NEW LITERACIES,

Functional Literacy and

Multiliteracy

HEIDILYN S. TOLENTINO,
EdD
Lecturer
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
1. Discuss new literacies and their impact on the
teaching-learning process
2. Describe a multiliterate teacher
3. Cite how new literacies can be integrated in the
curriculum and practiced in the classroom
4. Define functional literacy
5. Cite how functional literacy and new literacies can
be integrated in the curriculumand practiced in the
classroom
Concept Exploration
Students are taught to read and write print
with fluency, speed and comprehension of
the message of the writer and the
interpretation of the content of the
material. The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) asserts that a
person, who is literate, can comprehend
and write simple and short sentences
related to his/her daily life.
1. Group yourselves into 5.
2. With your group, think of 5 words/idea/phrases that are
related to these new literacies: (for 10 mins. only)
- social literacy (Group 1)
- media literacy (Group 2)
- multicultural literacy (Group 3)
- digital literacy (Group 4)
- creativity literacy (Group 5
- ecoliteracy (Group 6)
3. Choose a leader to present your output to the class.
 New Literacy
01
 New Literacies
Between 1950 and 1970, the development of literacy,
both operational and functional was established.
During this period, literacy was defined as reading
and writing skills necessitated for activities in
modern society (Guiness, 2000). Beyond 1990s,
literacy had started to diversity in the light of
technological developments, change of living
conditions in cities, and the new necessities.
Hereafter, literacy then became multi-faceted.
 New Literacies
At first, literacy was used in various types, such as
computer literacy, technology literacy, internet
literacy, respectively (Altun, 2005). Later on, it
became a lifestyle along with a person’s entire
life in a society that encompasses information
literacy, cultural literacy and universal literacy.

Truly, literacy has changed and developed through a

multitude of phases within a specific period based
on societal needs.
New Literacies
However, along this line, literacy is not confined only
to knowing how to read and write rather, it is a
matter of applying knowledge for specific
purposes in particular context. It includes a
socially-driven and evolved a pattern of activities,
such as writing correspondence , records keeping
and inventories, posting announcements, reporting,
etc. As such, Lankshear & knobel (2006) averred
that literacies intend to generate and
communicate meanings through the medium of
encoded texts within contexts various
discourses.
 New Literacies
Literacies can bear a coding
system that can capture the
meaning, such as
“Letteracy” (within
language and recognition of
alphabetic symbols)
 New Literacies
Moreover, the primary English Teaching
Association Australia (2015) asserts that 21st
Century literacy has expanded to include
social change, increasing field expertise and
digital technologies. To be literate requires
comprehension, selection and use of
multimodal codes and conventions to
interpret and express ideas, feelings and
information.
New Literacies
Subject-specific literacies are recognized to
require the application of specialized
knowledge and skills, information skills,
and the creative and imaginative language.
Literacy in the 21st century , therefore,
demands the ability to perform and act
confidently, efficiently and ethically with a
wide range of written and visual, print, live,
digital or electronic text types according to
purpose (www.petaa.edu.au)
New Literacies
The increasing complexity of modern
communication gives rise to a number of
distinct capabilities and possibilities. Hence,
21st Century literacy combines cross-
curricular capabilities also called
“multiliteracies” and now commonly
referred to as “new literacies. These broad
skills include visual literacy, information
literacy, cultural literacy and digital literacy
dynamics.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

1. Multicultural Literacy is about

understanding ethnic groups that comprise
the population and focuses on complex
issues of identity, diversity and citizenship.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

2. Social Literacy is the development of

social skills, knowledge and positive
values in human beings to act positively
and responsibly in sophisticated complex
social settings.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

3. Media Literacy is the ability to access,

analyze, evaluate, and create media.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

4. Financial Literacy is the ability to

make informed judgments and make
effective decisions regarding the use
and management of money.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

5. Digital Literacy is the ability to

effectively use digital devices for
purposes of communication,
expression, collaboration and
advocacy in a knowledge-based
society.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

6. Ecological Literacy is understanding

the principles of ecosystems toward
sustainability.
 Exploring the New Literacies
There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century
curriculum.

