PRELIM 1

PRELIM 2

Module 1:
21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Define 21st Century education

2. Describe the 21st Century teacher and the needed innovative tools for
learning
3. Examine the critical attributes of 21st Century education
4 Explain how 21st Century education concepts can be integrated in the
classroom
5. Draw relevant life lessons and significant values from the experience in
practicing 21st Century education
6. Analyze research abstract on 21st Century education and its implications on
teaching learning process
7. Prepare an evaluation instrument intended for 21st Century teaching-learning

21st Century Education Contexts

21st Century Schools. Schools in the 21st century focus on a project-based

curriculum for life that would engage students in addressing real-world problems and
humanity concerns and issues.
This has become an innovation in education, from textbook driven, teacher-
centered, paper-and-pencil schooling into a better understanding of the concept of
knowledge and a new definition of the educated person. Therefore, it makes a new way
of designing and delivering the curriculum.
Schools will go from 'buildings' to 'nerve centers, with open walls and are
roofless while connecting teachers, students and the community to the breadth of
knowledge in the world.
Teachers will transform their role from being dispensers of information to
becoming facilitators of learning and help students translate information into knowledge
and knowledge into wisdom.
Therefore, the 21st century will require knowledge generation, not just
information delivery, and schools will need to create a "culture of inquiry".
Learners will become adaptive to changes. In the past, learners spent a required
amount of time in respective courses, received passing grades and graduated. Today,
learners are viewed in a new context.
These changes have implications for teachers: (1) Teachers must discover
student interest by helping them see what and how they are learning to prepare them
for life in the real world; (2) They must instill curiosity, which is fundamental to lifelong
learning; (3) They must be flexible in how they teach; and (4) They must excite
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learners to become more resourceful so that they will continue to learn outside formal
school.
21st Century learning demands a school that excites students for school. There is
a little or no discipline problem because of strong student engagement. Likewise,
parents are informed about positive changes in their children. As a result, students
manifest significant improvement in basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, listening.
researching, scientific explorations, math, multimedia skills and others.

The 21st Century Curriculum. The twenty-first century curriculum has critical
attributes that are interdisciplinary, project-based and research-driven. It is connected
to local, national and global communities, in which students may collaborate with
people around the world in various projects. The curriculum also integrates higher order
thinking skills, multiple intelligences, technology and multimedia, multiple literacies and
authentic assessments, including service learning (http://edglossary.org/21s'-century-
skills).
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The classroom is filled with self-directed students, who work independently and
interdependently. The curriculum and instruction are designed imbued with the concept
of differentiation. Thus, instead of focusing on textbook-driven or fragmented
instruction, instruction turns to be more thematic, project-based and integrated with
skills and competencies purely not confined within themselves, but are explored
through research and concept application in projects and outputs
(http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills).
Learning is not confined through memorization of facts and figures alone but
rather is connected to previous knowledge, personal experience, interests, talents and
habits.

The 21st Century Learning Environment. Typically, a 21" Century classroom

is not confined to a literal classroom building but a learning environment where
students collaborate with their peers, exchange insights, coach and mentor one another
and share talents and skills with other students. Cooperative learning is also apparent,
in which students work in teams because cooperation is given more emphasis than
competition, and collaborative learning more than isolated learning. They use
technologies, including Internet systems and other platforms.
Hence, in the process of creating a world-class 21st century learning
environment, building new schools and remodeling of present school facilities can be
addressed toward creating environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and "green"
schools. Inside every classroom, students shall apply their knowledge of research in life,
which is a clear indication of a relevant, rigorous, 21"century real-life curriculum. An
ideal learning environment also considers the kind of spaces needed by students and
teachers in conducting investigations and projects by diverse groups for independent
work.
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An ideal learning environment has plenty of wall space and other areas for
displaying student work that includes a place where the parents and the community can
gather to watch student performances, as well as a place where they can meet for
discussions.

Technology in the 21st Century Pedagogy. Technologies are not ends in

themselves but these are tools students use to create knowledge for personal and social
change.
21st Century learning recognizes full access to technology. Therefore, a better
bandwidth of Wifi access should be available along areas of the school for the students
to access their files and supplement their learning inside the classroom. Various
laboratories and learning centers are set up in such a way that they allow a space
needed for students' simulation and manipulative works. All classrooms should have
televisions to watch broadcasts created by the school and other schools around. Other
resources in the school can also be utilized by students in creating opportunities for
their knowledge explorations (http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/Critical Pedagogy
htm).
Understanding 21st Century Learners. Today's students are referred to as
"digital natives", while educators as "digital immigrants (Prensky, 2001). Most likely,
digital natives usually react, are random, holistic and non-linear. Their predominant
senses are motion and touch. They learn through experience and learn differently.
Digital immigrants often reflect, are sequential, and linear. Their predominant senses
are hearing and seeing. They tend to intellectualize and believe that learning is constant
(Hawkins and Graham, 1994).
Students' entire lives have been immersed in the 21" Century media culture.
They take in the world via the filter of computing devices, such as cellular phones, hand
held gaming devices, PDAs, and laptops plus the computers, TVs, and game console at
home.
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A survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that young people
(ages 8-18) spend on electronic media an average of six hours a day. In addition, many
are multitasking, such as listening to music while surfing the Web or instant-messaging
friends while playing a video game.
The preschoolers easily navigate electronic multimedia resources on games, in
which they learn colors, numbers, letters, spelling, and more complex tasks, such as
mixing basic colors to create new colors, problem-solving activities, and reading.
However, as Dr. Michael Wesch points out, although today's students understand
how to access and utilize these tools, they use them only for entertainment purposes.
Thus, students should be prepared and assisted to become media literate as they
function in an online collaborative research-based environment with the advent of
researching, analyzing, synthesizing, critiquing, evaluating and creating new knowledge.
21st Century Skills Outcome and the Demands in the Job Market. The
21st Century skills are a set of abilities that students need to develop to succeed in the
information age. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills lists three types, namely: (1)
Learning Skills which comprise critical thinking, creative thinking, collaborating, and
communicating; (2) Literacy Skills which is composed of information literacy, media
literacy, and technology literacy; and (3) Life Skills that include flexibility, initiative,
social skills, productivity and leadership. These skills have always been important in an
information-based economy.
Likewise, skills demanded in the job market include knowing a trade, following
directions, getting along with others, working hard and being professional, efficient,
prompt, honest, and fair. More so, to adapt to these jobs in this information age,
students need to think deeply about issues, solve problems creatively, work in teams,
communicate clearly in many media, learn ever-changing technologies and deal with
the influx of information. Amidst rapid changes in the world, industry requires students
to be flexible, take the initiative, lead when necessary, and create something new and
useful.
The 21st Century Learning Implications. 21st Century skills are viewed
relevant to all academic areas and the skills may be taught in a wide variety of both in-
campus and community settings.
Teachers should practice teaching cross-disciplinary skills in related courses, such
as integrating research methods in various disciplines; articulating technical scientific
concepts in verbal, written, and graphic forms; presenting laboratory reports to a pool
of specialists, or use emerging technologies, software programs and multimedia
applications as an extension of an assigned project.
In today's world, information and knowledge are continuously increasing at a
certain rate that no one can learn everything about every subject. What may appear
true today could be proven to be false tomorrow and the jobs that students will get
after they graduate may not yet exist. For this reason, students need to be taught how
to process, analyze and use the information and they need adaptable skills that they
can apply in all facets of life. Thus, merely teaching them ideas and facts without
teaching them how to use them in real life settings is no longer enough.
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Schools need to adapt and develop new ways of teaching and learning that
reflect a changing world. The purpose of school should be to prepare students for
success after graduation and therefore, schools need to prioritize the knowledge and
skills that will be in the greatest demand, such as those deemed to be most important
by college professors and employers.
Hence, teaching students to perform well in school or pass the test alone is no
longer sufficient. Henceforth, teachers must realize and students must understand that
no one can move toward a vision of the future unless he/she understands the socio-
historical context of where they are now, what events led them to be where they are,
how this can inform development of a vision for the future and how they want to get
there. Thus, a clear articulation of the purpose of education for the 21st Century is the
place to begin. (http://thoughtfullearning.com/resources/ what-are-21st-century-skills)
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The paradigm shift from the 20th to the 21st Century, shows that the structure
and modalities of education have evolved. Students become the center of teaching-
learning process in the 21st Century using wide array of technological tools to assist
them in exploring knowledge and information needed in surviving the test of time and
preparing for future career endeavors. Assessment has been made varied to address
multiple literacy development in diverse contexts. Teachers turn to become facilitators
rather than lecturers and dispensers of information. As such, curriculum is designed in a
way that it connects to life in the real world, interconnected with other disciplines and
reshapes the students' holistic perspectives.
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The Critical Attributes of 21st Century Education

