Max Struble

Dr Kim Jaxon

English 332

11, December 2013

 

What I Believe About Literacy Learning and Teaching at This Moment

Before taking this course, it is safe to say that my definition of literacy was not all-encompassing. I defined literacy as whether or not a person can read. I stated early in a post that 32 million people are illiterate in the United States, however Professor Jaxon was quick to point out that statistics like this one are misleading. As Scribner asserts in Literacy in Three Metaphors, “[It is unrealistic] to try to specify some uniform set of skills as constituting functional literacy for all adults”(16).

The concept that struck me as interesting is the fact that there are many ways to define literacy, and these narrow definitions used in an educational setting can often exclude people of different backgrounds, labeling these potentially intelligent people as unintelligent. If someone were to read a series of instant messages between a friend and myself, they would quickly assume that I do not understand basics of grammar, because in a casual setting, I am comfortable using informal writing practices such as ignoring proper punctuation, grammar and spelling. In addition, Those who define literacy often ignore the fact that those who cannot read or comprehend encyclopedia-like documents may find their literacy in other places.

Szwed emphasizes the fact the there are many ways to examine literacy, and narrow definitions are often insufficient.This was my first hint that literacy studies were much more complex than simply labeling a person literate or illiterate. Scribner wrote that “Ideal literacy is simultaneously adaptive, socially empowering, and self-enhancing.” I understood immediately that literacy is empowering and self-enhancing, but until reading “Literacy in Three Metaphors”, I did understand how literacy is adaptive. The scale for judging literacy is not set in stone. “Today’s standards for functional competency need to be considered in the light of tomorrow’s requirements”(17).

The need for literacy comes only with the need to communicate. If there is no one with which to communicate there is no reason for literacy. If this is believed to be true, then one must examine literacy within a given sphere. A man who has never been lectured on the intricacies of the English language cannot offer any input into a sophisticated conversation between English professors, just as those same English professors may not be able to effectively comprehend the stat sheet of the less-educated man’s favorite sports team.

“Literacy is not a necessity for personal survival. As far as we could determine, non-literacy status does not exclude a person from full participation in economic activities or in town or society life (Szwed 22).

Literacy is relative, and much broader than it’s Merriam-Webster definition: “the ability to read and write.” Merriam-Webster recognizes this, as it continues, defining literacy as:”knowledge that relates to a specified subject.”

 

“A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures” by The New London Group

“#PleaseHelp: Learning to Write (Again) on Twitter” by Keri Franklin

“The authors argue that the multiplicity of communications channels and increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the world today call for a much broader view of literacy than portrayed by traditional language-based approaches”(1).

The New London Group provides an overview of how multiliteracies can be used in a changing social environment. By using multimodal ways of communication, students can draw on their own “semiotic literacy practices” to convey meaning.

“In relation to the new environment of literacy pedagogy, we need to reopen two fundamental questions: the “what” of literacy pedagogy, or what it is that students need to learn; and the  “how” of literacy pedagogy, or the range of appropriate learning relationships”(13).

In her blog, Keri Franklin ambitiously decided to join Twitter. She liked the idea of Twitter, although she did not fully understand the genre.Before she began effectively tweeting, she know that she would need help. “We all need support as writers. It helps if we have someone more experienced to explain the whys and hows”. She needed to learn the basics, but many of the concepts of twitter were foreign to her. After seeking her mentor she was introduced to a metalanguage. A metalanguage consists of words used for talking about and teaching language, and once she understood things like hash tagging and the intricacies of the twittersphere, she began to read. She developed a basic understanding of a new literary and immersed herself in the genre. With the tools in hand, and the mentors in place to immerse herself in a new form of literacy, she dove in, and slowly but surely began to write in a new genre.

 

Who are linguists to define literacy? Scholars and researchers can only empathize with those who find literacy in lower ranks of society. Those who define literacy often ignore the fact that those who cannot read or comprehend encyclopedia-like documents may find their literacy in other places.

“This analysis of sponsorship forces us to consider… how  one social group’s literacy practices may differ from another’s…” (Brandt Sponsors 9)

The same theme is present in each piece that we read in this class. That is to say that literacy is not easily defined, measured or even understood.

“… literacy is a social practice that is vastly more difficult to define and measure in the same kinds of consistent terms that we would measure something like average rainfall…” (Williams 2)

To many in the class, Williams’ piece has been the most simple to comprehend. By focusing on the ways in which teachers can approach this so called “literary crisis”, he provides a clear analysis of the ways a teacher can approach teaching literacy. By focusing of the context of the students’ culture, the teacher can reinforce the students’ understanding of literature in unique ways.

“I propose that we step back from the question of instruction, back to an even more basic ‘basic,’ the social meaning of literacy: that is, the roles these abilities play in social life…” (Szwed 2)

The need for literacy comes only with the need to communicate. If there is no one with which to communicate there is no reason for literacy. If this is believed to be true, then one must examine literacy within a given sphere. A man who has never been lectured on the intricacies of the English language cannot offer any input into a sophisticated conversation between English professors, just as those same English professors may not be able to effectively comprehend the stat sheet of the less-educated man’s favorite sports team.

“Literacy is not a necessity for personal survival. As far as we could determine, non-literacy status does not exclude a person from full participation in economic activities or in town or society life (Szwed 22).

Literacy is relative, and much broader than it’s Merriam-Webster definition: “the ability to read and write.” Merriam-Webster recognizes this, as it continues, defining literacy as:”knowledge that relates to a specified subject.”

Try to think of your earliest memories of writing and reading.  What do you remember of reading and writing before you began school?  Who helped you with it and what was that like?

“Learning to read and write was an interesting experience for me. I was born in Brazil, and grew up speaking portuguese. was fairly fluent in speaking Portuguese until we moved to the States when i was 4. I went to a spanish immersion school, because I guess my parents thought that was close enough. Needless to say, it took some time to learn, but because my father is an English speaker, I was able to pick it up, and by the 6th grade I was reading above my grade level. Keep in mind, I’m incredibly smart”

Max Struble

Scribner wrote that “Ideal literacy is simultaneously adaptive, socially empowering, and self-enhancing.”

I understood immediately that literacy is empowering and self-enhancing, but until reading “Literacy in Three Metaphors”, I did understand how literacy is adaptive.

Literacy is difficult to define. Attempts have been made to inventory “minimal functional competencies”(15), but ask Scribner asserts, “[It is unrealistic] to try to specify some uniform set of skills as constituting functional literacy for all adults”(16).

The need for literacy to adapt is illustrated in the “sliding scale” used by the U.S. Bureau of Census to determine literacy. During World War I, a fourth grade education was deemed sufficient. “Today’s standards for functional competency need to be considered in the light of tomorrow’s requirements”(17).