7. Creative Literacy is the ability to

make original ideas that have value,
and the ability to see the world in new
ways.
 The Truth of 21st Century Literacies
According to Research
Since success with technology depends
largely on critical thinking and
reflection, teachers with relatively
little technological skills can
provide less useful instruction.
Therefore, schools must support the
teachers by providing them
professional training and up-to-
date technology for utilization in
classrooms.
The Truth of 21st Century Literacies
According to Research
Global economies, new technologies, and
exponential growth in information are
transforming our society. Since today’s people
engage with a technology-driven, diverse and
quickly changing world, teachers need to
prepare students for this world with problem-
solving, collaboration, and analysis, as well as
skills with word processing, hypertext, LCDs,
webcams, podcasts, smartboards and social
networking software that are central to
individual and community success .
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

1. As new technologies shape literacies,

they bring opportunities for
teachers to foster reading and writing
in more diverse and participatory
contexts.
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

2. Sites, like literature’s Voice of the

Shuttle, online fanfiction, and the
Internet Public Library, expand both
the range of available texts and the
social dimension of literacy.
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

3. Research on electronic reading

workshops shows that they
contribute to the emergence of new
literacies.
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

4. Research also shows that digital

technology enhances writing and
interaction in several ways.
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

5. K-12 students who write with

computers produce compositions of
greater length and higher quality are
more engaged with and motivated
toward writing than those who do
not write with computers.
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

6. College students, who keep e-portfolios,

have a higher rate of academic achievement
and overall retention rate than those who do
not keep e-portfolios. They also demonstrate
a greater capacity for metacognition,
reflection and audience awareness.
 Exploring the New Literacies
The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a
research that reveals the following:

7. Both typical and atypical students

who receive an online response to
writing, revise their works better
than those participating in traditional
method.
 02
Functional
Literacy
 Functional Literacy
The term functional literacy was initially defined
by UNESCO through William S. Gray in his
Teaching of Reading and Writing (1986) as
adult training to meet independently the
reading and writing demands placed on
them. It stresses the acquisition of
appropriate verbal, cognitive and
computational skills to accomplish practical
results in specific cultural settings dubbed as
survival literacy and reductionist literacy.
 Functional Literacy
Over the decades, as societies have
evolved into technical
innovations, the definition of
functional literacy has been
modified to meet the changing
demands (Concise Oxford
Companion to the English
Language, 1998).
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

1. Literacy programs should be

integrated to and correlated with
economic and social development
plans.
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

2. The eradication of illiteracy should

begin with population sectors, which
are highly motivated and need
literacy for their own and their
country’s benefit.
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

3. Literacy programs should be linked

with economic priorities and carried
out in areas undergoing rapid
economic expansion.
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

4. Literacy programs must impart not

only reading and writing but also
professional and technical
knowledge leading to greater
participation of adults in economic
and civic life .
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

5. Literacy must be an integral part of

an over-all educational system and
plan of each country.
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

