CHAPTER 1:

Introduction to 21st
Century Literacies
 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to
develop a clear and practical understanding of the
following:
 Definitions of conventional literacy; and
 Expanded views of literacy in the 21st century.
Literacy is defined by
dictionaries as the state of
being able to read and
write.
Traditional or Conventional Literacy

The word "literacy" stems from the word "literate,"

which first appeared in the 15th century and is in turn
derived from the Latin word litteratus, meaning "(a
person) marked with letters-that is, "distinguished or
identified by letters"-and it carried with it the idea
that such a person was cultured and educated.
Miller (1973) divides this conventional concept of literacy
into three subcategories:

1. Basic Literacy- It is the ability to correspond visual

shapes to spoken sounds in order to decode written
materials and translate them into oral language. Simply
put, it is the ability to recognize letters and words. This
would be akin to recognizing that the sequence of
letters "b-a-s-a" forms the word basa in Filipino, even
without understanding what it means.
2. Comprehension Literacy -It is the
ability to understand the meaning of
what is being read. To capitalize on the
example above, this would be like
knowing that basa can mean either "to
read" or "to be wet."
3. Functional or Practical Literacy- It is the
ability to read (i.e., decode and comprehend)
written materials needed to perform everyday
vocational tasks. This is the equivalent of
reading the text "Ang bata ay nagbabasa."
and being able to understand that basa here
refers to reading and not to being wet.
 Based on this conventional view of literacy, we notice
two things for reading (and therefore literacy) to exist:
(1) a text (consisting of symbols and grammar) to be
read; and
(2) a meaning or message being communicated by the
text for the reader to extract.
o Without a text, there would be nothing to read; without
meaning, the text is reduced to series of
incomprehensible doodles.
• The act of reading implies a level of
understanding. Simply knowing how to
say a word (or a series of words) is not the
same as being able to understand what it
means.
•Without understanding of the meaning of
the words, reading has not taken place.
Schlechty (2001) defines the concept of
functional illiteracy as the state of being
able to read, but not well enough to
manage daily living and employment
tasks that require reading skills beyond
a basic level.
 Expanded Views of Literacy

Despite the popularity of American films in the

Philippines, many Filipinos cannot follow the
actors' dialogue, and thus resort to guessing the
overall story based on the actions onscreen.
 In 2004, UNESCO formally defined literacy as
"the ability to identify understand, interpret, create,
communicate, and compute, using printed and
written materials associated with varying contexts.
 Literacy involves a continuum of learning in
enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to
develop their knowledge and potential, and to
participate fully in their community and wider
society."
 In this vein, Mkandawire (2018) more
succinctly posits that literacy is "a form of
knowledge, competence, and skills in a particular
field or area," being supported by UNESCO (2006).
Barton (2007), and Mkandawire, Simooya-
Mudenda, & Cheelo (2017), which acknowledged
that--as we have just pointed out--modern views
appear to equate literacy with knowledge.
 Literacy in the 21st Century
When viewed from the perspective of conventional/traditional
literacy, the concept of "new" literacies is a bit of a misnomer,
as even these new literacies of the 21st century make
generous use of being able to read and write, rather than
supplant them as skills necessary for Survival. However,
when viewed from the perspective of literacy as knowledge,
the new literacies begin to make sense as they are the "skills
and bodies of knowledge" that are necessary for survival and
productivity in the information age.
 The new literacies are not "new" per se as in the sense that they
never existed before. Rather, we consider them to be new because
the contexts in which old skills and knowledge are being
employed are new, both in nature and in scope.
 The ability to translate textual information into images is not a
new skill, but it is the ability to do so in a way that is concise,
complete, and clear that is certainly new, given that it will be how
ninety percent of the population will be informed on the issue.
 Similarly, being able to verify the truth-value and veracity of a
document is not a new skill--but being able to do so when there are
a hundred similar documents available to you online is.
 Case in Point: Throughout history, humans
have communicated on levels apart from the
spoken and written word, for example,
visually, using the long- distance
communication system of smoke signals used
by the ancient Chinese, the ancient Greeks,
and the indigenous peoples of North America.
 In the Victorian era, there was such a thing as the
"Language of Flowers, here the kind, color, and
arrangement of a bouquet of flowers were Used to
communicate messages that could not otherwise be
spoken aloud in Victorian society (Greenaway, 1884). For
example, a bouquet of oak leaves representing strength),
purple roses (sorrow), white lilies (resurrection), and pale
yellow tulips and rosemary (memory or remembrance)
would altogether communicate a message of sympathy,
usually over the death of a loved one.
Another difference involves the question of
necessity: One did not need to be literate in the
language of flowers to live a fruitful and fulfilled
life in Victorian- era England, but to be not media
or digitally literate in the 21st century makes one
vulnerable to manipulation by those who are, and
such manipulation can easily cost an individual
time, money, property and even life.
 These so-called "new" literacies arose from the
increasing availability of communication technologies
that were once unavailable to the average individual.
 Technologies like blogging and vlogging, social
networking and even text-messaging change and expand
both the extent and the form of our communication-
blending text, sound, and images in ways unforeseen and
unprecedented (Richardson, 2014).
Simply put, three things have been critical in the rise of the new
literacies:
1. Increased Reach - We are communicating with more people, from
more diverse cultures, across vaster distances than ever before.
2. Increased Means of Communication -We are communicating in
more ways and at faster speeds than ever before.
3. Increased Breadth of Content - We are communicating about more
things than ever before.
To better address the need for teachers to be literate in these new
literacies, this course discusses and explores them in the ensuing
chapters, namely:
Globalization and Multicultural Literacy
Social and Financial Literacies
Media and Cyber/Digital Literacies
Eco-literacy and Artistic and Creative Literacy
Critical Literacy
Globalization and Multicultural Literacy discusses
how our increasing ability to communicate with
almost anyone, anywhere, in real time requires new
skills and attitudes in interacting with people with
cultures, perspectives, worldviews, and priorities
different from our own, particularly with the end-
view of not only peace and understanding, but also
mutual benefit and productivity.
Social and Financial Literacies explore online need for
the ability to navigate our own social networks-of both the
s the and off-line variety-to not only communicate clearly,
but also to leverage resources which we ourselves might
not possess. At the same time, the chapter addresses the
notorious problem of short-sightedness in Filipino culture
regarding personal finances and how this must be
addressed at an increasingly earlier age to help mitigate
the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Media and Cyber/Digital Literacies explore the emerging
need to locate, verify, and ultimately manage online
information, especially in an age where information is
power and where having the right (and wrong)
information and the ability to communicate it with others
and use it to address real-world problems easily spell the
difference between both personal and career success and
failure.
Ecoliteracy and Artistic and Creative Literacy explore the
emerging demands for knowing how to effectively and
sustainably manage the natural resources that our
increased industrialization and demands for productivity
are so rapidly eating up. The chapter also explores how
this increase in productivity also brings with it an
increased demand for arts and aesthetics and the need to
develop ways of effectively communicating through the
creative arts industries dominated by objective data.
Critical Literacy addresses the increasing need to
discern the underlying (and often tacit) messages
behind the new "texts" of the 21st century,
particularly in an ever-increasingly multicultural
society where ideas, cultures, and ideologies vie
with one another for power and dominance in the
minds of the masses.
 OUTPUT 1
Prepare a Matrix (preferably a Venn
diagram) that shows a Comparison and
Contrast of the traditional concept of
literacy to the Modern view of literacy.
 CHAPTER 2:
Globalization and
Cultural and
Multicultural Literacies
 OBJECTIVES

