BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES ACROSS

THE CURRICULUM

Prof Ed 111

[1]

FAITH P. BUNED

2021

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO

Kabacan, Cotabato
 CHAPTER/MODULE 1

Introduction to 21st Century Literacies

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be able to:

1. explore several definitions of literacy;
2. discuss the traditional/conventional and expanded views of literacy in the 21st
century;
3. describe new literacies in the 21st century; and
4. prepare and deliver a lesson incorporating new literacies.

If you took to the streets one day to find out how people define literacy, chances
are you would get a lot of different answers. Literacy is one of those terms that at first
seems straightforward, but as cited by Munger (n.d.), asking people to define literacy
“deceptively suggests simplicity, but instead opens up a world of complexity.”

Literacy is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write
literacy. A thorough understanding 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.

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.

Conventional Concept of literacy

Miller (1973) divides this conventional concept of literacy into three subcategories:
1. Basic Literacy. This is the ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken
sounds to decode written materials and
translate them into oral
 language; the ability to recognize letter and words; recognize that
sequence of letters “l-a-p-i-s” forms the word lapis in Filipino, even
without understanding what it means.

[2]

2. Comprehension Literacy. It is the ability to understand the meaning what is

being read; to capitalize on the example above, this would be like
knowing that lapis can mean a tool used in writing.

[3]

3. Functional or Practical Literacy. It is the

ability to read (decode and
comprehend) written materials needed to
perform everyday vocational
tasks. Example: “Nagbabasa ang bata”
which means that the word
“basa” can be understood that it refers to
reading and not being wet. Most
definitions of literacy are stated in this
level wherein literacy is stated in terms of
a person being literate to do the real-life
tasks necessary to survive in the society. [4]
 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 be therefore 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 meaning of the words, reading has not taken place. Based on this,
Schlecty (2001) defines concept of functional literacy as the state of being able to read,
but not well enough to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading
skills beyond a basic level.

EXPANDED VIEWS OF LITERACY

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

UNESCO (2004) defined literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret,

create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials
associated with varying contexts and it 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. There are three
key features of the UNESCO’s definition of literacy:
1. Literacy is about the uses people make of it as a means of communication and
expression, through a variety of media
2. Literacy is plural, being practiced in particular contexts for particular purposes
and using specific languages.
3. Literacy involves a continuum of learning measured at different proficient
levels.

Mkandawire (2018) defined literacy as “a form of knowledge, competence, and

skills in a particular field or area”, being supported by UNSECO (2006), Barton
(2007) and Mkandawire, Simooya-Mudenda & Cheelo (2017), which
acknowledged that modern views appear to equate literacy with knowledge.
The shift in the definition of literacy from “reading and writing” to “knowledge” is
especially important as individuals explore the “new” literacies of the 21st
century that seem far-removed from the contexts upon which conventional
literacy is based.

Literacy in the 21st Century

When viewed form the perspective of conventional/traditional literacy, the concept

of “new” literacies is a bit of a misnomer, as even these new literacies of the 21 st century
make generous use of being able to read and write rather supplement 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 in the issue.
Similarly, being able to verify the truth-value and veracity of a document is not new skill-
but being able to do so when there are a hundred similar documents available to you
online is.

Since the beginning of recorded history, the concept of “literacy” meant having the
skill to interpret “squiggles” on a piece of paper as letters which, when put together,
formed words that conveyed meaning. Teaching the young to put the words together to
understand (and, in turn, express) ever more complex ideas became the goal of education
as it evolved over the centuries.

Today information about the world around us comes to us not only by words on a
piece of paper but more and more through the powerful images and sounds of our multi-
media culture. Although mediated messages appear to be self-evident, in truth, they use
a complex audio/visual “language” which has its own rules (grammar) and which can be
used to express many-layered concepts and ideas about the world. Not everything may
be obvious at first; and images go by so fast! If our children are to be able to navigate
their lives through this multi-media culture, they need to be fluent in “reading” and “writing”
the language of images and sounds just as we have always taught them to “read” and
“write” the language of printed communications.

Simply put, three things have been critical in the rise of new literacies:

1. Increased Reach. We are communicating with more people, form more diverse
cultures, across vaster distances than ever before.
2. Increased Means of Communication. We are communicating in more ways and
at a faster speed than ever before.
 3. Increased Breadth of Content. We are communicating about more things than
ever before.

New Literacies in the 21st Century

1. Globalization and Multicultural Literacy. This is the ability to communicate with

almost anyone, anywhere in real time requires new skills and attitude in
interacting 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.
2. Social and Financial Literacy. It 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
not possess.
3. Media and Cyber/Digital Literacies. These 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.
4. Ecoliteracy and Artistic and Creative Literacy. 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.

Formative Assessment 1

Read the questions and instructions carefully. Write your answers in the space
provided.

1. Compare and contrast the traditional concept of literacy to the modern view of
literacy.
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2. Describe the changes in the 21st century that have led to the rise of new
literacies.
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 3. Lesson Planning and Lesson Demonstration: Prepare and deliver a lesson that
incorporates some of the new literacies.
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References
Alata, E.J., & Ignacio, E.T. (2019). Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the
Curriculum. Rex Bookstore
Munger, Kristen A. (n.d.). A brief introduction to literacy. Retrieved from
https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/steps-to-success/chapter/1-a-brief-introduction-to-
literacy/
Smith, L. (1977). Literacy: Definitions and Implications. Language Arts, 54(2), 135-138.
Retrieved August 25, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41404494
United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (2018). Defining literacy.
Retrieved from http://gaml.uis.unesco.org/wp-
content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/4.6.1_07_4.6-defining-literacy.pdf

Picture Attribution:
https://dailyguardian.com.ph/filipino-teachers-and-the-passion-that-makes-learning-
continuity-possible/
https://www.usaid.gov/results-data/success-stories/young-learners-philippines-discover-
joy-reading