In many sources, literacy is now referred to as “literacies” as the various skills required in today’s world are so wide in scope. The Current Educator/Innovator, has a helpful article on the subject. The author, Gaby Shelow suggests:
It is no longer acceptable to only teach students what I’ll call classic literacy skills. Of course, these are important, but if we as teachers focus solely on these, we are leaving out a large chunk of literacy skills that are necessary in today’s society, the so-called new literacies.
The author also cites a list of new literacies provided by the National Council of Teachers of English that includes many higher order thinking skills and highly developed abilities in collaboration, global communication, analysis and design. While we may not see many students sitting reading a book, if they are reading online, they are reading within many contexts and multidimensional sources. They cross-reference, inter-analyze and synthesize quickly and relevantly. These are required skills for current and future success. Therefore, rather than a linear beginning and end, it is a multidimensional and highly interactive flow of information towards a synthesized purpose.
In terms if utilizing these skills in learning, the author continues:
Students can’t learn these skills on their own. Just as with any other skill, students need guidance from their teacher and an opportunity to practice these skills in a safe and collaborative environment.
Therefore, while you’re being stretched and challenged to prepare students for preset tests, plan your learning environments to include multidimensional inputs, so that your students can learn and develop the kind of literacy skills they will need to succeed in the future.
TIP: When planning instruction, think about the future success of your students.
Coming up next, “How can new and conventional literacy be supported through coding?” Stay tuned...