a certain culture, it is easier to just destroy
anyone who opposes them rather than expend the effort needed to come to a mutual understanding?
Such statements might sound crass, but only if we believe that we, as a society, are above such
things. How many times have we broken “small” laws and rules of etiquette – running red traffic lights
“because no one is there to catch me,” or asking a vendor at a flea market or tiangge to list a different price
on the receipt than what an item is worth – because it is more convenient than to do otherwise? How many
times have we been selfish in our decision-making, not thinking about, not caring about its implications for
others? And how many times have we justified such behavior “because of the circumstances” or “because
everyone else is doing it”?
In other words, “Why should I value another culture, another society, another person more than
myself and my own?” If we subscribe to Dawkins’ (2016) concept of a “selfish gene” – where on a genetic
level, the more two individuals are genetically similar to one another, the more sense it makes to behave
selflessly toward one another and selfishly toward others who are different – then we can easily frame the
issue of discrimination of cultural discrimination and injustice as one of both genetics and survival. This
means that the injustice you experience is necessary for my survival, and therefore it is in my best interests
(genetic and otherwise) that I maintain the status quo – or reverse it, as the case may be. Educators like
Freire (2000) have recognized and written against such a monstrous perspective – and rightly so – but have
also admitted that when the oppressed are freed from their oppression, they inevitably become the new
oppression.
If such perspectives seem horrible to us (and they should), it is because the question of the value of
humanity, both individually and collectively as a culture, makes no sense without subscribing to some
absolute moral standard – and that is true and right for all people, regardless of race, color, or creed. But in
today’s society where such absolutes are reduced to matters of perspective, there remains no final or sensible
answer to the question.
1. What makes a person Filipino? If a person has Filipino parents but is born in another country, is he/she
still a Filipino? What about if a person with foreign parents is born and raised in the Philippines, is he/she
Filipino? Explain your reasoning.
2. Why should you as an individual respect and value people who are different from you?
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 3
WEEK 3
UNIT 3 – SOCIAL LITERACY
OBJECTIVE
of the following:
• Develop understanding of the working definition of social literacy;

• Explain the roles of parents and teachers in teaching social skills to children, and
• Discuss and examine issues in social literacy.
INTRODUCTION
Social literacy concerns itself with the development of social skills, knowledge and positive human
values that enable human beings to act positively and responsibly in range of complex social settings. It is
the knowledge of how to behave and treat other people in a way that is morally upright, just and equitable,
with a view of promoting positive and productive relations that are free from unfair prejudices, hate and
discrimination. These three descriptions will be explained below.
By morally upright, we refer to the thoughts, speech, actions, and motivations that adhere to a
standard of right and wrong. On the other hand, just refers to speech, action, and behaviors that are in line
with a fixed standard of justice – a system that promises and rewards good at the same time punishes
wrongdoing. Any system of justice, whether national, regional, or local, requires a body of rules or laws by
which to measure and administer rewards and punishment. Equitable are the speech, actions, behaviors, and
decisions that treat others fairly, regardless of background or circumstances. Not to be confused with
equality, which connotes a fixed standard of treatment for all people, equity seeks the good of others, and
labors to find means by which everyone gets “what they need” rather than simply “everyone gets the same
thing in the same amount.”
Peers and schools play a formative role on the social skills development of children. These social
skills are often expressed as consisting of three inter-related components: social perception, social cognition
and social performance (Arthur, Davidsonm & Stow, 2000). Increasing emphasis has been placed on the
last component, particularly in terms of outcomes. Social skill is defined in literature as ‘the ability to
interact with others in a given social context in specific ways that are socially acceptable or valued and the
same time personally beneficial, mutually beneficial, or primarily beneficial to others.’
There are several types of social skills that must be mastered for a child to be socially adept. These
range from the ability to initiate, maintain, and end a conversation to reading social signals to more complex
skills such as solving problems and resolving conflict (Lawson, 2003). The following examples represent
some of the fundamental principles of relating well to others. Children with social skills deficit can be taught
these skills directly by parents, teachers, and/or professionals using the strategies of modeling, role-playing,
rehearsal, and practice.
• Greeting – Children develop relationships with peers by interacting with them. The first step in a
social interaction is greeting someone. Greeting others is done not only with words like “Hi” or
“How are you?” but with facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures such as a nod or a wave.
The nonverbal part of greeting someone is just as important as the words. It is not so much what one
says but how he/she says it that lets people know he/she is glad to see them.
• Initiating Conversation – In order to carry on a conversation, a child must be able to initiate,
maintain and close conversation appropriately. This requires good listening and attention skills, as
well as the ability to take turns and probe for missing information. Being a good conversationalist
requires turn-taking and reciprocity. Children have to listen as well as talk. If they do not show an
interest in what the other person has to say they probably will not be interested in talking. Impulsive
children often have trouble knowing when to talk and when to listen.
• Understanding the listener – Once a conversation is initiated, it has to be maintained. In order to

do that, it is important to understand the audience one is talking to. A socially adept child quickly
and unconsciously identifies and categorizes his listener, measures what he/she has planned to say
against the anticipated response of the listener, and then proceeds, alters, or avoids what she has
planned to say. He/She knows that talking to authority figures is not done in the same ways when
talking to peers. A misread of the listener often leads to a misunderstood message and potential
social rejection. To converse in a socially appropriate manner, children must be able to take the
perspective or point of view of the other person, i.e., think the way they think. To do this a child
must pretend that he/she is the listener and think about what he/she needs to hear to understand what
is being said.
• Empathizing – Empathy is more than perspective taking; it means that one is able to feel what the
other person feels. Empathy allows one to really connect with other people. Other children often
think of children who lack empathy as mean, unkind, or self-centered.
• Reading Social Cues – it is very important to read social cues in a conversation. Cues are the hints
and signals that guide us the next thing to say or do. Social cues can be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal
cues are the words that the other person is saying. Tone of voice is an important part of verbal cues.
Good detectives pay very close attention to nonverbal cues.
• Previewing or Planning – conversations also require that one previews or thinks about what effect
the words or actions may have on the listener before she says or does them. If the impact will be
negative, one can adjust what she might say or do.
• Problem-solving – Problems and conflict are often a part of social interactions. Someone may not
agree, get angry, insult, or become aggressive at something that one says. How one reacts to these
conflicts depends on how good her problem-solving skills are. Conflicts cannot be avoided and are
often necessary to “clear the air.” Turning a conflict into a “win-lose” situation to a “win-win” is
the best way to resolve a conflict. This requires negotiation and compromise, give and take that
results in a situation where all parties can live with and help maintain friendships.
• Apologizing – Everyone makes social mistakes at one time or another. A person with good social
skills is confident enough to make a sincere apology for their error. This is a courageous act and is
the quickest and easiest way to correct a social blunder. In reality, other people usually have a high
opinion of someone who apologizes for making a mistake. Apologizing is a sign of humble and
mature character when one commits mistakes.
THE ROLE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS IN TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS TO CHILDREN

Parents typically play the major role in teaching children’s social skills. Parents can directly teach
social skills by modeling, role-playing, and providing opportunities for their child to rehearse and practice
new skills. They should encourage and praise the child for successfully using a new skill. Professionals
typically intervene only when children are having substantial social difficulty with peers. These individuals
can implement structured, guided, and effective programs that often involve group work with peers.
Children must then generalize the skills they learn in the group to school and other personal social situations.
School is the place where children spend the majority of their times with peers. It is, therefore, a
natural and perfect setting for children to learn and practice social skills. While teachers do not have to
teach a class in social skills, they can take advantage of every opportunity to help children improve their
social skills. They should be alert to teasing and bullying and aware of children that are rejected or ignored
by their peers. They should work cooperatively with the children’s parents to prevent the humiliation,
embarrassment, and distress that befall these children. Pairing a socially inept child with a socially adept
one, involving children in cooperative instead of competitive learning exercises, identifying and
acknowledging the strengths of all children, understanding social weaknesses, and creating an environment
in which diversity is accepted and celebrated can greatly enhance all children’s social abilities, sense of
belongingness, and self-esteem, not just in the classroom but in life as well.
ISSUES IN TEACHING SOCIAL LITERACY

How children develop their social literacy is intrinsically a contextual matter and is not something
that can be easily traced in a linear or developmental fashion. The acquisition of social literacy is a complex
process that is historically and culturally conditioned and context-specific. Children learn though social
practices, both explicit and implicit, and become human through social interaction. Nevertheless, it is also
the case that children engage in social activity before they are taught it; in other words, children are disposed
to be social before they learn what sociability is all about.
There are two distinct ways of answering the question on how children learn to live socially with
each other and with adults. The first view is normative and communal. From their culture, children learn
customs the provide them with a guide to act in ways that minimize conflict. The second view is pragmatic
and individualistic. The social order of children is created by explicit and implicit agreements entered into
by self-seeking individuals to avert the worst consequences of their selfish instincts (Arthur, Davison, &
Stow, 2000). In this last view, social order is dependent on sanctions and formal agreements. Rules are
obeyed because they confer personal advantage on a child. In the normative view, children are persuaded
of the moral force of acting socially through their voluntary associations with others, both in their immediate
circle, such as the family, and in the wider community, for example, through membership of a church or
club. The child in this normative view will not only know the correct behavior but will perform the role
without any need for regular, conscious reference to the rules governing it.
Teaching social literacy in schools is not as easy as it appears to be due to subjective standards of
morality and inherent human capacity to judge and make excuses.
Subjective Standards of Morality

