5fa9547986fd360027cb85f9 1635128249 1. Introduction To The 21st Century Literacies

INTRODUCTION TO THE
21 CENTURY
ST
LITERACIES
TRADITIONAL LITERACY
• the state of being able to read and write

• from the word “literate” which first appeared in the 15th Century and is in turn
derived from Latin “literatus” meaning “(a person) marked with letters” or
“distinguished or identified by letters”
• it carried the idea that such a person was cultured and educated
Miller (1973) divides this conventional concept of literacy into three sub-categories:
• the ability to correspond visual shapes to

Basic Literacy spoken sounds in order to decode written
materials and translate them into oral language
Comprehension • the ability to understand the meaning of what is

Literacy being read
Functional or • The ability to read (decode and comprehend)

written materials needed to perform everyday
Practical Literacy vocational tasks
Simply knowing how to say a word 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. This
synchronicity between decoding textual symbols and being able to extract and understand their
meaning is a necessary part of being literate.
EXPANDED VIEWS OF LITERACY
• UNESCO (2004) defined literacy as “the ability to identify, understand, interpret,

create, communicate, and compute, using printed and written materials associated
with varying contexts.”
• Mkandawire (2018) posits that literacy is “a form of knowledge, competence, and
skills in a particular field or area.”
• Modern views of literacy equates it with knowledge.
THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN CRITICAL IN THE RISE OF THE NEW
LITERACIES:
We are communicating with more

Increased people, from more diverse
Reach cultures, across vaster distances
than ever before
Increased
We are communicating in Means of
more ways and at faster Commu-
seeds than ever before
nication
Increased
We are communicating about more
Breadth of things than ever before
Content
Globalization
and
Multicultural
Literacy
Social and
Critical
Financial
Literacy
Literacies
New
Literacies
Artistic and Media and

Creative Cyber/Digital
Literacy Literacies
Ecoliteracy
OTHER TYPES OF LITERACY:
• Emergent Literacy is a type of literacy that deals with the earliest behaviors that
relate to a kind of literacy in form of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are
manifested before the actual conventional level of literacy is attained. It occurs in the
period between birth and the time when children read and write conventionally.
• Initial Literacy happens at the time or stage an individual learns or is expected to
learn the basics or the process of acquiring basic skills in a particular field such as
reading and writing in a particular language.
• Alliteracy deals with literate individuals who are lazy to apply reading and writing
skills regularly. An alliterate person is someone who knows how to read and write but
cannot apply this skill to read a book, an article, a newspaper and other written
materials.
• Profession Literacy is a type of knowledge specialized in a particular field or

profession such as; medical profession, teaching profession, legal profession and
others.
• Legal Literacy refers to law related knowledge, skills and proficiency in executing
legal related matters.
• Medical Literacy focuses at the knowledge, skills and proficiency in the medical
field and health care in particular.
• Statistical literacy is the ability to understand and reason with statistics and data. The
abilities to understand and reason with data, or arguments that use data, are
necessary for citizens to understand material presented in publications such as
newspapers, television, and the Internet.
• Computer Literacy is an individual’s knowledge and ability to use computers and

technology efficiently. It includes the ability to play and manipulate computer
components, software, designing computer programs and use computers in a variety
of ways in meeting the age of technology efficiently.
• Technological literacy is an individual’s ability to use technology tools to access,
manage, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information. It also extends to
the knowledge possessed to create or develop technology related products in a
broad sense.
• Trans literacy refers to the ability to read, write and interact across a range of
platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV,
radio and film, to digital social networks.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE

• the state of being able to read and write

• the ability to correspond visual shapes to

Comprehension • the ability to understand the meaning of what is

Functional or • The ability to read (decode and comprehend)

• UNESCO (2004) defined literacy as “the ability to identify, understand, interpret,

We are communicating with more

Artistic and Media and

• Profession Literacy is a type of knowledge specialized in a particular field or

• Computer Literacy is an individual’s knowledge and ability to use computers and

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