Literacy development across academic, cultural, and technological contexts

¶ … Literacies

According to Mora (2000), literacy is a broad term that encompasses a variety of factors. Academic literacy focuses on "abilities and attitudes needed for short-term and long-range success in school" (Mora, 2000). Cultural literacy is another important aspect of literacy. This term refers to the beliefs of ethnic groups and is based on traditional values and mores. It can have a large effect on academic literacy, particularly if there is a divide between the cultural practices of the macro and micro cultures. In recent years, technological literacy has become important as well. Students must be aware of the different types of multimedia and must know how to access the available information. The school curriculum is important to literacy development, but the role of the parent, home and community are also essential to a child's early literacy skills.

Literacy in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, literacy encompasses far more than just reading and writing. According to the National Curriculum Board (May 2009), literacy is defined as "reading, writing, speaking, viewing and listening effectively in a range of contexts." The definition has been expanded to include "a flexible, sustainable mastery of a set of capabilities in the use and production of traditional texts and new communications technologies using spoken language, print and multimedia." In summary, literacy is not only the ability to decode words, but how to derive meaning from text.

Another type of literacy that is important to a child's development is cultural literacy. Many children come from culturally diverse backgrounds. These children must navigate both their home culture and their school culture, often without any help. Families, communities and cultures have wide variations in the way that they use language, which also means that children's use of oral and written language will also vary depending upon their home environment (Dyson, 1992 as cited by Fluckiger, 2006). The knowledge that children obtain at home may not correlate with the method of classroom instruction. This can cause confusion and frustration among early learners. Early learners must become culturally literate in both their home cultures and in the mainstream school culture in order to bridge the gap between the school and home environments.

In addition to being able to extract information from printed sources, students must also be able to use technology to gain knowledge. Students must learn "the skill, strategies, and insights necessary to successfully exploit the rapidly changing information and communication technologies that continuously emerge in our world" (Leu, 2002). These skills include being able to navigate the internet and use multimedia technologies to acquire knowledge. According to Leu (2002), "Traditional definitions of reading instruction will be insufficient if we seek to provide children with the futures they deserve." In the 21st century, students must be technologically literate as well as print literate.

Literacy in the Home and Community

Print Literacy

Young children learn literacy skills from their parents and older siblings, but they also learn from sources within their community. For example, early learners are able to recognize symbols in their environment long before they are able to read printed words. A child at a grocery store may be able to recognize a word printed on a soft drink bottle because they associate the symbol with the drink (Gillet et al., 2008). The child is able to connect the symbol with the physical item, even though that child is not yet consciously aware of the fact that printed words have meaning.

Technological Literacy

Children learn from multimedia sources in their environment as well. Television is a literacy influence upon children. Many of the symbols and words that early learners recognize come from commercials and advertisements. As children grow, they are also influenced by other sources such as video games, interactive learning software, and the Internet. Zevenbergen and Logan (2008) claim that before arriving in school, many young children already have a great deal of exposure to computers and that early childhood settings do these children a disservice by not incorporating more computer-based activities into their regimen.

Cultural Literacy

Literacy practices in the home can greatly affect print and technology literacy in the classroom. For example, "there is evidence that children from socially and culturally diverse homes, including children from indigenous backgrounds are 'at risk' of difficulties in learning to read" (Freeman & Bochner, 2009). Teachers do not have the cultural background knowledge that they need to interact with parents and often have many misconceptions about what children should know by the time they arrive in school.

Literacy Curriculum

Print Literacy

The National Curriculum Board (2009) describes the early learning curriculum in the first few years of school in their document "Shape of the Australian Curriculum: English." The Board has outlined specific information that children need to know. They state that the fundamental responsibility for the language curriculum is to provide information about how the English language works.

In the school system, early learners will be exposed to phonological awareness, phoneme awareness, and letter-sound correspondence. Developing oral and written vocabulary skills is also an essential component of the curriculum. Students are taught spelling, grammar, and writing skills during their early years of school. The writing skills include sentence structure, conventions, and punctuation, as well as word processing skills. Students will be exposed to picture books, quality Australian literary texts and world literature, which will increase their spoken vocabularies and improve their listening skills.

Technological Literacy

Since technological literacy is also of critical importance, digital and print literacies are integrated. In addition to reading print-based material, students are shown films and pictures and have the opportunity to visit age-appropriate web sites. Technology at this stage is largely the responsibility of individual states and territories, so each province varies in what material is taught and at what level. In the preschool setting, there has been a great deal of debate regarding the incorporation of technology. Campbell (2009) noted that there is considerable resistance on the part of preschool teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons. However, she also notes that "children in early childhood centres who have access to computers at home are the ones who have highly developed it skills" (Zevenbergen & Logan, 2008 as cited by Campbell, 2009). Consequently, it is important that all schools, including early childhood centres, incorporate technology in their lessons.

Cultural Literacy

Although cultural literacy is not a subject area, it affects every area of education. For example, in a study that was conducted among Maori learners in New Zealand, different cultures can show a preference for interactional styles that may differ from those of the mainstream culture (McNaughton, 1995 as cited by Makin, 2007). In the classroom, students and educators alike often find it difficult to bridge the learning practices between the child's home and school environments. Teachers can help children in this respect by providing literature that reflects their cultural heritage or values and shows members of their society in positive roles. They can also help by being respectful of parents, children and the unique viewpoints that children bring with them to the classroom.

Supporting Early Learners at Home

Technology Literacy

Children who have access to computers and learning software have an academic advantage over other students. A study conducted by Zevenbergen & Logan (2008) examined the ways in which preschool children were interacting with technology and how this interaction might affect other literacies. They noted that for many young children, technology has been an integral facet of their lives since birth. They use DVD players, remote controls, cellular telephones, and microwave ovens as routine components of their daily lives. Zevenbergen and Logan (2008) refer to these children as "digital natives." They discovered that children were using computers in a variety of ways and found that they were developing knowledge about computers as well as computer skills. Parents can encourage their children to be technologically literate in a number of different ways. First, they can introduce them to technology in the home. Secondly, they can also introduce them to age-appropriate learning software and guide their internet use. Finally, parents and children can watch developmentally appropriate television together (Rosenkoetter & Barton, 2002) and discuss the things that they see.

Cultural Literacy

In a study conducted by Freeman and Bochner (2008), the researchers became aware that many children from indigenous homes did not have access to books, and consequently were lacking in book-handling and book-reading techniques. They noted that these children were at risk of becoming academically delayed. They suggested that educators could help parents to teach their children by educating parents about literacy and by teaching parents and children to interact through books. The study itself focused upon helping parents to use shared reading activities with their children. The results showed a positive impact upon children's learning when parents participated in the learning process.

Conclusion

Literacy is a multi-faceted concept that includes reading and writing, as well as technology and cultural literacy. Children learn early literacy skills through their interactions with parents and caregivers. Their parents teach them book-handling skills and concepts of print through reading aloud and by making them aware of the importance of print in the environment. Children learn technological literacy skills through interacting with technology in the home. Their home culture affects their learning styles and educational preferences. Children's pre-school exposure to literacy is a key factor in their later academic performance.