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to develop a

clear and practical understanding of the following:
 globalization and its implications on both the national and
individual level;
 cultural and multicultural literacy in the Philippines; and
 one's personal level of cultural and multicultural literacy.
Globalization is the process of interaction
and integration between people, business
entities, governments, and cultures from
other nations, driven by international trade
and investment and supported by
information technology (Levin Institute,
2017).
Because our exposure to the concept of
globalization has largely been through an
economic lens, it is tempting to limit
globalization as something that concerns
economists and businessmen. But globalization
and its effects go beyond import or export and
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
We are no longer integrating just languages
or mannerisms or food recipes, but
everything from styles of clothing, forms of
entertainment, education, technology,
manufacturing, ways of doing business,
ideas, and whole worldviews. This is
globalization as we know it today.
 Globalization as a phenomenon is not new. Nations and cultures
have been interacting and integrating with one another for millennia.
Consider how ancient Greek culture was so widespread across the
Mediterranean that even the Egyptians could speak their language,
and how Rome was so inspired by Greek culture that they adopted it
wholesale. Consider how so much of the Chinese, Arab, and Indian
cultures have become part of our own these interactions and
subsequent integrations did not happen recently, but even during
centuries before there was even a political entity known as the
Philippines.
 The Effects of Globalization
The effects of globalization are multi-dimensional. As shown earlier,
they range from economic to cultural, on both national and
individual levels.
Meyer (2000) summarizes the effects of globalization as follows:
 economic, political, and military dependence and interdependence
between nations;
 expanded flow of individual people among societies;
 interdependence of expressive culture among nations; and
 Expanded flow of instrumental culture around the world.
Economic Dependence/Interdependence
• When the term globalization entered the Philippine
public mindset in the early 90s, it was popularly
understood to be a mainly economic phenomenon, and
a negative one at that. The idea that foreign-owned
businesses could Come into the country and freely "set-
up shop," thereby choking-out local industries was not a
welcome thought, even though it was erroneous.
Economic Dependence/Interdependence
• This does not mean, however, that there have been no negative effects of
globalization. Kentor (2001) notes that foreign capital dependence
increases income inequality in four ways: (1) lt creates a small, highly paid
class of elites to manage these investments, who create many but usually
low-pay jobs; (2) Profits from these investments are repatriated, rather than
invested in the host country, therefore inhibiting domestic capital
formation; (3) Foreign capital penetration tends to concentrate land
ownership among the very rich; and (4) Host countries tend to create
political and economic climates favorable to foreign capital that in turn
limit domestic labor's ability to obtain better wages. In simple words, "the
rich become richer, and the poor become poorer."
Hout (1980) observes that international dependence
(another word for globalization) tends to suppress
adult wages, which in turn perpetuates the role of
children as economic necessities (the familiar saying
"Kapag maraming anak, maraming katulong sa
hanapbuhay"), leading to explosive population
growth.
 Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence

