A Learning Module

Educ. 20 – Building and

Enhancing Literacy
Across Curriculum

Compiled by:

Mrs. Jennie T. Zaragosa

Instructor

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 1

 Unit I Introduction of Key Concepts

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the unit, the students shall be able to:
1. compare the basic concepts of traditional and 21 st century literacies
and skills;

2. explain the features and critical attributes of the 21 st century literacies.

READ

Literacy has traditionally been thought of as reading and writing. Although

these are essential components of literacy, today our understanding of literacy
encompasses much more. Alberta Education defines literacy as the ability,
confidence and willingness to engage with language to acquire, construct and
communicate meaning in all aspects of daily living. Language is explained as a
socially and culturally constructed system of communication.

National Secretariat for the International Year of Literacy, 1990 states that
traditional literacy is the integration of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and critical
thinking. It includes a cultural knowledge which enables a speaker, writer or reader to
recognize and use language appropriate to different social situations. For an
advanced technological society like Australia, the goal is an active literacy which
allows people to use language to enhance their capacity to think, create and question
in order to participate effectively in society.

A. Definitions of Traditional Literacies

Traditional literacy is ―the making of meaning and its clear communication to

others. Truly literate people not only read and write, but regularly do so in order to
sort out their ideas and put them in words, to fit them together and test hypotheses –
ie. to make sense and meaning out of our world. Literate people acknowledge that
they need to write things down, to talk them out, to read widely, to listen critically and
to respond articulately. Literate people are thinkers and learners." (Brown & Mathie,
1990).

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 2

 Traditional literacy is the foundation of effective citizenship, human
communication and social integration in a literate society. Therefore it is important to
foster the lifetime habit of purposeful and critical reading for information, education
and recreation. Literacy is the foundation of learning in all areas of the curriculum.
(Holdaway, 1979)

Traditional literacy is understanding (comprehension /making meaning);

critical (constructing/making meaning) - reading, thinking, learning.

Other Ideas about Literacy

Today it‘s about being able to make sense of and engage in

advanced reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Someone who has
reached advanced literacy in a new language, for example, is able to
engage in these four skills with their new language in any setting.

Richard Vaca, author of Content Area Reading: Literacy and

Learning Across the Curriculum , says, ―Adolescents entering the adult world
in the 21st century will read and write more than at any other time in human
history. They will need advanced levels of lite racy to perform their jobs, run
their households, act as citizens, and conduct their personal lives .‖

Some researchers also suggest that the term "literacy" can be

historically divided into the period before 1950, when literacy was
understood solely as alphabetical literacy (word and letter recognition) and the
period after 1950, when literacy slowly began to be considered as a wider concept
and process, i.e. functional literacy (Dijanosic, 2009).

Literacy involves students having the ability to interpret and understand

content from various contexts. It is defined by Merriam-Webster as the quality or state
of being literate. The word literate is defined by Webster as being able to read and
write, and having knowledge or competence. These definitions give a general view of
how literacy can be interpreted, but there is a vast amount of ways that literacy can be
achieved.

Webster also documented that the first known use of literacy was in 1880.
Historically, literacy was viewed as possessing the ability to read words on a page
because of it‘s limited amount of resources available at the time. If teachers view

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 3

 literacy in a traditional way, and use these beliefs as a guideline for their expectations
in the classroom, today‘s learners will be limited to learning a small amount of
information. Teachers have the responsibility to create an environment that supports
literacy, and they are also responsible for providing opportunities that engage
students to developing their literacy skills.

During the 1880s people did not have access to the amount of information that
is available today. During those times people were limited to gaining knowledge with
the use of only books and newspapers. Richard Brown writer of the article ―Looking at
History‖ explained how technology changed the amount of information that that people
were able to access. He stated in this article that ―The spread of reading skills was
aided by the technology of printing in the 1830s and 1840s with the steam-driven
printing press.‖ Without some of these advantages that were made during this time-
period people would not have access to any information that would develop their
literacy skills. Students now are not limited to the access of a small amount of
information. These limitations decrease the various opportunities that will promote
students to achieve literacy. Literacy now involves reading print, interpreting paintings,
pictures and drawings, and even understanding and decoding song lyrics.

