Deprived of the ability to read script, I look for numbers, pictorial signs and the few recognised sight words I know. In addition I watch people intently to see where movement might indicate the boarding of the train and point at my ticket with exaggerated expressions to clarify that I am standing in the correct place. All of these multiple ways of interpreting and engaging with the world ensure that, 20 minutes after arriving at the station, I am seated on the train watching a TED talk on my MacBook and engaging yet another range of literacies, as I concentrate on a fascinating yet esoteric presentation. During the rest of the journey, I read a couple of articles in The Economist and work on a Keynote (the Mac equivalent to PowerPoint) presentation for the following week’s staff meeting on developing student self-efficacy. This meeting will be based around discussion inspired by a powerful 2 minute talk by Dylan Wiliam from the Learning and Teaching Scotland-Leading Education Thinkers which is inserted into one of the slides.
This brief journey is a vivid example of how literacy “may mean not only the decoding and understanding of words, but also the interpreting of signs, symbols, pictures and sounds, which vary by social context. In short, different everyday contexts present different literacy demands (and) perceptions of literacy,” (UNESCO, 2006, p. 151).
The question then arises for the educator; how do we prepare our students to become highly literate in a world where the range of required literacy challenges is constantly expanding? As Frank W. Baker (2010) notes, “we no longer live in a print centric world; we are surrounded by a culture filled with visual images and messages, many of which work on a subconscious level” (p. 133). Given this, how can we ensure that our students are highly literate in both interpreting and using these multiple forms of literacy and do so in a way that increases rather than diminishes their literacy level as defined by a more limited print centric definition?
At NIS we thus take a view of multiple literacies similar to that espoused by the New London Group as outlined by Cope & Kalantzis (2000 and 2009). That is to say one that broadens literacy pedagogy “ to account for the context of our culturally and linguistically diverse and increasingly globalised society” and in addition a view of literacy that “accounts for the burgeoning variety of text forms....such as visual images and their relationship to the written word.’ (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000, p. 9). Students are exposed to images and texts as well a using technology to explore animation and film making. An example of student work is included below in which Grade 5 students used SAM animation to show the issues involved in buying locally sourced products as opposed to imported foods
The central importance of developing multiple literacies is one of the great challenges for schools as we move into the second decade of the 21st Century.
This is not the first time in history the perception of literacy has changed. In his history of the Reformation, MacCulloch (2003) notes that, “The effect of printing was more profound than simply making more books available quickly. It affected western Europe’s assumptions about knowledge and originality of thought ... there was less copying to do, and so there was more time to devote to thinking for oneself” (p. 73). Time will tell whether the current movement beyond print centric conceptions of literacy will have such a paradigm shifting impact as the printing press did on medieval Europe; however, as educators we need to ensure that we are preparing students to face that possibility by developing their abilities to interpret and express their ideas effectively in a broad range of literacies. As Lucas and Claxton (2010) state “ we cannot know what tools will be available to our students throughout our lifetimes. So we have to think about the effects that our activities have on the core habits of mind...we will always need this intelligent core” (p. 98).
The core requirement for a literate person to understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively has remained constant over the years whilst new technologies, undreamt of just a decade ago, have emerged and with them new literacies. If we accept that, as Ritchhart and Perkins (2008) posit, “Effective thinkers make their thinking visible, meaning they externalize their thoughts through speaking, writing, drawing, or some other method. They can then direct and improve those thoughts” (p.58 ). This ability for students to draw on a wider range of literacies should enhance their ‘intelligent core’, develop their thinking skills and empower them for the future.
The challenge for us as educators is to ensure that the literacies we provide students with allow them to inherit the complex world of the future and not be left, like medieval scribes, highly skilled for a world that has passed them by.
Baker. F.W. (2010). Media literacy: 21st century literacy skills. In Jacobs. H.H. (Eds.), Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world (pp 133 -152. ). Virginia, USA: ASCD.
Cope, B., Kalantzis, M. (2000). Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design
of social futures. London,England and New York, USA: Routledge
Cope, B and Kalantzis, M. (2009) '“Multiliteracies”: New Literacies, New Learning', Pedagogies: An International Journal, 4: 3, pp 164 — 195
Lucas.B & Claxton.G. (2010). New Kinds of Smart. Maidenhead England: Open University Press.
MacCulloch. D. (2003). Reformation Europe’s house divided 1490 – 1700. London England: Penguin Books.
Ritchhart.R. & Perkins. D. (2008). Making thinking visible. in Educational Leadership Volume 65 number 5 pp 57-61