Education continuously changes dramatically throughout time. There is a
paradigm shift in the way teaching and learning is delivered. Therefore, the 21st
century teacher needs to develop essential knowledge, skills and values in order to cope
with these changes and address students’ need.

The following are eight attributes of 21st Century education and their implications:

1. Integrated and Interdisciplinary. Education in the 21st Century is characterized

by interfacing various disciplines in an integrated manner rather than
compartmentalizing its subsequent parts. This critical attribute implies the need to
review the curriculum and create strategies infusing different subjects toward
enhancing the learning experiences of students.

2. Technologies and Multimedia. Education in the 21st Century makes optimum use
of available Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as well as multimedia to
improve the teaching and learning process, including online applications and technology
platforms. It implies a need to acquire and use computers and multimedia equipment
and the design of a technology plan to enhance learning at its best.

3. Global Classrooms. Education in the 21st Century aims to produce global citizens
by exposing students to the issues and concerns in the local, national and global
societies. This critical attribute implies the need to include current global issues/
concerns, such as peace and respect for cultural diversity, climate change and global
warming in classroom discussions,

4. Creating/Adapting to Constant Personal and Social Change and Lifelong

Learning. Education in the 21st Century subscribes to the belief that learning does not
end within the four walls of the classroom. Instead, it can take place anywhere,
anytime regardless of age. This means that teachers should facilitate students' learning
even beyond academics. Therefore, it should not end with requirement compliance and
passing the exams, but also for transferring and applying knowledge to a new context
or real-life situations. As such, the curriculum should be planned in such a way that
students willcontinue to learn even outside the school for life.

5. Student-Centered. Education in the 21st Century is focused on students as

learners while addressing their needs. Differentiated instruction is relevant in the 21st
Century classrooms, where diversity factors and issues are taken into account and
addressed when planning and delivering instruction, including their learning styles,
interests, needs and abilities.
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6. 21st Century Skills. Education in the 21st Century demonstrates the skills needed
in becoming productive members of society. Beyond learning the basic skills of reading,
writing and numeracy, students should also develop life and work skills in 21st Century
communities, such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and decision-
making and ICT literacy and skills. Therefore, it implies that teachers should possess
these skills first before their students.

7. Project-Based and Research-Driven. 21st Century education emphasizes data,

information and evidence-based decision making through student activities that
encourage active learning. This implies the need for knowledge and skills in research,
such as self-directed activities, learning projects, investigatory projects, capstones and
other research-based output.

8. Relevant, Rigorous and Real World. Education in the 21 Century is meaningful

as it connects to real-life experiences of learners. It implies the use of current and
relevant information linked to real-life situations and contexts.
(http://iflex.innotech.org/GURO21/module1/11_5.html)

The Characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher

The 21" Century teaching-learning environment becomes more complicated
brought by technological changes. Therefore, teachers should be able to cope with and
adapt to these changes.

Thus, teachers must be equipped with attributes, knowledge and skills critical to
21st century education so that they may be able to integrate them in their teaching,
21st Century teachers are characterized as:

1. Multi-literate. Teachers know how to use various technologies in teaching.

2. Multi-specialist. Teachers are not only knowledgeable in the course subject

they teach but also in other areas so that they can help the learner build up what they
gain in the classroom and outside the school and make sense of what was learned.

3. Multi-skilled. Teachers cope with the demand for widening learning

opportunities by being skillful not just in teaching but also in facilitating and organizing
groups and activities.
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4. Self-directed. Teachers are responsible for various aspects of school life and
know how to initiate action to realize the learning goals of the students and the
educational goals of the country, at large.

5. Lifelong learner. Teachers embrace the ideal that learning never ends.
Therefore, teachers must be constantly updated on the latest information related to
their subject and pedagogic trends. They should also share what they are learning with
their students and colleagues with a high sense of professionalism.

6. Flexible. Teachers are able to adapt to various learning styles. and needs of
the learners. They can facilitate learner-centered teaching with flexibility using
alternative modes of delivery.

7. Creative problem solver. Teachers create innovative ideas and effective

solutions to the arising problems in the field, be it in the classroom, in the school or the
profession as a whole.

8. Critical thinker. Teachers are critical thinkers as they encourage students to

reflect on what they have learned, and rekindle in them the desire to ask questions,
reason out, probe, and establish their own knowledge and belief.

9. Has a passion for excellent teaching. Teachers possess passion in the

teaching profession to ensure that students are motivated to learn under their guidance
and care.