6. The financial need for functional

literacy should be met with various
resources, as well as be provided for
economic investments.
 Functional Literacy
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:
7. The literacy programs should aid in
achieving main economic objectives
(i.e. increase in labor productivity,
food production, industrialization,
social and professional mobility,
creation of new manpower and
diversification of the economy.
 Functional Literacy
“Specific Literacy”
A new functional literacy aspect, called specific
literacy, is becoming a trend, in which the job of
the student is analyzed to see exactly the
literacy skills needed and those that are only
taught. This is to prevent job-skill mismatch.
In specific literacy, the student may learn very
little but will be of immediate value that would
result in increased learner motivation.
Therefore, the specific literacy strategy is a
planning tool that allows the literacy worker to
focus on skills that are of value to the learners.
 Significance of “Specific Literacy”
1. Starts in the workplace
2. Uses a diagnostic approach
3. Identifies turning points in economic
life that may act as an incentive to
learning
4. Assesses the limits of a short-term
intervention
5. Looks for generic skills
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/functional-literacy
 Functional Literacy
The ability to make significant use of
activities involving reading and
writing skills, that include using
information, communicating with
others, and following a path of
lifelong learning necessary for the
ability to express/herself in daily
life.
(The Education for All Global Monitoring Report - UNESCO 2006)
 Functional Literacy
It includes those skills essential for both
official and unofficial participation,
as well as those which are necessary
for national change and development
that can be used to aid an individual
in contributing to his/her own
development and that of his/her
family and society.
(The Education for All Global Monitoring Report - UNESCO 2006)
 Functional Literacy
The level of literacy that
includes reading, writing
and numeracy skills that
help people cope with the
daily demands of life.

(National Statistics Authority)

 Conclusion
Functional literacy contributes to
development of an individual and
the society, including the ability to
use information and skills related
to listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and arithmetic necessary to
daily life in social, cultural, and
economic aspects effectively.
(https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org)
Improving Functional Literacy in the Philippines

Manuyo (2019) reported that:

❑ The country registered 90.3% rate (9 out of 10 Filipinos
aged 10-64 were functionally literate)
❑ Proportion of girls and boys aged 11-13, who were
functionally literate, placed at a critical rate of 44% (below
50% of the students were able to read with comprehension
by the end of their basic education.
Improving Functional Literacy in the Philippines

❑ School drop-outs contributed to low functional literacy

❑ One in every 100 or about 4 million Filipino children and
youth were out-of-school in 2013)
❑ 22.9% got married, 19.2% lacked a family income to be
sent to school and 19.1% lacked interest in attending
schools
Improving Functional Literacy in the Philippines

❑Functional literacy rate went up at 76.53%

❑In the community level, the rate inclined to
62.64%, or around 50%-70% of the students
were able to read with comprehension by the
end of their basic education

(World Vision, 2016- https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org)

 Analysis
Low functional literacy could mean low
resilience to respond to abnormal
conditions and increase a child’s
vulnerability to exploitation. This also
result in unpreparedness for gainful
employment and eventually increased
dependency on welfare programs.
 Government Initiatives
Alternative Learning Delivery System
provides an opportunity for learning among
out-of-school youth for them to land in
better jobs.

(https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/394d1/28e7d8e26f67db4951eb52713964a9854ec.pdf)
 The Multiliterate Learner
Students would desire for:
1) Teachers who use ICT skillfully for teaching and
learning
2) Peers who use ICTs responsibly and who share their
knowledge
3) A literacy curriculum that offers opportunities for
collaboration with peers around the world
4) Practice standards and assessments that include new
literacies
5. Leaders and policy makers who are committed
advocates of ICTs for teaching and learning
6. Equal access to ICTs for all classrooms and students
Four Common Elements of New Literacies
1) The internet and other ICTs require new social
practices, skills, strategies, and dispositions for their
effective use;
2) New literacies are central to full civic, economic, and
personal participation in a global community;
3) New literacies rapidly change as defining technologies
change; and
4) New literacies are multiple, multimodal and
multifaceted, thus, they benefit from multiple lenses
seeking to understand how to better support the
students in a digital age.
 Impact of New Literacies on Instruction

❑ The internet has become the defining technology for today’s

youth and may be the most important ICT for students to
learn to manipulate successfully.
❑ New literacies of today will be replaced by even newer ones
tomorrow as new ICT continuously emerge in more
globalized community of learners.
❑ It bears important implications to instruction, assessment ,
professional development and research.
 03
Multiliteracy
Multiliteracies in the Educational Reform

