SOUTH CENTAL MINDANAO COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

EDUC 6-BUILDING AND ENHANCING

NEW LITERACIES ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM
Module for Students

First Quarter

Weeks 1-5

Module Overview
This module introduces the concepts of new literacies in the 21st century as evolving social
phenomena and shared cultural practices across learning areas. The 21st century literacies shall
include (a) globalization and multi-cultural literacy, (b) social literacy, (c) media literacy, (d)
financial literacy, (e) cyber literacy /digital literacy, (f) eco-literacy and (g) arts and creativity
literacy. Field based-interdisciplinary explorations (ex. observation in mathematics, Field
Studies) and other teaching strategies shall be used to develop PSTs’ teaching skills to promote
learners’ literacy, and critical and creative thinking skills. Pre-service teachers shall develop skills
in using appropriate teaching strategies and resources, including the positive use of ICT, to
address learning goals.
Unit 1. Introduction of Key Concepts A.
Definitions of traditional literacies
B. Definitions of the 21st Century literacies
C. Features of 21st century teaching and learning

Prepared by:

MUTYA C. BATISLAONG
Course Instructor

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 D. Critical Attributes of the 21st Century Education
E. Basic strategies for developing literacy
Unit 2. Teaching Strategies for the Development of Literacy Skills and Teaching
Resources
A. Strategies for the development of emergent literacy skills and teaching
Resources
B. Beginning reading skills and teaching resources
C. Developing functional literacy
D. 21st Century literacy skills and teaching resources

How to learn from this module

To aid in your learning of those lessons aforementioned, this module contains

lessons within a chapter. Each lesson must be accomplished weekly and is further
divided into parts, as follows:

1. Learning Compass
This portion orients you with the learning outcomes for the learning unit.
2. Let’s Begin!
After the identification of learning outcomes and overview for every lesson,
you will be given a task that leads you to the key concepts to be discussed in
that unit.
3. Let’s Learn
This serves as the discussion of the concepts of each lesson.
4. Take Note!
This provides the summary of the important concepts of the lesson.
5. How Far Have We Gone?
To check whether the given learning outcomes are met, you are given
another task to assess the extent of understanding.
6. Walk the Extra Mile!
Every unit is ended with suggested activities for the enrichment of learning
and further application of what has been learned.

This module also includes a Chapter Reflection at the end of every chapter to jot
down your thoughts by answering self-introspective questions. Rubrics are also found in
this module’s Appendices for your reference in making your outputs. Just follow the
notes below each exercise and activity for guidance. Lastly, a Course Feedback is
provided at the end of this module for you to share your evaluative feedback of this
module. This part will be our basis for improvement for future revision.

Welcome to this learning adventure!

UNIT 1

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INTRODUCTION OF KEY
CONCEPTS

“Literacy is no longer the one who does know how to read and write, but someone who
knows how to learn, unlearn and relearn!”

LESSON 1

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 Introduction of Key Concepts:
A. Definitions of traditional literacies
B. Definitions of the 21st Century literacies
C. Features of 21st century teaching and learning
D. Critical Attributes of the 21st Century Education
E. Basic strategies for developing literacy

Learning Compass
At the end of the unit, the pre-service teacher can:
 compare the basic concepts of traditional and 21st century
literacies and
skills
 explain the features and critical attributes of the 21st century
literacies

Let’s Begin!
…are you ready to share your knowledge? Here we go…

How has the world changed?

Let’s use this chart as a brainstorming tool to reflect upon the changes that have taken place during your
lifetime.

Activities Your elementary school Your life today

years
Communication
Games you played
Methods of Purchase
Education

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 Let’s Discuss (Weeks 1-3)
A. Definitions of traditional literacies
Literacy – is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write (Literacy, Literate,
n.d.).
1. Traditional Literacy (Conventional Literacy) - is the ability to read the written word to gain
understanding and meaning.
The word “literacy” stems from the word “literate”, which first appeared in the 15 th 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. Since the subjects of the time (e.g., grammar,
logic, arithmetic, geometry, etc.) all had written texts (which were composed of letters) that
had to be studied, the ability to read and write was therefore of prime importance, leading
to the strong association of being “literate” with the ability to read and write.

2. Functional Literacy (Practical Literacy) – 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 being wet.

Clearly, reading or writing words and numbers is not enough to assess literacy. People need to
be able to understand and use those words and numbers for practical purposes, such as deliberating
ideas and solving problems. This broader definition of literacy is called functional literacy.

3. Early literacy/emergent literacy – learning literacy actually begins at a very early age, long
before official lessons in school. This term is used to describe the knowledge the child has of
reading and writing before reaching the age where these skills are taught

4. Basic literacy and skills – 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 a kin to recognizing that the sequence of
letters “b-a-s-a” forms the word basa in Filipino, even without understanding what it means.

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 B. Definitions of the 21st Century literacies
The 21st century literacies and skills

1. Globalization and Multicultural literacy

According to Joseph E. Stiglitz (2002), globalization is the closer integration of the
countries and people of the world brought about by the enormous reduction of costs of
transportation and communication, and the breaking down of artificial barriers to the flows
of goods, services, capital, knowledge, and people across borders.

