After reading the following please answer the questions below:

I would like you to ponder the following questions before reading the topics/lessons included in
this module. Read the questions twice and try to reflect.
1. Can you define 21st-century literacy in your own words?
2. How important are the 21st-century skills for you to become globally competitive?
3. Why is it important to be literate in all aspects?

At the end of the lesson do the following

1. Define century literacy (1.1.1)
2. Differentiate traditional literacy from 21st century literacy; (1.1.1)
3. Distinguish digital literacy from traditional literacy (1.1.1)
4. Describe the different 21st century literacies; (1.1.1)
5. Identify the application of new literacies in the 21st Century classrooms; (1.1.1)

UNIT I: THE 21ST CENTURY LITERACY AND EDUCATION

Overview
This unit will cover 21st-century literacy and education. The topics to be discussed include the
definition of 21st-century literacy, the distinction between traditional literacy and 21 st-century literacy,
and the contrasting views between digital literacy and traditional literacy.
The next topics will delve into exploring the 21 st-century literacies in education, including Media
Literacy, Digital Literacy, Global Literacy, Emotional Literacy, Informational Literacy,
Environmental Literacy, and Visual Literacy.
The students will define, describe, distinguish 21 st-century literacy and apply them to the
classroom setting.

WHAT IS 21ST CENTURY LITERACY?

While traditional literacy and liberal education are still important (Nussbaum, 1997;
Delbanco, 2012; Ferrall, 2011), in the 21st-century, students need to know more and do more than
they did in the past.  Students need 21st-century literacy.  This new literacy includes traditional
literacy skills, such as reading, writing, and arguing.  But more importantly, it includes new literacy
skills, such as critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and multi-cultural awareness (NCTE, 2008;
Wagner, 2008; Grubb, 2003, p. 3; Sagan, 1996, p. 325). 

Like older forms of literacy, the new literacy requires both the "effective use" of language
and "large amounts of specific information" about the world (Hirsch, 1988, pp. 2-3).   In addition to
traditional literacy, students also need to learn about how knowledge is created, especially how the
most reliable knowledge is made through scientific methods.   Science has become the primary tool
of the 21st-century knowledge economy; therefore, students should be exposed to all major
scientific methodologies.  Students need to understand both qualitative (Cushman,  Kintgen, Kroll, &
Rose, 2001) and quantitative literacy (Paulos, 2001; Steen, 2001; Steen, 2004).   And while
knowledge of most scientific methodology requires advanced mathematical literacy, students with
only minimal mathematical knowledge can still be introduced to both qualitative and quantitative
scientific methods by understanding key concepts, theories, and data (Wilson, 2013).   To fully
understand the scientific methodology, students need to know about the research
university, academic disciplines, and the specific work that scientists do within their disciplines.  
Only then will students be able to concretely grasp how knowledge is created, debated, and refined
through the scientific process. 

Traditional Literacy & 21st Century Literacy

The 21st Century Literacy is more than just reading and writing.   It is knowing how to learn
and know.  Utilizing scientific research on cognition and meta-cognition, students need to
understand how the brain creates and uses subjective knowledge and the different processes that
create objective knowledge.  Students need to know how concepts work to define and categorize
knowledge and how concepts can be organized into conceptual frameworks that interconnect facts
into larger fields of knowledge (Barber, 2012).  Students need to be able to understand concepts as
tools, which can be used to solve real-world problems (Fish, 2011, p. 15, 29).   Most importantly,
students need to recognize threshold concepts (Land, Meyer, & Smith, 2008), which enable new
ways to see and know the world.  Two of the most important threshold concepts involve learning to
see writing as two separate tools: It is both a tool for thinking and knowing, and it is a tool for
communicating knowledge and persuading people to see the truth.  Students need to understand
the theoretical purposes and the concrete practices of research, thinking, and writing.  
Psychologists call this holistic understanding “meta-cognition,” which means "thinking-about-
thinking" and "thinking-about-doing."  Such higher-order thinking enables us to better understand
ourselves (both our strengths and limitations), enabling us to know better and perform better
(Dunn, Saville, Baker, & Marek, 2013).  Students need to be able to do, not just know (Wenger,
1999). 

