EDUC 10: BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

I. Enhancing and Building New Literacies Across The Curriculum

II. This course introduces the concepts of new literacies in the 21 st century as an evolving social
phenomena and shared cultural practices across learning areas. The 21 st literacies shall include
globalization and multi-cultural literacy, social literacy, media literacy, financial literacy,
cyber/digital literacy, eco-literacy and arts and creativity literacy. Field-based interdidisciplinary
explorations and other teaching strategies shall be used in this course.
A. Rationale: In this 21st century, students are test to be well-equipped with the core
competencies that help students to succeed from the world’s different challenges. This means
that the students master content while producing, synthesizing and evaluating information from
the broad diversity of subjects and sources with an understanding of and respect for multi-
culture. The students demonstrate the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) but also the three
Cs (creativity, communication, and collaboration). They exhibits the 21 st literacies such as
globalization and multi-cultural literacy, social literacy, media literacy, financial literacy,
cyber/digital literacy, eco-literacy and arts and creativity literacy. Powerful learning of this
nature requires well-equipped teachers that can cater and help the students in attaining all these
skills to be considered as 21st century learner.
B. Objectives
 Describe the attributes of education in the 21st century and global
multiculturalism.
 Discuss the new parameters for teaching and learning in the 21st century.
 Conduct research-based output on the characteristics of 21st century learners.
 Differentiate varied literacy skills of the 21st century learners.
 Provide examples on the different modern skills of the 21st century learners.
 Create instructional devices/ materials for the different literacy skills of the 21 st
century learners that could beneficial to the humanity and environment.
 Explain the importance of new literacies in the 21 st century as they impact on the
teaching and learning process.
 Integrate media and technology in various content areas.

C. Learners: Secondary Education Students

D. Time Frame: 54 hours
E. Prerequisite Skills:
 Table Contents
1: Basic Concepts of Literacies in the 21st Century
1.1 Meaning of 21st Century
1.2 15 Characteristics of 21st Century Teacher
1.3 The 21st Century Skills
1.4 Nine Lessons On How To Teach 21st Century Skills and Knowledge
1.5 Meaning of Literacy, Social Phenomena and Shared Cultural Practices
Across Learning
2: Globalization and Multicultural Literacy
2.1 Global Literacy
2.2 Multicultural Literacy
2.3 Interconnectedness of Multicultural and Global Literacy
3: Learning Skills (The Four C’s)
3.1 Critical Thinking Skills
3.2 Creativity Skills
3.3 Collaborative Learning
3.4 Communication Skills
4: Literacy Skills
4.1 Information Literacy
4.2 Media Literacy
4.3 Visual and Technology Literacy
5: Life Skills
5.1 Flexibility
5.2 Leadership
5.3 Productivity
5.4 Social
5.5 Ecoliteracy
 5.6 Finacial literacy

1. BASIC CONCEPTS OF LITERACIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Introduction
New trends are introduced in today’s world that needs new literacies that students should
acquire. Without these skills students are left to memorize facts, recall details and relegate their
educational experience to passivity. In the 21st century, students skills such as collaboration,
digital literacy, critical-thinking and problem-solving the school need to teach to help students
response with the powerful demand of the real-world.
In the end of this module, students are expected to:
 describe the basic concepts of 21st century learning literacy and the teaching-
learning characteristics;
 explain the different social phenomena and shared cultural practices across
learning; and
 appreciate the integration of social phenomena and shared cultural practices in
teaching and learning the skills of the new literacies.

1.1 What is 21st century learning?

According to Wesling, twenty-first-century learning embodies an approach to teaching
that marries to content to skill. The 21st century learning as defined by the Director of the Office
of Educational Technology in the United States of America, Department of Education, Karen
Cator, success in the 21st century requires knowing how to learn. Students today will likely have
several careers in their lifetime. They must develop strong critical thinking and interpersonal
communication skills in order to be successful in an increasingly fluid, interconnected, and
complex world.
The integration of the 21st century skills in language teaching and in education in general
is focusing on preparing students to be learners for life. The past conception of learning as core
knowledge in subject areas are recasts them for today’s complex world where a global
perspective and collaboration skills are critical. It is no longer enough to “know things”. It is
even more important to stay curious about finding things out.