Held, et al. (1999) defined that globalization captures elements of a widespread

perception that there is a broadening, deepening and speeding up of world-wide
interconnectedness in all aspects of life, from the cultural to the political, the financial to the
environmental.

Cole (2018) shared that according to sociologists, globalization is an ongoing process

that involves interconnectedness changes in the economic, cultural, social and political
spheres of society.

Beck (2000), defined globalization as a process through which transnational actors

undermine sovereign national states with varying prospect if power, direction, identities and
network.

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).

To better illustrate this, consider two people from different countries for example, the
Philippines and South Korea. Let us say they meet in college and become good friends, so
that the Korean comes to be treated like a member of the Filipino’s family. After some time,
the Korean returns to her own country, but something has changed, she notices as aspect of
her culture that she finds herself wishing to be more Filipino. She knows very well that she
cannot change Korean culture as a whole, so she decides to just change herself. She does not
change everything of course – just a little thing here and there; she is still obviously Korean,
but she just does a few things differently from those who have never been to the Philippines.

Now suppose a little more time passes and the Korean is very happy with the changes
she made to her life that makes it just a little more Filipino. Let us say some of her colleagues
notice how she does some things differently and they become curious, so she tells them
about her experiences in the Philippines and how that in some ways, she wishes to do things
the way the Filipinos do. Her colleagues decide to give it a try, and they find that they like
this different way of doing things, too.

Now let us say that when we look at the person from the Philippines, something similar
has taken place: the Filipino, while still being Filipino through and through, has made a few
changes in her life as a result of her experience of Korean culture through her friend during
their years in college. Some of her friends have also noticed it and have made similar little
changes in their own lives.

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 economist and
businessmen. But globalization and its effects go beyond import or export and Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI). Notice that in our illustration, the friends of the two people in question
were affected by their interaction, even if they themselves had never been to Korea or had
not met a Filipino. Now scale this up to the point where it is not just two people from two
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 different nations interacting, but millions of people, from nearly two hundred different
countries, where 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 today.

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 for a 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.

Taylor and Hoechsmen (2011) shared that multicultural literacy is defined through the
idea of an inclusive and diverse education system where students of all cultural backgrounds
are provided with the respect and recognition they deserve in the classroom. It is through
this literacy that we must foster certain pedagogies concerning both social justice and social
difference in the classroom.

Boutte (2008) discussed how by fostering both critical thinking and culturally sensitive
pedagogies to bring explicit attention to society-related cultural issues, in hope to positively
impact diverse learners in the classroom through giving recognition to the barriers they may
face through educational institutions.

O’Byrne and Smith (2015) stated how through the use of multicultural literacy, culturally
marginalized students feel more respected and comfortable in the classroom as they
genuinely feel their needs are being met and their voices are being heard.

Banks and Stark (2003) stated that although literacy is essential that all students acquire
the basic literacy and computational skills, this is not enough. Students should also acquire
the skills, attitudes and commitments to be reflective, moral and active citizens in a troubled
global world.

We define multicultural literacy 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.

2. Social Literacy – concerns itself with the development of social skills, knowledge and positive
human values that enable human beings to act positively and responsibly in range of
complex social settings. It is the knowledge of how to behave and treat other people in a way
that is morally upright, just and equitable, with a view of promoting positive and productive
relations that are free from unfair prejudices, hate, and discrimination.

3. Media Literacy – is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate messages in a
wide variety of forms (Aufderheide, 1993). While Christ and Potter (1998) define it as “the
ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages across a variety of contexts.”

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 Perhaps in its simplest sense, media literacy can thus be defined as “the ability to identify
different types of media and understand the messages they are communicating” (Common
Sense Media, n.d.).

4. Financial Literacy
The National Endowment for Financial Education defines financial literacy as “the ability
to read, analyze, manage, and communicate about the personal financial conditions that
affect material well-being. It includes the ability to discern financial choices, discuss money
and financial issues without (or despite) discomfort, plan for the future, and respond
competently to life events that affect every day financial decisions, including events in the
general economy” (Incharge Education Foundation, 2017). To put it simply, it is “the ability
to use knowledge and skills to manage one’s financial resources effectively for lifetime
financial security” (Mandell, 2009).

5. Cyber/Digital Literacy – is defined as the ability to locate, evaluate, create and communicate
information on various digital platforms. Put more broadly, it is the technical, cognitive, and
sociological skills needed to perform tasks and solve problems in digital environments
(EshetAlkalai, 2004).

6. Eco-literacy (Ecological Literacy) - refers to an individual’s understanding not only in

ecological concepts, but also of his or her place in the ecosystem (Meena & Alison, 2009).
The term ecological literacy was first introduced by David Orr in 1989 in his essay “Ecological
Literacy.” He indicated that knowing, caring, and practical competence form the foundation
for ecological literacy. He pointed out that the root of environmental crisis is the individual’s
inability to think about “ecological patterns, systems of causation, and long-term effects of
human actions” (Orr, 1994). Thus, he emphasized the importance of experience in one’s
natural environment that can enable humans to shift perspective from one of an economic
emphasis to one of balance amongst economics, ecology, and cultures.