This module will utilize these learning tools.  Threshold concepts will be explained as
concrete writing and thinking practices, and these concepts will be interconnected into the
following conceptual frameworks: 

(1) The history of literacy,

(2) How knowledge is created and how different forms of knowledge are used as
tools to know, and
(3) finally, how knowledge is communicated through writing.

These core concepts will be combined into a single concrete process, which is set within a
specific social context.  This book is about constructing and debating knowledge in 21st Century
multicultural societies.  This focus on process, rather than products, is based on the concept of social
interaction through language as the fundamental basis for learning and knowledge creation
(Vygotsky, 1981; Wertsch, 1991; Bakhtin, 1981).

And as the specific social context of multiculturalism implies, 21st-century literacy must also
include political literacy (Gale, 1994; Gutmann, 1987; NTFCLDE, 2012).   Students need background
knowledge and training to become engaged citizens capable of fostering the public good.   This
important form of literacy will not be fully covered by this book, but the links between literacy,
public schooling, democracy, and political freedom will be introduced and explained, especially in
the first part of the book focused on the history of literacy. 

21st-century literacy is a collection of many higher-order skills.   Students need to be able to

critically evaluate the reliability of diverse sources of knowledge to construct knowledge with
scientific methods.  It also entails openly arguing with diverse groups of people to explain and
prove the truth.  But we cannot forget that these 21st-century skills are built on the foundation of
traditional literacy: reading, writing, and basic mathematics.   Knowledge is the essential first step
to good communication and effective action.  Truth has to be actively constructed by critical
thinkers through meticulous and rigorous scientific methods.  And this truth needs to be effectively
communicated to diverse audiences through arguments to direct collective action to solve real-
world problems.

Digital Literacy Versus Traditional Literacy

In the insightful interview with Jennifer Deyenberg, she describes the internet as a gateway that
opens up the classroom to opportunities. The internet as a tool has truly changed the way students learn
nowadays by enabling learning to go beyond classroom walls. As she mentioned, students can not only
bring information in but also send information out, making the internet a unique and effective
communication tool for 21st-century learners. Deyenberg's incorporation of technology in the interview
is truly innovative, especially with blogging. I particularly like how professional the approach is with
getting parents to give their consent first and showing them how they can comment on the blog as well.
This enhances parent-teacher communication, and I am looking forward to incorporating blogging in my
classroom this way. I also really like how Deyenberg found a way to accommodate students who weren't
allowed to use the technology. By saving their entries in draft form rather than publishing them, students
were able to still participate- effective differentiation immediately came to mind! I enjoyed listening to
Deyenberg's interview and look forward to my attempts to incorporate technology through her example.
While teaching digital literacy as a 21st-century skill is exciting, the article Digital Literacy will
never replace the traditional kind brings up an important issue. Annie Murphy Paul argues that the most
sophisticated digital literacy skills outlined in the 21st-century learner model won’t help students
navigate the world if they don’t have a broad base of knowledge about how the world operates. She gives
the following example: "Just because you can Google the date of Black Thursday doesn’t mean you
understand why the Great Depression happened or how it compares to our recent economic slump."
While this statement and the article's overall premise is valid, I feel it takes the notion of digital literacy
out of context.
She agrees that digital literacy skills alone cannot replace knowledge as it is essentially the
foundation for critical thinking and skill-building itself. My notion of learning new skills means being
knowledgeable about the 'what, when, where, why, and how' aspects involved. Otherwise, learning new
skills without such background becomes completely ineffective and without purpose. People will simply
become machines if they learn skills this way without any context or knowledge, and Paul makes an
excellent point on this in her article.
However, she strongly believes that the 21st-century learner model from Alberta Education is not
saying that digital literacy skills should replace traditional literacy. The model shows digital literacy as
one area to be competent in among seven. Competencies such as critical thinking/problem solving,
communication, and lifelong learning are equally advocated for, and digital literacy is not the sole vision
of the entire 21st-century learner model. 

