In the past, to be literate meant you could read and write. As society evolved, to be literate meant you could not only read and write but understand as well (Beecher, 2023). However, as society and technology continue to evolve, so does literacy which has coined the term new literacy (NCTE Position Statement, 2019). Its goal “extends beyond the conventional view of literacy as printed and written texts, and includes meaning-making practices using digital technologies (e.g., video games, weblogs, mobile texts, etc.), and explores the changes of beliefs towards literacy in the process of practices.” (Sang, 2017, p. 16). As someone who graduated high school less than 10 years ago and graduated college 1 year ago, I was part of a generation who had to become literate in terms of media. As a student in high school and college almost all of my assignments were typed instead of written. In addition to typing papers, all my information came from online journal articles, books accessed through the web, and sometimes information blogs or websites. As an educator, I have had to tap into my creativity to deliver literacy to my students in terms of media. For example, I have daily PowerPoints for instruction with videos and images, homework is completed through digital platforms like Ed puzzle, and I include technology into activities through online simulations and WebQuests. In addition to my professional life using new literacy, my personal life has been affected as well. Like many people in the world, my phone is always with me. I communicate with friends and family daily through social media and texting and I learn new information about the world from multiple types of media and share the information with those around me.
As stated earlier in my post, literacy has been defined and redefined many times and in the educational setting it is often defined as being able to read and write in one dialect, typically English. This narrow-minded idea negatively affects students who are English language learners (ELL). I work in a district that has many low income students as well as a large ELL population. Many times the ELL students are not able to read or write in their own native language which makes English literacy even more challenging. Therefore, by not being able to read or write proficiently in English, they are labeled as illiterate which can be problematic. However, studies found that students who can read and write in their native language first, perform better when it comes to learning English. A recent article states, “An added benefit of dual language instruction is that bilingualism and biliteracy confer cognitive, social, academic, and economic advantages to emergent bilinguals.” (Ortiz et al., 2021, p. 154). The mindset that literacy means reading and writing in English only, is harmful for ELL students. Instead, taking approaches from new literacy can help close the gap and inequities of literacy in the educational setting. New literacy supports the idea that “the language requirements and challenges in current workplaces are no longer restricted to reading and writing paper-based texts in native and other foreign languages, but have extended into recognition, interpretation, comprehension, and appreciation of languages and cultures in different forms and in diverse literacy practices.” (Sang, 2017, p. 17). Therefore, taking into account other languages and media as forms of literacy can help us prepare students for a society that is constantly evolving.
Further Questions:
- Does the narrowly defined term of literacy harm only ELL students or other demographics as well?
- How do educators assess literacy proficiency in the new literacy context?
- How do you assess literacy in your classroom?
References:
Beecher, C. (2023). What is Literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy. Methods of Teaching
Literacy. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/
NCTE Position Statement. (2019). Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age. Category: 21st
Century Literacies, Assessment, Curriculum, Diversity, Literacy.
https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/
Ortiz, A., Franquiz, M.E., & Lara, G.P. (2021). The science of teaching reading and English
learners: Understanding the issues and advocating for equity. Bilingual Research Journal, 44(2), 153-157. https://doi-org.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/15235882.2021.1976584
Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies. Journal
of Education and Practice 8(8), 16-18. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1139059.pdf
Hi, Brittany. How do teachers at your school address the concerns of ELL students? Are in mainstream classrooms? Do you think that digital supports play an important role in their literacy plans?
ReplyDeleteYour experiences in school are so different from mine (I'm old). I only recently started composing on the computer (as opposed to paper and pen), and I really prefer to read hard copies of whatever text I'm looking at. Do you incorporate non digital text and work in your classroom?
Hi Margaret. In my school, we have 7 ELL sections in each grade. 1 section is all ELL and the students in this section speak little to no English. 4 sections are our higher up ELL students and are mixed with general education students. 1 section is in ICT where there are 3 teachers: an ELL teacher, a special education teacher, and a general education teacher. Our last section is special education ELL in a 15:1 classroom.
DeleteI do incorporate hard copies of text into my classroom, especially since not every grade in my district has chrome books. However, I noticed a lot of my students prefer the digital text.
Hi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your blog post. I really like how you explained what new literacy is. You state, “However, as a society and technology continue to evolve, so does literacy which has coined the term new literacy” to provide readers a simple definition while also explaining why a new definition was necessary in the first place. Before taking this class, I really didn’t know what new literacy was. I didn’t realize that video games, weblogs, and mobile texts, which are examples you include in your blog post, count as new literacies. However, now that I know what new literacy is, I am no longer surprised. It makes sense because we interact with these medias and literacies in a way that expands our skills and knowledge, just like traditional literacy does. Luckily though, new literacy is more accessible. As you mention, we use it daily as educators and as human beings. I also had to type my papers in college, deliver instruction as an educator using videos, and communicate daily through text. It’s crazy to really analyze how much new literacies impact us every single day!
You state, “The mindset that literacy means reading and writing in English only, is harmful for ELL students.” I completely agree with this statement; it really highlights how traditional literacy is not equitable, as it places limits on diverse learners. How do you think we as educators can mitigate that harmful mindset? Does it happen naturally with promoting new literacy or does it need to be an explicit effort targeted at the community as a whole?
I really enjoyed how you included further questions at the end of your blog post. I am inspired by you to include some further questions in my future blog posts if you don’t mind. I think it’s a great way to interact with your readers. To answer one of your questions, I do not think the narrowly defined term of literacy only hurts ELL students. I also think it harms other diverse learners as well, such as students with disabilities. These students may not be able to independently read and write, which leaves them out of traditionally defined literacy altogether. With the broadened term of new literacies, they can still interact with learning through new literacies such as videos.
Again, thanks for your post and I have enjoyed learning from you this week!
Dear Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI like your question: “Does the narrowly defined term of literacy harm only ELL students or other demographics as well?” I believe it does harm other demographics as well. The example is students with disabilities. First of all, students with physical disabilities, such as visual impairments or dysgraphia, may struggle with standard print and writing. Another example are students with learning disabilities like dyslexia since standard practices often do not accommodate their needs, leaning to frustration and disengagement. To address these issues, more expansive ideas of new literacies are now available. The examples like Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Assistive Technologies, Alternative Assessments, Differentiate Instruction help students with disabilities access curriculums. According to the article Advancing Digital Literacy for a Digitally Inclusive Future, “such opportunities create equity for students says Gregori. Giving students the space and experience to develop their skills opens more doors for their future.