Understandings of the Term Literacy - Assignment Example

Literacy Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: University: Literacy 1. What are your understandings of the term literacy? Wyse and Casarotto (2004), acknowledge that the changes that have been witnessed in the world economy owe their origins and nature to the increasing demand and need for literacy in the work place. Literacy, in this context, describes a situation where an individual has the ability and capability to be influential and effective in fields that are associated with communication, written language and spoken language and how well they are applied in different contextual situations. From this, it can be deduced that literacy is understood as the various technical skills that are needed by workers and how effectively they apply them to situations. This understanding also includes how these skills and their roles in the workplace are understood (Wyse & Casarotto, 2004). Drawing on this understanding, literacy does not just involve a set of predetermined skills, but how they are utilized and how the skills evolve. On a similar breath, Street (1996) argues that literacy needs to be understood from a social perspective that describes it as a resource that is dynamic enough to include the changes that occur in its methodologies, complexities and practices. In addition, it should not be limited to a narrow and strict set of rules constructed from formal education govern and determine its existence and quality. In Street’s view, this understanding should aid bridging the gap between academic analysis and its application in contemporary societal contexts (Street, 1996). Whatever the contexts that literacy is associated with, it has a consistent tendency to be altered or to change to suit a particular situation. However, this change is not always acknowledged. According to Darvin (2008), the term literacy refers to the multiple expertises that are the result of certain skills that are obtained through a wholesome comprehension of the intricate relationship that exists between performance and reading. This understanding of literacy goes further to elucidate that literacy is a concept that is meant to act as a replacement of language that is spoken, an enabler of communication and be a memory aid for situations that call for problem solving (Darvin, 2008). This is an understanding of literacy that draws on the educational context. Gee (1996), argues on similar grounds by defining literacy as the ability to read and write in that an individual should be able to decode writing, which is reading, and to code thoughts and language in a written form. In contrast, Eagleson (1990) suggests that literacy refers to a set of mercurial characteristics that are attributed to a particular person and the classification of these characteristics as either of higher or lower quality depends on the nature of the audience in that particular context. This means that the educational context is not highly applicable to this understanding as it implies that literacy will only be understood and interpreted in a framework dictated by the audience who exist in that particular context. The judgment that follows a form of spoken expression or communication that then establishes it as a literate from of communication exists based on the definitions and understanding that the audiences of that context have on various communication aspects. Consistent with the contextual argument, Ford (1994), literacy is illustrated as the knowledge of history and the ability to pass relevant knowledge from this history to others effectively. In addition, it describes a person’s ability and wants to learn as well as their capability to use skills and knowledge to enhance protection from susceptibilities that come with ignorance. Literacy is a doorway that acts as an access way to power, information and protection. Though this literacy is somewhat dictated by the context, it should be noted that the same literacy should arm an individual with skills to survive outside their literacy comfort zone. The contextual arguments that have been presented by Eagleson (1990) and Ford (1994) suggest that various aspects of literacy are shaped by the environment that a person exists within. The main issue that is emphasized in the definitions is that literacy is understood as one form or another of communicative competence (Searle, 2002). Searle (2002) goes on to emphasize that literacy is acquired and not genetic. The communicative competence that an individual gains in order to be literate is decided by the literacies that have been constructed either socially or academically. Literacy, therefore, is also understood as a competence in communication that is determined by gauges that have been constructed in certain respective contexts. This broadens the framework of perception that literacy has been accorded to include other contexts like work and other social contexts as opposed to the traditional educational context. 2. What are the literacy implications of these understandings for you as a university student? Higher learning institutions work to prepare those enrolled to tackle the challenges and necessities that they will likely face in the world. The literacy that a student is armed with includes a set of skills and the tools and methods of applying these skills appropriately and effectively in situations, especially work situations. As a university student, the implication I get from the definitions is that the assessment of literacy is contextual and this would be particularly relevant in a situation that involves entry into work (Rai, 2007). Students should therefore keep this in mind, especially in situations where their entry assessment involves writing and other communicative aspects. In addition, as opposed to weighing competency in literacy on the particulars of a certain culture, the trend is changing to include other cultures. This means that a higher degree of cultural knowledge is awarded a higher level of literacy (Cummins, 1994). This implies that communicative competence in various areas of existence including academics, social situations and work contexts should be inclusive and representative of the altering demographic context that is characteristic of recent times. Cummins (1994) argues that literacy needs to encompass the true and changing nature of the world. As a student, my quest for literacy should include matters that lead up to an end result of representative cultural diversity. It is also important to note that literacy does not just involve a set of skills but also how well these skills are used in particular contexts and the nature of the results that they yield. In the processes of acquiring skills that have been emphasized as being important, others may be neglected despite their significance. Boscolo, Arfe and Quarisa (2007), acknowledge that students need to take the art of writing seriously enough and use it as an avenue of expressing and producing the knowledge they have acquired. In this case, literacy is acquired and needs to be reinforced so that it remains effective. Reinforcement happens through practice that will result in students transitioning smoothly from being users of knowledge to being producers (Boscolo, Arfe & Quarisa, 2007). Just like most thing in the world, literacy has been affected by globalization. The definition of literacy has multiplied making it a multifaceted concept in academic circles. This holds the implication that university students need to acquire skills that will give them competitive advantage or the ability to acquire skills that will give them competitive advantage. The processes of globalization have resulted in significant changes that have made industries more competitive globally (Castleton, 2002). The skills that are possessed by future workers are under increased scrutiny and one of the most sought after qualities in workers in this global era is communication competence (Castleton, 2002). Yet another implication is that literacy should be reinforced by using skills creatively. The skill and the knowledge of how to use the skill in dynamic ways encompass what literacy should input in an individual. Communication should be the basis of all literacy since language and learning cannot be separated. The results and skills that learning inputs in an individual will only be effective and lasting if the student who is acquiring the literacy skills is able to use the language in all forms that are applicable (Street, 1996). The areas of application include listening, reading, talking and writing. Hamilton and Barton (2000) emphasize that literacy should enable an individual to apply the skills acquired to situations that may not be similar to the original acquisition ones but are inevitable in the process of instruction. Instruction is evolving and the modes that are utilized in reading instruction are changing. New literacies are required to cope with the changes that are taking place in the world. The changing mode of instruction in reading is majorly in the technological advancements that have characterized development over the last few decades. There is a need for students to explore newer literacies if they are to exploit their full potential as students. Hamilton and Barton (2000) argue that the measures that are used to indicate literacy should ensure that the process of acquisition is inclusive of procedures that empower individuals to survive. In turn, literacy would be an indicator of general well being as it provides people with the information and ability to protect their integrity and well being (Hamilton & Barton, 2000). Another implication is that for a student to achieve literacy to higher levels, they need to begin by achieving it within the contexts they are originally in before moving to others. References Boscolo P., Arfe, B., & Quarisa, M. (2007). Improving the quality of students' academic writing: an intervention study. Studies in higher education, 32(4), 419-438 Cummings, J. (1994). From Coercive to Collaborative Relations of Power in the Teaching of Literacy. Literacy and relations of power, 295-311 Castleton, G. (2002). Workplace literacy as contested site of educational activity. Journal of adolescent & adult literacy, 45(7), 556-566 Darvin, J. (2008). “On reading recipes and racing forms”— The literacy practices and perceptions of vocational educators. Journal of adolescent & adult literacy, 50(1), 10-18. Eagleson, R. (1990). Plain English: Simple or simplistic. Vox, 4, 106-110. Ford. L. (1994). Rethinking ‘Watjpala Way’ in literacy education, p. 161-167. In P. O’Connor (Ed). Thinking work. Sydney: Adult literacy and basic skills coalition. Gee, J. P. (1996). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses. 2. nd ed. London: Taylor & Francis. P. 39-45. Hamilton, M., & Barton, D. (2000). The International Adult Literacy Survey: What Does It Really Measure? International review of education, 46(5), 377-389. Rai, L. (2007). Exploring literacy in Social Work Education: a social practices approach to student writing. Social Work Education, 23(2), 149-162. Searle, J. (2002). Situated literacies at work. International Journal of Educational Research, 37 (1), 17–28. Street, B. (1996). The social uses of literacy: theory and practice in contemporary South Africa. Philadelphia: J Benjamins. p. 1-9 Wyse, L., & Casarotto, N. (2004). Literacy in the world of the aged care worker. Literacy & numeracy studies, 13(1), 19-30 Read More