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Module 1 Educ 110
Module 1 Educ 110
MODULE I
BUILDING AND ENHANCING
Module I
NEW LITERACIES ACROSS CURRICULUM
INTRODUCTION
Module 1 explores several definition 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
perspective on literacy. It also gives them the opportunity to pause and reflect
on their own literacies even as they attempt to teach the new literacies to their
students.
OBJECTIVES
After studying the module, you should be able to develop a clear and
practical understanding of the following:
1. definitions of conventional; and
2. expanded views of literacy in the 21st century.
Lesson 1: Traditional or
Conventional Literacies
Discussion
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Literacy is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and
write.
The word “literacy” stems from the word “literate”, which first appeared in the
15th century and is in turn derived from the Latin word litteratus, meaning “(a person)
marked with letters” — that is, “distinguished or identified by letters” — and it
carried with it the idea that such a person was cultured and educated.
Since the subjects of the time (e.g., grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, etc.)
all had written texts (which were composed of letters) that had to be studied, the
ability to read and write was therefore of prime importance, leading to the strong
association of being “literate” with the ability to read and write.
1. Basic Literacy
Ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken
sounds in order to decode written materials and
translate them into oral language.
Ability correspond letters and words.
2. Comprehension Literacy
Ability to understand the meaning of what is
being read.
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 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 that it means. Without
understanding of the meaning of the words, reading has not taken place. Based on
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this, Schlechty (2001) defines 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 chapter will argue, this synchronicity between decoding
textual symbols and being able to extract and understand their meaning is a necessary
part of being literate, even as the new contexts of the 21st century change the nature of
what the “text” is, and what it means to “read and write.”
Despite the ubiquity of the traditional view of literacy, Roberts (1995) notes
that “in the past fifty years, hundreds of definition 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.
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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.”
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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
documents is not a new skill— but being able to do so when there are a hundred
similar documents available to you online.
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communication system of smoke signals used by the ancient Chinese, the ancient
Greeks, and the indigenous people of North America.
In the Victorian era, there was such a thing as the “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.
Another difference involves the questions of necessity: One did not need to be
literate in the language flowers to live 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 easily cost
an individual time, money, property, and even life.
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.
How do we work together with people of different cultures who might have
vastly different perspective on communication, work ethics, values, religious beliefs,
Module I
and worldviews? 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 to judge, whether we like it or not?
To better address the need for teachers to be literate in these new literacies this
book discusses and explores them in the ensuing chapters, namely:
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It explores the emerging demands for knowing how to
effectively and sustainably manage the natural resources
that our increased industrialization and demands for
productivity are so rapidly eating up. The chapter 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 data.
Critical Literacy
It addresses the increasing need to discern the underlying
(and often tacit) messages behind the new “texts” of the 21st
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.
INITIAL TASK
On your own, read the questions and instructions carefully. Write your answers on the
space provided.
3. As a pre-service teacher, what kind of written materials should you be able to read
and understand? Are you reading these written materials? How well can you
understand them?
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4. Which of the new literacies are you knowledgeable in? Which of the new literacies
do you lack knowledge in?
6. Describe the changes in the 21st century that have led to the rise of new literacies.
FINAL TASK
A. Make an activity that could help students to develop functional literacy. (20
points)
B. Make a lesson plan that incorporates some of the new literacies. (30 points)
WRAP UP
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literacy, social and financial literacy, media and cyber/digital
literacy, eco-literacy, arts, and creativity literacy, and critical
literacy.
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