The natural outcome of postmodern philosophies is that truth and morality is considered subjective
and open to individual interpretation. This can be seen in the current culture, where actions and behavioral
patterns that were once considered bad have now become acceptable – so much so that many now consider
them to be even good. When the standard of measure between good and bad changes, this gives us license
to change as well and opens the gates to all kinds of abuse. This, in effect, pulls the rug out from under any
and all attempts at true justice and equitability, since they themselves rely on a fixed moral standard.
Interestingly, many of those who insist on a subjective moral standard will be the first to demand
for a fixed moral standard when they themselves fall victim to a subjective morality’s inevitable outcome.
Human Nature
While we would all like to believe that people are inherently good, experience has taught us that the
inherent goodness of humanity is, at best, unreliable: Sometimes it is there, often it is not. We are quick to
champion the cause of moral uprightness, justice, and equity, but balk when our words and actions come
under scrutiny. In other words, we insist that others be judged according to a fixed moral standard, but
invoke a subjective one when our own behavior is questioned. We demand justice when we perceived
ourselves to be victims of wrongdoings, but we surround ourselves with excuses when we do wrong. We
insist that other treat us equitably, but are reluctant when treating others with equity costs more than we
expected.
Today’s students have grown up with the internet that they have become inseparable from their
gadgets. Blake (2017) offers helpful reminders to young professionals in terms of social skills in the modern
age. This situation underscores the importance of educating students in what could be called social literacy
to ensure their academic and career success.
Situational Awareness in the Workplace

While casual office attire has become the norm in many offices, job interviews typically require
more formal dress and behavior to demonstrate a level of respect. Stories prevail of young adults showing
up in interviews in casual clothing, texting, or using phones during job interviews or even bringing their
parents with them. Such behavior demonstrates a lack of situational awareness about what is appropriate to
do in different social circumstances. While college classrooms or the actual office atmosphere may allow
for a more casual dress code, students need to be taught what is socially acceptable in terms of dress or
behavior for them to stand out above their colleagues. An ability to read social situations illustrates strength
to employers – quickly picking up on a client’s mood or expectations in various business or cross-cultural
situations can be the difference between success and failures.
Social Intelligence in Technological Communication

Text-speak and technology use have affected many young people’s activity to communicate. While
email has deformalized much of the communication process, students still need to ensure their writing
denotes respect and provides enough context for professors (or future employers) to readily respond. In
addition, text-speak had reduced students’ ability to communicate using correct grammar. Through studying
particular communication genres and what they demand, students can learn more about what individual
situations demand in terms of the formality of communication. For example, if a professor signs and email
as “Dr. Smith,” this is fairly good indication that he expects to be addressed as such and not formally by his
first name.
Social Intelligence in Traditional Communication

While email has taken over as the primary method of communication, traditional modes of discourse
still exist. For example, many employers still expect cover letters in addition to resumes, and a lack of a
thank-you note for a gift is often perceived as more than a simple social oversight. An ability to craft these
types of documents illustrates an understanding of social expectations and denotes a level of respect or
appreciation. While not related to the traditional educational canon, learning to properly write a cover letter
or business letter or a thank-you card not only teaches students that these documents exist and often
necessary but also shows them how to craft such documents, saving them time and energy in the future.
1. How do computer technology and social media affect your social skills and that of your peers? Cite
positive and negative impacts of digital technology to communication.
2. Make a list of Dos and Don’ts in the school and the workplace in relation to social literacy.
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 4
UNIT 4 – FINANCIAL LITERACY
OBJECTIVE
At the end of this module, students should be able to:
• Define financial literacy;

• Assess level of personal financial literacy using set of standards and questions;
• Characterize financial literacy in the Philippines; and
• Start practical steps to develop personal financial literacy.
INTRODUCTION
The National Endowment for Financial Education defines financial literacy as “the ability to read,
analyze, manage, and communicate about the personal financial conditions that affect material well-being.
It includes the ability to discern financial choices, discuss money and financial issues without (or despite)
discomfort, plan for the future, and respond competently to life events that affect every day financial
decisions, including events in the general economy” (Incharge Education Foundation, 2017). To put it
simply, it is “the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage one’s financial resources effectively for
lifetime financial security” (Mandell, 2009). Meanwhile, Hastings et al. (2013) refers to financial literacy
as:
1. Knowledge of financial products (e.g., a stock vs. a bond, fixed vs. adjustable-rate mortgage);
2. Knowledge of financial concepts (e.g., inflation, compounding, diversification, credit scores);
3. Having the mathematical skills or numeracy necessary for effective financial decision making; and
4. Being engaged in certain activities such as financial planning.
Public and private institutions alike have recognized the need for financial literacy to be
incorporated in the school curriculum. Financial education and advocacy programs of the public and private
sectors have been identified as key areas in building an improved financial system in the Philippines (Go,
2017). Republic Act 10922, otherwise known as the “Economic and Financial Literacy Act,” mandates
DepEd to “ensure that economic and financial education become an integral part of formal learning.”
The Council for Economic Education, the leading organization in the United States that focuses on
the economic and financial education of students from Kindergarten through high school developed six
standards gearing toward deepening students’ understanding of personal finance through an economic
perspective. The standards and key concepts are summarized in the table below.
Standards Key Concepts

• Income earned or received by people
• Different types of jobs as well as different forms of income
earned or received
• Benefits and costs of increasing income through the
Earning Income
acquisition of education and skills
• Government programs that affect income
• Types of income and taxes
• Labor market
• Scarcity, choice, and opportunity cost
• Factors that influence spending choices, such as
advertising, peer pressure, and spending choices of others
• Comparing the costs and benefits of spending decisions
• Basics of budgeting and planning
Buying Goods and • Making a spending decision
Services • Payment methods, costs, and benefits of each
• Budgeting and classification of expenses
• Satisfaction, determinants of demand, costs of information
search, choice of product durability
• The role of government and other institutions in providing
information for consumers
• Concept of saving and interest
• How people save money, where people can save money,
and why people save money
• The role that financial institutions plays as intermediaries
between savers and borrowers
• The role government agencies such as the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC) play in protecting savings
deposits
• Role of markets in determining interest rates
Saving
• The mathematics of saving
• The power of compound interest
• Real versus nominal interest rates
• Present versus future value
• Financial regulators
• The factors determining the value of a person’s savings
over time
• Automatic savings plans, “rainy-day” funds
• Saving for retirement
• Concept of credit and the cost of using credit
• Why people use credit and the sources of credit
• Why interest rates vary across borrowers
• Basic calculations related to borrowing (principal, interest,
Using Credits compound interest)
• Credit reports and credit scores
• Behaviors that contribute to strong credit reports and scores
• Impact of credit reports and scores on consumers
• Consumer protection laws
• Concept of financial investment
• Variety of possible financial investments
• Calculate rates of return
• Relevance and calculation of real and after-tax rates of
return
Financial Investing
• How markets cause rates of return to change in response to
variation in risk and maturity
• How diversification can reduce risk
• How financial markets react to changes in market
conditions and information
• Concepts of financial risk and loss
• Insurance (transfer of risk through risk pooling)
Protecting and • Managing risk
Insuring • Identity theft
• Life insurance products
• How to protect oneself against identity theft
THE BENEFITS OF FINANCIAL LITERACY
One’s level of financial literacy affects one’s quality of life significantly. It determines one’s ability
to provide basic needs, attitude toward money and investment, as well as one’s contribution to the
community. Financial literacy enables people to understand and apply knowledge and skills to achieve a
lifestyle that is financially balanced, sustainable, ethical, and responsible.
Increased personal financial literacy affects one’s financial behavior. These changes in behavior pay
dividends to society as well. People who work, spend, save, borrow, invest, and manage risk wisely are less
likely to require a government rescue. Financial literacy does not totally eliminate the need for a social
safety net because even the most prudent individual can encounter financial difficulties. But taking
responsibility for one’s financial life cultivates proper decision-making skills and discipline. Most of the
responsibility for managing financial matters rests with the individual. That responsibility is easier for adults
to bear when they have learned the basics of personal finance in their youth.
FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THE PHILIPPINES

In his article “State of Financial Education in the Philippines.” Go (2017) indicated several findings
of researchers with regards to the states of financial literacy in the country including the following:
• World Bank study in 2014 estimated 20 million Filipinos saved money but only half had bank
accounts.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) study in 2015 revealed that PH does not have a national strategy
for financial education and literacy.
• In 2016, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released the national strategy for financial inclusion,
stating that while institutions strive to broaden financial services, financial literacy should also
complement such initiatives.
• As per Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings services survey in 2019, only 25% of Filipinos are
financially literate. This means that about 75 million Filipinos have no idea about inflation, risk
diversification, insurance, compound interest, and bank savings.
• Ten years after discovery of the stock market, still less than one percent of PH population is invested
in it.
• More than 80 percent of the working middle class have no formal financial plan.
Because of these findings, public and private sectors alike have recognized the need to strengthen
financial education in the country. Last November 27-28, 2018, more than 1,000 leaders, decision-makers,
influences, and representatives from public and private institutions civic society, and the academe gathered
for the first ever Financial Education Stakeholders Expo organized by the BSP. The Expo is designed to
build an organized network of players that share the vision of a financial literate citizenry and cohesively
implement a variety of initiatives to achieve this vision. This is in line with the BSP advocacy for financial
education and supports the BSP mandates of maintaining price stability, financial stability, and efficient
payments system. It is the BSP’s conviction that a financially educated Filipino is an empowered Filipino
who is able to make wise financial decisions that positively impact personal financial circumstances, and,
consequently, contribute to inclusive and sustained economic development.
The Expo supports Republic Act No. 10922 which designates second week of November as
Economic and Financial Literacy Week. It is also aligned with the objectives of the Philippine National
Strategy Inclusion, particularly the pillar of Financial Education and Consumer Protection.
DEVELOPING PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY

One’s attitude about money is heavily influenced by the parents’ attitude and behavior about money.
The attitude you formed early in life probably affect how you save, spend, and invest today. Do you behave
similarly or differently from your parents about handling money?
There are six major characteristic types on how people view money (Incharge, 2017).
Frugal: Frugal people seek financial security by living below their means and saving money. They
rarely buy luxurious items; they save money instead. They save money because they believe that money
will offer protection from unprecedented events and expenses.
Pleasure: Pleasure seekers use money to bring pleasure to themselves and to others. They are more
likely to spend than to save. They often live beyond their means and spend more than they earn. If they are
not careful and do not change, they may fall into deep debt.
Status: Some people use money to express their social status. They like to purchase and “show off”
their branded items.
Indifference: Some people place very little importance on having money and would rather grow
their own food and craft their own clothes. It is as if having too much money makes them nervous and
uncomfortable.
Powerful: Powerful people use money to express power or control over others.
Self-worth: People who spend money for self-worth value how much they accumulate and tend to
judge others based on the amount of money they have.
Spending Patterns
Are you prudent or have been accused of spending money lavishly? Or are you somewhere in
between? Individuals have different spending patterns. Before one can come up with a financial
improvement plan, one needs to analyze his/her spending habits. There are two common spending patterns:
habitual spending and impulsive spending. Habitual spending occurs when one spends out of a habit, when
one buys the same item daily, weekly, or monthly. Daily items may include water, rice, and cup of coffee.
Weekly items may be grocery items. Monthly items are the electricity and internet bills. Impulsive spending
occurs when one mindlessly purchases items that he or she does not need. Many people are often enticed
by monthly sales at the malls with the attitude that they may lose the items the following day.
Fixed vs. Variable Expenses

Fixed expenses remain the same year-round. Car payment is an example. Variable expenses occur
regularly but the amount you pay varies. Electric and gas bills are example of these.
Needs vs. Wants

Financial discipline starts with an ability to recognize whether expenses are needs or wants, and
followed by ability to prioritize needs over wants. Needs are essential to our survival. Wants are things that
you would like to have but you can live without, such as new clothes or a new cell phone model. You want
them but do not necessarily need them. Too many wants can ruin a budget.
Setting Financial Goals

Setting financial goals is the first step to managing one’s financial life. Goals may be short, medium,
and long-term. Short-term goals can be measured in weeks and can provide instant gratification and
feedback. “I will ride on the LRT instead of taxi” and “I will bring lunch every day” are examples of short-
term goals. Medium goals should be accomplished within one to six months. These goals provide
opportunity for reflection and feedback and require discipline and consistency. Long term financial goals
can take years to achieve. These include saving money for a down payment for a home, a child’s college
education, and retirement. They may also include paying off a car, student loans, or credit card debt.
Developing a Spending Plan

Time and effort are necessary to build a sustainable spending plan. Three easy steps are proposed
below when developing your personal spending plan:
1. Record – Keep a record of what you spend.
2. Review – Analyze the information and decide what you do.
3. Take action – do something about what you have written down.
Importance of Saving
Because no one can predict the future with certainty, we need to save money for anything that might
happen. Here are some reasons why saving is important:
• Emergency Bolster – You should save money to avoid going to debt just to pay emergency
situations, like unexpected medical expenses and damages caused by calamities or accidents
• Retirement – You will need savings/investments to take the place at income you will no longer
receive when you retire.
• Future events – You need to save for future events like wedding, birthdays, anniversaries, and
travels so as to not sacrifice your fixed expenses.
• Instability of Social Security – Pensions from social security should only serve as supplementary
and not the primary source of income after retirement.
• A Little Goes a Long Way – Small consistent savings go a long way.
There are two ways to save:
• Save before you spend; and
• Save after you spend wisely.
In order to stick to a savings habit, you should:
1. Commit to a month;
2. Find an accountability partner;
3. Find a savings role model who is successful with his/her money, through tried-and-true savings;
4. Write your goal down and track it; and
5. Avoid tempting situations (don’t go to the mall to “hang out”).
EXAMPLES OF USEFUL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Inflation
In economics, inflation (or less frequently, price inflation) is a general rise in the price level in an economy
over a period of time. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and
services; consequently, inflation reflects a reduction in the purchasing power per unit of money – a loss of
real value in the medium of exchange and unit of account within the economy.
Insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to
hedge against the risk of a contingent or uncertain loss.
An entity which provides insurance is known as an insurer, an insurance company, an insurance carrier or
an underwriter. A person or entity who buys insurance is known as an insured or as a policyholder. The
insurance transaction involves the insured assuming a guaranteed and known - relatively small - loss in the
form of payment to the insurer in exchange for the insurer's promise to compensate the insured in the event
of a covered loss.
Interest
Interest is the monetary charge for the privilege of borrowing money, typically expressed as an annual
percentage rate (APR). Interest is the amount of money a lender or financial institution receives for lending
out money.
Two main types of interest can be applied to loans—simple and compound. Simple interest is a set rate on
the principle originally lent to the borrower that the borrower has to pay for the ability to use the money.
Compound interest is interest on both the principle and the compounding interest paid on that loan. The
latter of the two types of interest is the most common.
Cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency, crypto currency or crypto is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange
wherein individual coin ownership records are stored in a ledger existing in a form of computerized database
using strong cryptography to secure transaction records, to control the creation of additional coins, and to
verify the transfer of coin ownership. It typically does not exist in physical form (like paper money) and is
typically not issued by a central authority. Cryptocurrencies typically use decentralized control as opposed
to centralized digital currency and central banking systems.
Mortgage
A mortgage is a loan that the borrower uses to purchase or maintain a home or other form of real estate and
agrees to pay back over time, typically in a series of regular payments. The property serves as collateral to
secure the loan.
Meanwhile, a collateral is an item of value used to secure a loan. Collateral minimizes the risk for lenders.
If a borrower defaults on the loan, the lender can seize the collateral and sell it to recoup its losses.
Lastly, in finance, default is failure to meet the legal obligations of a loan, for example when a home buyer
fails to make a mortgage payment, or when a corporation or government fails to pay a bond which has
reached maturity.

How would the different characteristic types react towards a SALE advertisement? Write below what each
type of person would likely say about the advertisement.
1. Frugal
2. Pleasure
3. Status
4. Indifference
5. Powerful
6. Self-worth
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 5
UNIT 5 – MEDIA AND CYBER/DIGITAL LITERACY
OBJECTIVE:
• Develop a working understanding of Media and Cyber/Digital Literacy and how they relate to one
another;
• Appreciate the importance of developing Media and Cyber/Digital Literacy both in ourselves and
one another in the information age; and
• Realize that practical steps must be taken to develop these literacies early in children and cannot
wait “until they are older.”
INTRODUCTION
Of all the 21st century literacies presented in these modules, none of them embodies the “newness”
of these literacies like those needed to make sense of the absolute deluge of information brought by us by
the Internet. With the vast number of websites, web forums, and social media applications now available to
us, never before has there been so much information – in nearly every form imaginable, from nearly every
source imaginable – available to us twenty-four hours a day, no matter our location. Where once we had
librarians – “information custodians,” as you will – to curate the information we regularly ingest, now there
is nothing standing between the individual and the wellspring of information represented by the Internet.
However, as we will soon discover, it is the so-called old literacies that will serve us just as faithfully
in the new contexts we find ourselves todays as they have done in the past. To begin our investigation, we
must first understand the relationship between Media Literacy and Cyber/Digital Literacy.
MEDIA LITERACY
Like all the literacies discussed in this module, media library can be defined in several ways.
Aufderheide (1993) defines it as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate messages in a
wide variety of forms,” while Christ and Potter (1998) define it as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate,
and create messages across a variety of contexts.” Hobbs (1998) posits that it is a term used by modern
scholars to refer to the process of critically analyzing and learning to create one’s own message in print,
audio, video, and multimedia.
Perhaps in its simplest sense, media literacy can thus be defined as “the ability to identify different
types of media and understand the messages they are communicating” (Common Sense Media, n.d.). The
exact type of media varies – television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, handouts, flyers, etc. - but
what they all have in common is that they were all created by someone, and that someone had a reason for
creating them.
According to Boyd (2014), media literacy education began in the United States and United Kingdom
as a direct result of war propaganda in the 1930s and the rise of advertising in the 1960s. In both cases,
media was being used to manipulate the perspective (and subsequent actions) of those exposed to it, thereby
giving rise to the need to educate people on how to detect the biases, falsehoods, and half-truths depicted
in print, radio, and television.
Because media communication lends itself so easily and so well to the purpose of manipulating
consumers’ perceptions on issues both political and commercial, being able to understand the “why” behind
media communication is the absolute heart of media literacy today.
Despite the relatively simple and clear definition of media literacy, it should come as no surprise
that scholars and educators have been debating for quite some time on how media literacy should be both
defined and taught. Aufderheide (1993) and Hobbs (1998) reported, “At the 1993 Media Literacy National
Leadership Conference, U.S. educators could not agree on the range of appropriate goals for media
education or the scope of appropriate instructional techniques.” The conference did, however, identify five
essential concepts necessary for any analysis of media messages:
1. Media messages are constructed.
2. Media messages are produced within economic, social, political, historical, and aesthetic contexts.
3. The interpretive meaning making processes involved in message reception consist of an interaction
between the reader, the text, and the culture.
4. Media has unique “languages,” characteristics which typify various forms, genres, and symbol
systems of communication.
5. Media representations play a role in people’s understanding of social reality.
What these five concepts boil down to is that while the producer of a particular media has an
intended meaning behind the communication, what actually gets communicated to the consumer depends
not only on the media itself but also on the consumers themselves and on their respective cultures. The
consumers’ perceived meaning is what then develops into how people understand social reality.
An immediate example of this is the media portrayal of Mindanao. Because so little good news
coming from the island is communicated by the news networks, the average Filipino – who might never
have been to Mindanao – come to believe that the entire island is involved in armed conflict, that anyone
from Mindanao is somehow involved in the conflict, and therefore refuses to go there, nor allow any of his
relatives to do so. It is unlikely that this was the news media’s intention, but it is the viewer’s interpretation
that ultimately determined his or her beliefs and behaviors.
WHAT MEDIA LITERACY IS NOT

Given the broad and somewhat nebulous nature of media literacy, its implied definition can be
gleaned by understanding what media literacy is not. The following is a list of actions that are often mistaken
for being representative of media literacy (Center of Media Literacy, n.d.).
• Criticizing the media is not, in and of itself, media literacy. However, being media literate sometimes
requires than one indeed criticize what one sees and hears.
• Merely producing media is not media literacy although part of being media literate is the ability to
produce media.
• Teaching with media (videos, presentations, etc.) does not equal media literacy. An education in
media literacy must also include teaching about media.
• Viewing media and analyzing it from a single perspective is not media literacy. True media literacy
requires both the ability and willingness to view and analyze media from multiple positions and
perspectives.
• Media literacy does not simply mean knowing what and what not to watch; it does mean “watch
carefully, think critically.”
CHALLENGES TO MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION

One glaring challenge to teaching Media Literacy is, “how do we teach it?” Teaching it as a subject
in itself might not be feasible given how overburdened the curriculum is at the moment, while integrating
it into the subjects that are currently being taught might not be enough to teach what are essentially media
consumption habits – skills and attitudes that are learned by doing and repetition rather than by mere
classroom discussion (Koltay, 2011).
Livingstone and Van Der Graaf (2010) identified “how to measure media literacy and evaluate the
success of media literacy initiatives” as being one of the more pernicious challenges facing educators in the
21st century, for the simple reason that if we cannot somehow measure the presence of media literacy in our
students, how do we know we have actually taught them?
Finally, a more fundamental challenge to Media Literacy Education is one of purpose. As Chris &
Potter (1998) put it, “is media literacy best understood as a means of inoculating children the potential
harms of the media or as a means of enhancing their appreciation of the literary merits of the media?”
DIGITAL LITERACY
In the first chapter of this modules, we read how Gee, Hull, and Lankshear (1996) noted how literacy
always has something to do with reading a text with understanding, and that there are many kinds of texts,
and each one requires a specific set of skills to understand and make meaning out of them. Digital Literacy
(also called e-literacy, cyber literacy, and even information literacy by some authors) is no different
although now the “text” can actually be images, sound, video, music, or a combination thereof.
Digital Literacy can be defined as the ability to locate, evaluate, create, and communicate
information on various digital platforms. Put more broadly, it is the technical, cognitive, and sociological
skills needed to perform tasks and solve problems in digital environments (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004). It finds its
origins in information and computer literacy (Bawden, 2008, 2001; Snavely & Cooper, 1997; Behrens,
1994; Andretta, 2007; Webber & Johnson, 2000), so much so that the skills and competencies listed by
Shapiro and Hughes (1996) in a curriculum they envisioned to promote computer literacy should sound
very familiar to readers today:
• Tool literacy – competence in using hardware and software tools;

• Resource literacy – understanding forms or and access to information resources;
• Social-structure literacy – understanding the production and social significance of information;
• Research literacy – using IT tools for research and scholarship;
• Publishing literacy – ability to communicate and publish information;
• Emerging technologies literacy – understanding of new developments in IT; and
• Critical literacy – ability to evaluate the benefits of new technologies (Note that this literacy is not
the same one as “critical thinking,” which is often regarded as a component of information literacy).
It should also come as no surprise that digital literacy shares a great deal of overlap with media
literacy; so much so that digital literacy can be seen as a subset of media literacy, dealing particularly with
media in digital form. The connection should be fairly obvious – if media literacy is “the ability to identify
types of media and understand the messages they are communicating,” then digital literacy can be seen as
“media literacy applied to the digital media,” albeit with a few adjustments.
The term “digital literacy” is not new; Lanham (1995), in one of the earliest examples of a functional
definition of the term described the “digitally literate person’ as being skilled at deciphering and
understanding the meanings of images, sounds, and the subtle uses of words so that he/she could match the
medium of communication to the kind of information being presented and to whom the intended audience
is. Two years later, Paul Glister (1997) formally defined as “the ability to understand and use information
in multiple formats from the wide range of sources when it is presented via computer,” explaining that not
only must a person acquire the skill of finding things, he/she must also acquire the ability to use these things
in life.
Bawden (2008) collated the skills and competencies comprising digital literacy from contemporary
scholars on the matter into four groups:
1. Underpinnings – This refers to those skills and competencies that “support” or “enable” everything
else within digital literacy, namely: traditional literacy and computer/ICT literacy (i.e., the ability to
use computers in everyday life).
2. Background Knowledge – This largely refers to the knowing where information on a particular
subject or topic can be found, how information is kept, and how it is disseminated – a skill taken for
granted back in the day when information almost exclusively resided in the form of plain text.
3. Central Competencies – These are the skills and competencies that a majority of scholars agree on
as being core to the digital literacy today, namely:
• Reading and understanding digital and non-digital formats;
• Creating and communicating digital information;
• Evaluation of information;
• Knowledge assembly;
• Information literacy; and
• Media literacy.
4. Attitudes and Perspectives – Bawden (2008) suggests that it is these attitudes and perspectives
that link digital literacy with traditional literacy, saying “it is not enough to have skills and
competencies, they must be grounded in some moral framework,’ specifically:
• Independent leaning – The initiative and ability to learn whatever is needed for a person’s
specific situation; and
• Moral/Social Literacy – An understanding of correct, acceptable, and sensible behavior in a
digital environment.
INFORMATION LITERACY WITHIN DIGITAL LITERACY

Given the ease with which digital media (as opposed to traditional print media) can be edited and
manipulated., the ability to approach it with a healthy amount of skepticism has become a “survival skill”
for media consumers. Eshet-Alkalai (2004) draws attention to Information Literacy as a critical component
of Digital Literacy as “the cognitive skills that consumers use to evaluate information in an educated and
effective manner.” In effect. Information Literacy acts as a filter by which consumers evaluate the veracity
of the information being presented to them via digital media and thereupon sort of erroneous, irrelevant,
and biased from what is demonstrably factual.
From this perspective, part of the efforts of Digital Literacy Education should be toward developing
media consumers who think critically and are ready to doubt the quality of the information they receive,
even if said information comes from so-called “authoritative sources.” However, a majority of studies on
Information Literacy seem to concentrate more on the ability to search for information rather than its
cognitive and pedagogical aspects (Eshet-Alkalai 2004; Zinns, 2000; Burnett & McKinley, 1998).
SOCIO-EMOTIONAL LITERACY WITHIN DIGITAL LITERACY

Alongside Information Literacy, Eshet-Alkalai (2004) highlights a kind of Socio-Emotional literacy
needed to navigate the Internet, raising questions such as, “How do I know if another user in a chatroom is
who he says he is?” or “How do I know if a call for blood donations on the Internet is real or a hoax?”
Such questions should make us realize that there are no hard and fast rules for determining the
answers. Instead, there is a necessary familiarity with the unwritten rules of Cyberspace; an understanding
that while the Internet is a global village of sorts, it is also a global jungle of human communication,
embracing everything from truth to falsehoods, honesty, and deceit, and ultimately, good and evil.
According to Eshet-Alkalai (2004), this Socio-Economic literacy requires users to be “very critical,
analytical, and mature” – implying a kind of richness of experience that the literate transfers from real life
to their dealings online. Curiously, while research shows that the older a user is, the less they are likely to
behave naively online, this does not exempt them from the occasional lapse; they might not believe that a
Nigerian Prince is bequeathing 100 million dollars in gold bullion to them in exchange for their bank details,
but they might be willing to believe that someone really is giving away 1000 units of the latest smartphone
in exchange for their contact information.
Digitally literate users know how to avoid the “traps” of cyberspace mainly because they are familiar
with the social and emotional patterns of working in cyberspace – that it is really just an outworking of
human nature.
DIGITAL NATIVES
The term digital native has become something of a buzzword in the education sector over the past
decade. This was popularized by Prensky (2001) in reference to the generation that was born during the
information age (as opposed to the digital immigrants – the generation prior that acquired familiarity with
digital systems only as adults) and who has not known a world without computers, the Internet, and
connectivity.
Despite the fact that Prensky’s original paper was not an academic one and had no empirical
evidence to support its claims, educators and parents alike latched onto the term, spawning a school of
thought wherein the decline of modern education is explained by educators’ lack of understanding of how
digital natives learn and make decisions.
However, a popular misconception borne out of the term digital natives and the educational ideas it
spawned is that the generation in question is born digitally literate. If this is the case, then the question,
“How can digital immigrants teach digital natives a literacy they already have?” is a valid one, to which the
answer would be, correctly, “they cannot.”
But the problem here is that “digitally literate” is popularly defined as the ability to use computers
or use the Internet, which as we have seen earlier, forms only one part of the crucial skills and competencies
required to be digitally literate. Our expanded view of the term “literate” allows us to see that while digital
natives in our classrooms are most certainly familiar with digital systems – perhaps even more so than their
instructors – this does not mean they automatically know how to read, write, process, and communicate
information on these systems in ways that are both meaningful and ethical, especially when the information
involved does not involve technology’s most common use: personal entertainment. That is to say, when the
task at hand does not involve what the digital natives consider to be entertainment, the gaps in their literacy
begin to show.
A good example of this is the difficulty many Senior High School Instructors have in teaching
research: Students who are otherwise quite familiar with using the Internet for entertainment are suddenly
at a loss in locating, accessing and understanding information from research journals and websites, mainly
because they are looking for information on topics, they are either unfamiliar with, uninterested in, or both.
Another problem concerning digital natives is the misconception that everyone belonging to the
generation is on more or less equal footing in regard to digital literacy. Although the drawing of such a
conclusion is understandable (given the near-ubiquity of digital technology and the Internet), it is
nonetheless mistaken, as no one is truly “born digital.” Instead, the determining factor is access to education
and experience: children born to poorer families will naturally seem less digitally literate for lack of access
to technology and on education in said technologies, while those born to privileged families will display
more of the literacies discussed earlier.
CHALLENGES TO DIGITAL LITERACY EDUCATION