7. Arts and Creativity Literacy – is defined in the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards: a
Conceptual Framework for Arts Learning (2014) as the knowledge and understanding
required to participate authentically in the arts. While individuals can learn about dance,
media, music, theater, and visual arts through reading, print texts, artistic literacy requires
that they engage in artistic creation processes directly through the use of materials (e.g.,
charcoal or paint or clay, musical instruments or scores) and in specific spaces (e.g., concert
halls, stages, dance rehearsal spaces, arts studios, and computer labs).

C. Features of 21st century teaching and learning

21st Century education focuses on personalization, equality, collaboration, communication
and community relationships.
These skills are required in a rapidly changing global economy. Students will be training for jobs
that do not even exist yet. These jobs will require the types of problem solving and
communication skills that can only be learned through 21st Century approaches to learning.

7 Key Features of 21st Century Education are:

21st Century education has 7 key features that make it different to a 20th Century
approach. These are: (1) Personalized learning. (2) Equity, diversity and inclusivity. (3) Learning
through doing. (4) Changed role of the teacher. (5) Community relationships. (6) Technology. (7)
Teacher professionalization.

1. Personalized Learning
A personalized approach recognizes that not all students learn in the same manner.
Personalized learning involves differentiating instruction so that students can learn in ways that suit
their personal needs.
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 Educators can adjust their teaching methods in several ways. They could:
• Differentiate content difficulty; 
Differentiate modes of delivery; and 
Differentiate assessment strategies.
By contrast, the 20th Century approach was characterized by a one size fits all approach.
In the old model, all students in the class were taught the same content in the same way at the
same time. Instruction was usually transmission-style under a paradigm of teaching often
referred to as the banking model of education.
The significant shift from the one size fits all to personalized approach can be attributed
to evolving understandings of how people learn. Theories such as the sociocultural theory gained
prominence in the latter decades of the 20th Century, which are now dominant in the 21st
Century. These theories recognize that learners are influenced significantly by social, cultural and
environmental factors which lead to differentiated outcomes. Many theorists now believe that
students need to learn through various different learning modalities depending on the student’s
needs.
Examples of personalized learning include:
 Differentiated instruction;
• Individualized education plans;
• Student-led projects in the classroom; 
Enhanced freedom of choice in the
classroom.
2. Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity
In the 20th Century students were expected to conform to the mainstream or be excluded.
But in the 21st Century, social inclusion and difference are celebrated.

We embrace equity, diversity and inclusivity in classrooms by:

Equity: A goal of 21st Century educators is to achieve equality of outcomes. Educators are
attempting to close achievement gaps between rich and poor. Hopefully one day your family’s
wealth will not determine how successful you are at school.

Diversity: Diversity is now considered a strength in classrooms. When students are different,
they learn that difference is okay. They befriend people of different cultures and learn not to be
afraid of other cultures around them.

Inclusivity: We now believe that people of all ability levels, physical disabilities, or learning
disabilities deserve to be included in mainstream classrooms. This can help them contribute to
mainstream life and show them they are welcome and equal participants in the world.

Driving factors behind the turn toward increased equity, diversity and inclusivity include:
• A shift to the social model of disability, which argues that society needs to adapt to include
people with learning and physical disabilities into mainstream classrooms;
• Increased cultural diversity leading to greater awareness of differences between cultures;
• Feminist and critical theories gaining currency in society, leading to awareness of the need
for greater gender equality

3. Learning through Doing

Old behaviorist methods of education that were typical in the 20th Century saw learning as:
• Memorization of information.
• Transmission of information from teacher to student.
• Filling your mind up with facts.
These methods are thrown out in a 21st Century learning approach.

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 Now, we encourage students to learn through doing. The central idea in the ‘learning
through doing’ approach is that we are much better at knowing, remembering and using
knowledge if we learn actively, rather than through passive learning.

When we are learning through doing, we:

• Have first-hand experience with applying information to the real world.
• Get the opportunity to learn through trial-and-error (so we know why something is true or
not).
• Aren’t told something, but rather we discover things through our engagement with the
world around us.
• Learn information that isn’t just theoretical but can be applied to things in our lives
somehow.

There are many approaches to education that fit within this 21st Century ‘learning through
doing’ paradigm. Here are just a few:

• Cognitive Constructivism: This is a theory of learning that believe we learn by constructing

ideas in our heads (rather than having them inserted into our minds). We construct
information when we place ideas in our working memory, compare it to our existing prior
knowledge, and make decisions about how useful, truthful or valuable this new knowledge
is to us before saving it, using it to change our minds, or discarding it. We don’t just take
bits of information for granted: we ‘mull them over’ and ‘consider them’ before deciding
how to use them.

• Problem Based Learning: PBL is a teaching strategy based on cognitive constructivism. It

involves learning through solving problems. This is clearly very different to learning by
being told facts. That’s because students aren’t given answers to problems: they have to
solve the problems themselves to discover the truth. That’s why sometimes we also call
PBL discovery learning.