Teachers need to be aware of the importance of providing an environment that

challenges students to engage into various forms of learning that will help them
achieve literacy. This can be achieved by not limiting students to reading and learning
from printed materials and text books, but also providing other resources that they can
gain knowledge from. Teachers can engage students by incorporating digital
resources, pictures, and even videos into their lessons. Using a variety of context will
enhance their learning, and increase their literacy. In this modern society, students
are not limited to only using printed books and newspapers. Today‘s students are able
to learn with the use of multi- media files, social media sites, audio books, and even
online news sites to gain information. To ensure that teachers gain and keep students
interest, teachers must incorporate these various resources within their lessons, and
provide opportunities for these resources to be used within the classroom.

The way literacy is viewed has changed drastically over the years. Students
are now able to learn a vast amount of information from various formats. Teachers
have the responsibility to provide opportunities for students to engage in these
different formats throughout their learning process. The incorporation of classroom
activities, projects, and lessons that promotes students to pull information from

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 4

 various resources allows students to gain a complete understanding of the content
that is being taught. It is important for students to learn to expand their thinking, and
learn to adopt new ways of retrieving information. There is a plethora of information
that is available at our finger tips, and student in this society need to know how to
retrieve information. The way people view literacy has changed due to the amount of
resources now available to our society.

Functional Literacy

According to the United National Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO), functional literacy refers to the practical skill set needed
to read, write and do math for real- life purposes, so people can function effectively in
their community.

Functional literacy is the ability to manage daily living and employment

tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level. It is a practical skills needed to
live a normal life.

As a future educator, you need to know how to select activities that practice
real-world skills. The ideal method is the participatory approach as defined by Peyton
and Crandall (1995) and Huerta - Martia (1993). The main goal of this approach is to
have every student, as well as the teacher, actively participating in the activities. This
approach changes the role of the teacher. Instead of us giving instructions and then
stepping back to allow students to work, the teacher works together with the
students. This approach forces us to practice our micro-teaching skills, as we help
learners to accomplish the goals that we set.

Early Literacy/Emergent Literacy

Children start to learn language from the day they are born. As they grow and
develop, their speech and language skills become increasingly more complex. They
learn to understand and use language to express their ideas, thoughts, and feelings,
and to communicate with others. During early speech and language development,
children learn skills that are important to the development of literacy (reading and
writing).

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 5

 This stage, known as emergent literacy, begins at birth and continues
through the preschool years. Children see and interact with print (e.g., books,
magazines, grocery lists) in everyday situations (e.g., home, in preschool, and at
daycare) well before they start elementary school. Parents can see their child's
growing appreciation and enjoyment of print as he or she begins to recognize words
that rhyme, scribble with crayons, point out logos and street signs, and name some
letters of the alphabet. Gradually, children combine what they know about speaking
and listening with what they know about print and become ready to learn to read and
write.

Emergent literacy is the term used to describe the reading and writing
experiences of young children before they learn to write and read conventionally
(Teale & Sulzby, 1986). Emergent literacy begins at birth, regardless of whether or
not a child has a disability. For older emergent literacy learners, it is important to
keep all activities age respectful.

Emergent literacy is commonly defined as the behaviors of reading and

writing that lead to conventional literacy and “comprises all of the actions,
understandings and misunderstandings of learners engaged in experiences that
involve print creation or use‖ (Koppenhaver & Erickson, 2003, p. 283), and these
experiences are not only necessary but closely related to later literacy outcomes
(Justice and Kaderavek, 2004).

Emergent literacy behaviours and understandings are directly related to

opportunity and experience. Students with significant disabilities often have the
fewest learning opportunities and experiences that lead to literacy.

Students who are emerging in their understandings of literacy are working to

understand the functions of print and print conventions. Developing phonological
awareness, alphabet knowledge, and important receptive and expressive language
skills will eventually allow students to use reading and writing to interact with others.
Emergent readers and writers are making discoveries and learning about literacy
when they explore literacy materials, observe print within the natural environment,
interact with conventional readers and writers, and see models of how and why print
is used (Teale & Sulzby, 1992).

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 Examples of emergent literacy behaviors may include interpreting a story
through pictures rather than through text, manipulating books in nonconventional
ways (e.g., looking at the book from back to front or holding it upside down),
scribbling, and the use of invented spelling (Clay, 1993; Koppenhaver, 2000).

An emergent reader is one who is interested in books but can‘t yet read
them independently or may be able to read some words but requires continued
support to make meaning from print. It could also be a student who is not yet
interested in reading books. An emergent reader may have not yet developed
intentional or symbolic means of communication .