• A survey conducted in late 2018 found that three in five

Filipinos believe that the United States would intervene
on behalf of the country in case of war (Viray, 2018).
Despite the current very conservative stance of the US on
its foreign policies, this can be taken as evidence of the
Philippines' dependence on both the political and military
power of the US in order to maintain its sovereignty as a
nation-state in the Southeast Asia region. Similar things
can be said of Russia and the many communist nations
throughout the world.
Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence

The point is that where there are some

forms of economic dependence
interdependence, political
dependence/interdependence is not far
behind, as the participating nations strive
to protect their investments and interests
in one another.
 Expanded Flow of Expressive and Instrumental
Culture
Expressive culture, as the term suggests, deals with how a
particular culture expresses itself in its language, music, arts, and
the like. Globalization encourages the monetization of these
cultural artifacts and their import/export among participating
cultures; the increased consumption of which changes the
consuming culture. Case in point, KPOP music and culture was a
relatively niche occupation ten years ago, with very few people
aware of its existence, let alone actual fans. Today it is practically
ubiquitous in Philippine society, alongside the consumption of all
things Korean, from skin-care products to instant noodles.
 Expanded Flow of Expressive and Instrumental
Culture
Instrumental culture, on the other hand, refers to "common models
of social order" (Meyer, 2000)-that is, models or ways of thinking
about and enacting national identity, nation-state policies both
domestic and foreign, socio-economic development, human rights,
education, and social progress. A simple example of this is the
Philippine educational system: Closely patterned after the
American educational system, education leaders in the country
closely follow the educational trends in America and select
European countries, perceiving them to be the global leaders in the
field.
 Expanded Flow of People among Societies

The fact that globalization encourages the

movement of people between nation-states should
come as no surprise to us. The Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) estimates that there were 2.3
million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during
the period of April to September 2017, who were
responsible for up to 205.2 billion pesos in
remittances (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2018).
 Expanded Flow of People among Societies
Meyer (2000) observes three reasons for this: socio-economic migration,
political expulsion, and travel/tourism.
1. Socio-economic migration explains the Philippines' OFW phenomenon.
Filipinos travel abroad to find better economic opportunities for themselves
and their families for lack of said opportunities here.
2. Political expulsion, on the other hand, has more to do with trying to escape
the political climate of a particular country, thereby forcing an individual to
seek asylum (and ultimately, resettlement) in another more favorable country.
3. Travel for the sake of leisure (li.e., tourism) is a strong indicator of
economic development as more and more Filipinos are able to finance short-
term travels abroad, fueled by curiosity that is fed by social media and
enabled by globalization.
 Cultural Literacy
Cultural Literacy is a term coined by Hirsch (1983),
referring to the ability to understand the signs and symbols
of a given culture and being able to participate in its
activities and customs as opposed to simply being a passive
(and outside) observer. The signs and symbols of a culture
include both its formal and informal languages, its idioms
and forms of expression, entertainment, values, customs,
roles, traditions, and the like-most of which are assumed
and unstated. Thus, they are learned by being part of the
culture, rather than by any formal means.
 Cultural Literacy in the Philippines
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is the government
body tasked with the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of
Philippine culture, both locally and abroad. Part of how the NCCA is
addressing this and related matters is through the establishment of the
Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP), which "envisions a nation of
culturally literate and empowered Filipinos" (NCCA, 2015). Designed to make
cultural education accessible to all sectors of Philippine society, the PCEP held
national consultative meetings, conferences, workshops, art camps, and
festivals on culture-based teaching and good governance from 2003 to 2007.
As a result of Republic Act 10066 (2010), PCEP has been designated as the
body, together with the Department of Education (DepEd), tasked to "formulate
the cultural heritage education programs both for local and overseas Filipinos"
that are to be an integral part of Philippine education in all its aspects.
 Multicultural Literacy

As cultures begin to mix and change as a result of

globalization, conflicts inevitably arise over
identity, values, and worldviews. This situation
consequently needs fora literacy that enables us to
quickly and easily identify and resolve such
conflicts, preferably before they even begin. This
has come to be understood as multicultural literacy.
 Multicultural Literacy
We define multicultural literacy here as the knowledge and skills
necessary to ensure that any communication with a culture
different from our own is clear, productive, and respectful such
that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is
demeaned or treated as inferior.
It is important to realize that under this definition, a "different
culture" is not just limited to "someone from another country," but
could also include someone whose gender, economic background,
religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or even sense of fashion is
different from our own.
 Issues in Teaching and Learning Multicultural
Literacy in the Philippines

•Conflicting Requirements for Peace

•Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback
•The Persistence of the Problem
 OUTPUT 2
Questions to Ponder:
1. What makes a person a Filipino?
2. What is your attitude toward who have a
different culture from yours?
3. Point out some regional discrimination in the
Philippines and what could have been done to
promote better interaction?