• Problem Posing Education (PPE): PPE is very similar to problem based learning. In a
problem posing environment, the teacher or student will come up with a problem and
present the problem to the class. The class and the teacher need to learn the answer to
this problem together. So, not even the teacher enters the classroom with the answers in
this approach. It therefore creates a very democratic co-learning atmosphere in the
classroom.

• Project Based Learning: In a project-based classroom, students will work on one big
problem for many lessons (maybe even weeks or months) at a time. Students will often
work together and use resources around them like community members or the internet to
create something new (their project!).

• Phenomenon Based Learning (PhBL): PhBL is an approach that is popular in Finland.

Rather than learning through subjects (mathematics, languages, science, history), students
focus on a ‘phenomenon’ (or ‘topic’) that requires them to use multiple different forms of
knowledge from different subject areas to learn about the phenomenon in a holistic way.

4. Rethinking Learner and Teacher Roles

Classrooms have changed from being teacher-centered to student-centered. In the past the
students all focused on the teacher and listened to the teacher’s words. Now, the teacher focuses on
the students who are the center of attention. The teacher’s job is to help coach the students as they
learn.
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 In the 20th Century, teacher and learner roles were very rigid:
• Teacher as Authority: The teacher was the active participant. They did all the talking and were
the ultimate authority on all topics. They were the ‘sage on the stage’. This is why we often call a
20th Century approach “teacher-centered”.
• Passive Students: The student was the passive participant. They sat, listened and memorized.
They had very few opportunities to contribute their prior knowledge, exercise choice or
challenge the teacher’s points.

In the 21st Century, the roles of both the teacher and the student have changed:
• Teacher as Facilitator: The teacher is now a co-learner with the students. The teacher may still
need to control the environment by making it safe and focused on learning. The atmosphere of
the classroom is still very much up to the teacher. However, teachers are no longer just the
authorities on topics. Instead, their job is to help guide students as the students learn through
active processes. The teacher is no longer the center of attention – that’s the student!
• Active Students: Students learn through doing rather than listening. The teacher is no longer the
authority on knowledge, so students need to come to conclusions themselves using their critical
thinking and creative skills.

5. Community Relationships
We are increasingly realizing how important community engagement is for learning. In
our communities there are amazingly useful people who can teach and inspire our students far
better than we can.
Teachers know they can’t be experts on everything. But there is an expert for every topic
out there in the world.

So teachers need to seek out experts and bring them into the classroom. By leveraging the
skills and knowledge of the community, we can create a better learning experience for our students.

In multicultural societies, community members can also teach us about how to best
teach children within their cultures. For example, children from Indigenous cultures may have
grown up with very different learning styles from other children in the class. By engaging with
local Indigenous people, teachers can learn how best to teach those children in their class.
Bringing people from different walks of life into the classroom also helps our students to create
connections with people who aren’t like themselves. This can help inclusion, education for social
justice, and create links between people of different cultures.

6. Technology
Modern technologies can be incredibly helpful in classrooms today. Walk into a
classroom now and you’ll be shocked at how much things have changed in just a decade.
Technology is everywhere!
It is important to use new learning technologies in appropriate ways. Students shouldn’t
use technology to prevent them from thinking or help them cheat. Instead, technology should be
used to help students’ access information or think in ways they couldn’t have done so otherwise.
We call technologies that help students think harder ‘cognitive tools’ for learning.

7. Teacher Professionalization
Teaching children in this century is clearly much more complicated than it was in the last
one! We need to create personalized lessons, be inclusive, aim for equality, encourage creativity,
engage with the community, use technology to enhance learning, and more!

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 To ensure students get the best learning possible, teachers in the 21st Century need
ongoing training and support. They need to know all the latest research on best teaching
practices. They need opportunities to ask questions themselves, try out new strategies and learn
from experts throughout their career.

One of the biggest challenges for teachers is the rapidly changing educational
environment. New technologies are quickly coming into classrooms to help us personalize and
support learning for all our students.

Teachers need time and space to learn how to use technology and new pedagogies in
ways that will best help their students.

D. Critical Attributes of the 21st Century Education

The world of teachers and students is expected to continue to change dramatically
throughout the 21st century and beyond. There is a paradigm shift in the way teaching and
learning is delivered. As a 21 st century teacher, you need to develop essential knowledge, skills,
attitudes, and values to be able to cope with these
changes and to help your students address them as
well.

1. Integrated and Interdisciplinary

Nowadays, knowledge is no longer distinctly divided into clear-cut learning chunks or separate
subjects. Education in the 21st century is characterized by linkages among various subject
areas in an integrated manner. The new approach promotes the utilization of learning from
various disciplines.

This critical attribute implies that teachers need to review the school curriculum and identify
strategies or ways on how different subjects can be effectively linked to enhance the learning
experiences of students.

For example, music and algebra can be linked together in the discussion of fractions. The time
signature of music uses fractions; as such, you, as a good teacher, can certainly apply this to
both your music or math classes.