An emergent writer is one who is learning to use written language to express

communicative intent, and beginning writing is defined as starting with emergent
writing (drawing, scribbling, and writing letters) and ending with conventional writing
abilities, usually acquired by second or third grade for typically developing children.
(Strum, Cali, Nelson, & Staskowski, 2012).

Basic Literacy and Skills

Basic literacy skills are referred to the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic,
three Rs. It is vital for the individuals to possess these skills, to carry out various
tasks and activities and sustain their living conditions in an appropriate manner

Basic literacy skills are regarded as an indispensable component of human

resource development. It is fundamental to not only growth and development of
human resources, but also to lead to social and economic progress of the nation.
They render an important contribution towards bringing about improvements in the
quality of lives of the individuals.

Acquisition of basic literacy skills help the individuals to carry out the functions of
child development, health care and well-being, management of household
responsibilities, purchase and sales of items, carrying out banking transactions, and
making decisions. Higher level of literacy and educational development led to greater
awareness on one hand and provide assistance to the individuals to acquire new
skills on the other.

Acquisition of basic literacy skills is the first step in the learning and
knowledge building of individuals. Therefore, literacy is regarded as an indicator for
any measurement of human development. The Human Development Index (HDI)
combines three dimensions of development, i.e. living a long and healthy life, being

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 7

 educated and having a decent standard of living. Adults may recognize the need to
bring about improvements in the basic literacy skills, particularly, when they begin a
new job, help their children with homework or need to augment their understanding in
terms of certain areas.

ACTIVITY

Using a semantic web, enumerate the key concepts or ideas that describe
traditional literacy. (25 points)

Traditional
Literacy

READ

B. Definitions of the 21st Century Literacy and Skills

The 21st century literacy skills is defined as an aggregate of skills commonly

focusing on information technology skills, information literacy skills and critical
thinking skills (Gura & King, 2007). The importance of these skills is demonstrated
in the importance for success in daily, academic and workplace success in the 21st
century. Individual interpretations of the term also exist which focus on K-12
educational processes rather than skills (Partnership for 21st Century Learning
(n.d.).

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 8

 In the twenty-first century, literacy skills increasingly reflect technology use
and the abilities necessary to problem-solve, collaborate, and present information
through multi-media. As technology becomes more readily available to all students,
concepts of literacy change. Researchers and theorists from various disciplines
define and describe 21st century literacies using many terms that are inadvertently
interchanged and/or unfamiliar to teachers. The purpose of this article is to review
contemporary definitions of literacy to clarify what is currently known about 21st
century literacy skills.

Holistically developed Filipino with 21st Century Skills

 Information, Media and Technology Skills
1. Visual and Information Literacies
2. Media Literacy
3. Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies and
multicultural literacy
4. Global awareness
 Learning and Innovation Skills
1. Creativity and curiosity
2. Critical thinking problem solving skills
3. Risk taking
 Communication Skills
1. Collaboration and interpersonal skills
 Life and Career Skills
1. Flexibility and adaptability
2. Initiative and self-direction
3. Social and cross-cultural skills
4. Productivity and accountability
5. Leadership and responsibility
6. Ethical, moral, and spiritual value

Info. Media and Technology Skills

Access and evaluate information.
Use and manage information.
Analyze media.
Create media products.
Apply technology effectively.

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 9

 Learning Innovation Skills
Creativity and Innovation
Critical thinking and problem-solving
Communication and collaboration

Globalization and Multi-Cultural Literacy

What is global literacy?

Global Literacy aims to address issues of globalization, racism, diversity and

social justice (Guo, 2014). It requires awareness and action, consistent with a broad
understanding of humanity, the planet, and the impact of human decision on both.
Global Literacy also aims to empower students with knowledge and take
action to make a positive impact in the world and their local community (Guo, 2014).
According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2015) A global citizen should
display most or all of the following characteristics:

 Respect for humans no matter their race, gender, religion or political

perspectives.
 Respect for diversity and various perspectives.
 Promoting sustainable patterns of living, consumption, and production.
 Appreciate the natural world and demonstrate respectful towards the rights of
all living things.

What is multi-cultural literacy?

Multicultural Literacy consists of the skills and ability to identify the creators of
knowledge and their interests (Banks, 1996), to uncover the assumptions of
knowledge, to view knowledge from diverse ethnic and cultural perspective, and to
use knowledge to guided action that will create a humane and just world (Boutte,
2008).