Here is a detailed explanation of the model for further analysis. The message I get from this Alberta
Education model is that we should not turn a blind eye towards digital literacy, especially since
technology and social media are not going away any time soon. Jennifer Deyenberg addresses this herself
in her talk when she explains how she taught her students in Primary 1 how to use a keyboard as a
writing tool. She felt it was just as important to teach them how to use a keyboard as to teach them how
to use a pencil since it will be an input device that they will be using for the rest of their lives. Our society
is rapidly changing, as can be seen with the rise of social networking/media, and students will need to
have such skills to participate and learn as best as they can. This does not mean that traditional literacy
should be replaced at all - it just means that it needs to be expanded to fit our world today. Below is an
image that I found on a blog by Bill Ferriter that sums up the role of technology concisely:

As for the example above of googling the date of Black Thursday and not understanding the bigger
picture around it, this is where a teachable moment can occur and where technology can be readily used
to our advantage rather than our demise. Challenge students with effective learning tools such
as instaGrok to research about the Great Depression themselves rather than delivering the information
in a transmissive way. Throughout my practicum experience, I've found students nowadays to be
incredibly constructive learners, not empty vessels waiting to be filled with information. In Sharon
Friesen's study on 21st-century learners, students themselves have voiced the following desires in their
learning:
We don’t want to remember, recall and regurgitate 
We don’t want to learn for the sake of tests 
We don’t want learning made easy; rather, they want it to mean something. 
We want to learn with the media of our times. 
We want to do work that is relevant, meaningful, and authentic. 
(Sharon Friesen, 21st Century Learning and Learners)
She strongly believes that developing digital literacy skills can aid in deepening students' traditional
literacy. Of course, such skills need to stem from a broad base of knowledge first to be effective and
worthwhile. Turning a blind eye to such 21st-century skills, however, may be detrimental to students in
our world today, so it is important as educators to enable the opportunity. 

Additional Reading:

What Does It Really Mean to Be College and Work Ready?  (2013)

EXPLORING THE 21ST CENTURY LITERACIES
By: Timothy Gangwer (03/03/2017)

Better Learning 
Dating back to the one-room schoolhouses, being literate has always meant the ability to read,
write, speak, and listen. As the world changes culturally, technologically, and physically, so does our ever-
broadening definition of literacy. In recognition of this change, we must empower our students to explore
and embrace the 21st-century literacies.

Media Literacy
Media Literacy is the skill of comprehending the nature of communications, specifically with
telecommunications and mass media. This ability requires knowledge of the framework of the media and
how it may impact the content of the media. Did you know that by the time children reach senior citizen
status, they will have spent three years of their lives watching commercials alone?  Forty-two percent of
children under the age of eight have televisions in their bedrooms, including 30 percent of those one-
year-old or younger, 44 percent of two to four-year-olds, and 47 percent of five to eight-year-olds. Fifty-
two percent of all zero to eight-year-olds have access to a mobile device: smartphone, iPad/tablet, and
spend an average of 43 minutes a day using them. Nearly half of babies under the age of two watch an
average of two hours of television per day. Psychologists believe children under the age of two learn best
by interfacing face-to-face with other children and adults ..., not screens.
According to the Center for Media Literacy, there are five key questions of media literacy school-age
children should be taught:
Who created this message?
What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
How might different people understand this message differently than me?
What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?
What is the message being sent?

Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy is the capacity to use digital technology, communication devices, or networks to
locate, analyze, use, and produce information. It is the ability to read, write and clarify media, replicate
data and visuals through digital manipulation, and assess and implement new knowledge gained from
digital environments. Because Digital Literacy has a tremendous impact on children, we must not forget
the digital divide, those who have access to the Internet and those who do not. Many students rely on the
schools and public libraries for access, limiting their quest to become digitally literate.