10. High Emotional Quotient (EQ). Teachers do not just have the head but
also the heart to teach. Teaching is emotionally taxing but an influential job as it
involves interaction with human beings. (http://udyong.gov.ph)

Common 21st Century Technology Tools for Learning

As teacher for the 21st Century, no one can escape from the reality that we are
now in a borderless society. It is, therefore, important that we should know different
technology tools for learning to respond to the needs of 21st Century learners' and the
demands of the times. The following are common 21st Century technology tools.

1. Affinity Groups. These are groups or communities that unite individuals with
common interests. Electronic spaces extend the range of possibilities for such groups.

2. Blogs. Web logs or "blogs" are interactive websites, often open to the public
that can include Web links, photographs and audio and video elements.
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3. E-portfolio. It refers to student's works that are generated selected, organized,

stored and revised digitally. Often, electronic portfolios are accessible to multiple
audiences and can be moved from one site to another easily. It can document the
process of learning, promote integrative thinking, display final work, and/or provide a
space for reflective learning.

4. Hypertext. These are electronic texts that provide multiple links and allow
users to trace ideas in immediate and idiosyncratic directions. Hypermedia adds sound,
video, animation, and/or virtual reality environments to the user's choices.

5. Podcasts. These are digitalized audio files that are stored on the Internet and
downloaded to listeners' computers or most likely to MP3 players. The term "podcast"
comes from iPod, the popular MP3 player.

6. Web 2.0. This refers to a second generation of Web-based communities that

demonstrate the participatory literacies that students need for the 21st-century.

7. Myspace (http://www.Myspace.com). It is a social networking website that

offers an interactive user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups,
photos, music and videos internationally. Students can rate professors, discuss books,
and. connect with high school and college classmates here.

8. Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com). It is an Internet-based 3-D virtual

world that uses avatars (digital representations) to explore, socialize, participate in
individual or group activities, create and trade items (virtual property) and services.

9. Semantic Web. It is an extension of the current Web that puts data into a
common format so that instead of humans working with individual search engines (e.g.,
Google, Ask Jeeves) to locate information, the search engines themselves feed into a
single mechanism that provides this searching on its own. Sometimes called Web 3.0,
this technology enables integration of virtually all kinds of information for more efficient
and comprehensive retrieval.

10. Webkinz (http://www.webkinz.com). It is an Internet simulation wherein

children learn pet care and other skills.

11. Wiki. It refers to software that fosters collaboration and communication

online. Wikis enable students to create. comment upon, and revise collaborative
projects. One of the most prominent is Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), an online
multilingual free-content encyclopedia, which has 7.9 million articles in 253 languages.
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12. Youtube (http://www.Youtube.com). It is a popular website for video sharing

where users can upload, view and share video footage, including movie clips, TV clips,
and music videos, even student-produced videos.

13. Google Docs. It allows students to collaborate with other people and the
document materials that need to be compiled, processed, transacted and analyzed.

14. Prezi. It allows individuals to use pre-made, creative presentation templates..

15. Easybib. It allows individuals to generate citations in any given format.

16. Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Edmodo, Schoology, Instagram,

etc.). These are means to communicate and share ideas among users.

17. Smartboards and audience response systems. These are replacement for
traditional chalkboards or whiteboards in classrooms.

18. ReadWrite Think.org. (www.readwritethink.org). It is a repository of

standards-based literacy lessons that offer teachers instructional ideas for Internet
integration.

19. WebQuest Page (www.webquest.org). It provides Webquests on an array of

topics across content areas with a template for creating one's own.

20. Literacy Web (http://www.literacy.uconn.edu). It is an online portal that

includes a large number of new literacy's resources for new literacies for teachers.
(http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_glossary.
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Module 2:
21ST CENTURY SKILL CATEGORIES

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Identify the categories of 21st Century skills
2. Apply the 21st Century skills in preparing, planning and delivering a lesson
3. Cite ways on how to enhance the 21st Century skills of learners
4. Explain how 21" Century skills be integrated in the teaching-learning process
5. Cite implications of 21st Century skills to educators and to pre-service teacher
preparation
6. Draw relevant life lessons and significant values from the personal experience
in attaining 21st Century skills
7. Analyze research abstract on 21st Century skills and its implications on the
teaching learning process
8. Craft a curriculum plan matrix imbued with 21st Century learning outcomes

21st Century skills refer to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and
character traits that are deemed necessary in coping with today's world and future
careers and workplaces. Thus, it can be applied in all academic subject areas and
educational settings throughout a student's life.

The 21st Century Skills

The 21st Century skills may include the following: (1) critical thinking, problem-
solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information; (2) research skills
and practices, interrogative questioning; (3) creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination,
innovation, personal expression; (4) perseverance, self-direction, planning, self-
discipline, adaptability, initiative; (5) oral and written communication, public speaking
and presenting, listening; (6) leadership, teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, facility
in using virtual workspaces; (7) information and communication technology (ICT)
literacy, media and Internet literacy, data interpretation and analysis, computer
programming; ( civic, ethical, and social justice literacy; (9) economic and financial
literacy, entrepreneurialism; (10) global awareness, multicultural literacy,
humanitarianism; (11) scientific literacy and reasoning, the scientific method; (12)
environmental and conservation literacy, ecosystem understanding; and (13) health and
wellness literacy, including nutrition, diet, exercise, and public health and safety
(http://thoughtfullearning.com/resources/what-are-21st century-skills).
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Framework for 21st Century

According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, this concept encompasses a
wide array of a body of knowledge and skills that have to be categorized. Moreover,
this concept has been interconnected with applied skills, cross-curricular skills, cross -
disciplinary skills, transferable skills, transversal skills, noncognitive skills and soft skills.
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Learning and Innovation Skills

These are the primary skills orchestrated in the 21st Century. They are attributes
that differentiate students who are prepared for a complex life and work environment
from those who are not. Therefore, there is a need to stress on creativity, critical
thinking, communication and collaboration in preparing learners for the future.

A. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. These may include effectively

analyzing and evaluating evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs; and solving
different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and innovative
ways.

Skill Sub-skills
Establish clear definitions and agreements on the roles of
1. Work together
partners in the collaborative process
effectively in
Keep communication open within teams to carry out tasks
team
Carefully identify obstacles and address problems cooperatively

Skill Sub-skills
Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.)
2. Reason Use systems thinking
effectively Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to
produce overall outcomes in complex systems

Skill Sub-skills
Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims
and beliefs
Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
3. Make
Synthesize and make connections between information and
judgments
arguments
and decisions
Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best
analysis
Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes

Skill Sub-skills
Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both
4. Solve conventional and innovative ways
problems Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points
of view and lead to better solutions
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B. Communication. This pertains to articulating thoughts and ideas effectively

using oral and written communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts.