Digital Literacy Education shares many of the same challenges to Media Literacy. For example:
How should it be taught? How can it be measured and evaluated? Should it be taught for the protection of
students in their consumption of information or should it be to develop their appreciation for digital media?
Brown (2017) also noted that despite the global acknowledgement that Digital Literacy Education
is a need, there is as of yet no overarching model of framework for addressing all of the skills deemed
necessary. Put simply, there is no single and comprehensive plan anywhere for teaching digital literacy the
way it should be taught. Accordingly, he asked, “What assumptions, theories, and research evidence
underpin specific frameworks? Whose interests are being served when particular frameworks are being
promoted? Beyond efforts to produce flashy and visually attractive models how might we reimagine digital
literacies to promote critical mindsets and active citizenry in order to reshape our societies for new ways of
living, learning, and working for a better future – for all?”
1. Can you explain how critical thinking is important to both Media and Digital Literacy?
2. Can you explain why an email from a woman in an abusive relationship promising you 100,000 US
dollars in exchange for your help is likely to be a scam? Can you explain how an advertisement on social
media from an unknown company promising you a chance to win a brand new, top-of-the-line smartphone
is also likely to be a scam?
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 6
UNIT 6 – ECOLOGICAL LITERACY
OBJECTIVE:
• Define ecological literacy

• Distinguish among environmental literacy, ecoliteracy, and ecological literacy;
• Describe and ecoliterate person; and
• Recognize individual and collective roles in protecting and rehabilitating the environment and
ecosystem
INTRODUCTION
We are now at a critical point with many environmental issues such as climate change and rampant
environmental destruction. Alienation from nature greatly contributes to the aggravation of these
environmental problems. Ecological literacy is important to business and political leaders, and to all levels
of education.
Ecological literacy refers to an individual’s understanding not only of ecological concepts, but also
of his or her place in the ecosystem (Meena & Alison, 2009). The term ecological literacy was first
introduced by David Orr in 1989 in his essay “Ecological Literacy.” He indicated that knowing, caring, and
practical competence form the foundation for ecological literacy. He pointed out that the root of
environmental crisis is the individual’s inability to think about “ecological patterns, systems of causation,
and long-term effects of human actions” (Orr, 1994). Thus, he emphasized the importance of experience in
one’s natural environment that can enable humans to shift perspective from one of an economic emphasis
to one of balance amongst economics, ecology, and cultures.
Orr (1992) also argued that the ecologically literate person understands the dynamics of the
environmental crisis, which includes an understanding of how people have become so destructive.
Therefore, identifying school students’ ecological literacy levels is a necessary step to investigate their
behavior, attitudes, sensitivity, and behavioral intention. In order to create awareness among students, it is
important to foster correct knowledge to ensure positive approach to the environment (Hares, Eskonheimo,
Myllytaus, & Luukkanen, 2006). Kahyaoghu (2009) also stated that positive attitudes and values toward
the environment are occurred with a good knowledge. Developing environmentally responsible behavior
requires correct knowledge about climate change, the cause of global warming, carbon emissions, and
carbon footprint (Kuo & Chen, 2009).
There has been an increasing concern with enhancing “ecological literacy” in society. The current
literature on ecological literacy emphasizes the role of scientific knowledge and ecological thinking in
identifying cause-effect relationships in socio-environmental systems, in order to allow more enlightened
decision-making; therefore, its primary pedagogical goals are cognitive and experimental. In this, it differs
from the broader concept of environmental literacy, which incorporates civic literacy that pertains to
changes in values and behaviors, and this also contains affective and moral pedagogical goals (McBride et
al. 2013).
Ecological literacy is meant to enable conscious and participant citizens to make informed decisions
or take action on environmental issues (Jordan et al. 2009). Efforts in this direction includes books by
experienced ecologists for the general public, of which two outstanding examples are Levin (2000) and
Slobodkin (2003).
CHARACTERIZING AN ECOLITERATE PERSON
Dr. Tom Puk (2002) at Lakehead University characterized an ecologically literate person of the 21st
century as “the responsible, lifelong learner who strives to improve the human condition and the
environment within the context of self, human groups, the biosphere, and the ecosphere.” The ecologically
literate person in order to achieve the aforementioned ultimate goal should become:
• An inquirer, who actively secures the basic skills and knowledge in order to carry out ecological
responsibilities. This also enables her to reach her own potential and place in the physical and natural
environmental;
• A reflective learner, who understands the value and limitations of human knowledge, the power and
limitations of the natural world, the role of intuition in real life pursuits, and the role of self as it is
manifested in one’s personal narrative;
• Intelligently self-directed, who engages in self-appraisal, sets new learning objectives, develops plan
to achieve those objectives, carries out those plans in a flexible inquiry-directed manner, and reflects
on the whole process;
• Morally responsible, who governs actions with precepts (responsibility, seeking justice and equality
for all) that maintain harmonious relationships;
• Ecologically responsible, who embodies ecological ideals in daily life; and
• Seek self-transcendence, who moves beyond the limitations of personal ego by identifying with
human groups (past and future), flora and fauna, ecosphere, that transcend the individual life in
scope and time.
The ecologically literate person of the 21st century has a positive view of life, grounded in the faith
of interconnectedness, and has the capacity to competently perform significant life work and related tasks.
Such a view enables her to look upon the human experience positively and all living things compassionately.
ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY, ECOLOGICAL LITERACY, AND ECOLITERACY

Frameworks for ecoliteracy exhibit a high degree of similarly with frameworks for environmental
literacy, in that both sets include similar affective, knowledge, cognitive skills, and behavioral components.
However, what most differentiates ecoliteracy from environmental literacy is the clear emphasis on
sustainability, and the introduction of spiritual, holistic components, expressed in term of “celebration of
Creation” (Orr, 1992), “spirit” and “reverence for the Earth” (Copra, 1996, 2007), and “expansion of the
soul” (Wooltorton, 2006). An ecoliterate person is prepared to be an effective member of sustainable society,
with well-rounded abilities of head, heart, hands, and spirit, comprising an organic understanding of the
world and participatory action within and with the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY, ECOLOGICAL LITERACY, AND ECOLITERACY

GENERAL
DOMINANT PRIMARY
CONCEPTIONS EXAMPLES OF
EDUCATIONAL PEDAGOGICAL
OF STRATEGIES
OBJECTIVES APPROACHES
ENVIRONMENT
Developing
problem-solving
skills, from Case study, issue
diagnosis to action analysis, problem-
Cognitive
solving project
Environmental Problem Field of Develop a system
Pragmatic
literacy values of ethics Analysis and
clarification of
Affective/Moral
Adopt values, criticism
environmentally of social values
responsible
behaviors
Acquire
knowledge of
ecological
concepts and
principles
Develop skills Observations,

related to the demonstration,
scientific method: experimentation
observation and Cognitive
Ecological Object of study
experimentation Case study,
Literacy System
Experiential environmental
Develop systems system analysis,
thinking: analysis construction of
and synthesis ecosystem models
Understand
environmental
realities in view of
informed decision-
making
Promote and
contribute to
economic
development that
addresses social
equity and
Case study, social
ecological
marketing,
sustainability
sustainable
Cognitive
consumption
Develop the many
activities living
Shared resources dimensions of Pragmatic
management
Ecoliteracy for sustainable one’s being in
project
living Gaia interaction with all Holistic
aspects of the
Immersion,
environment Intuitive/Creative
visualization,
creative
Develop an
workshops
organic
understanding of
the world and
participatory
action in and with
the environment
GREENING INITIATIVES IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Increased awareness of environmental degradation and concern for its rehabilitation have prompted
colleges and universities to green their computers. A green campus is “a place where environmentally
responsible practice and education go hand-in-hand and where environmentally responsible tenet are borne
out by example” (NEIWPCC n.d.). The green campus institution is a model environmental community
where operational functions, business practices, academic programs, and people are interlinked, providing
educational and practical value to the institution, the region, and the world.
Greening initiatives, although challenging and demanding, yield significant benefits in the long run:
• Environmental and economic sustainability. A system wide culture of sustainability helps
preserve and enhance what the institution values today as well as for the future.
• Reputation as a leader through example. As colleges and universities offer courses in
environmental management, engineering, laws and regulations, and assessment, greening initiatives
provide them opportunities to practice what they preach and make their mark as environmental
leaders. Colleges and universities need to examine their own organizations and implement on their
own campuses what they and the public expect their industry to do.
• Economic benefits. A routine, curriculum-based, environmental audit program the reveals waste
and inefficiency associated with campus activities, coupled with the identification of environmental-
friendly alternatives, can yield significant cost savings for the institution.
• “Real-life” work experience for your students. Environmental audits and pollution prevention
evaluations can be integrated into the curriculum, providing students with hands-on investigative
and problem-solving experience that they can take with them when they enter the workforce. This
experience not only makes your students more marketable; it also provides them with the kinds of
broad-thinking skills that allow them to succeed and thrive once they are employed.
• Improved quality of life in the campus. A Green Campus is a cleaner, safer, and healthier place
to live and work.
EDUCATOR’S ROLE
Ecological literacy is a form of transformative education that requires shifts in three related areas:
(1) perception (seeing), (2) conception (knowing), and (3) action (doing).
In schools, teachers are also required to shift emphasis through the following:
• From parts to whole – Subjects are to be taught as integrated, not as isolated units in the curriculum.
• From objects to relationships – An ecosystem is a community. Communities are characterized by
sets, networks, or relationships. Schools put premium on relationship-based processes such as
cooperation, collaborations, and decision-making by consensus.
• From objective knowledge to contextual knowledge – This shift requires one to explain properties
of the parts within the context of the whole or in terms of environments and systems.
• From quantity to quality – Assessment have traditionally emphasized standardized testing in terms
of quantities, numeric scores, and measurements. Schools are challenged to design assessment more
adequate than the standardized tests if they are to practice this principle.
• From structure to process – Systems are dynamic and evolving. Thus, the understanding of living
structures is linked to understanding renewal, change, and transformation. This shift is embodied in
project-based learning, which highlights the application of knowledge within evolving real-life
contexts.
• From contents to patterns – When we draw maps of relationships, we discover certain
configurations of relationships that appear again and again. We call these configurations patterns.
Instead of focusing on what a living system is made of, we study its patterns. Pedagogically, the
shift reminds us of the importance of integrating art into programs of study. This enables children
even at young age to recognize and express patterns whether we talk about poetry, literature, visual
arts, performing arts, and music.