2. Technologies and Multimedia

Education in the 21st century makes full use of available Information and Communication
Technology, or ICT (e.g., computers and the internet) as well as multimedia (e.g., using audio-
and video-based instruction) to improve teaching and learning activities. The ability to find,
evaluate, utilize, and create information using technologies and multimedia, or digital
technology in general, is referred to as digital literacy. As a teacher, some of your day-to-day
activities – writing reports, creating multimedia presentations, and communicating or
exchanging information with your colleagues and students online – require different levels of
digital literacy. As such, it is important for you to develop your digital literacy skills so that you
can in turn pass these on to your learners.

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 This critical attribute implies that your school will need to acquire and use computers and
various multimedia equipment to enhance learning to the best extent possible. Training is also
needed for teacher-users as part of a bigger “technology plan.”

3. Global Classrooms

Education in the 21st century aims to produce global citizens by exposing students to the
concerns of the region and other countries. They are encouraged to react and respond to
issues as part of their roles as global citizens.

This critical attribute implies that teachers 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 only happen
inside the school and during one’s schooling years. Learning can take place anywhere,
anytime, regardless of one’s age.

This means that teachers should facilitate students’ acquisition of KSAVs that go beyond
academics. Learning should take place not only for the purpose of passing exams, but also for
transferring knowledge to real life situations. The curriculum should be planned in such a way
that the students will continue to learn even outside the school’s portals.

5. Student-Centered

Education in the 21st century is focused on students as learners. It is tailor-fit to address the
individual learning needs of each student. Differentiated instruction is common in 21st century
classrooms, where diverse student factors are taken into account when planning and
delivering instruction. You, as a teacher, can structure learning environments that address the
variety of learning styles, interests, needs, and abilities found in your classroom.

This critical attribute implies that teachers should act as facilitators of learning — not as “sages
on the stage” but as “guides on the side.” Learners should be given opportunities to discover
new knowledge, learn with one another, and create their own learnings.
6. 21st Century Skills

Education in the 21st century promotes the skills needed to be productive members of today’s
society. It is not enough for students to learn the basic skills of reading, writing, and numeracy,
but should develop in themselves skills that would help them cope with life and work in 21st
century communities. These skills include, among others, critical and creative thinking skills,
problem solving and decision making, and ICT literacy and skills. As a teacher, you are
expected to possess these 21st century skills before you can help your students develop these
skills.

7. Project-Based and Research-Driven

Among the critical attributes of 21st century education is the emphasis on data, information,
and evidence-based decision making. It relies heavily on student-driven activities to encourage
active learning. This implies that teachers of the 21st century need to be knowledgeable about
research to guide their students’ learning through self-directed activities, such as learning
projects within and outside their classrooms. Investigatory projects showcased in many
science fairs across Southeast Asia and in the world are examples of research-based activities
of students.

8. Relevant, Rigorous and Real-world

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 Education in the 21st century is meaningful because it is rooted in real life day-to-day activities
of learners. It can be applied to the realities of the present and includes what students need to
develop to enable them to become productive members of the 21st century.

This critical attribute implies that topics are taught using current and relevant information and
linked to real-life situations and context. As a 21st century teacher, you need to be updated on
the current trends, developments, and issues in your school, community, and in the world, so
that your teaching will be relevant to the lives of your students. Newspapers, TV and radio
news, and the internet are good sources of relevant and up-to-date information that you can
access.

E. Basic strategies for developing literacy

There are six (6) basic strategies for developing literacy:

• making connections
• visualizing
• inferring
• questioning
• determining importance
• synthesizing

For further information, please watch the video on the link provided:
[Link]

Take Note!
REMEMBER:
Literacy– is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write
(Literacy, Literate, n.d.).

How Far Have We Gone?

Small group presentation of outputs. Each group prepares a graphic organizer to present attributes
of 21st century teaching and learning.
Process: discussion of concepts and effective use of charts and/or diagrams

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 Walk the Extra Mile!
You shall create a poster on the different literacies on a ¼ sized illustration board. Take a photo
on the making of your poster. There shall be three different photos to be posted and turned in, in our

google classroom: the before, during, and after making of your poster.

REFERENCES

• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]
• [Link]

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 UNIT 2

TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR THE

DEVELOPMENT OF LITERACY
SKILLS AND
TEACHING RESOURCES

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to HOPE!!” – Kofi Annan

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 LESSON 2

Teaching Strategies for the Development of Literacy Skills and

Teaching Resources
A. Strategies for the development of emergent literacy skills and
teaching resources
B. Beginning reading skills and teaching resources
C. Developing functional literacy
D. 21st Century literacy skills and teaching resources

Learning Compass
At the end of the unit, the pre-service teacher can:
 demonstrate teaching strategies that promote literacy
 show skills in the selection, development and use of age-appropriate
instructional resources that will develop literacy, and higher-order and
creative thinking skills
 design activities appropriate for the development of literacy skills

Let’s Begin!
…are you ready to share your knowledge? Here we go…

Do you agree or disagree with these statements?