1.2 15 Characteristics of 21st Century Teacher (Palmer, T., 2015)

The new trends of technological advancement inform the teachers on how teaching may
look alike today. It affects many areas of lives such as the way an individual communicates,
collaborates, learn and teach. These changes make the expansion of our vocabulary or an
necessity for us to produce new definitions needed and the new characteristics of teacher for the
21st century.
1. Learner-centered classroom and personalized instruction
2. Students as producers
3. Learn new technologies
4. Go to global
5. Be smart and use smart phones
6. Blog
7. Go digital
8. Collaborate
9. Using twitter chats/ messenger chats
10. Connect
11. Project-based learning
12. Build your positive digital footprint
13. Code
14. Innovate
15. Keep learning

1.3 The 21st Century Skills

The 21st century skills are the 12 abilities that students’ today need to succeed in their
careers during the Information Age (Stauffer, B., 2020).
.
1. Critical thinking
2. Creativity
3. Collaboration
4. Communication
5. Information literacy
6. Media literacy
7. Technology literacy
8. Flexibility
9. Leadership
10. Initiative
11. Productivity
12. Social skill
These skills are intended to help the students to cope-up the challenges of the modern
markets. The preparedness of the teachers is also challenge on how they will teach these skills in
efficient and effective way.
1.4 Nine Lessons on How to Teach 21st Century Skills and Knowledge
The world demands the urgency to develop the skills and knowledge of the students to
face the reality of the complex world in order for the students to be successful in economic and
civic in the 21st century. These skills needed by the students are difficult to teach and learn. This
is the time to innovate the transmission of the factual knowledge via lectures and textbooks into
new pedagogy that can address the needs for the 21st century skills.
Here are the results of empirical research about how individual learn. The research
suggests nine lessons that inform how to teach these skills (Saavedra, A.R. & Opfer, V.D.,
2012).
1. Make it relevant.
2. Teach through the discipline.
3. Develop lower and higher-order thinking skills at the same time.
4. Encourage transfer of learning.
5. Teach students to learn (meta-cognition).
6. Address misunderstanding directly.
7. Promote teamwork as a process and outcome.
8. Exploit technology to support learning.
9. Foster students’ creativity.

1.5 What is Literacy?

The term “literacy” refers to the ability to comprehend and produce written language in
order to operate effectively in a particular social context. Traditionally, literacy activities for
students have been centered in the reading of textbooks and other supplementary school
materials including magazines, newspapers and trade books and on the writing of essay papers
and responses to test items, study question and assigned readings (Roe,2014).

Social Phenomena and Shared Cultural Practices Across Learning

Social phenomena are the influence and influencer of a society in several beneficial and
detrimental ways. It is the influence or influencer of a society respondent giving rise and fall
phenomena based on the state of humanity. The modern world faces many social phenomenon
issues; many of these issues are obscure in their development, impact and subsequent implication
(Kilhefner, 2017).
There are a different social phenomenon that affects the social development in the 21 st
century of the different countries and social groups (Gambheera, H., 2016) .
1. School Violence
2. Drug Use
3. Video Games
4. Disasters
5. Migration and Urbanization
6. Terrorism

Shared Practices
Educators identify many gaps in education namely: achievement gaps, funding gaps,
school-readiness gaps and the other gap that goes unexamined – the cultural gap between
students and teachers (Hawley, W., Irvine, J.J., and Landa, M. (1991)..
Overcoming Stereotypes
To engage students effectively in the learning process, teachers must know
their students and their academic abilities individually rather than relying on
racial or ethnic stereotypes or prior experience with other students of similar
backgrounds.
Culturally Relevant Curriculum
It is crucial to academic performance and essential to culturally responsive
pedagogy.
Honoring Home Language
Teachers are often young immigrant first regular, on-going contact with
someone outside their home community and culture.

Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education: Classroom Culture

Culture refers to a wide range of identity and community characteristics. Culturally
responsive pedagogy engages identity issues across all groups and communities.
Culturally responsive classroom culture exists when classroom are safe space where
students are seen, valued, cared for and respected as their full selves.
1. Honoring Student Experience
2. Classroom Setup and Structure
3. Shared Inquiry and Dialogue

The social phenomena and the shared cultural practices are part of the challenges in the
teaching-learning process. For the teachers, it is how they will integrate the 21 st century learning
skills in teaching the students using the appropriate pedagogy, methods and strategies catering
the diversity of culture. It is also the challenge of the students on how to response on the social
phenomena that they might experience using the skills they learn.

2. GLOBAL AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACY

Introduction

Making small changes within the classrooms can create big changes globally
(Boutte,2008). Students must have learning experiences that has an impact in changing the
world. Learning it first inside the classroom can develop their sense of responsibility and
initiative to create changes that will address concerns and issues in the society. As diversity
grows there is more representative of students in today’s classroom. Sending a message of
empathy and tolerance in schools as a need to develop deeper understanding of others and
appreciation of different cultures is a way of teaching students to be advocates of
multiculturalism.