1. Develop a PERSONAL definition of sustainability. (5 pts.)
2. What environmental issues and concerns move you and provoke you to action? What efforts and practical
steps do you do to influence others to take action? (8 pts.)
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 7
UNIT 7 – ARTISTIC LITERACY
OBJECTIVE:
• Characterize artistic literacy;

• Discuss the value of Arts to education and practical life;
• Identify approaches to developing/designing curriculum that cultivates the arts and creativity
among learners;
• Formulate a personal definition of creativity; and
• Design creative and innovative classroom activities for specific topic and grade level of students.
INTRODUCTION
Artistic Literacy is defined in the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards: A Conceptual
Framework for Arts Learning (2014) as the knowledge and understanding required to participate
authentically in the arts. While individuals can learn about dance, media, music, theater, and visual arts
through reading print texts, artistic literacy requires that they engage in artistic creation processes directly
through the use of materials (e.g., charcoal or paint or clay, musical instruments or scores) and in specific
spaces (e.g., concert halls, stages, dance rehearsals spaces, arts studios, and computer labs).
Researches have recognized that there are significant benefits of arts learning and engagement in
schooling (Eisner, 2002; MENC, 1996; Perso, Nutton, Fraser Silburn, & Tait, 2011). The arts have been
shown to create environments and conditions that result in improved academic, social, and behavioral
outcomes for students, from early childhood through the early and later years of schooling. However, due
to the range of art forms and the diversity and complexity of programs and research that have been
implemented, it is difficult to generalize findings concerning the strength of the relationships between the
arts and learning and the causal mechanism underpinning these associations.
The flexibility of the forms comprising the arts positions students to embody a range of literate
practices to:
• Use their minds in verbal and nonverbal ways;
• Communicate complex ideas in a variety of forms;
• Understand words, sounds, or images;
• Imagine new possibilities; and
• Persevere to reach goals and make them happen.
Engaging in quality arts education experiences provide students with an outlet for powerful creating
expression, communication, aesthetically rich understanding, and connection to the world around them.
Being able to critically read, write, and speak about art should not be the sole constituting factors for what
counts as literacy in the Arts (Shenfield, 2015). Considerably, more dialogue, discussion, and research are
necessary to form a deeper picture of the Arts and creativity more broadly. The cultivation of imagination
and creativity and the formation of deeper theory surrounding multimodality and multi-literacies in the Arts
are paramount.
Elliot Eisner posited valuable lessons or benefits that education can learn from arts and he
summarized these into eight as follows:
1. Form and content cannot be separated. How something is said or done shapes the content of
experience. In education, how something is taught, how curricula are organized, how schools are
designed impact upon what students will learn. These “side effects” may be the real main effects of
practice.
2. Everything interacts; there is no content without form and no form without content. When the
content of a form is changed, so too, is the form altered. Form and content are like two sides of a
coin.
3. Nuance matters. To the extent to which teaching is an art, attention to nuance is critical. It can also
be said that the aesthetic lives in the details that the maker can shape the cause of creation. How a
word is spoken, how a gesture is made, how a line is written, and how a melody is played, all affect
the character as a whole. All depend upon the modulation of the nuances that constitute the act.
4. Surprise is not to be seen as an intruder in the process of inquiry, but as a part of the rewards one
reaps when working artistically. No surprise, no discovery, no discovery, no progress. Educators
should not resist surprise, but create the conditions to make it happen. It is one of the most powerful
sources of intrinsic satisfaction.
5. Slowing down perception is the most promising way to see what is actually there. It is true that we
have certain words to designate high levels of intelligence. We describe somebody as being swift,
or bright, or sharp, or fast on the pickup. Speed in its swift state is a descriptor for those we call
smart. Yet, one of the qualities we ought to be promoting in our schools is a slowing down of
perception: the ability to fake one’s time, to smell the flowers, to really perceive in the Deweyan
sense, and not merely to recognize what one looks at.
6. The limits of language are not the limits of cognition. We know more than we can tell. In common
terms, literacy refers essentially to the ability to read and to write. But literacy can be re-
conceptualized as the creation and use to a form of representation that will enable one to create
meaning – meaning that will not take the impress of language in its conventional form. In addition,
literacy is associated with high-level forms of cognition. We tend to think that in order to know, one
has to be able to say. However, as Polanyi (1969) reminds us, we know more than we can tell.
7. Somatic experience is one of the most important indicators that someone has gotten it right. Related
to the multiple ways in which we represent the world through our multiple forms of literacy is the
way in which we come to know the world through the entailments of our body. Sometimes one
knows a process or an event through one’s skin.
8. Open-ended tasks permit the exercise of imagination, and an exercise of the imagination is one of
the most important of human aptitudes. It is imagination, not necessity, that is the mother of
invention. Imagination is the source of new possibilities. In the arts, imagination is a primary virtue.
So, it should be in the teaching of mathematics, in all of the sciences, in history, and, indeed, in
virtually all of the humans create. This achievement would require for its realization a culture of
schooling in which the imaginative aspects of the human condition were made possible.
CHARACTERIZING ARTISTICALLY LITERATE INDIVIDUALS

How would you characterize an artistically literate student? Literature on art education and art
standards in education cited the following as common traits of artistically literate individuals:
• Use a variety of artistic media, symbols, and metaphors to communicate their own ideas and respond
to the artistic communication of others;
• Develop creative personal realization in at least one art form in which they continue active
involvement as an adult;
• Cultivate culture, history, and other connections through diverse forms and genres of artwork;
• Find joy, inspiration, peace, intellectual simulation, and meaning when they participate in the arts;
and
• Seek artistic experiences and support the arts in their communities.
ISSUES IN TEACHING CREATIVITY
In his famous TED talks on creativity and innovation, Sir Ken Robinson (Do schools kill creativity?
2006; How to escape education’s death valley?, 2013) stressed paradigms in the education system that
hamper the development of creative capacity among learners. He emphasized that schools stigmatize
mistakes. The primarily prevents students from trying and coming up with original ideas. He also reiterated
the hierarchy of systems. Firstly, most useful subjects such as Mathematics and languages for work are at
the top while arts are at the bottom. Secondly, academic ability has come to dominate our view of
intelligence. Curriculum competencies, classroom experiences, and assessment are geared toward the
development of academic ability. Students are schooled in order to pass entrance exams in colleges and
universities later on. Because of this painful truth. Robinson challenged educators to:
• Educate the well-being of learners and shift from the conventional learning toward academic ability
alone;
• Give equal weight to the arts, the humanities, and to physical education;
• Facilitate learning and work toward stimulating curiosity among learners;
• Awaken and develop powers of creativity among learners; and
• View intelligence as diverse, dynamic, and distinct, contrary to common belief that it should be
academic ability-geared.
CREATIVITY IN THE CURRICULUM

In “First Literacies: Art, Creativity, Play, Constructive Meaning-Making,” McArdle and Wright
asserted that educators should make deliberate connections with children’s first literacies of art and play. A
recommended new approach to early childhood pedagogy would emphasize children’s embodied
experience through drawing. This would include a focus on children’s creation, manipulation, and changing
of meaning though engaged interaction with art materials (Dourish, 2001), through physical, emotional, and
social immersion (Anderson, 2003). The authors proposed four essential components to developing or
designing curriculum that cultivates students’ artistic and creative literacy. Such approaches actively
encourage the creative, constructive thinking involved in meaning making which are fundamental to the
development of the systems of reading, writing, and numbering.
1. Imagination and pretense, fantasy and metaphor
A creative curriculum will not simply allow, but will actively support, play and playfulness. The
teacher will plan for leaning and teaching opportunities for children to be, at once, who they are and
who they are not, transforming reality, building narratives, and mastering and manipulating signs
and symbol systems.
2. Active menu to meaning making
In a classroom where children can choose to draw, write, paint, or play in the way that suits their
purpose and/or mood, literacy learning and arts learning will inform and support each other.
3. Intentional, holistic teaching
A creative curriculum requires a creative teacher, who understands the creative processes, and
purposefully supports learners in their experiences. Intentional teaching does not mean drill and rote
learning and, indeed, endless rote learning exercises might indicate the very opposite of intentional
teaching. What makes for intentional teaching is thoughtfulness and purpose, and this could occur
in such activities as reading a story, adding a prop, drawing children’s attention to the spider’s web,
and playing with rhythm and rhyme. Even the thoughtful and intentional imposing of constraints
can lead to creativity.
4. Co-player, co-artist
Educators must be reminded of the importance of understanding children as current citizens, with
capacities in the here and now. It is vital for teachers to know and appreciate children and what they
know by being mindful of the present and making time for conversation, interacting with the
children as they draw. Teachers must try to avoid letting the busy management work of their days
take precedence and distract them from the ‘being.’

1. Recall some of the creative classroom activities you had in school. What made them creative? (7 pts.)
2. What environmental issues and concerns move you and provoke you to action? What efforts and practical
steps do you do to influence others to take action? (8 pts.)
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 8
UNIT 8 – CRITICAL LITERACY
OBJECTIVE:
• Characterize critical literacy;

• Discuss a brief background of critical literacy theory; and
• Apply principles of critical literacy in designing lessons and classroom activities.
INTRODUCTION
The concept of critical literacy is theoretically diverse and combines ideas from various critical
theories, such as critical linguistics, feminist theory, critical race theory, as well as reader response theory
and cultural and media studies (Luke et al., 2009). Critical literacy is a central thinking skill that involves
the questioning and examination of ideas, and requires one to synthesize, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and
respond to the texts read or listened to (University of Melbourne, 2018). Critical literacy uses texts and print
skills in ways that enable students to examine the politics of daily life within contemporary society with a
view to understanding what it means to locate and actively seek out contradictions within modes of life,
theories, and substantive intellectual positions (Bishop, 2014). Rather than promoting any particular reading
of any particular group or text, critical literacy seeks to examine the historical and contemporaneous
privileging of and exclusion of groups of people and ideas from mainstream narratives (Lankshear &
Mclaren, 1993). It is a kind of literacy about structures, structural violence, and power systems.
Since the 1990s, critical literacy theorists have outlined emancipatory theories of learning (Freire &
Macedo, 1987) that addressed the complex relations of language and power through social critique,
advocacy, and cultural transformation (Knoblauch & Brannon, 1993). Educational researchers discuss
critical literacy as a theory of social practice, as the negotiation of and the creation of meaning of social
justice (Greene, 2008). While there is no single model of critical literacy (as there is no single model of
youth organizing), the emphasis on Freire’s (1970) action-reflection cycle of “praxis” has offered
participants a concept through which to construct meanings that support their literacy for civic engagement
(Lankshear & McClaren, 1993).
HISTORY OF CRITICAL LITERACY THEORY

