*** Note: This Area is Under Construction for the Semester! ***
What are the complexities involved in becoming literate in the 21st century?
I would like to begin with a well-articulated quote drawn from the Alberta Education English Language Arts Program of Studies:
In today’s technological society, people access information and find enjoyment in print, as well as other language forms. ... Often these forms are used in combination with one another and in conjunction with print. Therefore, texts refer not only to print but also to oral and visual forms that can be discussed, studied and analyzed. In addition, texts are affected and influenced by how they are transmitted, whether by computer, television, radio or book. Students need knowledge, skills and strategies in all six language arts to compose, comprehend and respond to such texts. (3)
It has been widely documented that information is coming less and less from books, and more and more from any number of audio, audio-visual, visual and written texts. The widespread use of wi-fi and smartphones allows instant access to just about anything a person could possibly want to take in. Consequently, where before we only needed to become familiar with different types of print media (fiction, print media, journals, etc.), we now require skills to comprehend and find meaning in the wide variety of interactive material that proliferates on the internet. The Alberta curriculum recognizes this, and now makes room for visual literacy within its Program of Studies, stating that:
Viewing is an active process of attending to and comprehending such visual media as television, advertising images, films, diagrams, symbols, photographs, videos, drama, drawings, sculpture and paintings. Viewing enables students to acquire information and to appreciate the ideas and experiences of others. Many of the comprehension processes involved in reading, such as previewing, predicting and making inferences, may also be used in viewing. (3)
Such an incredible variety of resources are available for readers to take in; however, many are not reputable. An individual literate in the 21st century requires the ability to discern reputable writing from poor writing craft, and entertainment. In other words, a 21st century individual requires top-notch research skills, and a keen sense of where trusted information can reliably be found. A literate individual can differentiate between propaganda and rhetoric and reality, or at the very least, be able to deconstruct the images and messages bombarding them. Indeed, Alberta Education shares these views:
As students speak, write and represent, they also listen to, read about and view the ideas and experiences of others. Critical and creative thinking and learning through language occur when students reflect, speculate, create, analyze and synthesize. (2)
There is an important message here: to be literate is not just to have the ability to read and understand what is written, or to hear and understand what was spoken. To be literate is to be able to write and have our thoughts understood, to speak and to be heard. In other words, to be literate is to develop a reciprocal relationship with the world of language around us; the input we receive must be equally matched by our own output. This draws out another important aspect of literacy in the 21st century: that becoming literate is not a solitary activity, but something that is socially constructed, and continually edited, revised, and improved according to need. Through communication and collaboration with others, we enhance understanding, develop meaning, and contribute new thoughts, ideas, and perspectives to the world around us.
In the same vein, literacy does not need to be a skill solely developed in the classroom. TD Canada Trust Bank runs a literacy program every summer for children aged 0-12. I was responsible for running this program for two summers during my high school career, and I volunteered for it for many summers before that. The TD Summer Reading Program is a really cool program because it runs with a general theme all summer, breaks it down into weekly themes and offers both program coordinators and parents a plethora of resources to get children reading over summer. The program includes online components, demands that each day has a mixture of group reading, individual reading and fun, real-life application activities are provided for children of any age and reading level. They also include book lists and online resources so that children are not limited to what's available in the library, their reading level, or the medium in which they develop their literacy.
Another important thing to consider is that there are a lot more students coming into our classrooms with more than one language. As educators, we must celebrate this as an additional form of literacy. These students have the opportunity for engaging in even more dialogue with the world. In the words of Alberta Education, "Experience in one language will benefit the learning of other languages" (1). Having learned a second language myself, I think that inviting your students' languages to be a part of class is nothing but exciting! With language comes a whole different way of looking at the world, and I cannot see a situation where looking at things in a different lens could deteriorate the energy of a classroom dedicated to learning and understanding the world around us. Don't know the language yourself? Ask the student to teach you, or, failing that, you and your class can embark on a learning journey through memrise, which offers basic instruction in a number of languages.
This video from a May 31, 2012 CTV report highlights the consequences of not helping our students become literate:
In the same vein, literacy does not need to be a skill solely developed in the classroom. TD Canada Trust Bank runs a literacy program every summer for children aged 0-12. I was responsible for running this program for two summers during my high school career, and I volunteered for it for many summers before that. The TD Summer Reading Program is a really cool program because it runs with a general theme all summer, breaks it down into weekly themes and offers both program coordinators and parents a plethora of resources to get children reading over summer. The program includes online components, demands that each day has a mixture of group reading, individual reading and fun, real-life application activities are provided for children of any age and reading level. They also include book lists and online resources so that children are not limited to what's available in the library, their reading level, or the medium in which they develop their literacy.