In the end of this module, students are expected to:

 explain global and multicultural literacy and their interconnectedness;

 create examples showing integration of global and multicultural literacy in
teaching different areas; and
 internalize the importance of having a deeper understanding multicultural
education and globalization.

2.1 Global Literacy

Global literacy aims to address issues of globalization, racism, diversity and social justice
(Guo,2014). It requires awareness and action consistent with a broad understanding of humanity,
the planet, and the impact of human decision on both. It also aims to empower students’
knowledge and take actions to make a positive impact in the world and their local community.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2013), a global citizen should display
most or all of the following characteristics:

 Respect for human no matter their race, gender, religion or political perspectives.
 Respect for diversity and various perspectives.
 Promoting sustainable patterns of living, consumption and production.
 Appreciate the natural world and demonstrate respectful towards the rights of all living
things.
Here are five keys for development:

1. Remember adult learning.

2. Teach in the mother tongue.
3. Don’t just hand-outs books: Foster a love of reading.
4. Embed literacy into other programs.
5. Use technology- but use it carefully.

Building Global Literacy in Our Students

The phrase “global literacy”, taken literally, conjures up several possible meanings, for
example, basic literacy levels around the world or improving geographical knowledge. However,
in this case it is used to convey a broader goal of fluency in skills and competence relating to
knowledge and understanding of nations and cultures.
We are all deeply connected and will continue to be because of the many far-reaching
changes now occurring: the rise of emerging economies, growing urbanization (especially in
Asia) accelerating technological change, challenge in future decades as population age and the
increased global flow of people, trade and finance (as explicated in 2015 by the directors of the
McKinsey Global Institute, Dobbs, Manyika, and Woetzel).

To enable students to thrive a global citizen, a world-wide mindset is the best preparation,
as well as an education that aims at appreciating the great diversity of cultures and their life
stories. The necessity for this kind of literacy is recognized by prominent educational leaders,
albeit using slightly different terms. For example, among the terms used are:
 Global competence- defined as the ability 1) to investigate the world 2) recognize
perspectives 3) communicates ideas, and 4) take action
 Intercultural understanding- defined as the ability to 1) exhibit curiosity and basic
knowledge about global cultures, 2) expect complexity and multiple perspectives, 3) see
self as part of multiple cultures, 4) value cultural diversity, 5) be comfortable with
ambiguity
 Cultural intelligence- defined as the capability to relate to and work effectively with
people from different cultures.

Global literacy promotes and encourages:

 Inquiry, reasoning and problem solving
 Collaboration
 Communication and an understanding of world languages and culture
 An understanding of globalized systems and political realities
 Responsible global citizenship
 Respect for diversity
 An understanding of the skills and technologies that is necessary for life in the 21 st
century.
 The ability for students to become advocates for themselves and their city/state/country.

2.2 Multicultural Literacy

Multicultural literacy consists of the skills and ability to identify the creators of
knowledge and their interests (Banks, 1996), to uncover the assumptions of knowledge, to view
knowledge from diverse ethnic and cultural perspective and to use knowledge to guided action
that will create humane and just world (Boutte,2008).
Multicultural literacy then brings attention to diversity, equity and social justice to foster
cultural awareness by addressing difficult issues like discrimination and oppression towards
other ethnicities. Education for multicultural literacy should help students to develop the 21 st
century skills and attitudes that are needed to become active citizens who will work towards
achieving social justice within our communities.

Multicultural Teacher

Delivers teaching and learning on the familiar context of the learners and attends to their
ways of thinking.

 Skills of Multicultural Teachers

1. Information and Communication Skills
 Media literacy
 Information literacy
 ICT literacy
2. Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
 Critical thinking
 Creativity
 Intellectual curiosity
3. Interpersonal and Self-Directional Skills
 Flexibility and adaptability
 Initiative and self-direction
 Social skills and cross-cultural skills
 Productivity and accountability
 Leadership and responsibility
 Roles of Teacher
 Uses multicultural approach
 Promotes good human relationship
 Promotes social reform and cultural change.