1. A higher education program where students graduate with a credential, but without substantial
career development, is a failed experience. (Agree, Disagree)
2. Student affairs/services should scale their engagement efforts via intentional (and sustainable)
digital outreach. Not knowing the tech isn't an excuse. (Agree, Disagree)
3. The student experience affects an institution's brand and ability to be competitive. A bad experience
is bad for marketing and enrollment. (Agree, Disagree)
4. No one is a digital native/immigrant...we all have unique levels of digital capability regardless of age.
(Agree, Disagree)
5. Staff need digital capability/literacy in order to teach digital capability/literacy. You can't have one
without the other. (Agree, Disagree)

Let’s Discuss (Weeks 4-5)

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 A. Strategies for the development of emergent literacy skills and teaching resources

Young children who have normal vision and hearing are regularly exposed to print and words
through daily activities. They listen to stories, rhymes, and songs and frequently observe others
reading and writing. These children are poised and ready to develop literacy skills. They rapidly
develop language and social skills and quickly absorb information about how the world works
(e.g. objects exist and have permanence and things have names, characteristics, and purposes).
By observing and imitating the people around them and by participating in everyday activities,
they easily acquire the foundations of literacy. They attach meaning to letters, recognize their
own names, find familiar words in picture books, and play simple word games. They enjoy
learning about the sounds letters make, how they fit together to make words and may begin to
use familiar words to form sentences. They delight in hearing favorite stories and creating their
own.

1. pictures and objects

Why teach with objects? As an addition to other forms of classroom materials, teaching with
objects offers a direct, tactile experience for students. Educational research over the past
fifty years has clearly established that hands-on learning is a rewarding, essential experience
for all learners. In addition, some children respond more readily to objects than they do to
other, more abstract teaching materials. Thus, teaching with objects can help those children
achieve better understanding of topics presented, perhaps offering them a leadership role
among their peers. Teaching with objects is also a powerful way to facilitate concept
learning, the skill of classification which helps children develop high levels of reasoning and
assessment abilities. Teaching with objects is an excellent means to enhance students’
sensory literacy, allowing them to develop the ability to compile evidence through sight,
touch, hearing, smell, and even taste, and to analyze and articulate that evidence.

Visual literacy is the ability to interpret and make meaning from information presented
in the form of an image (photograph, web page, movie, object, etc.). Humans have been
producing images for thousands of years, long before the written word was introduced. What we
think of as prehistoric or primitive art was a form of communication through images.

2. letters and words

Effective word-recognition strategies permit children to quickly and automatically translate
the letters or spelling patterns of written words into speech sounds so that they can identify
words and gain rapid access to their meanings (Vandervelden & Siegel, 1997). Children must
learn to identify words quickly and effortlessly so that they can focus on the meaning of
what they are reading (Stanovich, 1986). As children learn to read more and more complex
stories, effective word-identification strategies will permit them to figure out the
pronunciations of words they have never seen before in print. Students' semantic and
syntactic knowledge, in turn, can help to confirm the accuracy of their attempts at word
identification.

It is important that children learn to use their sound and spelling knowledge as a primary
strategy for word recognition (Bay Area Reading Task Force, 1997; Beck, 1998). Children
should also have opportunities to work with larger units (e.g., word families, spelling
patterns, and onsets and rimes). More advanced word- identification strategies focus on
structural analysis - the identification of root words, prefixes, and suffixes - and on how to
read multisyllabic words. Children need to recognize some common words before they have
the sound-letter knowledge to sound them out (e.g., the, this). Additionally, some words are
"irregular," meaning they are difficult to read using a sounding out strategy. The program
should introduce some irregular and other sight words in a reasonable sequence. These
words should be continuously reviewed in the lessons and in the written materials the
children read. Presenting some words as sight words should not overshadow the importance
of teaching children to learn how to use word-identification strategies to figure out words.

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 3. Sounds

Phonological awareness is children's awareness of how sounds are put together to form words.

It includes children’s ability to recognize:

• syllables (for example [Link])
• rhymes (for example rain/Jane; pouring/snoring)
• sounds at the start/end of words (for example cup/kit, drink/stuck)
• sounds within words (for example starch —> s t arch)
Phonological awareness is an important set of skills to develop throughout early childhood and primary
school. It is strongly linked to later reading and spelling success.

We can think about phonological awareness as a sequence from basic phonological awareness skills, to more
complex ones.

The importance of phonological awareness

The awareness of the sounds that make up words is critical to being able to blend sounds together for later
reading, and segmenting words into sounds for later spelling.

Educators can introduce these concepts to young children through:

• songs
• rhymes and games
• shared book reading
• collaborative emergent writing experiences (for example drawing with annotation)

We can also explicitly discuss phonological awareness concepts by explaining what syllables, rhymes, and
sounds are.

Phonemic awareness is the phoneme (“speech sound”) part of this skill and involves children blending,
segmenting, and playing with sounds to make new words.

4. read aloud experiences

Reading aloud to young children is the best way to prepare children for learning to read and to
keep them reading as they learn and grow. Reading aloud helps children develop the critical literacy and
language skills that they will use in school and throughout their lives.
Reading aloud to children gives them the opportunity to try on the language and experience of
others. It helps them make connections with their lives, and informs their view of themselves and others.
Thinking aloud helps children learn how to use comprehension strategies that are important when reading
independently.