Multicultural Literacy then, brings attention to diversity, equity and social

justice to foster cultural awareness by addressing difficult issues like discrimination
and oppression towards other ethnicities (Boutte, 2008). According to Boutte (2008)
education for multicultural literacy should help students to develop the 21st century
skills and attitudes that are needed to become active citizens who will work towards
achieving social justice within our communities. Because of the growing racial,

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 10

 language and ethnic diversity in our country, Multicultural Literacy needs to be
transformed in substantial ways to prepare students to function effectively in the
21st Century (Boutte, 2008).

By making small changes within the classrooms, it can create big changes
globally (Boutte, 2008). As diversity grows, there is a need for the emergence of
multicultural education that is more representative of the students in today‘s
classrooms. By teaching students to be advocates for multiculturalism, we are also
sending a message of empathy and tolerance in schools as a need to develop
deeper understanding of others and appreciation of different cultures (Banks, 2003).
With this being said, in order for students to develop these attitudes and skills, it
requires basic knowledge prior to teaching students how to question assumptions
about cultural knowledge and how to critique and critically think about these
important cultural issues, which is what essentially makes Multicultural Literacy a
21st Century Literacy (Banks, 2003).

How are Multicultural and Global Literacy Interconnected?

Every classroom contains students of different race, religion, and cultural
groups. Students embrace diverse behaviors, cultural values, patterns of practice,
and communication. Yet they all share one commonality: their educational
opportunity (Guo, 2014).

Teachers should teach their students that other cultures exist and that these
deserve to be acknowledged and respected. Integrating a variety of cultural context
into lessons and activities, teaches students to view the world from many angles,
creates a respect for diversity and enables students to learn exciting information. As
classrooms become increasingly more diverse, it is important for educators to
acknowledge an address diversity issues and to integrate multiculturalism information
into the classroom curriculum (Guo, 2014).

Social Literacy

What is social literacy?

Social literacy, from the perspective of the social-cultural theory, is more than
the ability to read and write and more than mastering literacy skill. Children can learn
literacy through social interaction between themselves and children and/or adults in

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 or outside school. Adults can use books, games, toys, conversations, field trips, and
stories to develop the literacy practices through fun.

Collaborative learning between schools, family, and community can help

develop a child's literacy. In addition, given today's technical knowledge, adults can
take into consideration how to use technology in the learning process and to employ
it in teaching children how to read and write in a social context.

"Literacy practices and events are always situated in social, cultural, historical
and political relationships and embedded in structures of power. Furthermore, literacy
practices involve social regulation of text, i.e. who has access to it and who can
produce it, and such practices are purposeful and embedded in broader social goals
and cultural practices. Moreover, these practices change and new ones are
frequently acquired through processes of informal learning and sense-making"
(p. 23).

Social literacy is also defined as the student‘s successful performance and

understanding of social skills, organizational skills and communication skills. It is the
students‘ ability to connect effectively with those around them. Social literacy spans
across interacting with peers, family, co workers, teachers, and even with people we
may not have meet face to face.

Social literacy is so crucial in a person‘s success. The ability to communicate

and voice opinions and thoughts, as well as listening to opinions and thoughts of
others, is essential in learning. Firmly grasping social cues and norms is extremely
beneficial.

Social literacy‟ implies a level of skill in being able to form respectful

relationships. It implies learning about the give and take of interacting with others. It
includes the delicate, delightful and sometimes very painful dance of sharing with
others and allowing them to be ‗real‘ to us—beyond stereotypes and labels and
beyond simply being a means to fulfill our own needs.

For those reasons, teachers can design multiple levels of literacy activities
and practices to fit different students' abilities and way of learning and "provide
a pedagogical approach which fosters communities of learners,
plan classroom activities that embed meaningful opportunities to engage in the
analysis and construction of multimodal texts, and utilize teaching approaches that
move beyond the false tension between abstracting the codes of language and
learning their application for meaningful purposes" (p. 126).

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 12

 Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to identify different types of media and understand
the messages they're sending. Kids take in a huge amount of information from a wide
array of sources, far beyond the traditional media (TV, radio, newspapers, and
magazines) of most parents' youth. There are text messages, memes, viral videos,
social media, video games, advertising, and more. But all media shares one thing:
Someone created it. And it was created for a reason. Understanding that reason is
the basis of media literacy.
Media literacy is an essential skill in the digital age.