Skill Sub-skills
Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and
nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and
contexts
Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge,
values, attitudes and intentions
Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform,
instruct, motivate and persuade)
Utilize multiple media and technologies, and judge their
effectiveness a priori, as well as assess their impact
1. Communicate Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including
clearly multi-lingual)
Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and
communicate information
Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS,
etc.), communication/networking tools and social networks
appropriately to access
Exercise flexibility and willingness in making necessary
comprises to accomplish a common goal
Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value
the individual contributions made by each team member

C. Collaboration. It entails demonstrating ability to work effectively and

respectfully with diverse teams.

Skill Sub-skills
Establish clear definitions and definitions and agreements on
1. Work together
the roles of partners in the collaborative process
effectively in
Keep communication open within teams to carry out tasks
team
Carefully identity obstacles and address problems cooperatively

D. Creativity and Innovation. It denotes use of wide range of idea creation

techniques to create new and worthwhile ideas.

Skill Sub-skills
Use a wide range of idea creation techniques, such as
1. Think brainstorming
creatively Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical
concepts)
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Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order

to improve and maximize creative efforts

Skill Sub-skills
Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others
effectively
Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives;
2. Work incorporate group input and feedback into the work
creatively with Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and
others understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas
View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that
creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small
successes and frequent mistakes

Skill Sub-skills
3. Implement Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution
innovations to the field in which the innovation will occur

INFORMATION, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

People in the 21st century live in a technology and media saturated environment
marked by the following: (1) access to an abundance of information; (2) rapid changes
in technology tools; and (3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions
on an unprecedented scale.
Therefore, to be effective in the 21st Century, everyone must be able to exhibit a
range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and
technology (AACTE, 2010).

A. Information Literacy. It refers to accessing and evaluating information

critically and competently and managing the flow of information from a wide
variety of sources.

Skill Sub-skills
1. Access and Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources)
evaluate Evaluate information critically and competently
information
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Skill Sub-skills
Use information accurately and creatively for the issue or
2. Use and problem at hand
manage Manage the flow of information from a wide variety of sources
information Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues
surrounding the access and use of information

B. Media Literacy. It underscores understanding both how and why media

messages are constructed; creating media products by understanding and
utilizing the most appropriate media creation tools, characteristics and
conventions.

Skill Sub-skills
Understanding both how and why media messages are
constructed and for what purposes
Examine how individuals interpret messages differently, how
1. Analyze media values and points of view are included or excluded, and how
media can influence beliefs and behaviors
Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues
surrounding the access and use of media

Skill Sub-skills
Understanding and utilize the most appropriate media creation
tools, characteristics and conventions
2. Create media
Understand and effectively utilize the most appropriate
products
expressions and interpretations in diverse, multi – cultural
environments

C. Technology Literacy. It pertains to the use of technology as a tool to research,

organize, evaluate and communicate information.

Skill Sub-skills
Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and
communicate information
Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS,
1. Apply
etc.), communication/networking tools and social networks
technology
appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate and create
effectively
information to successfully function in a knowledge economy
Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues
surrounding the access and use of information technologies
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D. Life and Career Skills. Today’s life and work environments both require more
than thinking skills and content knowledge. Cultivating the ability to navigate the
complex life requires students to develop the following life and career skills: (1)
flexibility and adaptability; (2) initiative and self – direction; (3) social and cross
– cultural skills; (4) productivity and accountability; and (5) leadership and
responsibility (AACTA, 2010)

Flexibility and Adaptability

Skill Sub-skills
1. Adapt to Adapt to varied roles, job responsibilities, schedules and
change contexts
Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing
priorities
Skill Sub-skills
Incorporate feedback effectively
Deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism
2. Be flexible Understand, negotiate and balance diverse views and beliefs to
reach workable solutions, particularly in multi – cultural
environments

Initiative and Self – Direction

Skill Sub-skills
Set goals with tangible and intangible success criteria
1. Manage goals
Balance tactical (short - term) and strategic (long - term) goals
and time
Utilize time and manage workload efficiently

Skill Sub-skills
2. Work Monitor, define, prioritize and complete tasks without direct
independently oversight

Skill Sub-skills
Go beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore
and expand one’s own learning and opportunities to gain
3. Be self –
expertise
directed
Demonstrate initiative to advance skill levels towards a
learner
professional level
Demonstrate commitment to learning as a lifelong process
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Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence

and power

Skill Sub-skills
Act responsibly with the interests of the larger community in
mind consider others’ ideas
4. Be responsible
Consider others’ ideas and view points
to others
Look for others’ welfare and safety in all circumstances
Assist others in times of their downfalls and setbacks

Social and Cross – Cultural Skills

Skill Sub-skills
1. Interact Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak
effectively Conduct one’s self in a respectable, professional manner
with others

Skill Sub-skills
Respect cultural differences and work effectively with people
2. Work from a range of social and cultural backgrounds
effectively in Respond open – mindedly to different ideas and values
diverse teams Leverage social and cultural differences to create new ideas and
increase both innovation and quality of work

Productivity and Accountability

Skill Sub-skills
1. Manage Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and
projects competing pressures
Prioritize, plan and manage work to achieve the intended result

Skill Sub-skills
2. Produce Demonstrate additional attributes associated with producing
results high quality products, including the abilities to:
- Work positively and ethically
- Manage time and projects effectively
- Multi – task
- Participate actively, as well as be reliable and punctual
- Present oneself professionally and with proper etiquette
- Collaborate and cooperate effectively with teams
 PRELIM 22

- Respect and appreciate team diversity

- Be accountable for results

Leadership and Responsibility

Skill Sub-skills
Use interpersonal and problem – solving skills to influence and
guide others toward a goal
Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a common goal
1. Guide and
Inspire others to reach their very best via example and
lead others
selflessness
Demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in using influence
and power

Skill Sub-skills
2. Be responsible Act responsibly with the interest of the larger community in
to others mind

Integrating 21st Century Skills in Teaching-Learning Process

The 21st Century support systems. The following elements are the critical
systems necessary to ensure student mastery of 21 Century skills: (1) 21st Century
standards: (2) assessments, (3) curriculum and instruction; (4) professional
development; and (5) learning environments. These must be aligned to produce a
support system that produces 21 Century outcomes for today's students (Partnership
for 21st Century Skills, 2008).