❑ Teaching students the most relevant, useful, in-demand, and universally

applicable skills should be prioritized in today’s schools.
❑ Teachers may advocate teaching cross-disciplinary skills, while schools
may require 21st century skills in both instruction and assessment process.
❑ Schools may allow students to pursue alternative learning pathways, in
which students earn academic credit and satisfy graduation requirements
by completing an internship, apprenticeship or immersion experience.
 Assessment of Multiliteracies

❑ Assessment moves from usual memorization of facts

and disconnected processes to demonstration of
understanding through application in a variety of
contexts.
❑ Real-world audiences are important part of the
assessment processes to, including self-assessment.
 Assessment of Multiliteracies

❑ Media literacy are honed as students address real-

world issues from the environment.
❑ Students can freely express their points of view as
they create projects using multimedia and deliver
these products to real-world audiences, realizing that
they can make a difference and change the world.
 Assessment of Multiliteracies

❑ Standardized test scores are higher because students

have acquired the skills and content in a meaningful
connected way with profound understanding. They
actually master the content on a much higher level
and develop their basic skills by constant
application throughout their schooling.
 Preparing Teachers for Multiliteracies
1) Teachers need both intellectual and material support for effective
21st century literacy instruction;
2) Schools need to provide continuing opportunities for professional
development as well as up-to-date technologies for use in literacy
classrooms;
3) Address the digital divide by lowering the number of students per
computer and by providing high quality access (broadband speed
and multiple locations) to technology;
4) Ensure that students in literacy classes have regular access to
technology;
 Preparing Teachers for Multiliteracies
5. Provide regular literacy-specific professional development in
technology for teachers and administrators at all levels, including
higher education;
6. Require teacher preparation programs to include training in
integrating technology into instruction;
7. Protect online learners and ensure their privacy;
8. Affirm the importance of literacy teachers in helping students
develop technological proficiency; and
9. Adopt and regularly review standards for instruction in technology.
 The Multiliterate Teacher
1. Encourage students to reflect regularly on the role of
technology in their learning;
2. Create a website and invite students to use it to continue
class discussions and bring in outside voices;
3. Give students strategies for evaluating the quality of
information they find on the internet;
4. Be open about one’s own strengths and limitations with
technology and invite students to help
5. Explore technology students are using outside the
classroom and find ways to incorporate them into one’s
teaching;
 The Multiliterate Teacher
6. Use wiki to develop a multimodal reader’s guide
to a class texts;
7. Include a broad variety of media and genres in
class texts;
8. Ask students to create a podcast to share with an
authentic audience;
9. Give students explicit instruction about how to
avoid plagiarism in a digital environment; and
10. Refer to the Partnerships for 21st Century Skills
website.
 Questions for Discussion
What is meant by new literacies?

New literacy demands the ability to move

confidently, efficiently and ethically between
and among a wide range of written and visual,
print, live, digital or electronic text types
according to purpose.
 Questions for Discussion
What is the impact of new literacies in the teaching
and learning process?
Students come to understand that learning is a
process, and it requires them to take ownership
of their learning and value reading. Using new
literacies eliminates student frustration
discouragement.
 Questions for Discussion
Describe a multiliterate teacher.

A multiliterate teacher understands the many ways that

technology interacts and intertwines with academic
and interpersonal life, and actively learns how to gain
control over those aspects impacting teaching, social,
and professional development.
 Questions for Discussion
Distinguish between basic and functional literacy.

Basic illiteracy means a person cannot read or write at all.

While functional illiteracy depicts an individual who have
basic reading, writing and numerical skills but unable to
apply them to accomplish tasks that are necessary to make
informed decisions or participate fully in everyday life.
 Questions for Discussion
How can we integrate new literacies and functional literacy
in the curriculum and in classroom practice?
We can integrate new literacies and functional literacy in the
curriculum and in classroom practices by providing learners
to engage with new literacies as it helps to improve their
motivation and learning skills.
 Reference:

De Leon, Elmer B. (2020), “Building and Enhancing

New Literacies Across Curriculum”. Quezon City PH:
Lorimar Publishing Inc.