7 Benefits of Reading Aloud

• Develops stronger vocabulary
• Builds connections between the spoken and written word
• Provides enjoyment
• Increases attention span
• Strengthens cognition
• Provides a safe way of exploring strong
emotions  Promotes
bonding.

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 B. Beginning reading skills and teaching resources

1. Phonemic awareness
- Refers to a child’s understanding that spoken
language consists of individual phonemes and
that the manipulation of these phonemes underlies

speech –(Atwill, 2010, p

107)

A phoneme is the smallest unit of

sound.

Phonemic Awareness is the ability to blend or break up spoken words into a component individual sounds
(Walsh, 2009, p. 212)

Why is it important?

“Empirical studies have found that successful pre-

literacy development leads to success throughout
elementary and high school and is even predictive of
college attendance and positive adult outcomes”.
(Atwill, 2010, p. 105)

Phonemic Awareness Practice

 Rhyme Awareness or Production

 Initial and Ending Sound Recognition
 Blending Phonemes
 Segmentation
 Counting sounds
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2. Phonics Instruction
 Introduce print (letters and words) 
Teaches the alphabetic principle
- Letter-Sound Correspondence: Teacher points to letter /m/ on board. “The sound of
this letter is /mmm/. Tell me the sound of this letter.” - Use consistent and brief
wording.
- Sounding Out Words: Teacher points to the word /mop/ on the board, touches
under each sound as the pupils sound it out, and slashes finger under the word as
pupils say it fast.
“Sound it out.” (/mmm o p/) “Say it fast.” (mop) – start by having pupils sound
letters/words out in their heads, then as a class produce the word orally.
- Reading Connected Text: Once pupils have mastered CVC (mom) and VS (at) words,
short controlled sentences (mom is at home) should be introduced.
Prompts and procedures should be used for this, as it is sometimes difficult for pupils
to move quickly from lists of words to passages.
3. Fluency Instruction
• The ability to read quickly and accurately
• Covered in phonemic awareness, letter naming, sound-letter associations, sight words, and oral
reading of connected text
• Fluency in: letter recognition --> letter sounds --> word recognition --> improved comprehension -
Letter-Sound Fluency: Given a set of letters, pupils can produce the associated sound within one
second. Target goal = 50 letter sounds per minute by mid first grade
-Irregular Word Fluency: Given a set of irregular words in a set or in a passage, can identify words
in 1 second or less.
-Oral Reading Fluency: By the end of grade 2, pupils should read 90-100 words per minute fluently.
It mirrors spoken language fluency.

Importance of Fluency
• Promotes memory and applications (generalization)
• Fluency in reading text is highly correlated to reading comprehension
• There are six stages of fluency and reading development: pre-reading, decoding, confirmation and
fluency, reading to learn, reading for multiple viewpoinrs, and reading to construct new knowledge.
[Link] Instruction
• Words a person has learned and uses to communicate effectively
• Divided into Oral and Reading
• Most words are learned indirectly, but some need to be taught directly (i.e. difficult words that
represent complex concepts)
• Pupils typically add 3, 000 new words yearly after 3rd grade

Direct Instruction
• Specific word instruction and word learning strategies
• Includes: teaching modeling, guided practice, and instructional feedback
• Specific word instruction
• Words prioritized into three categories: important words, difficult words, and useful words

5. Comprehension Instruction

• Ability to understand what is being read

• Reason for reading
• Requires purposeful and thoughtful interaction with text

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 Reading Comprehension Strategies Six Core Developmental Reading Approaches

• Comprehension Monitoring  Basal Reading

• Cooperative Learning  Literature-Based Reading
• Use of graphic and semantic organizers  Whole Language
• Question answering  Language Experience
• Generating questions  Phonics
• Recognizing story starters  Linguistic: Word Families and Onset-
• Summarizing Rime

C. Developing functional literacy

Functional Literacy is the ability to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading
skills beyond a basic level.

So how one can improve his functional literacy?

We need to select activities that practice real-world skills. The ideal method is the “Participatory
Approach” as defined by Peyton & Grandall (1995) and Huerta-Marcia (1993).

1. Participatory Approach
• The main goal of this approach is to have EVERY pupil, as well as the teacher actively
participating in the activities.
• This approach changes the role of the teacher. Instead us giving instructions and then stepping
back to allow pupils to work, the teacher works together with the pupils.
• This approach forces us to practice our micro-teaching skills, as we help learners to accomplish
the goals that we set.
• We must use realistiv materials, because we are training pupils for realistic situations.
• For large classes, it is IMPOSSIBLE to give each pupil individual attention. So we have pupils
work in pairs or small groups, and give attention to the groups as a whole.
• Our activities must also include extra-textual components such as pictures, logos or object, to
reflect the realistic nature of activities.

D. 21st Century literacy skills and teaching resources

1. Student-led learning (Cooperative Learning)

Student- or peer-led learning is where students

themselves facilitate their learning, often by students in
the year above guiding students in group activities to
discuss materials with their peers and solve problems.
This helps them to think

through what they have previously been taught

and encourages collaborative learning.