1. 21st Century Standards

1.1 Focus on 21st Century skills, content knowledge and expertise
1.2 Build understanding across and among core subjects, as well as 21st
Century interdisciplinary themes
1.3 Emphasize deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge
1.4 Engage students with the real-world data, tools and experts they will
encounter in college, on the job, and in life; students learn best when actively
engaged in solving meaningful problems
1.5 Allow for multiple measures of mastery
 PRELIM 23

2. Assessment of 21st Century Skills

2.1 Supports a balance of assessments, including high-quality
standardized testing along with effective formative and summative classroom
assessments
2.2 Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance that is embedded
into everyday learning
2.3 Requires a balance of technology-enhanced, formative and summative
assessments that mastery of 21st Century skills measure student
2.4 Enables development of portfolios of student work that demonstrate
mastery of 21st Century skills to educators and prospective employers
2.5 Enables a balanced portfolio of measures to assess the educational
system's effectiveness in reaching high levels of student competency in 21st
Century skills (AACTE. 2010)

3. 21st Century Curriculum and Instruction

3.1 Teaches 21" Century skills discretely in the context of core subjects
and 21st Century interdisciplinary themes
3.2 Focuses on providing opportunities for applying 21 Century skills
across content areas and for a competency based approach to learning
3.3 Enables innovative learning methods that integrate the use of
supportive technologies, inquiry and problem-based approaches and higher-order
thinking skills
3.4 Encourages the integration of community resources beyond school
walls (AACTE, 2010)

4. The 21st Century Professional Development

4.1 Highlights ways teachers can seize opportunities for integrating 21st
Century skills, tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice and
help them identify what activities they can replace/de-emphasize
4.2 Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching methods
4.3 Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can enhance
problem-solving, critical thinking, and other 21st Century skills
4.4 Enables 21st Century professional learning communities for teachers
that model the kinds of classroom learning that best promotes 21st Century skills
for students
4.5 Cultivates teachers' ability to identify students' particular learning
styles, intelligences, strengths and weaknesses
4.6 Helps teachers develop their abilities to use various strategies (such as
formative assessments) to reach diverse students and create environments that
support differentiated teaching and learning
4.7 Supports the continuous evaluation of students 21st Century skills
development
 PRELIM 24

4.8 Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of practitioners

using face-to-face, virtual and blended communications 4.9 Uses a scalable and
sustainable model of professional development (AACTE, 2010).

5. The 21st Century Learning Environments

5.1 Create learning practices, human support and physical environments
that will support the teaching and learning of 21st Century skill outcomes
5.2 Support professional learning communities that enable educators to
collaborate, share best practices and integrate 21st Century skills into classroom
practice
5.3 Enable students to learn in relevant, real-world 21 Century contexts
(e.g., through project-based or other applied work)
5.4 Allow equitable access to quality learning tools technologies and
resources
5.5 Provide 21 Century architectural and interior designs for group, team
and individual learning
5.6 Support expanded community and international involvement in
learning, both face-to-face and online (AACTE, 2010)

Implications to Educators

The advent of 21st Century skill enhancement among learners. bring the
following implications to educators in:
1. successfully complementing technologies to content and pedagogy and
developing the ability to creatively use technologies to meet specific learning
needs
2. aligning instruction with standards, particularly those that embody 21st
Century knowledge and skills
3. balancing direct instruction strategically with project oriented teaching
methods
4. applying child and adolescent development knowledge to educator
preparation and education policy
5. using a range of assessment strategies to evaluate student
performance and differentiate instruction (including but not limited to formative,
portfolio-based, curriculum embedded and summative)
6. participating actively in learning communities, tapping the expertise
within a school or school district through coaching, mentoring, knowledge-
sharing. and team teaching
7. acting as mentors and peer coaches with fellow educators
8. using range a of strategies (such as formative assessments) to reach
diverse students and to create environments that support differentiated teaching
and learning.
 PRELIM 25

9. pursuing continuous learning opportunities and embracing career-long

learning professional ethics (AACTE, 2010)
10. establishing a conducive learning environment where learners can
freely express themselves and explore their potentials and capacities

Implications to Pre-service Teacher Preparation

There is a need to understand the key elements of optimum curricula that will
help pre-service teachers develop the dispositions. habits of mind and confidence to
enable students to develop 21* Century skills in a range of core academic subject
areas.
Since schools get rid of a one-size-fits-all system, therefore, pre service teachers
are expected to play an active role in developing and organizing content and instruction
for their students.
AACTE (2010) asserts that a 21st Century approach to curriculum is about more
than just adding an extra course or extra class time in the curriculum. Thus, pre-service
teachers benefit from the ability to fully explore and understand how to develop and
use curriculum for deep understanding and mastery of academic subject knowledge and
21 Century skills.
As a starting point, a teacher education program can be aligned with student and
teacher standards in ways that blend thinking and innovation skills, ICT literacy; and life
and career skills in the context of all academic subjects and across interdisciplinary
themes.
An effective 21st Century skills approach to curriculum, in other words, is
designed for understanding (McTighe and Wiggins, 2005 in AACTE, 2010). The
program's curriculum will be most beneficial to pre-service teachers if it is designed to
produce deep understanding and authentic application of 21st Century skills in all
subject areas.
Instructional models. Instructional models are an important component of
any teacher preparation program. AACTE (2010) pointed out that the integration of
innovative and research-proven teaching strategies, modern learning technologies and
real-world resources and contexts are all imperative in:
1. Integrating "teach for understanding" principles. When pre-service
teachers can prepare and present lessons that can develop students essential concepts
and skills with the integration of technologies, the latter can reciprocally. demonstrate
critical thinking and problem-solving in class.
2. Creating rich practice teaching experiences. Strong practice teaching
experiences allow pre-service teachers to connect theory and practice.
3. Creating dynamic learning communities and peer mentoring
networks. Pre-service teachers benefit greatly from service-learning as part of their
experiential learning courses. It provides time to reflect on relevant pedagogic
strategies that enhance 21st Century skills in classroom practice.
 PRELIM 26

4. Examining the role of content, pedagogy and technologies in

developing higher-order thinking skills. The ability to teach for content mastery is
a challenging task for most pre service teachers. Teaching for content mastery (1)
supports a range of high-quality standardized testing along formative and summative
assessments; (2) emphasizes useful feedback on student performance; (3) requires
balanced technology enhanced, formative and summative assessments; (4) enables
development of student portfolios that demonstrate mastery of 21st Century knowledge
and skills; and (5) enables a balanced score card to assess the educational system's
effectiveness.