History and Context

Multicultural literacy is adapted from the work of Hirsh (1988) transforming it into an
inclusive as opposed to exclusive- concept, measuring Eurocentric accounts of cultural and
historical knowledge (Taylor & Hoechsmann, 2011). It depends less on recalling facts and more
on developing the means of measuring cross cultural awareness. It is through this that
multicultural literacy is intended to address the complex issues within today’s society.
According to the Ministry of Education (2013), “culture goes much deeper than typical
understandings of ethnicity, race, and/or faith. It encompasses broad notions of similarity and
difference. Hence, one of the key practices in the classroom for multicultural literacy is for
teachers to not be colour blind, label students, use negative connotations in relation to diverse
backgrounds (Hawkins,2014).
Multicultural Literature

To be able to integrate, use and make meaning of multicultural texts in the classroom is a
good starting point (Iwai,2015). Because most books are primarily Eurocentric and tend to
portray animal or characters with characterized and values of mainstreams lifestyles, having
books that contains diverse perspectives allows students to not only be aware of views of
different from their own, but also see themselves in relation to those. By having students reflect
on their own lives, they see how “rich” they are in comparison into characters featured in
multicultural literature which enables them to express their emotions similar to those characters
(Huang & Kowalick, 2014).
However, when selecting and presenting multicultural texts for classroom, it is important
that teachers engage in authentic instruction. Reading a few books here and these on diverse
people sends strong messages about what is normal and what is not.
This means that it is necessary to fully engage with the texts to ensure (Iwai, 2015).

1. Illustration accurately reflecting culture, story, people and events.

2. Authentic dialogue is facilitated.
3. Descriptions of authentic cultures are used in the text.
4. There are portrayals of all people, including both minority and majority as individuals.
5. No stereotyping or tokenisms are the basis of texts.
6. There are varieties of genres for students to choose from.

Interdisciplinary Usage of Multicultural Texts

One of the major tenets of being an effective teacher is being able to find opportunities to
incorporate different aspects of students’ learning and literacy across the curriculum is the same
with multicultural literacy.
Iwai (2015) also offers a few other approaches to using multicultural literature:

 Open-mind Portraits
 Sketch-to-Stretch
 Double entry journals
 Interactive writing
 Storyboards

Multiculturalism literacy incorporates the idea of diversity within learning through

content, integration, knowledge, construction, and an equity pedagogy that ensures students
become literate in cross-cultural awareness and appreciation. Nevertheless, Ontario’s Ministry of
Education (2013) attempts to address this by stating that, “it is not about cultural celebrations”,
nor it is aligned with traditional ideas around multiculturalism”. So this is at least a step towards
a better direction. It is important to get to the teacher bring their values, biases etc. Is one that
authentically engages with diversity. It is important to remember that inclusion’s sake, is not
inclusion at all. The line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation is narrow, but it
is up to the teacher which side of the line their students will be on although teachers are teaching
students prejudice, they are also not teaching them not to be prejudiced.
2.3 The Interconnectedness of Multicultural and Global Literacy

Every classroom contains students of different race, religion and cultural groups.
Students embrace diverse behaviours, cultural values, patterns of practice and communication.
Yet they all share one commonality: their educational opportunity (Guo, 2014).
Teachers should teach their students that other cultures exist and that these deserve to be
acknowledged and respected, integrating a variety of cultural context into lessons and activities,
teaches students to view the world from many angles, creates a respect for diversity and enables
students to learn exciting information. As classroom become increasingly more diverse, it is
important for educators to acknowledge an address diversity issues to integrate multiculturalism
information into the classroom curriculum.
3.LEARNING SKILLS (THE FOUR C’s)

Introduction

The learning skill teaches students about mental process required to adapt and improve
upon modern work environment. The four C’s are by far the most popular 21 st century skills.
These skills are also called learning skills. More educators know these skills because they are
universal needs for any career. They also vary in terms of importance, depending on an
individual’s career aspirations.
At the end of this module, the students are expected to:
 classify the different categories of the 21st century skills;
 adapt teaching tips that are effective and appropriate in teaching the different categories
of the 21st century skills; and
 appraise the importance of the new literacies needed in the career readiness skills.

