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Philosophy on literacy
Importance of literacy in education
Philosophy on literacy
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Literacy is vital; in order to live a productive life in 2013 humans need to communicate in a myriad of ways using a vast array of skills to make meaning and to understand information. Literacy is a not a static concept, the notion of what it means to be literate changes rapidly as technologies develop and evolve and as our society changes (Wishart, 2009). It also understood that some literacies hold more power than others; Standard Australian English (SAE) is considered to be the ‘common’ and dominant language of Australia. However in this diverse multicultural country there are many languages and dialects spoken, especially in less formal settings and these need to be valued if we are to truly engage all students (ACARA, 2013). Teacher’s need to perform three tasks in respect to literacy education. They must expose students to all the various texts, traditional, modern and those using multiple platforms; they must explicitly teach SAE; and they must be embrace and promote diverse literacies.
Literacy is the ability to communicate and make meaning using a variety of different texts, in order to participate in a functional way in modern society. 100 years ago in the industrial age the basic literacy skills of reading and writing may have been required by only a few. Now in 2013 due to massive advances in technology and the diverse nature of society, the type of text and the amount that is being produced has radically changed (Anstey & Bull, 2013). Students leaving school today need to be literate users of email, text social media, and software programs as part of their jobs and their social lives. Students need to learn SAE in order to participate in fully in formal aspects of Australian live, however they need to maintain literacy in their dialects, first languages and specific cultural practices in order to attend their church and have lunch with extended family
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 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.
Literacy beyond English is crucial. It is not a skill that is just pinned down to a single subject. It is equally important throughout the entire curriculum. This persuasive essay will delve into how classrooms studying Year 6 Humanities and Social Science must be able to facilitate the necessary literacy skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking at an appropriate level, as it is fundamental when it comes to gaining a deeper understanding of the subject at hand. Quite literally, a students capacity to understand and demonstrate the skills related to literacy has the potential to act as a portal and a catalyst to a whole other world of learning. This essay will explore why literacy is so important when it comes to Humanities and Social Science, and how Year 6 students will be using literacy regarding reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Prior to beginning SPCH 100, I was a very nervous and anxious speaker and presenter. In my first speech, the introduction video, there were some key aspects that were easily recognizable by the audience. I think was a bit fidgety with my body language from my nervousness and anxiousness. My hand movements and lack of expressions were clearly present. My main concern while speaking has been of what the audience is thinking of me and what I am speaking and presenting about. It did take me few tries to complete all speeches, and in doing so I did learn quite a bit about myself, others in general, and how to become a better speaker.
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.
In our schools today, literacy should not just be a task for the English or Reading teacher. Instead, literacy should be a shared venture by all teachers within all content areas. Teaching literacy in all content areas is important because a teacher with a solid understanding of teaching literacy in his/her content area will tremendously help all students achieve greater success on class assignments and standardized assessments. There are three main points that surround the idea of teaching literacy in all content areas. Teachers need the necessary skills and knowledge to teach literacy, once the necessary skills and knowledge are gained then there is justification for teaching literacy across content areas, and
Designed for teachers of English, Reviewing English in the 21st Century provides an overview of changes in English teaching in Australia over the last six decades, and the theories behind such changes. This edition also explains current popular theories for teaching English, and suggests methods for implementing them in the classroom. The first section of the book, ‘Reviewing’, relates how new models of English teaching, such as the cultural heritage, skills, personal growth and cultural studies models, have been influenced by developments in learning theories. The second section of the book, ‘Developing and Contextualising”, is concerned with providing effective pedagogies for English teachers in many areas, including ESL students, indigenous students and students with learning difficulties. The final section of the book, ‘Applying’, provides practical applications and student activity suggestions for teaching English, such as methods in drama, media, novels, poetry, visual representations and information technologies.
The new-wave literacy is a much broader category than previously taught. Reading and writing were once separate subjects; now, literacy instruction consists of reading and writing, as well as listening, speaking, and viewing. Today, students are learning to convey their thoughts and meanings through not just written work, but also through music, images, audio, and video. Sweeny states that, “New literacies can transform students’ writing into unique expressions of their ideas, thoughts, critiques, and responses to literature and other curricular subjects” (p. 127). Teachers are needing to teach students how to transfer their thoughts and writing to an ICT format, as well as provide stud...
In the digital age, reading skills enhance students’ abilities in so many areas such as students’ independence of teachers and parents; they also allow students to participate independently in social life practices including reading newspapers and posters. Reading may help students broaden tastes and understanding of others. It makes their life meaningful, significant and interesting. In the global information-based society, English reading comprehension has become essential for sharing in ideas with others and obtaining up-to-date information in all fields of life. 90% of all information in the world's electronic retrieval systems is stored in English (Hasman, 2000). Moreover, Grabe and Stoller (2002) argued that reading is a vital academic language skill for foreign language learners. In academic settings, reading is considered to be the central way for learning new knowledge and obtaining access to alternative explanations and interpretations.
“Although the various educational institutions these people have attended as students, for instance, value computer-based literacies at some level, in English composition classes and in most official assessments of communication ability, the focus is primarily on conventional, alphabetic and print literacy” (pg. 264)
There are some theoreticians who view literacy in a form of social practice. In their view, social issues are also important components, as well as linguistic competence and understanding cognitive processes in language studies. Freire (1974) views literacy not only as a process of knowledge transformation, but also as a relationship of learners to the world. Vygotsky (1978) suggests two stages of development at social and individual level. In his view, literacy is a phenomenon that is created, shared, and changed by the members of a society. Gee (1996) similarly argues that becoming literate means apprenticeship with texts and apprenticeships in particular ways of being. In summary, literacy practices are not just about language, but about their interrelation with social practices.
culture and what it means to be literate in the 21st century. The implications for teachers,
(Eds.), Literacies and learners: Current perspectives 3rd ed. (p. 1-23). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
According to Richard Vaca, author of Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum, “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 literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens, and conduct their personal lives.” But despite the importance of high levels of literacy in adult life, American literacy scores in schools remain low. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for fourth graders in 2009, the national average score was a 220 out of possible 500, no improvement over the average 2007 score. This across-the-board failure to teach students such a vital skill as literacy in the twenty-first century demonstrates a failure of the literacy curriculum itself, and the...
Education Queensland (n.d.) states that “literacy is the ability to read, view, write, design, speak and listen in a way that allows us to communicate effectively and make sense of the world.” The Australian Professional Standards requires myself to seek help with my failing literacy skills and improve further upon my numeracy skills. The reading writing hotline is nationwide service that will provide myself with information about where i can locate nearest literacy classes and provide myself with learning resources. The Queensland Council for Adult Literacy (n.d.) offers the chance to improve my literacy skills and “provides seminars, workshops and