Much of the earliest scholarship on critical literacy is grounded in Freirian pedagogy. In 1987, Freire
and Macedo published their expansive volume on literacy and critical literacy pedagogy. In it, they argued
that those who are critically literate can understand not only how meaning is socially constructed within
texts, but also the political and economic contexts in which those texts were created and embedded (Freire
& Macedo, 1987). While Freire and Macedo were perhaps the first to initiate a dialogue around the idea of
critical literacy in their collection, it was not until 1993 that Lankshear and McLaren issued what was to
become the seminal text devoted to the topic. In it, they stated that literacy is more complex than the
traditional definition of literacy is ideologically aligned with particular postures of normative socio-political
consciousness that are inherently exploitative. By contrast, critical literacy emphasized the social
construction of reading, writing, and text production within political contexts of inequitable economic,
cultural, political, and institutional structures. Lankshear and McLaren argued for critically reflective
teaching and research focused on both the forms that literate skills take as social practices and the uses of
which those skills are employed.
The authors identified three forms of educational practice that critical literacy can take on, varying
by their commitment to inquiry and action: liberal education, pluralism, and transformative praxis. Liberal
education here means an approach to disciplinary knowledge where intellectual freedom exists and where
disparate interpretations are considered, but inevitable contradiction is avoided and rational argumentation
wins out. In pluralism, there is an emphasis on reading to evaluate principles that support a loose conception
of tolerance. Tolerance here is aligned with a notion of diversity that is grounded on benevolence toward
those who are not mainstream (and in the process maintains the mainstream). Against these approaches, the
authors forwarded “transformative praxis” as that which takes the radical potential of critical literacy into
direct emancipatory action in the world. Praxis is here defined through the Freirian (1970) process of
naming the conditions of oppression and struggling collectively with others in a cycle of action-reflection-
action against such oppression. Lankshear and McLaren argued that a guiding principle behind the
processes of transformative critical literacy praxis involves an analysis “attempting to understand how
agents working within established structures of power participate in the social construction of literacies,
revealing their political implications” (p.7).
Critical literacy praxis, which Lankshear and McLaren also called “political and social literacies,”
involves textual studies that are analyzed at the discursive level in which the texts were created and in which
they are sustained. While the authors understood that this move might lead to such literacies being seen as
“potentially subversive,” they forwarded a key distinction centering on the difference between political
indoctrination and the development of a critical consciousness-or what Freire (1970) called
“conscientization.”
At the turn of the millennium, just before the 2001 re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA) as the controversial No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Janks (2000) posited four
possible orientations for future approaches to critical literacy education based on different perspectives on
the relationship between language and power: (a) to understand how language maintains social and political
forms of domination; (b) to provide access to dominant forms of language without compromising the
integrity of non-dominant forms; (c) to promote a diversity which requires attention to the way that uses
language create social identities; and (d) to bring design perspective that emphasizes the need to use and
select from a wide range of available cultural sign systems. Although frequently taken in isolation, Janks
argued that it is through the interdependence of these approaches that learners can most fully engage theories
and pedagogies of critical literacy.
CRITICAL LITERACY AND THE ARTS

The creation of artistic products by an individual and the perception and rejection upon others’
artworks showcase the power of critical literacies at work within Arts contexts. Luke (2000) argues that it
is the primary aim of critical literacy to:
1. Allow students to see how texts work to construct their worlds, their cultures, and their identities in
powerful, often overly ideological ways; and
2. Understand how they use texts as social tools in ways that allow for a reconstruction of these same
worlds.
The arts, literacies, and reality are dynamically linked and the understanding attained by critically
reading aesthetic texts involves perceiving the relationship between the art, its creator, and its context. Both
the practice and understanding of art forms, and being critically literate are interconnected. Indeed, critical
literacy make possible a more adequate ‘reading’ of the world, on the basis of which people can enter into
‘rewriting’ the world into a formation in which their interests, identities, and legitimate aspirations are more
fully present and present more equally (Lankshear & McLaren, 1993, cited in Morgan, 2002, p. 6).
TEACHING CRITICAL LITERACY

Freebody and Luke (cited in Luke, 2000) developed a four-tiered approach to early reading
instruction that has now been widely adopted across Australian schools. These approaches are necessary
but no sufficient sets of social practices requisite for critical literacy. A recent version of the model offered
the following descriptions (Freebody, 1992; Luke & Freebody, 1997):
• Coding Practices: Developing Resources as a Code Breaker – How do I crack this text? How does
it work? What are its patterns and conventions: how do the sounds and the marks relate, singly and
in combinations?
• Text-Meaning Practices: Developing Resources as a Text Participant – How do the ideas
represented in the text string together? What cultural resources can be brough to bear on the text?
What are the cultural meanings and possible readings that can be constructed from this text?
• Pragmatic Practices: Developing Resources as Text User – How do the uses of this text shape its
composition? What do I do with this text, here and now? What will others do with it? What are my
options and alternatives?
• Critical Practices: Developing Resources as Text Analyst and Critic – What kind of person, with
what interests and values, could both write and read this naively and without any problem with it?
What is this text trying to do to me? In whose interests? Which positions, voices, and interests are
at play? Which are silent and absent?
There are a number of classroom activities that can be used to apply the aforementioned approaches.
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Textual analysis can be guided by asking the learners to make their way systematically through a
list of questions such as the following:
• What is the subject or topic of this text?
• Why might the author have written it?
• Who is it written for? How do you know?
• What values does the author assume the reader holds? How do you know?
• What knowledge does the reader need to bring to the text in order to understand it?
• Who would feel ‘left out’ in this text and why? Who would feel that the claims made in the text
clash with their own values, beliefs, or experiences?
• How is the reader ‘positioned’ in relation to the author (e.g., as a friend, as an opponent, as someone
who needs to be persuaded as invisible, as someone who agrees with the author’s views)?
Another approach for analyzing texts is to use a checklist such as CARS (Credibility, Accuracy,
Reasonableness, Support), which was originally developed for use in evaluating web sites.
Credibility
Evidence of authenticity and reliability is very important. Tests that help the reader judge the
credibility of a text include examining the author’s credentials and the quality of content. It is necessary to
look for biographical details on their education, training, and/or experience in an area relevant to the
information by asking, “Do they provide contact information (email or postal address, phone number)?
What do you know about the author’s reputation or previous publications”? Information texts should pass
through a review process, where several readers examine and approve the content before it is published.
Statements issued in the name of an organization have almost always been seen and approved by several
people.
Accuracy
Information needs to be up to date, factual, detailed, exact, and comprehensive. Things to bear in
mind when judging accuracy include timeliness and comprehensiveness. We must therefore be careful to
note when information was created, before deciding whether it is still of value. It is always a good idea to
consult more than one text. Indicators that a text is inaccurate, either in whole or in part, include the absence
of a date or and old date on information known to change rapidly; vague of sweeping generalizations; and
the failure to acknowledge opposing views.
Reasonableness
Reasonableness involves examining the information for fairness, objectivity, and moderateness.
Fairness requires the writer to offer a balanced argument, and to consider claims made by people with
opposing views. A good information text will have a calm, reasoned tone, arguing or presenting material
thoughtfully. Like comprehensiveness, objectivity is difficult to achieve. Good writers, however, try to
minimize bias.
Support
Support for the writer’s argument from other sources strengthens their credibility. It can take various
forms such as writing bibliography and references and corroboration. It is a good idea to triangulate
information, that is to find at least three texts that agree. If other texts do not agree, further research into the
range of opinion or disagreement is needed. Readers should be careful when statistics are presented without
identifying the source or when they cannot find any other texts that present or acknowledge the same
information.
TEXT CLUSTERING
Text clustering involves confronting students with texts which obviously contradict each other. The
task is to use whatever evidence they can find to try to make judgements about where the truth actually lies.
Sometimes these judgements are relatively easy. News reports, fairy tales, everyday texts are good material
for text clustering.
1. The most important book/s or author/s in your life. (5 points)
2. The main roles and purpose of reading in your life (as a parent, professional, for pleasure, religious
purposes, etc.) (5 points)
Prepared by:

Instructor
Submitted to:

College Dean
PANIQUI, TARLAC

MODULE 9
UNIT 9 – READING COMPREHENSION
OBJECTIVE:
• Define reading comprehension;

• Discuss the reason why teaching reading comprehension is important;
• Discuss various reasons that affect comprehension of students; and
• Apply strategies to increase comprehension and expansion of vocabulary.
INTRODUCTION
Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with
what the reader already knows. Fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are knowing
meaning of words, ability to understand meaning of a word from discourse context, ability to follow
organization of passage and to identify antecedents and references in it, ability to draw inferences from a
passage about its contents, ability to identify the main thought of a passage, ability to answer questions
answered in a passage, ability to recognize the literary devices or propositional structures used in a passage
and determine its tone, to understand the situational mood (agents, objects, temporal and spatial reference
points, casual and intentional inflections, etc.) conveyed for assertions, questioning, commanding,
refraining etc., and finally, ability to determine writer's purpose, intent and point of view, and draw
inferences about the writer (discourse-semantics).
There are many reading strategies to improve reading comprehension and inferences, including
improving one's vocabulary, critical text analysis and practicing deep reading. Ability to comprehend text
is influenced by readers' skills and their ability to process information. If word recognition is difficult,
students use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their
ability to comprehend what is read.
People learn comprehension skills through education or instruction and some learn by direct
experiences. Proficient reading depends on the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly. It is also
determined by an individual's cognitive development, which is "the construction of thought processes".
There are specific characteristics that determine how successfully an individual will comprehend
text, including prior knowledge about the subject, well-developed language, and the ability to make
inferences from methodical questioning & monitoring comprehension like: "Why is this important?" and
"Do I need to read the entire text?" are examples of passage questioning.
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
According to Steven Stahl (2005), “Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word
not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world.” We continue to develop
vocabulary throughout our lives. Words are powerful. Words open up possibilities, and of course, that’s
what we want for all of our students.
Vocabulary knowledge varies greatly among learners. The word knowledge gap between groups of
children begins before they enter school. Vocabulary supports reading development and increases
comprehension. Students with low vocabulary scores tend to have low comprehension and students with
satisfactory or high vocabulary scores tend to have satisfactory or high comprehension scores.
Differences in Early Vocabulary Development