3.1 Critical Thinking Skills. Arguably, this is the most important quality for someone to have in
health sciences. In business settings, critical thinking is essential to improvement. It is the
mechanism that needs out problems and replaces them with fruitful endeavours. It is what helps
students to figure out for themselves when they don’t have a teacher at their disposal.
Link: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/critical-thinking-skills
Seven Ways to Teach Critical Thinking in Elementary Education
Critical thinking skills are an increasingly important element of elementary education, but
teaching them can often be a challenge for elementary school teachers. From what critical
thinking is to how to incorporate it into everyday lessons, we examine the essentials of these
fundamental intellectual skills.
Critical thinking goes beyond memorization, encouraging students to connect the dots
between concepts, solve problems, think creatively, and apply knowledge in new ways. Despite
myths that critical thinking skills are only applicable to subjects like Science and Math, the
reality is that these skills- which are based on the evaluation and application of knowledge- are
not only vital for success in all subject areas, but everyday life as well.
Critical thinking exercises for elementary education.
 Ask questions. Asking questions, especially open-ended questions, gives elementary
school students a chance to apply what they’ve learned and build on prior knowledge.
Encourage decision-making. Since a large part of teaching critical thinking skills
revolves around applying knowledge and evaluating solutions, elementary school
teachers should encourage decision-making as much as possible.
Work in progress. Group projects and discussions are another excellent way for
elementary school teachers to encourage critical thinking skills.
Incorporate different points of view. Some of the very best critical thinking exercises
for elementary school students involve exploring a concept from multiple perspectives.
Connect different ideas. Connecting different ideas is key to teaching critical thinking.
Inspire Creativity. Imagination is key to teaching critical thinking in elementary school.
Brainstorm. Brainstorming, a time-honored tradition in elementary education, is an
excellent learning tool.

12 Solid Strategies for Teaching Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking skills are crucial life and learning. Thinking critically is more than just
thinking clearly and rationally; it is about thinking independently. It means formulating your own
opinions and drawing your conclusions regardless of outside influence.
1. Begin with a question. When you pose a question to students, encourage brainstorming.
2. Create foundation. Students cannot think critically if they do not have the information they
need. Begin any exercise with a review of related data which ensures they can recall facts
pertinent to the topic.
3. Consult the classics. Classical literary works are a perfect launch pad for exploring great
thinking.
4. Create a country. This could be a tremendous project-based learning scenario about learning
what makes a country.
5. Use information fluency. Mastering the proper use of information is crucial to our students’
success in school and life. It is about learning how to dig through knowledge to find the most
useful and appropriate facts for solving a problem.
6. Utilize peer groups. Digital learners thrive in environments involving teamwork and
collaboration.
7. Try one sentence. Try this exercise. Form groups of 8-10 students. Next, instruct each student
to write one sentence describing a topic on a piece of paper. The student then passes the paper to
the next student who adds their understanding of the next step in a single sentence.
8. Solve some problems. Assigning a specific problem is one of the best avenues for teaching
critical thinking skills.
9. Return to role playing. Role playing has always been an excellent method for exercising
critical thinking.
10. Speak with sketch. Though we are inherently visual learners, it can be challenging to
communicate an idea without words effectively. Nevertheless, translating thoughts to picture
form encourages critical thinking beautifully.
11. Do something prioritizing. Every subject offers opportunities for critical thinking skills at
the forefront of your lessons. You’ll begin to see critical thinking as a culture rather than just an
activity.
12. Change their misconceptions. Critical thinking involves intensive work and concentration,
but students should practice it themselves for much of the process.

3.2 Creativity Skills. It is thinking outside the box and equally important as a means of
adaptation. This skill empowers students to see concepts in a different light which leads to
innovation.
Link: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/creativity-skills
Ways to Teach Creativity in the Classroom (McClure, L. (2015)
Education expert Sir Ken Robinson notes that in the factories of the 20 th century,
creativity was not valued. Yet in the start ups of the 21 st century, it is critical for success.
Teachers can do right now is to prepare students for the world of the future.
1. Starts student notebooks for ideas in the wild.
2. Explore new inspiration sources together.
3. Research other makers during class.
4. Introduce mindfulness as a creativity tool.
5. Listen to fun stories about design.
6. Brainstorm solutions to a common challenge.
7. Invent a healthy snack for a picky eater.
8. Try a real-world design challenge together.
9. Begin #The100DayProject with your students.

17 Ways to Develop Your Creativity (Cherry, 2020)

 Creativity is all about finding new ways of solving problems and approaching situations.
This are not skills restricted of artists, musicians or writers, it is a useful for people from all
works of life.
1. Commit yourself to developing your creativity.
2. Become an expert.
3. Reward your curiosity.
4. Be willing to take risks.
5. Build your confidence.
6. Make time for creativity.
7. Overcome negative attitudes that block creativity.
8. Fight your fear of failure.
9. Brainstorm to inspire new ideas.
10. Realize that most problems have multiple solutions.
11. Keep a creativity journal.
12. Create a mind map and flow chart.

13. Challenge yourself and create opportunities for creativity

14.Try the "Six Hats" Technique.