2. Inquiry-based classroom environment

Inquiry-based learning is an approach
to learning that emphasizes the student’s
role in the learning process. Rather than
the teacher telling students what they

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 need to know, students are encouraged to explore the material, ask questions, and share
ideas.
Inquiry-based learning uses different approaches to learning, including smallgroup discussion
and guided learning.
Instead of memorizing facts and material, students learn by doing. This allows them to
build knowledge through exploration,
experience, and discussion.

3. Collaborative Activities

Collaborative Activities are any activities

where learners are working
cooperatively in pairs or groups. For example: Pair
or group discussions.
Completing shared tasks in a pair or

group, e.g. matching, sorting, ranking.

4. Activities or games with a competitive

HOTS Activities
element, e.g. bingo.

One of the main 21st century components that teachers want their students to use
is higher-order thinking. This is when students use complex ways to think about what they are
learning.

Higher-order thinking takes thinking to a whole new level. Students using it are understanding higher levels
rather than just memorizing facts. They would have to understand the facts, infer them, and connect them
to other concepts.

Here are 10 teaching strategies to enhance higher-order thinking skills in your students.

1. Help Determine What Higher-Order Thinking Is

Help students understand what higher-order thinking is. Explain to them what it is and
why they need it. Help them understand their own strengths and challenges. You can do this by
showing them how they can ask themselves good questions. That leads us to the next strategy.

2. Connect Concepts

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 Lead students through the process of how to connect one concept to another. By doing
this you are teaching them to connect what they already know with what they are learning. This
level of thinking will help students learn to make connections whenever it is possible, which will
help them gain even more understanding. For example, let’s say that the concept they are
learning is “Chinese New Year.” An even broader concept would be “Holidays.”

3. Teach Students to Infer

Teach students to make inferences by giving them “real-world” examples. You can start
by giving students a picture of a people standing in line at a soup kitchen. Ask them to look at the
picture and focus on the details. Then, ask them to make inferences based on what they see in
the picture. Another way to teach young students about how to infer is to teach an easy concept
like weather. Ask students to put on their raincoat and boots, then ask them to infer what they
think the weather looks like outside.

4. Encourage Questioning

A classroom where students feel free to ask questions without any negative reactions
from their peers or their teachers is a classroom where students feel free to be creative.
Encourage students to ask questions, and if for some reason you can’t get to their question
during class time, show them how they can answer it themselves or have them save the question
until the following day.

5. Use Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers provide students with a nice way to frame their thoughts in an
organized manner. By drawing diagrams or mind maps, students are able to better connect
concepts and see their relationships. This will help students develop a habit of connecting
concepts.

6. Teach Problem-Solving Strategies

Teach students to use a step-by-step method for solving problems. This way of
higherorder thinking will help them solve problems faster and more easily. Encourage students
to use alternative methods to solve problems as well as offer them different problem-solving
methods.

7. Encourage Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is when students invent, imagine, and design what they are thinking.
Using creative senses helps students process and understand information better. Research shows
that when students utilize creative higher-order thinking skills, it indeed increases their
understanding. Encourage students to think “outside of the box.”

8. Use Mind Movies

When concepts that are being learned are difficult, encourage students to create a movie
in their mind. Teach them to close their eyes and picture it like a movie playing. This way of
higherorder thinking will truly help them understand in a powerful, unique way.

9. Teach Students to Elaborate Their Answers

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 Higher-order thinking requires students to really understand a concept, not repeat it or
memorize it. Encourage students to elaborate their answers by asking the right questions that
make students explain their thoughts in more detail.

10. Teach QARs

Question-Answer-Relationships, or QARs, teach students to label the type of question

that is being asked and then use that information to help them formulate an answer. Students
must decipher if the answer can be found in a text or online or if they must rely on their own
prior knowledge to answer it. This strategy has been found to be effective for higher-order
thinking because students become more aware of the relationship between the information in a
text and their prior knowledge, which helps them decipher which strategy to use when they need
to seek an answer.

5. Creative learning
3 Types of Creativity

1. Combinational Creativity-combining old

ideas in new ways. e.g. Analogy in Science

2. Exploratory creativity – what do the rules

enable me to do? e.g. Jazz music

3. Transformational creativity – significant

alteration of one or more rules in concept space.
e.g. E=MC2

Take Note!
REMEMBER:
Young children who have normal vision and hearing are regularly exposed to print and words
through daily activities.

How Far Have We Gone?

Demonstration.

Each group will demonstrate, explain and critique strategies for the development
of the different literacy skills utilizing appropriate teaching-learning resources to develop
higher-order and creative thinking skills.

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Walk the Extra Mile!
After the demonstration, one of the members of the group will conduct his/her activities in a real-
like classroom setting in your homes.

REFERENCES

 [Link]
t-literacy
/
 [Link]
n
ing/ecliteracy/emergentliteracy/Pages/phonologicalawareness.a
s
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 [Link] g
reading-1-4889591 8
 [Link] g
functional-literacy
 [Link]
g-learning-and
teaching/enhance/strategies/copy4_of_activ
e-learning
 [Link]
strategies/2019/10/teachin
g-strategie
s-that-enhanc e-higher
order-thinking /
 [Link]
h/creative-learning/6
3_types_of_Creativitybr_Transformationa
l

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