We know that young children acquire vocabulary indirectly, first by listening when others speak or
read to them, and then by using words to talk to others. As children begin to read and write, they acquire
more words through understanding what they are reading and then incorporate those words into their
speaking and writing.
Why do some students have a richer, fuller vocabulary than some of their classmates?
• Language rich home with lots of verbal stimulation
• Wide background experiences
• Read to at home and at school
• Read a lot independently
• Early development of word consciousness
Why do some students have limited, inadequate vocabulary compared to most of their classmates?
• Speaking/vocabulary not encouraged at home
• Limited experiences outside of home
• Limited exposure to books
• Reluctant reader
• Second language—English language learners
INCIDENTAL AND INTENTIONAL VOCABULARY LEARNING

Incidental Vocabulary Learning
Most students acquire vocabulary incidentally through indirect exposure to words at home and at
school—by listening and talking, by listening to books read aloud to them, and by reading widely on their
own. The amount of reading is important to long-term vocabulary development (Cunningham and
Stanovich, 1998). Extensive reading provides students with repeated or multiple exposures to words and is
also one of the means by which students see vocabulary in rich contexts (Kamil and Hiebert, 2005).
Intentional Vocabulary Learning

Students need to be explicitly taught methods for intentional vocabulary learning. According to
Michael Graves (2000), effective intentional vocabulary instruction includes: Teaching specific words (rich,
robust instruction) to support understanding of texts containing those words; teaching word-learning
strategies that students can use independently; promoting the development of word consciousness and using
word play activities to motivate and engage students in learning new words.
IMPORTANCE OF SPELLING
The National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and Colleges (2005)
reported that 80 percent of the time an employment application is doomed if it is poorly written or poorly
spelled.
Here are other examples of situations where spelling is important:
• Writing so others can read and understand
• Recognizing the right choice from the possibilities presented by a spell checker
• Looking up words in a dictionary
• Filing alphabetically
• Playing word games like Scrabble®
And even though word processing software includes spell checkers, students still need to become
proficient spellers.
Research has shown that learning to spell and learning to read rely on much of the same underlying
knowledge—such as the relationships between letters and sounds—and, not surprisingly, that spelling
instruction can be designed to help children better understand that key knowledge, resulting in better reading
(Ehri, 2000).
Catherine Snow et al. (2005, p. 86) summarize the real importance of spelling for reading as
follows: “Spelling and reading build and rely on the same mental representation of a word. Knowing the
spelling of a word makes the representation of it sturdy and accessible for fluent reading.”
Research also bears out a strong relationship between spelling and writing: Writers who must think
too hard about how to spell use up valuable cognitive resources needed for higher level aspects of
composition (Singer and Bashir, 2004).
Writing is a mental juggling act that depends on using basic skills with automaticity (e.g.,
handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation) so that the writer can focus on topic, organization, word
choice, and audience needs.
Poor spellers may restrict what they write to words they can spell, with inevitable loss of verbal
power, or they may lose track of their thoughts when they get stuck trying to spell a word.
Spell Checkers Do Not Catch All Errors

Since the advent of word processing and spell checkers, some have argued that spelling instruction
is no longer all that important. But spell checkers do not catch all errors. One study (Montgomery, Karlan,
and Coutinho, 2001) reported that spell checkers usually catch just 30 to 80 percent of misspellings overall,
partly because they miss homophone errors.
A spell checker would find no errors in this sentence: “To miles is two far too go.”
Another problem is that students who are very poor spellers do not produce the close approximations
of target words necessary for the spell checker to suggest the right word.
COMPREHENSION: THE GOAL OF READING

Comprehension, or extracting meaning from what you read, is the ultimate goal of reading.
Experienced readers take this for granted and may not appreciate the reading comprehension skills required.
The process of comprehension is both interactive and strategic. Rather than passively reading text, readers
must analyze it, internalize it and make it their own. In order to read with comprehension, developing
readers must be able to read with some proficiency and then receive explicit instruction in reading
comprehension strategies (Tierney, 1982).
GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR READING COMPREHENSION
The process of comprehending text begins before children can read, when someone reads a picture
book to them. They listen to the words, see the pictures in the book, and may start to associate the words
on the page with the words they are hearing and the ideas they represent. In order to learn comprehension
strategies, students need modeling, practice, and feedback.
Using Prior Knowledge/Previewing

• When students preview text, they tap into what they already know that will help them to understand
the text they are about to read.
• This provides a framework for any new information they read.
Predicting
• When students make predictions about the text they are about to read, it sets up expectations based
on their prior knowledge about similar topics.
• As they read, they may mentally revise their prediction as they gain more information.
Identifying the Main Idea and Summarization
• Identifying the main idea and summarizing requires that students determine what is important and
then put it in their own words.
• Implicit in this process is trying to understand the author’s purpose in writing the text.
Questioning
• Asking and answering questions about text is another strategy that helps students focus on the
meaning of text.
• Teachers can help by modeling both the process of asking good questions and strategies for finding
the answers in the text.
Making Inferences
• In order to make inferences about something that is not explicitly stated in the text, students must
learn to draw on prior knowledge and recognize clues in the text itself.
Visualizing
• Studies have shown that students who visualize while reading have better recall than those who do
not (Pressley, 1977).
• Readers can take advantage of illustrations that are embedded in the text or create their own mental
images or drawings when reading text without illustrations.
GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR READING COMPREHENSION: EXPOSITORY TEXT

Expository text explains facts and concepts in order to inform, persuade, or explain. Expository text
is typically structured with visual cues such as headings and subheadings that provide clear cues as to the
structure of the information. The first sentence in a paragraph is also typically a topic sentence that clearly
states what the paragraph is about.
Expository text also often uses one of five common text structures as an organizing principle:
• Cause and effect
• Problem and solution
• Compare and contrast
• Description
• Time order (sequence of events, actions, or steps)
Teaching these structures can help students recognize relationships between ideas and the overall
intent of the text.
Main Idea/Summarization
• A summary briefly captures the main idea of the text and the key details that support the main idea.
• Students must understand the text in order to write a good summary that is more than a repetition of
the text itself.
K-W-L
1. What I Know: Before students read the text, ask them as a group to identify what they already know
about the topic. Students write this list in the “K” column of their K-W-L forms.
2. What I Want to Know: Ask students to write questions about what they want to learn from reading
the text in the “W” column of their K-W-L forms. For example, students may wonder if some of the
“facts” offered in the “K” column are true.
3. What I Learned: As they read the text, students should look for answers to the questions listed in
the “W” column and write their answers in the “L” column along with anything else they learn.

1. What are some factors that discourage students to read? (5 points)
2. Why can students spend a whole night reading something from Wattpad and cannot sit to read their lesson
for 30 minutes (5 points)
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_comprehension
https://www.readnaturally.com/research/5-components-of-reading
https://www.readnaturally.com/research/5-components-of-reading/vocabulary
https://www.readnaturally.com/research/5-components-of-reading/comprehension
https://www.readnaturally.com/research/5-components-of-reading/spelling
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Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across The New Curriculum

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CIT COLLEGES OF PANIQUI FOUNDATION

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

UNIT 1 – INTRODUCTION TO 21ST CENTURY LITERACIES

• Define conventional literacy; and

TRADITIONAL OR CONVENTIONAL LITERACY

EXPANDED VIEWS OF LITERACY

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

Karol Kent Geoffrie M. Manzano, RPm, LPT

Dr. Nestor B. Castro

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

UNIT 2 – GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURAL AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACIES

THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION

Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence

Expanded Flow of Expressive and Instrumental Culture

Expanded Flow of People among Societies

Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

Challenges of Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

ISSUES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING MULTICULTURAL LITERACY IN THE

Conflicting Requirements for Peace

Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback

The Persistence of the Problem

Karol Kent Geoffrie M. Manzano, RPm, LPT

Dr. Nestor B. Castro

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

UNIT 3 – SOCIAL LITERACY

• Develop understanding of the working definition of social literacy;

• Understanding the listener – Once a conversation is initiated, it has to be maintained. In order to

THE ROLE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS IN TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS TO CHILDREN

ISSUES IN TEACHING SOCIAL LITERACY

Subjective Standards of Morality

Situational Awareness in the Workplace

Social Intelligence in Technological Communication

Social Intelligence in Traditional Communication

Karol Kent Geoffrie M. Manzano, RPm, LPT

Dr. Nestor B. Castro

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

UNIT 4 – FINANCIAL LITERACY

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

• Define financial literacy;

Standards Key Concepts

FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THE PHILIPPINES

DEVELOPING PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY

Fixed vs. Variable Expenses

Needs vs. Wants

Setting Financial Goals

Developing a Spending Plan

EXAMPLES OF USEFUL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

Karol Kent Geoffrie M. Manzano, RPm, LPT

Dr. Nestor B. Castro

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

UNIT 5 – MEDIA AND CYBER/DIGITAL LITERACY

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

WHAT MEDIA LITERACY IS NOT

CHALLENGES TO MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION

• Tool literacy – competence in using hardware and software tools;

INFORMATION LITERACY WITHIN DIGITAL LITERACY

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL LITERACY WITHIN DIGITAL LITERACY

CHALLENGES TO DIGITAL LITERACY EDUCATION

Karol Kent Geoffrie M. Manzano, RPm, LPT

Dr. Nestor B. Castro

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES