21st Century Literacy

My ideas of literacy and learning have been shifting so much over the course of the grad program I’m in. With all the information, opinions and ideas out there, I don’t know if I am now more informed or more confused than I was to start with.

“Literacy” to me always had to do with reading, or proficiency with comprehending what you read. I wasn’t ignorant to the fact that digital media was becoming increasingly prominent in teaching and learning, I just didn’t always make the association between it and literacy. For example, one of our school goals last year involved increasing literacy (like every other school in the district/area/province…). The assumption was that to increase literacy, we had to work on reading and writing. This was left mostly up to Language Arts/English teachers, with other subjects integrating literacy improvement strategies where possible. In my domain of mathematics, it was suggested to me that I use “word problems” in my math class to assist with the literacy goal. Then we would test the students on their reading and writing and hope to see improvements. But who said “literacy” is just reading and writing?

We live in a world where:

• if you can’t spell, the computer will fix it;
• any information we need is at our fingertips and can be retrieved in mere seconds;
• shorthand writing is not only acceptable, but more common than not in written communication and networking using social media;
• people don’t write letters anymore: they text, IM, tweet, blog.

This list could go on and on and on.

The technological advances that have taken place in the 21st century have been colossal. I’m not saying that reading and writing are obsolete, but the medium in which they currently exist is drastically different than before. Technology is not just a compilation of bells and whistles that are trendy for the moment and will disappear after its 15 minutes of fame. The Digital Age is an era that while difficult to stay ahead of, we as educators at least have to keep up with. We need to increase and adapt our current notions of what it means to teach, what it means to learn, what it means to know something.

So with that, our definition of literacy needs to continue to shift. It does not have to have a definition that is static, but rather one that is living and continually changing.

21st century learners need to be equipped with 21st century literacy skills. What does that look like?

The International School Bangkok (ISB) is an impressive institution that delivers 21st century literacy curriculum.
“The mission of 21st century literacy education at ISB is to prepare students to meet the demands brought on by our rapidly changing global community. In order to meet this goal it is essential that we continually seek out and embed innovative strategies, emerging technologies and a variety of information sources into our learning environments. With technological change happening at exponential rates, students need to be able to independently learn, unlearn, and relearn in order to be successful in the future (and the "now"). Becoming an independent learner is at the core of ISB's vision for learning.”

Image from ISB's wiki

The enGauge 21st Century Skills define clearly what students need to thrive in today’s Digital Age:
As society changes, the skills needed to deal with the complexities of life also change. Major new studies now define literacy as the ability to use “digital technology, communications tools, and/or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate,and create information in order to function in a knowledge society” (ICT Literacy Panel, 2002).
Basic Literacy: Can students demonstrate language proficiency (in English) and numeracy at levels necessary for success on the job and in a digital-age society?
Scientific Literacy: Do students have the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision-making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity?
Economic Literacy: Can students identify economic issues; analyze incentives; examine the consequences of changes in economic conditions and public policies; collect and organize economic evidence; and weigh costs against benefits?
Technological Literacy: Do students know what technology is, how it works, what purposes it can serve, and how it can be used efficiently and effectively to achieve specific goals?
Visual Literacy: Can students interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and video using both conventional and 21st century media in ways that advance thinking, decision making, communication, and learning?
Information Literacy: Are students able to evaluate information across a range of media; recognize when information is needed; locate, synthesize, and use it effectively; and accomplish this using technology, communication networks, and electronic resources?
Multicultural Literacy: Can students understand and appreciate similarities and differences between the customs, values, and beliefs of their own culture and the cultures of others?
Global Awareness: Do students recognize and understand relationships among international organizations, nation-states, public and private economic entities, socio-cultural groups, and individuals across the globe?

Image and text from enGauge's "21st Century Skills for 21st Century Learners"