Another important thing to consider is that there are a lot more students coming into our classrooms with more than one language. As educators, we must celebrate this as an additional form of literacy. These students have the opportunity for engaging in even more dialogue with the world. In the words of Alberta Education, "Experience in one language will benefit the learning of other languages" (1). Having learned a second language myself, I think that inviting your students' languages to be a part of class is nothing but exciting! With language comes a whole different way of looking at the world, and I cannot see a situation where looking at things in a different lens could deteriorate the energy of a classroom dedicated to learning and understanding the world around us. Don't know the language yourself? Ask the student to teach you, or, failing that, you and your class can embark on a learning journey through memrise, which offers basic instruction in a number of languages.
This video from a May 31, 2012 CTV report highlights the consequences of not helping our students become literate:
I see it as my responsibility in the classroom to construct lessons about literacy around how students currently experience literacy. Many schools have a subscription to Jumpbooks which provides animated audiobooks ranging across a variety of topics, as well as childhood favorites. Youtube is full of authors doing readings of any number of books. There is a slough of animated shorts, some which reflect picture books already in print, and some which can open up class discussion in a completely different way. Take this one below for example, which is a good way to discuss and explore feelings and inferences:
In an age where students know better how to communicate through text than face-to-face (or so the literature seems to suggest), exploring a video like this might be helpful to aid students in developing and maintaining friendships outside of their devices.
This is not to say that I would exclude actual printed books from being a part of my literacy lessons in the classroom; they most certainly have a place. I just think that it's important to ensure that we foster a visual literacy that perhaps isn't fully a part of the culture yet. When the car was first invented, it required a great deal of infrastructure, laws, and training to be put in place for it to be an effective tool. In the same way, the internet has been in existence for quite a while, and while we may be familiar with how to get to certain places on the internet, the training to comprehend and understand at a deep level may not necessarily be there. Spending time practicing literacy in this area can do nothing but empower the generation of students we will become responsible for.
Recently in my social context class, we discussed what exactly a competent English Language Arts graduate would look like. I personally feel as if this could apply more generally to what a competent learner who graduates high school might look like. A competent learner is one who knows how to access relevant and meaningful information, obtain knowledge from it, and use it to apply to any number of situations he/she encounters. A competent learner embodies the characteristics of the six language of English Language Arts (reading, writing, speaking, viewing, representing, listening) because expressive and receptive language are necessary for learning are necessary for learning to occur and for that learning to be shared. A competent learner has an understanding of our Albertan and Canadian culture, but also understands the bigger picture, and how our national context fits into that of the world. As an up-and-coming educator, I feel like teaching towards the ultimate goal of a literate 21st century citizen in the way I understand it is something well worth my time.
This is not to say that I would exclude actual printed books from being a part of my literacy lessons in the classroom; they most certainly have a place. I just think that it's important to ensure that we foster a visual literacy that perhaps isn't fully a part of the culture yet. When the car was first invented, it required a great deal of infrastructure, laws, and training to be put in place for it to be an effective tool. In the same way, the internet has been in existence for quite a while, and while we may be familiar with how to get to certain places on the internet, the training to comprehend and understand at a deep level may not necessarily be there. Spending time practicing literacy in this area can do nothing but empower the generation of students we will become responsible for.
Recently in my social context class, we discussed what exactly a competent English Language Arts graduate would look like. I personally feel as if this could apply more generally to what a competent learner who graduates high school might look like. A competent learner is one who knows how to access relevant and meaningful information, obtain knowledge from it, and use it to apply to any number of situations he/she encounters. A competent learner embodies the characteristics of the six language of English Language Arts (reading, writing, speaking, viewing, representing, listening) because expressive and receptive language are necessary for learning are necessary for learning to occur and for that learning to be shared. A competent learner has an understanding of our Albertan and Canadian culture, but also understands the bigger picture, and how our national context fits into that of the world. As an up-and-coming educator, I feel like teaching towards the ultimate goal of a literate 21st century citizen in the way I understand it is something well worth my time.
Resources Consulted
Alberta Education English Language Arts Program of Studies
MadArtistPublishing (2011, August 11). Rooted (HD) Super CUTE Animated Short by Edwin Shaap & Team (Sketchozine.com Vol.4&8). Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQYAykwgzGo.
pwcottawa (2012, May 31). CTV Report on Illiteracy in Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIOVCCp3AHI.
Toronto Public Library, & Library and Archives Canada (n.d.). TD Summer Reading Club. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://tdsummerreadingclub.ca/.
MadArtistPublishing (2011, August 11). Rooted (HD) Super CUTE Animated Short by Edwin Shaap & Team (Sketchozine.com Vol.4&8). Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQYAykwgzGo.
pwcottawa (2012, May 31). CTV Report on Illiteracy in Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIOVCCp3AHI.
Toronto Public Library, & Library and Archives Canada (n.d.). TD Summer Reading Club. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://tdsummerreadingclub.ca/.