Teacher preparation programs can play a vital role in developing education

leaders who understand and can influence current trends in assessment through: (1)
research and evaluation test for innovative approaches; (2) 21st Century knowledge
and skills assessment strategies; and (3) mastery of a wide range of student
assessment methods.
Learning environments. The learning environment within the teacher
preparation program is a key component of any systemic reform initiative. Determining
the enabling structures, policies and strategies that can best support 21st Century skills
acquisition among pre-service teachers is a step towards creating a kind of environment
that will promote 21st Century learning. The following are initiatives in creating 21st
Century teacher education learning environment: (1) Establish a 21st Century vision for
learning environments in the program and the university; (2) Ensure that the physical
infrastructure supports 21st Century knowledge and skills; (3) Practice flexibility in time
for project-based work and competency-based assessment; (4) Ensure technical
infrastructure that sufficiently supports learning; and (5) Strengthen networking
engagement in the learning environment.
Partnerships. Partnerships are extraordinarily important in the work of
transforming 21st Century teacher preparation programs. Along the line, teamwork
within the program and the institution is imperative for sustainability and development.
The partnership forged with community leaders, business industry, professional
associations, government agencies, non-government organizations. other institutions,
parents, other stakeholders and the community creates high impact outcome. The
powerful partnerships are created through strong collaboration towards enabling
innovation in the teaching and learning for the 21st Century.
Continuous improvement. Continuous improvement represents willingness to
commit to revisiting the process over time. For AACTE (2010), any implementation
effort should include continuous improvement steps. to wit: (1) Clearly identify
measurable goals: (2) Track progress regularly against these goals; (3) Communicate
progress to all stakeholders; and (4) Engage all participants in refining and improving
success over time (AACTE, 2010)
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Module 3:
NEW LITERACIES, FUNCTIONAL LITERACY AND
MULTILITERACY

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Discuss new literacies and their impact on the teaching-learning process

2. Describe a multiliterate teacher
3. Define functional literacy
4. Cite how functional literacy and new literacies can be integrated in the
curriculum and practiced in the classroom
5. Draw relevant life lessons and significant values from personal application of
functional literacy
6. Analyze a research abstract on new literacies and their implications on
teaching and learning
7. Make a project plan or action plan that presents functional literacy in action

New Literacies

Between 1950 and 1970, the development of literacy, both operational and
functional, was established. During this period, literacy was defined as reading and
writing skills necessitated for activities in modern society (Güneş, 2000). Beyond the
1990s, literacy had started to diversify in the light of technological developments,
change of living conditions in cities, and the new necessities. Hereafter, literacy then
became multi-faceted.
At first, literacy was used in various types, such as computer literacy, technology
literacy, Internet literacy, and media literacy, respectively (Altun, 2005). Later on, it
became a lifestyle along with a person's entire life in a society that encompasses
information literacy cultural literacy and universal literacy.
Truly, literacy has changed and developed through a multitude of phases within
a specific period based on societal needs.
However, along this line, literacy is not confined only to knowing how to read
and write rather, it is a matter of applying knowledge for specific purposes in particular
contexts. It includes a socially-driven and evolved a pattern of activities, such as writing
correspondence, records keeping and inventories, posting announcements, reporting
etc. As such, Lankshear & Knobel (2006) averred that literacies intend to generate and
communicate meanings through the medium of encoded texts within contexts in various
discourses.
Kress (2003) posited that literacy can only happen when having a kind of
potential content through interaction with the text. Likewise. a particular text may be
understood for being connected or related. Although in a way, such meaning can be
 PRELIM 28

more relational than literal or expressing solidarity or affinity with particular people, like
understanding the Internet, online practices and online content. Hence, anything
available online can become a resource for making diverse meaning.
Literacies can bear a coding system that can capture the meaning, such as
"letteracy" (i.e., within language and recognition of alphabetic symbols).
Moreover, the Primary English Teaching Association Australia (2015) asserts that
21st Century literacy has expanded to include social change, increasing field expertise
and digital technologies. To be literate requires comprehension, selection and use of
multimodal codes and conventions to interpret and express ideas, feelings and
information. Subject-specific literacies are recognized to require the application of
specialized knowledge and skills, information skills and the creative and imaginative
language. Literacy in the 21st century. therefore, demands the ability to perform and
act confidently, efficiently and ethically with a wide range of written and visual, print,
live, digital or electronic text types according to purpose (www.petaa.edu.au).
The increasing complexity of modern communication gives rise to a number of
distinct capabilities and possibilities. Hence, 21 Century literacy combines cross-
curricular capabilities also called multiliteracies and now commonly referred to as 'new
literacies. These broad skills include visual literacy, information literacy, cultural literacy
and digital literacy dynamics. These new literacies are fused with traditional print
literacy to create opportunities and enable students to understand and use new text
types, while exploring knowledge and information with a wide array of technological
tools, such as blogging, fanfic writing, manga producing, meme-ing. photoshopping,
animé music video (AMV), podcasting, vodcasting, and gaming, running a paper-based
zine, reading literary novels and wordless picture books, reading graphic novels and
comics, and reading bus timetables. (Primary English Teaching Association Australia,
2015).
Leander (2003) noted that new literacies are often flexible, continuous and open,
where online and offline lives and "literacyscapes" merge. Thus, when a literacy
practice becomes a mindset with the concept of Web 2.0, it can be regarded as a new
literacy. New technologies enable and enhance these practices in a way that is highly
complex and exciting for students.
 PRELIM 29

Exploring the New Literacies

There are seven new literacies that are stressed in the 21st century curriculum.

1. Multicultural Literacy is about understanding ethnic groups that comprise the

population and focuses on complex issues of identity, diversity and citizenship.
2. Social literacy is the development of social skills, knowledge and positive
values in human beings to act positively and responsibly in sophisticated complex social
settings.
3. Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media.
4. Financial literacy is the ability to make informed judgments and make effective
decisions regarding the use and management of money.
5. Digital literacy is the ability to effectively use digital devices for purposes of
communication, expression, collaboration and advocacy in a knowledge-based society.
6. Ecological literacy understanding the principles of ecosystems toward
sustainability.
7. Creative literacy is the ability to make original ideas that have value, and the
ability to see the world in new ways.
 PRELIM 30

The Truth on 21st Century

Since success
with technology
depends largely on
critical thinking and
reflection, teachers
with relatively little
technological skills
can provide less
useful instruction.
Therefore, schools
must support the
teachers by
providing them
professional training
and up-to-date
technology for
utilization in classrooms.
Global economies, new technologies, and exponential growth in information are
transforming our society. Since today's people engage with a technology-driven,
diverse, and quickly changing world, teachers need to prepare students for this world
with problem solving, collaboration, and analysis, as well as skills with word processing,
hypertext, LCDs, Webcams, podcasts, smartboards, and social networking software that
are central to individual and community success.