Specifically, it helps kids:

 Learn to think critically. As kids evaluate media, they decide whether the
messages make sense, why certain information was included, what wasn't
included, and what the key ideas are. They learn to use examples to support
their opinions. Then they can make up their own minds about the information
based on knowledge they already have.

 Become a smart consumer of products and information. Media literacy

helps kids learn how to determine whether something is credible. It also helps
them determine the "persuasive intent" of advertising and resist the
techniques marketers use to sell products.

 Recognize point of view. Every creator has a perspective. Identifying an

author's point of view helps kids appreciate different perspectives. It also
helps put information in the context of what they already know -- or think they
know.

 Create media responsibly. Recognizing your own point of view, saying what
you want to say how you want to say it, and understanding that your
messages have an impact is key to effective communication.

 Identify the role of media in our culture. From celebrity gossip to magazine
covers to memes, media is telling us something, shaping our understanding
of the world, and even compelling us to act or think in certain ways.

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 13

  Understand the author's goal. What does the author want you to take away
from a piece of media? Is it purely informative, is it trying to change your
mind, or is it introducing you to new ideas you've never heard of? When kids
understand what type of influence something has, they can make informed
choices.

When teaching kids media literacy, it's not so important for parents or
teachers to tell kids whether something is "right." In fact, the process is more of an
exchange of ideas. You'll probably end up learning as much from your kids as they
learn from you

Media literacy includes asking specific questions and backing up your

opinions with examples. Following media-literacy steps allows you to learn for
yourself what a given piece of media is, why it was made, and what you want to think
about it.

Teaching kids media literacy as a sit-down lesson is not very effective; it's
better incorporated into everyday activities. For example:

 With little kids, you can discuss things they're familiar with but may not pay
much attention to. Examples include cereal commercials, food wrappers, and
toy packages.
 With older kids, you can talk through media they enjoy and interact with.
These include such things as YouTube videos, viral memes from the internet,
and ads for video games.

Financial Literacy

Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various

financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing.
The lack of these skills is called financial illiteracy.

Financial literacy refers to a variety of important financial skills and concepts.

People who are financially literate are generally less vulnerable to financial fraud. A
strong foundation of financial literacy can help support various life goals, such as
saving for education or retirement, using debt responsibly, and running a business.

Why Is Financial Literacy Important?

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 14

 The lack of financial literacy can lead to a number of pitfalls. Financially
illiterate individuals may be more likely to accumulate unsustainable debt burdens,
for example, either through poor spending decisions or through a lack of long-term
preparation. This in turn can lead to poor credit, bankruptcy, housing foreclosure, or
other negative consequences.

How to Become Financially Literate?

To become financial literate involves learning and practicing a variety of skills
related to budgeting, managing and paying off debts, and understanding credit and
investment products. Basic steps to improve your personal finances include creating
a budget, keeping track of expenses, being diligent about timely payments, being
prudent about saving money, periodically checking your credit report, and investing
for your future.

Cyber/Digital Literacy
Cyber/Digital literacy refers to an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and
compose clear information through writing and other media on various digital
platforms. Digital literacy is evaluated by an individual's grammar, composition,
typing skills and ability to produce text, images, audio and designs using
technology.

The American Library Association (ALA) defines digital literacy as ―the ability
to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and
communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” While
digital literacy initially focused on digital skills and stand-alone computers, the
advent of the internet and use of social media, has caused some of its focus to
shift to mobile devices.

Similar to other expanding definitions of literacy that recognize cultural and

historical ways of making meaning, digital literacy does not replace traditional
forms of literacy, and instead builds upon and expands the skills that form the
foundation of traditional forms of literacy. Digital literacy should be considered to
be a part of the path to knowledge.

Digital literacy is built on the expanding role of social science research in the
field of literacy as well as on concepts of visual literacy, computer literacy,
and information literacy.

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 15

 Eco- Literacy

What is Ecological or Eco- literacy?

Ecological literacy, or eco-literacy, is a term first used by American

educator David W. Orr and physicist Fritjof Capra in the 1990s, in order to
introduce into educational practice the value and well-being of the Earth and
its ecosystems. It is a way of thinking about the world in terms of its
interdependent natural and human systems, including a consideration of the
consequences of human actions and interactions within the natural context.

Ecological literacy equips students with the knowledge and

competencies necessary to address complex and urgent environmental
issues in an integrated way, and enables them to help shape a sustainable
society that does not undermine the ecosystems upon which it depends.

