Language,+Literacy,+and+Mindsets

Language, Literacy and Mindsets--Sept. 25Kevin Holmes

As I struggle to understand and utilize our beloved Wiki, it has become abundantly clear to me that literacy takes many shapes and forms. One must not confuse proficiency or successful achievements with literacy. As the world struggles to universally define literacy, I have tried to demonstrate why this is so difficult.

__From Larson and Marsh:__ “Reading does not consist merely of decoding the written word of language; rather, it is preceded and intertwined with the knowledge of the world.” (Freire & Macedo, 1987: 29) (p. 41) “We have to just keep on helping people to get to care about people even if they don’t know them. In a way they were learning a different way of being and acting in the world.” (60) __ From Lankshear and Knobel: __ “Many researchers have identified the ‘old wine in new bottles’ syndrome, whereby long-standing school literacy routines have a new technology tacked on here or there, without in any way changing the substance of the practice.” (55) __ From Bruns: __ “What emerges is that in the online, networked, information economy, participants are not simply passive consumers, but active users, with some of them participating more strongly with a focus only on their own personal use, some of them participating more strongly in ways which are inherently constructive and productive of social networks and communal content.” (23) __ Discussion: __ The importance of literacy continues to be in the forefront of concerns in the national and global arenas both inside and outside of schools. Although viewed as important, there is much debate on the focus and intentions of literacy. Furthermore, it is astounding to realize that we as a world have not been able to find common ground on the definition of literacy. Much of the confusion is centered on the desire to pull away from the traditional models of literacy. Many are loyal proponents of the traditional model. They feel that in order to learn something effectively, it is necessary to piece meal a subject and teach to the individual parts. The assumption is that the parts can be rejoined after this process to develop a complete understanding. As with many content areas, this approach serves to muddle the facts about literacy to the point that its’ true purpose is not served. As decades of reform on literacy have done little or fallen short, the need for a drastic change of view has been recognized. Leading philosophies have shed light on the shortcomings of previous literacy practices. The research of Paulo Friere emphasizes the need to view literacy as being intertwined with the social context of the Readers. Literacy has expanded to encompass much more than just reading and in fact is now considered in most content areas. The information age has changed many of our views on literacy as well. The ‘mindsets’ of people are now considered more closely especially in reference to the implications of technology on literacy. The movement now focuses on “new literacy” as our saving grace. It is very true that social factors and previously acquired knowledge must play a role in an effective literacy program. The terminology again has posed problems. New literacy is often misinterpreted. An example of misinterpretation is to ‘put the proverbial silk dress on a pig’. Guess what? It is still a pig. __ Questions: __ 1. Is technology the vehicle that can move us to universal literacy? How can we (or should we) rely on the internet to achieve this? Are traditional methods still important or simply outdated? 2. Why has it been historically so difficult to identify and implement effective literacy programs?