The National Council of Teachers of English (2013) came up with a research that
reveals the following:
1. As new technologies shape literacies, they bring opportunities for teachers to
foster reading and writing in more diverse and participatory contexts.
2. Sites, like literature's Voice of the Shuttle, online fanfiction, and the Internet
Public Library, expand both the range of available texts and the social dimension of
literacy.
3. Research on electronic reading workshops shows that they contribute to the
emergence of new literacies.
4. Research also shows that digital technology enhances writing and interaction
in several ways.
5. K-12 students, who write with computers, produce compositions of greater
length and higher quality are more engaged with and motivated toward writing than
those who do not write with computers.
6. College students, who keep e-portfolios, have a higher rate of academic
achievement and overall retention rate than those who do not keep e-portfolios. They
also demonstrate a greater capacity for metacognition, reflection and audience
awareness.
 PRELIM 31

7. Both typical and atypical students, who receive an online response to writing,
revise their works better than those participating in traditional method.

Functional Literacy

The term functional literacy was initially defined by UNESCO through William S.
Gray in his Teaching of Reading and Writing (1956) as adult training to meet
independently the reading and writing demands placed on them. It stresses the
acquisition of appropriate verbal, cognitive and computational skills to accomplish
practical results in specific cultural settings dubbed as survival literacy and reductionist
literacy.
Over the decades, as societies have evolved into technical innovations, the
definition of functional literacy has been modified to meet the changing demands
(Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1998).

Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

1. Literacy programs should be integrated to and correlated with economic and
social development plans.
2. The eradication of illiteracy should begin with population sectors, which are
highly motivated and need literacy for their own and their country's benefit.
3. Literacy programs should be linked with economic priorities and carried out in
areas undergoing rapid economic expansion.
4. Literacy programs must impart not only reading and writing but also
professional and technical knowledge leading to greater participation of adults in
economic and civic life.
5. Literacy must be an integral part of the over-all educational system and plan
of each country.
6. The financial need for functional literacy should be met with various resources,
as well as be provided for economic investments.
7. The literacy programs should aid in achieving main economic objectives (.e.
increase in labor productivity, food production, industrialization, social and professional
mobility, creation of new manpower and diversification of the economy).

Thus, literacy materials present reading, writing and numeracy concepts using
words and ideas needed in using information for learners to enhance sufficient literacy
skills and continue learning on their own.
A number of functional literacy programs have been carried out that focus on
different job skills and development aspects. To name a few, in the Philippine context,
are agricultural, health, industry, family planning, home making, arts and culture and
technical-vocational programs.
A new functional literacy aspect, called specific literacy, is becoming a trend, in
which the job of the student is analyzed to see exactly the literacy skills needed and
those that are only taught. This is to prevent job-skill mismatch. In specific literacy, the
 PRELIM 32

student may learn very little but will be of immediate value that would result in
increased learner motivation.
Therefore, the specific literacy strategy is a planning tool that allows the literacy
worker to focus on skills that are of value to the learners.
Significance of this approach includes literacy that: (1) starts in the workplace;
(2) uses a diagnostic approach; (3) identifies turning points in economic life that may
act as an incentive to learning; (4) assesses the limits of a short-term intervention; and
(5) looks for generic skills. maps/functional-literacy)

Gunes (2000) posited that functional literacy constitutes the second level of
literacy next to basic literacy, in which literary and mathematical information and skills
can be utilized in one's personal, social, economic and cultural endeavors. Therefore,
the essence in functional literacy is to learn basic related information and skills and use
them in daily life. Functional literacy level comprises both technical and functional skills
while encompassing social, citizenship, and economic roles.
In context, Çapar (1998) cites that a functionally literate person is someone who
is one step ahead of literacy and maintains literacy activity throughout his/her life in
order to keep living and effectively accommodate him/herself to his/her surroundings.
is, therefore, an ongoing process.
UNESCO defines functional literacy as the ability of an individual to take part in
significant activities in professional, social, political and cultural aspects in a society,
where he/she lives using his/her literacy skills (De Castel, 1971; Goksen, Gulgoz and
Kagitcibasi, 2000; as cited in Savas, 2006).
 PRELIM 33

Hatch (2010) defines it based on the American Heritage College Dictionary

(AHCD). Accordingly, the word "functional" means "building capacity" and "literacy" as
"reading and writing skills." Therefore, it is the capability to proficiently read and write
that can be used in daily life routines.
Likewise, Knoblauch and Brannon (1993), as cited in Jabusch (2002)
distinguished basic literacy and functional literacy as having the expression "functional"
to indicate performance with texts, including mathematics.
The Education for All Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO, 2006) states that
functional literacy means the ability to make significant use of activities involving
reading and writing skills that include using information, communicating with others,
and following a path of lifelong learning necessary for the ability to express him/ herself
in daily life. UNESCO's definition also adds that functional literacy includes those skills
essential for both official and unofficial participation, as well as those which are
necessary for national change and development that can be used to aid an individual in
contributing to his/her own development and that of his/her family and the society. The
National Statistics Authority defines functional literacy as the level of literacy that
includes reading, writing and numeracy skills that help people cope with the daily
demands of life.
Based on these definitions, functional literacy can be concluded as an activity
that contributes to the development of an individual and the society, including the
ability to use information and skills related to listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
arithmetic necessary for daily life in social, cultural and economic aspects effectively
(https://pdfs. semanticscholar.org).

Improving Functional Literacy in the Philippines

Over the years, the Philippines has continuously aspired to attain an increased
functional literacy rate.
Manuyo (2019) reported that based on the 2013 Functional Literacy, Education
and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), the country registered a 90.3% rate, which means
that nine out of every 10 Filipinos aged 10-64 were functionally literate. In 2003, there
were still gaps at the community level. In the study conducted by World Vision, results
showed that the proportion of girls and boys aged 11-13, who were functionally literate,
placed at a critical rate of 44%, or below 50% of the students were able to read with
comprehension by the end of their basic education.
 PRELIM 34

Integration of New Literacies in the Curriculum

To address the call for literacy in today's world, students must become proficient
in the new literacies of 21 century technologies. The International Reading Association
(IRA) believes that literacy educators have the responsibility to integrate information
and communication technologies into the curriculum to prepare students for the future
they deserve.
The multiliterate learner. Today, the Internet and other forms of information
and communication technologies (ICTS) are redefining the nature of reading, writing,
and communication. New literacy skills and practices are required by each new ICT as it
emerges and evolves. Thus, these new literacies need to be integrated into the
curriculum to prepare students for successful civic participation in a global environment.
Students would desire for: (1) teachers who use ICTs skillfully for teaching and
learning; (2) peers who use ICTs responsibly and who share their knowledge; (3) a
literacy curriculum that offers opportunities for collaboration with peers around the
world; (4) instruction that embeds critical and culturally sensitive thinking into practice,
standards and assessments that include new literacies; (5) leaders and policymakers
who are committed advocates of ICTs for teaching and learning; and ( equal access
to ICTs for all classrooms and students.
Coiro, et al (2008) noted four common elements as broader dimensions of new
literacies, to wit: (1) the Internet and other ICTs require new social practices, skills,
strategies, and dispositions for their effective use; (2) new literacies are central to full
civic, economic, and personal participation in a global community; (3) new literacies
rapidly change as defining technologies change; and (4) new literacies are multiple,
multimodal and multifaceted, thus, they benefit from multiple lenses seeking to
understand how to better support the students in a digital age.
Impact of new literacies on instruction. Additional changes are taking place
in literacy instruction (Grisham and Wolsey, 2009) Henry (2008) restated that
engagement in literacy activities is being transformed today like at no other time in
history. As students tum to the Internet and other information communication
technologies (ICTS) at increasing rates to read, write and interact with texts, they must
develop new skills and strategies, or new literacies, to be successful in these
multimodal, intertextual and interactive environments. The Internet has become the
defining technology for today's youth and may be the most important ICT for students
to learn how to manipulate successfully.
 PRELIM 35

