There are many different opinions as to ‘What is literacy?’ and ‘What are literacy difficulties?’ Rassool’s (2009) article looks at literacy from an interdisciplinary approach which demonstrates how multidimensional it is and how literacy should be considered in relation to ‘ideology, culture, knowledge and power’ (Rassool, 2009, p. 7). She looks at the question of ‘What is literacy?’ from the perspective of the individual and the broader issues which shape both government policy and the practice of the individual tutor. In this essay I shall look at Rassool’s multidisciplinary approach in contrast to the view that literacy is a technical skill which involves the cognitive skills of decoding of text and functional literacy is the ‘process and content of learning to read and write in preparation for work ...’ United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, cited in Rassool, 2009 p. 7). It is my belief that this multidisciplinary approach highlights the complexities of how difficult it is to define literacy in an age of new technologies. These different models of literacy affect the definition of literacy difficulties. Are they a deficit or deficiency in the cognitive skills needed to read and write as suggested by the cognitive and developmental psychologists or should we view them from a socio-cultural perspective as suggested by Green and Kostogriz (2002)? These questions are important as they will affect how literacy is taught. After considering the evidence available, it will be argued that the latter approach is more beneficial to the learner.
Rassool argues that literacy is multidimensional because if serves, ‘social, economic, ideological and political purposes’ (Rassool, 2009 p. 7). This is...
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...1 Difficulties in Literacy Development [CD 2]. Milton Keynes, The Open University.
The Open University (2010) ‘Part 1: What is Literacy? What are Literacy Difficulties’, E801 Difficulties in Literacy Development Study Guide Milton Keynes, The Open University, p.8.
The Open University (2010) ‘Part 1: What is Literacy? What are Literacy Difficulties’, E801 Difficulties in Literacy Development Study Guide Milton Keynes, The Open University, p.17.
UNESCO (2006) Understandings of Literacy UNESCO [Online], Available at http://www.unesco.org/education/GMR2006/full/chapt6_eng.pdf (Accessed 21 November 2013).
Williams, A. and Gregory, E. (2009) ‘Siblings Bridging Literacies in Multilingual Contexts, in Soler, J., Fletcher-Campbell, F. and Reid, G. (eds) (2009) Understanding Difficulties in Literacy Development. Issues and Concepts, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
Other People’s Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy by Victoria Purcell-Gates recounts the author’s two-year journey with an illiterate Appalachian family. Purcell-Gates works with Jenny, the mother, and her son, first grader Donny, to analyze the literacy within the household. Throughout the journey, we learn the definition and types of literacy, the influences of society and the environment, and the impacts of literacy on education from the teacher’s perspective. In order to evaluate literacy in the household, one must study multiple types, including functional, informational, and critical literacy. As the name implies, functional literacy incorporates reading and writing as tools for everyday survival. Informational literacy is used through text to communicate information to others. The highest level of literacy, critical literacy, requires critical interpretations and imaginative reflections of text. In her study, Purcell-Gates strives to teach Jenny and Donny functional literacy.
Knoblauch argues that there are many definitions of literacy that impact people’s lives. Although he argues there are many definitions, he focused on four types of literacy that are most common in society. Knoblauch labels them as functional, cultural, personal-growth/liberal, and critical literacy. He defines functional literacy as a level of literacy that is “readying people for the necessities of daily life—writing checks, reading sets of instructions”(1990, p. 3) and other basic reading and writing skills. However, he also warns that there are hidden agendas in these types of defined literacies. Ill prepared teachers who do not connect to and challenge their students result in no critical literacy and very little
Jones Diaz, C. (2007). Literacy as social practice. In L. Makin, C. Jones Diaz & L. McLachlan (Eds.), Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice. (pp. 203-216).Marrickville, NSW: Elsevier.
Cope, Bill, and Mary Kalantzis. Multiliteracies,Literacy learning and the design of social futures. New London Group: London and New York, 1997.
In the prevailing and traditional definition, literacy is regarded as central to helping people obtain and retain employment, which is the key to moving them from dependency toward greater self-sufficiency. This functionalist definition, espoused by many policymakers, funders, and employers, is based on the assumption that there are jobs for the poor who are able to i...
Improving Literacy in the Primary School. London: Routledge. - Journals Literacy and Learning September/October 2001 Teaching and Learning April/ May 2003 - Government Documents Office for Standards in Education (2003) The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and the Primary School.
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Literacy in the 21st century is multidimensional with Giroux arguing “Teaching and learning the culture of the book is no longer the staple of what it means to be literate” (Arthur, 2001, p.183).
Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (5th ed., pp. 12-286). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
Literacy programs should be an integral component of every community. Not only do these programs serve adults and foreigners, but they also serve those that live with the problems of poverty throughout their daily lives. In 2000-2001, 15.7% of students missed 21 or more days during the school year. Students who miss many days of school because of illnesses beyond their control often fall behind in their studies. Many literacy programs help these students excel in what otherwise would have been a deficiency in their learning.
Literacy is defined as “the ability to use available symbol systems that are fundamental to learning and teaching for the purposes of comprehending and composing, for the purposes of making and communicating meaning and knowledge” (Stock, 2012), and it is one of the most essential skills that an early year student will learn. Literacy serves to provide the building blocks for the continued knowledge acquisition and general education of individuals of all ages; by working to understand and identify how and why literacy is taught using the structured literacy block format in Australian schools, and in identifying the benefits of utilizing this type of tool for teaching literacy in student’s early years, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of the organization, planning, and teaching approaches that are used in a literacy block approach. A sample standard literacy block will be provided, offering the means of understanding the applications of the tool, which will serve to further stress the necessity of this tool’s usage.
...n language and the development of literacy. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 13(2), 175-186. doi: 10.1080/13670050903474085
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (4th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Overall, these four readings have shown important strategies and ideas that are useful to a child when learning Literacy. We use literacy in everyday life, it is not just learnt a classroom environment. It is important that teachers keep working with their students towards developing in their Literacy. These strategies are helpful and can be used in classrooms to better student’s skills with communicating with others, and it gives them a chance to express themselves. These way students also develop in their vocabulary, and the child can now make meaning of what they are learning.