15. Look for Sources of Inspiration.

16. Consider Alternative Scenarios.

17. Try the Snowball Technique.

3.3 Collaborative Learning

Is the educational approach of using groups to enhance learning through working

together. groups of two or more learners work together to solve problems, complete tasks, or
learn new concepts.

Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom Is Key (Alber, R. 2017)

Here are some steps for supporting students in deep and meaningful collaboration.
1. Establish Group Agreements.
2. Teach them how to listen.
3. Teach them the art of asking good questions.
4. Teach them how to negotiate.
5. Teach them how to negotiate.
6. Group Brain Power.

20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers (Clifford, M., 2020)

Groups tend to learn through “discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other’s
ideas.” Perhaps information that is discussed is retained in long-term memory.  Research by
Webb suggests that students who worked collaboratively on math computational problems
earned significantly higher scores than those who worked alone. Plus, students who
demonstrated lower levels of achievement improved when working in diverse groups.
Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for
longer times than students working individually.
Many consider Vygotsky the father of ‘social learning’. Vygotsky was an education rebel
in many ways. He controversially argued for educators to assess students’ ability to solve
problems rather than merely acquire knowledge. The idea of collaborative learning has a lot to
do with Vygotsky’s idea of the “zone of proximal development.” It considers what a student can
do if aided by peers and adults. By considering this model for learning, we might consider
collaboration to increase students’ awareness of other concepts.

1. Establish clear group goals.

2. Keep groups midsized.
3. Establish flexible group norms.
4. Build trust and promote open communication.
5. For larger tasks, create group roles.
6. Create a pre-test and post-test.
7. Consider the learning process itself as part of assessment.
8. Consider using different strategies, like the Jigsaw technique.
9. Allow groups to reduce anxiety.
10. Establish group interactions.
11. Use real-world problems.
12. Focus on enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
13. Keep in mind the diversity of groups.
14. Consider demographics.
15. Use scaffolding or diminished responsibility as students begin to understand concepts.
16. Include different types of learning scenarios.
17. Technology makes collaborative learning easier.
18. Avoid ‘bad group work’.
19. Be wary of ‘group think’.
20. Value diversity.
3.4 Communication Skills Are Key To 21st Century Success (Intrator, D. (2016)

Communication skills are crucial to your success in our new digital world. For one, we’re
collaborating more than ever. Ideas, information and feelings need to be accurately exchanged.

Communication Skills Are Thinking Skills

Communication Skills are Writing Skills
Communication Skills are Design Skills
Communications Skills are Creative Skills
Communication Skills Are Technological Skills
Communication Skills Are Emotional Skills
All In All, Communication Skills are Leadership Skills

Fortunately Communication Skills Can Be Learned

Mastering all of these skills might seem overwhelming. Fortunately you can learn
them. To some degree they are variants of one another. Master one, and the others will come a
lot easier. Moreover, the more you practice the better you’ll get. Just start right now, at whatever
level you are. I guarantee you’ll be more successful in short order.

The Path to Improving Student Communication Skills

As their teacher, you can follow these 8 strategies to enhance student’s speaking and
writing abilities, no matter their age.

Eight Methods Improving Student Communication Skills (Wabisabi Learning)

These 8 tips can help you immensely with improving student communication skills. They
can be adapted for most every kind of student from kindergarten to high school. 

1. Watch Films That Model Conversation Skills

2. Use Technology
3. Reinforce Active Listening
4. Offer Group Presentations and Assignments
5. Ask Open-Ended Questions
6. Use Tasks and Activities That Foster Critical Thinking
 7. Offer Reflective Learning Opportunities
8. Find Teachable Moments

Communication Games and Activities for Kids, Teens and Students (Miller, K. 2019)

Our world is in a communication crisis. Kids spend astounding amounts of time on their
electronic devices and with this shift, they are losing their skills in how to communicate their
needs—with their own voices. With the availability of alternative sources of social support
(Leung, 2007), reaching kids in a one-to-one setting is difficult. The skill of self-expression in
real life and face-to-face interaction has far-reaching implications. Improving communication
skills in children of all ages today could benefit generations to come, salvaging the power of
verbal communication in a world buzzing with technological alternatives.

What are Communication Activities, Exercises, and Games?

Certain activities, exercises, and games can teach children to communicate better. In most
settings, adults decide the communication style and social norms. The rules of etiquette are also
decided by adults.
The following are effective communication fundamentals (Stanfield, 2017):
 Empathy;
 Conversation skills;
 Established listening and speaking procedures;
 Respectful vocabulary;
 The power of the pause;
 Practice speaking and listening in natural settings;
 Introspection;
 Turn-taking.