Multiliteracies in the Educational Reform

In a broader essence, the concept of 21 century skills is motivated by the belief

that teaching students the most relevant, useful, in-demand, and universally applicable
skills should be prioritized in today's schools.
As such, students need to be taught different skills that should reflect the
specific demands of a complex, competitive, knowledge based, information-age,
technology-driven economy and society.
21 Century skills may be taught in a wide variety of school settings. Teachers
may advocate teaching cross-disciplinary skills, while schools may require 21st century
skills in both instruction and assessment processes. Schools and teachers may use
educational approaches that inherently expedite or facilitate the acquisition of cross-
disciplinary skills.
Educational strategies, that include authentic, outcome-based learning, project-
based learning and performance-based learning tend to be cross-disciplinary in nature.
Students complete a research project, create multiple technologies, analyze and process
information, think creatively, plan out the process, and work collaboratively in teams
with other students.
Likewise, schools may alternative learning pathways. allow students in to which
students pursue earn. academic credit and satisfy graduation requirements by
completing an internship, apprenticeship or immersion experience. In this case.
students can acquire a variety of practical, job-related skills and work habits, while also
completing academic coursework and meeting the same learning standards required of
students.
Assessment of multiliteracies. Assessment moves from usual memorization
of facts and disconnected processes to demonstration of understanding through
application in a variety of contexts. Real-world audiences are important part of the
assessment process, including self-assessment.
Media literacy skills are honed as students address real world issues from the
environment. Students use the technological and multimedia tools. now available to
them to design and produce websites, television shows, radio shows, public service
announcements, mini-documentaries, electronic portfolios, DVDs, oral histories and
even films.
In a way, students can freely express their points of view as they create projects
using multimedia and deliver these products to real world audiences, realizing that they
can make a difference and change the world. They learn what it is to be a contributing
citizen, and carry these citizenship skills throughout their lives.
As a result, standardized test scores are higher because students have acquired
the skills and content in a meaningful connected way with profound understanding.
They actually master the content on a much higher level and develop their basic skills
by constant application throughout their schooling
 PRELIM 36

Preparing teachers for multiliteracies. New London Group (1996)

underscored multi-literacies as multimodal ways communications that include
communications between and among other languages using diverse channels within
cultures and ability to understand technology and multimedia. As such, apply
multiliteracies to teaching offers a new classroom pedagogy that extends and helps
manage classrooms.
Biswas (2014) asserted that one challenge for educators is to help students
create a sustainable literacy development throughout schooling so that students can
develop strong literacy skills (Borsheim, et. al, 2008). Certainly, multiple and new
literacies require students to integrate technology-enhanced educational tools into their
work. Ajayi (2011) recommended that teacher education must prepare teachers to
teach multiliteracies in their schools where there is a critical gap between multiliteracies
and classroom pedagogy (Pennington, 2013). Given globalization and technological
changes teaching multiliteracies is indispensable to literacy teaching and learning in the
21st century.

Therefore, Newman (2002) in Biswas (2014) suggests that teachers integrate

four components of multiliteracies in teaching:
1. Situated practice leads students towards meaningful learning by integrating
primary knowledge.
2. Overt instruction guides students to the systematic practice d learning process
with tools and techniques.
3. Critical framing teaches students how to question diverse perceptions for
better learning experiences.
4. Transformed action teaches students to apply the lessons they learn to solve
real-life problems.
 PRELIM 37

Thus, teaching multiliteracies can inform, engage, and encourage students to

embrace the multiplicity of learning practices (New London Group, 1996). Moreover,
teaching multiliteracies can help teachers blend and apply the following four
instructional processes of multiliteracies in classroom to ensure successful teaching and
advancing students' learning processes.
Research shows that effective instruction in 21" Century literacies takes an
integrated approach, helping students understand how access, evaluate, synthesize,
and contribute to information (N London Group, 1996).
Teachers insist to: (1) encourage students to reflect regular on the role of
technology in their learning: (2) create a website and invite students to use it to
continue class discussions and bring outside voices; (3) give students strategies for
evaluating the quality of information they find on the Internet; (4) be open about one's
own strengths and limitations with technology and invite students to help; (5) explore
technologies students are using outside the classroom and find ways to incorporate
them into one's teaching: (6) use wiki to develop a multimodal reader's guide to a class
text; (7) include a broad variety of media and genres in class texts; (8) ask students to
create a podcast to share with an authentic audience; (9) give students explicit
instruction about how to avoid plagiarism in a digital environment; and (10) refer to the
Partnership for 21 Century Skills website.
 PRELIM 38

For schools and policymakers: (1) Teachers need both intellectual and material
support for effective 21st century literacy instruction; (2) Schools need to provide
continuing opportunities for professional development, as well as up-to-date
technologies for use in literacy classrooms; (3) Address the digital divide by lowering
the number of students per computer and by providing high quality access (broadband
speed and multiple locations) to technology and multiple software packages; (4) Ensure
that students in literacy classes have regular access to technology; (5) Provide regular
literacy specific professional development in technology for teachers and administrators
at all levels, including higher education; (6) Require teacher preparation programs to
include training in integrating technology into instruction; (7) Protect online learners
and ensure their privacy; (8) Affirm the importance of literacy teachers in helping
students develop technological proficiency; and (9) Adopt and regularly review
standards for instruction in technology.

The integration of new literacies and the teaching of multiliteracies open new
pedagogical practices that create opportunities for future literacy teaching and learning.
Multiliteracies can also help teachers provide equal access to learning for all students.
In effect, students learn to collaborate by sharing their thoughts with others in online
spaces where they can engage in different forms or modes of learning process.
Consequently, students can be expected to become more confident and knowledgeable
in their learning through participatory and collaborative practices as a result of this new
literacy integration in the curriculum for teacher education (New London Group, 1996).