The following are core aspects of ecological literacy:

 Principles of Living Systems

According to Fritjof Capra, the ecological problems facing society are rooted
in a lack of understanding of our place in the web of life. A key part of eco-
literacy is reconnecting students to living systems – what educator Linda
Booth Sweeney calls developing a ‗connected wisdom‘. Living systems are
open, self-organizing systems that have the special characteristic of life and
that interact with their environment through information and material-energy
exchanges. Examples of living systems include the human body, or a forest,
or a river, as well as human-created organizations, such as communities, or
schools.
 Design Inspired by Nature
The guiding principles and characteristics of living systems serve as a
basis for envisioning and designing sustainable communities. Beyond
understanding natural systems, ecological literacy is about applying this
understanding to the redesign of organizations, communities, businesses,
and societies to align with ecological principles. The idea of ―design inspired
by nature‖ has become popular through concepts such as biophilia,
biomimicry or biomimetics, which involve examining and emulating natural
models, systems, processes, and elements in order to solve human
problems. According to David Orr, the goal of ecological design is to

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 16

 transform how humans act in the world to provide food, shelter, energy,
materials, and seek their livelihood. Ecological literacy asks what people
know and how should they learn it, given the limits of the Earth and its
systems. It demands that human actions and design conform to how the
world works as a biophysical system, and that societies be designed with
future generations in mind.

 Systems Thinking

Ecological literacy is also guided by an understanding of systems, or

systems thinking, sometimes called holistic or relational thinking. Because a
system is a set of interdependent, interrelated parts that make up a complex
and unified whole, it cannot be fully understood by analyzing its constituent
parts. Ecological literacy involves applying a way of thinking that emphasizes
relationships, connectedness and context. For example, we can only
understand a songbird by exploring both its own characteristics as well as its
interactions with the watershed where it lives. Systems operate on multiple
scales, with systems nested within systems – a watershed is a vibrant
interplay among species from the tree to the bacteria in the soil. Systems
thinking is necessary to understand the complex interdependence and often
unpredictable dynamics of ecological systems, social systems, economic
systems and other systems on all levels. Ecologically literate students find
connections in seemingly disjointed problems, perceive patterns instead of
pieces, and design communities based on the interrelatedness of all life.
 Ecological Paradigm and the Transition to Sustainability

Ecological literacy is partly aimed at triggering large-scale social

change in how humans live on the planet. Teaching young people that we are
part of the natural world is the basis for the shift to an ecological paradigm – a
worldview that places humans as embedded in ecological systems rather
than perceived as separate, and that recognizes that there are global
constraints to the amount of resources we can use and waste we can
produce on a finite Earth.
 Collaboration, Community Building and Citizenship

Ecological literacy is about emphasizing collaboration and partnership

as a hallmark of living systems and life. The ability to associate, create links,
draw on collective distributed intelligence of many individuals is part of eco-
literacy. Ultimately, sustainability is a community practice.

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 17

 Ecologically literate students are also community builders and active
citizens. An ecological education occurs both within the natural environment
and in the local community where students can build relationships and apply
their understanding in a real world setting. Ecoliteracy knowledge empowers
students to help create a better society and make a difference. Studies have
shown that combining civic engagement and ecological literacy creates
positive change leaders willing to participate as citizens and engage in
creating solutions.

Arts and Creativity Literacy

Artistic literacy is a human right and a teachable skill. It is the ability to

connect both personally and meaningfully to works of art and, through
this process, to forge connections to our humanity and the humanity of
others.

When we practice artistic literacy—by exploring an artist‘s process,

understanding artistic concepts, and learning skills within an artistic
discipline—we inspire contemplation on the human experience, challenge our
beliefs and perceptions, and cultivate our ability to revise what we think we
know. We gain entrance to works of art that may have seemed inaccessible;
we experience a sense of ownership and belonging.

Descartes said ―One cannot conceive anything so strange and so

implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another.‖
As a phrase, ―artistic literacy‖ can be traced to numerous disparate
conversations concerning best practices in arts-based learning and
community engagement.