5 Tips on How to Teach Communication Skills to Children

Every day, if you work with kids or have them yourself, you model how to ask for what
you need. Even simple moments where you ask a co-worker for a pencil can be goldmines of
modelling.

Here are five specific tips.

 
1. Be a Model. 
2. Create a Framework for Communication Procedures. 
3. Don’t Embarrass Children by Correcting Them in Public.
4. Teach Empathy.
5. Show the Power of the Pause.
 
Here are some concrete ways to spot difficulties in communication:
 Immature language;
 Speech that is difficult to understand;
 Struggling to talk and or listen in conversation;
 Avoidance of verbal communication.
 

6 Games and Exercises for Toddlers and Preschoolers in Kindergarten

Most of these games do not take long, and the skills they teach are foundational to future lessons.
 
1. Guess the Object
2. Show and Tell
3. Feelings Corner 
4. Turn-Taking 
5. Picture-Telling
6. Finish-the-Nursery-Rhyme Story

A Look at Communication in the Classroom

Classrooms are not for the faint of heart. Teachers deserve the credit for establishing the
parameters for their students to learn basic communication. What a teacher tolerates and
encourages from their students is one way that children absorb communication habits. Criticism
and judgment from classmates should be avoided in classroom culture as much as possible.
These issues must be addressed, while also recognizing students practicing clear and kind
communication. The language and tone used in classrooms are important. Teachers who berate
and shame kids may speak of frustration with unhappy and critical students.
As the leader in the classroom, teachers are in a position to influence positive language
and tone. Congruent communication is one way for teachers to demonstrate skills in the
classroom (Brown, 2005). The role of active listening and body language among adolescents can
help create an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding between teacher and students.

Social interaction among peers is also important in the growth of communication skills.
The more inclusive the focus of a classroom, the more growth each student will experience. We
are hard-wired to cooperate with others. Fostering positive interactions will benefit the entire
culture of the classroom, as well as teach children skills that will serve them throughout life.
 
4 Ways Students Can Improve Communication Skills

Practice makes improvement—not perfection. Once kids are aware of these skills, the
practice is available in every interaction.
 Active listening skills through reinforcement
 Group projects with collaboration
 Know the benefit of open-ended questions
 Developing empathy
 
6 Communication Games and Activities for Elementary Students

Telephone is a common “playground game,” and also a powerful metaphor for teaching
miscommunications and the practice of sharing information. The rest of the games, like
Telephone, are also quite fun.
 
1. Telephone
2. Emotional Charades
3. Audio Book Interaction 
4. Internet Resources
5. Role-Playing
6. The Follow All Instructions Activity 
7. Games and Activities for Middle and High School Students
 So far a lot of games geared towards younger audiences, although they can be applied to
older students too. Now we offer resources specifically for older students.
 
1. Famous Pairs
2. The Best Parts of Our School 
3. The Enigmatic Self
4. Stand Up for Fillers
5. Blindfold Game
6. Drawn Understanding
7. Find It Together
 
5 Communication Games and Activities for College Students

Students at the college level have likely developed some effective communication skills.
At this level of education, there are still deep needs to practice communication—it is a skill that
needs work.
 
1. The Guessing Game
2. One Word Letters
3. Study Groups
4. Team Debate Projects 
5. Peer Mentoring

5 Non-verbal Communication Activities and Games

These games can all start or end with a discussion on what is more valuable in
communication: nonverbal or verbal cues?
 
1. You Don’t Say
2. Picture Telling with Writing 
3. Mimes
4. Movement Sticks 
5. Mirrors 
5 Active Listening Games and Exercises
4. Popcorn Storytelling 
5. What’s My Favorite Movie?
5 Assertive Communication Activities for Teens

Assertive communication is a healthy way to express one’s needs. Being respectful and
honest may still cause discomfort, and negotiating that discomfort is a critical skill. The
following are activities that can help teens to develop these vital communication skills.
 
1. Emotion Awareness
2. Fists 
3. Situation Samples
4. Eye Contact Circle 
5. Role-playing
 

Good communication is a skill that serves people in every area of life. Even the best
communicators make mistakes, let alone those of us still learning how to improve. Imagine a
world where everyone knew the emotion behind their message and tried to communicate with
assertive kindness. Equipping children with effective communication skills results in higher
levels of emotional intelligence, higher test scores, lowering incidents of bullying, and
improvements in overall mental well-being. There is so much to gain from practicing these skills.