Global Literacy
Global Literacy is understanding the interdependence among countries and their people and
having the ability to communicate and collaborate across cultures. Here is a Global literacy skill list to
help assess students’ Global Literacy:
 Position topics and viewpoints within their environmental, economic, political, and historical
context;
 Outline obstacles and find resolutions with a thorough understanding of their complications,
without oversimplification;
 Chronicle the characteristics, elements, evolution, and ramifications of global structures;
  Find historical and up-to-date links, recognizing how the lives and fates of people in other parts of
the world blend with our own;
 Critically scrutinize information while questioning assumptions;
 Seek out a variety of viewpoints while asking pertinent questions;
 Initiate ethical positions on global matters;
 Demonstrate an awareness of global responsibility and individual empowerment.

Emotional Literacy
Emotional Literacy is the ability to understand your emotions, the capacity to listen to others and
empathize with their emotions, and the potential to demonstrate emotions effectively. Emotional Literacy
enhances relationships, generates loving possibilities between people, and encourages the feeling of
community.
Emotional Literacy student objectives include:
 Knowing your feelings;
 Having a sense of empathy;
 Learning to direct one’s emotions;
 Mending emotional damage.
 The four R’s of Emotional Literacy are:
 Responsibility
 Resourcefulness
 Resilience
 Respect

Informational Literacy
Informational Literacy is the ability to recognize what information is required, understand how
the information is structured, distinguish the principal sources of information for a given need, find and
assess those sources critically, and then share it.
Informational Literacy student objectives include:
 Grasping the basics of the Internet;
 Examining and classifying information;
 Developing search queries;
 Understanding the justification and components of a citation;
 Evaluating plausibility, usefulness, and websites;
 Referencing sources and avoiding plagiarism.

Environmental Literacy
Environmental Literacy is the ability to demonstrate proficiency in the environment and its
conditions, especially as it applies to climate, land, air, energy, food, water, and our ecosystems. It means
students:
 Understand society’s influence on population growth, development, resource consumption
growth, and much more.
 Study and assess environmental issues, and make precise conclusions about beneficial solutions.
 Take both independent and communal action towards tackling challenges, such as participating in
global endeavors and creating solutions that encourage action on environmental issues.

Environmentally literate people are:

 10 percent more likely to conserve energy in the home
  10 percent more likely to obtain environmentally safe products
 50 percent more likely to recycle
 50 percent more likely to avoid using chemicals in yard care
 Ninety-five percent of American adults (95 percent are parents) believe environmental education
should be taught in schools.

Visual Literacy

Visual Literacy is the ability to identify and understand ideas communicated through actions or
images (decode) and be able to communicate ideas or messages through imagery (encode). Sixty-five
percent of people in the United States are considered by definition to be visual learners. Therefore, we
can assume that 65 percent of our school-age population are visual learners as well. The question is, “Are
their teachers - Visual Teachers?”
It is critical to the status of our educational system that we are not using 20th-century teaching
methods to educate 21st-century learners. Creative/critical thinking skills must be taught at the earliest
age possible, for this becomes the foundation upon which our students will construct their educational
experience, one that will evolve into lifelong learning. Just as our literacies have changed, so too will the
structure of our educational system.
Timothy Gangwer is the CEO and Professional Development Director of the Visual Teaching Alliance
(www.VisualTeachingAlliance.com). A former teacher and University Supervisor at the University of Texas,
Austin, he is the author of Visual Impact, Visual Teaching: Using Images to Strengthen Learning, along with
nine other books. He is the former Visual Literacy Consultant to the Ministry of Education, Paris, France;
Ministry of Education, Toranomon, Japan; Mediterranean Association of International Schools, Casablanca,
Morocco and the Association of International Schools in Africa, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.