Artistic and literacy are two words in which each is loaded with its own
social, psychological, emotional and intellectual resonances—frequently meet
with some resistance when used in combination. Yet it is precisely because of
the weight they can carry that we continue to find them effective

Educ. 20 - Building and Enhancing Literacy Across Curriculum 18

 ACTIVITY

Using Venn diagram, compare and contrast the basic concepts of traditional
and 21st century literacies and skills. (25 points)

READ

C. Features of 21st Century Teaching and Learning

The Learning Environment

 Teachers and students are all learners.
 The focus is more on questions, less on answers.
 Understanding is more important than knowing.
 Innovation and exploration are part of learning.
 We connect and learn with the world.
21st century teaching and learning must be based on the following broad
skills
 Collaborative inquiry to solve real and relevant problems.
 Creativity and innovation
 Critical thinking and problem-solving
 Communication
Technology is what supports and enables this kind of learning and
engages students by:
 Providing learning- anywhere, anytime
 Supporting teacher innovation and capacity building

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  Enhancing equity of access through the use of personal devices and
internet resources
 Using social media to support inquiry and communication while
building social responsibility and digital literacy.
Characteristics of 21st Century Teachers

The 21st Century educators are able to adapt the curriculum and the
requirements to teach to the curriculum in imaginative ways, software and hardware
designed for a business model into tools utilizable by a variety of age groups and
abilities to a dynamic teaching experience; and teaching style to be inclusive of
different modes of learning.
The 21st century teacher as a communicator must be fluent in tools and
technologies that enable communication and collaboration anytime, anywhere. They
do not only know how to do communication, they also know how to facilitate,
stimulate, control, moderate, and manage communication.
The 21st century teacher, as a visionary, must have rich imagination to:
 see the potential in, grasp, and manipulate the emerging tools and web
technologies;
 look at others' ideas and envisage how they would use these in their class;
 looks across the disciplines and through the curricula and make links that
reinforce and value learning in other areas; and
 make other fields as leverage to reinforce their own teaching and the learning
of their students.

The 21st century teacher, as a leader:

 leads by example by championing processes and modelling skills – walks the

talk;
 is an advocator early adopter – a maverick;
 set clear goals and objectives crucial to the success of a project.

The 21st century teacher, as a model, should model:

 the behaviors that they expect from their students – tolerance, acceptance,
a wider view than just their curricula areas, global awareness and reflection;
 reflective practice by monitoring and evaluating their teaching via blogs,
twitter and other medium where educators can look both inwards and
outwards.

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 The 21st century teacher, as a collaborator, must be able to:

 leverage collaborative tools like Linkeden, Ning, Blogger, Wikispaces,

Bebo, MSN, MySpace, Slideshare, Pinterest, and Facebook to enhance
and captivate our learners;
 share, contribute, adapt, and invent using these collaborative tools.

The 21st century teacher, as a risk taker, must :

 have a vision of what s/he wants and what the technology can achieve to
be able to identify goals and facilitate learning;
 take risks and sometimes surrender to the students knowledge and use
the strength of digital natives to :
 understand and navigate products
 have students teach each other
What must 21st century teachers do to develop critical thinking in
students?
 Engage in problem solving
 Collaborate with others
 Make real -world applications
 Think critically and creatively
 Communicate clearly and accurately
 Reflect on learning
 Analyze, reason, and evaluate
 Open-minded
Key Features of 21st Century Learning

The 21st Century education focuses on personalization, equality, collaboration,

communication and community relationships.

These skills are required in a rapidly changing global economy. Students will be
training for jobs that do not even exist yet. These jobs will require the types of problem
solving and communication skills that can only be learned through 21st Century
approaches to learning.

Characteristics of 21st Century Education

21st Century education has 7 key features that make it different to a 20th Century
approach. These are: (1) Personalized learning. (2) Equity, diversity and inclusivity. (3)

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 Learning through doing. (4) Changed role of the teacher. (5) Community relationships.
(6) Technology. (7) Teacher professionalization.

These 7 features of 21st Century learning and teaching are adapted from (and build
upon) Bolstad et al. (2012).

7 Key Features of 21st Century Education are:

1. Personalized learning. - A personalized approach recognizes that not all

students learn in the same manner. Personalized learning involves differentiating
instruction so that students can learn in ways that suit their personal needs.
Educators can adjust their teaching methods in several ways. They could:
 Differentiate content difficulty;
 Differentiate modes of delivery; and
 Differentiate assessment strategies.
By contrast, the 20th Century approach was characterized by a one size fits
all approach. In the old model, all students in the class were taught the same content
in the same way at the same time. Instruction was usually transmission-style under a
paradigm of teaching often referred to as the banking model of education.
The significant shift from the one size fits all to personalized approach can be
attributed to evolving understandings of how people learn. Theories such as
the sociocultural theory gained prominence in the latter decades of the 20th
Century, which are now dominant in the 21st Century. These theories recognize that
learners are influenced significantly by social, cultural and environmental factors
which lead to differentiated outcomes. Many theorists now believe that students need
to learn through various different learning modalities depending on the student‘s
needs.
Examples of personalized learning include:
 Differentiated instruction;
 Individualized education plans;
 Student-led projects in the classroom;
 Enhanced freedom of choice in the classroom
2. Equity, diversity and inclusivity. - In the 20th Century students were expected to
conform to the mainstream or be excluded. But in the 21st Century, social inclusion
and difference are celebrated.
We embrace equity, diversity and inclusivity in classrooms by:

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  Equity: A goal of 21st Century educators is to achieve equality of outcomes.
Educators are attempting to close achievement gaps between rich and
poor. Hopefully one day your family‘s wealth will not determine how
successful you are at school.
 Diversity: Diversity is now considered a strength in classrooms. When
students are different, they learn that difference is okay. They befriend people
of different cultures and learn not to be afraid of other cultures around them.
 Inclusivity: We now believe that people of all ability levels, physical
disabilities, or learning disabilities deserve to be included in mainstream
classrooms. This can help them contribute to mainstream life and show them
they are welcome and equal participants in the world.
Driving factors behind the turn toward increased equity, diversity and
inclusivity include:
 A shift to the social model of disability, which argues that society needs to
adapt to include people with learning and physical disabilities into mainstream
classrooms;
 Increased cultural diversity leading to greater awareness of differences
between cultures;
 Feminist and critical theories gaining currency in society, leading to
awareness of the need for greater gender equality
3. Learning through doing.
In the 21st century learning, students are encouraged to learn through doing.
The central idea in the ‗learning through doing‘ approach is that we are much better
at knowing, remembering and using knowledge if we learn actively, rather than
through passive learning.
When we are learning through doing, we:
 Have first-hand experience with applying information to the real world.
 Get the opportunity to learn through trial-and-error (so we
know why something is true or not).
 Aren‘t told something, but rather we discover things through our engagement
with the world around us.
 Learn information that isn‘t just theoretical but can be applied to things in our
lives somehow.
There are many approaches to education that fit within this 21st Century
„learning through doing‟ paradigm. Here are just a few:

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  Cognitive Constructivism: This is a theory of learning that believe we learn
by constructing ideas in our heads (rather than having them inserted into our
minds). We construct information when we place ideas in our working
memory, compare it to our existing prior knowledge, and make decisions
about how useful, truthful or valuable this new knowledge is to us before
saving it, using it to change our minds, or discarding it. We don‘t just take bits
of information for granted: we ‗mull them over‘ and ‗consider them‘ before
deciding how to use them.
 Problem Based Learning: PBL is a teaching strategy based on cognitive
constructivism. It involves learning through solving problems. This is clearly
very different to learning by being told facts. That‘s because students aren‘t
given answers to problems: they have to solve the problems themselves to
discover the truth. That‘s why sometimes we also call PBL discovery learning.
 Problem Posing Education (PPE): PPE is very similar to problem based
learning. In a problem posing environment, the teacher or student will come
up with a problem and present the problem to the class. The class and the
teacher need to learn the answer to this problem together. So, not even the
teacher enters the classroom with the answers in this approach. It therefore
creates a very democratic co-learning atmosphere in the classroom.
 Project Based Learning: In a project-based classroom, students will work on
one big problem for many lessons (maybe even weeks or months) at a time.
Students will often work together and use resources around them like
community members or the internet to create something new (their project!).
 Phenomenon Based Learning (PhBL): PhBL is an approach that is popular
in Finland. Rather than learning through subjects (mathematics, languages,
science, history), students focus on a ‗phenomenon‘ (or ‗topic‘) that requires
them to use multiple different forms of knowledge from different subject areas
to learn about the phenomenon in a holistic way.

4. Changed role of the teacher.

5. Community relationships.
6. Technology.
7. Teacher professionalization

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 Activity
Explanation
Answer the following questions.
What are the features and critical attributes of the 21st century literacies? Explain
each feature and critical attribute in not less than three (3) sentences. (5 points each)

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