4. LITERACY SKILLS (INFORMATION, MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY)

Introduction

Information literacy is important for today’s learners, it promotes problem solving

approaches and thinking skills – asking questions and seeking answers, finding information,
forming opinions, evaluating sources and making decisions fostering successful learners,
effective contributors, confident individuals and responsible citizens. It is at the core of the
Curriculum for Excellence and Literacy across learning experiences and outcomes – a
responsibility of all practitioners.

"Children and young people not only need to be able to read for information; they also need
to be able to work out what trust they should place on the information and to identify when
and how people are aiming to persuade or influence them." Curriculum for Excellence
(2009) Literacy across learning Principles and practice paper.

They need to be able to identify what is real and relevant not just for school but for
learning, life and work. Information literacy skills have been around for quite some time in
different guises and several frameworks and definitions have been produced both nationally and
internationally.

Shigeru Aoyagi, Chief, Division of Basic Education, UNESCO, stated that:

“For all societies, Information Literacy is becoming an increasingly important component of not only literacy
policies and strategies, but also of global policies to promote human development.” UNESCO (2003) Towards an
Information Literate Society

4.1 Information Literacy

"Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements
about anyinformation we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views to
engage fully with society." (CILIP (2018) Information Literacy Definition)

Information literacy is a person's ability to know when information is needed, locate the
information, evaluate the information, and use it effectively. It goes beyond just being able to
search for something on the internet or in a book. It involves being able to determine whether or
not the information obtained is true and reliable and the ability to apply the information where
needed (Goode, K., 2003).

Importance of Information Literacy

When students are given an assignment that requires research, it is important that they
know where to start and how to conduct searches for the information they need. As teachers, we
do not want them simply using Google as a quick source of information. Rather, we wish for
them to conduct a thorough search for reputable and useful information that is applicable to the
assignment at hand. It is for this reason that strong information literacy skills are needed among
all students.
Why teach information literacy?
• To enable the kids to
- effectively handle information overload and organize data into a coherent form or
research.
- evaluate authenticity of information materials and use that information relevant to the
need at hand
- bridge the information literacy divide among our information users.
- enable the kids to become life-long learners in this age.

Promoting Information Literacy (Goode, K., 2003)

There are several methods by which information literacy skills might be promoted and
developed.
Teaching Information Literacy

 Integrate information literacy skills into curriculum. Discuss aspects of information

literacy as you explain assignments and give examples. Talk about information literacy as
it relates to the materials that are read or discussed in class.
 Teach students directly about plagiarism and discuss ways to avoid it.
 Teach students how to determine what pictures or graphics are copyrighted and which are
free to be used.
 Make recommendations to students as you come across reputable sites or journals. Share
your own information search results with your students.
 Invite a librarian to speak to students about different methods of finding information as
well as how to determine whether or not information found is reputable.
 Talk to students about the use of keywords and search terms. Discuss examples as to how
best to determine what words or terms might bring about the strongest search results.
Providing Practice with Information Literacy

 Encourage students to keep a journal of their information searches including sites visited,
journals read, terms that were searched, and the results of information searches (positive
or negative).
 Require students to use multiple resources (and even multiple types of resources) in their
work.
 Develop and administer a library scavenger hunt that enables students to familiarize
themselves with multiple aspects of both the library itself and other sources of
information available to them online.
 Require the use of concept maps or other visual diagrams developed to enhance the
research process.
 Have students create annotated bibliographies that include information about each of the
sources they use in their work.

Approaches to Information Literacy Instruction (Loertscher, 2000)

Stand-Alone Course

• All students receive the same instruction.

• Instruction is systematic.
• Disconnected to what students need
• Students bored; waste of time.

Course-integrated Instruction

 Students learn quickly when skill is used right after it is taught.

• Students get help from two adult experts.
• Students are not at the same skill level.
• Librarian has to be more flexible.

Instructional Designs of Information Literacy (IL)

Content driven Process driven
- Stand alone ILI tends to be like this -Integrated ILI tends to be like this
-Teacher-centered -Student-centered
-Knowledge based -Skill based
- Passive learning -Active learning

Example: Lecturing on the cataloguing Example: Students identifying info sources

system of books

Integrating Technology in Content Area Literacy Instruction (Roe, B.D., Kolodziej, N.J.,
Stoodt-Hill, B.D., and Burns, P.C., 2014)
 Many students today are immersed in technology daily so much so they are often referred
to as digital natives (Considine, Horton and Moorman, 2009; Roe at al, 2014). They have been
surrounded by information communication technology (ICT) for their entire lives. They
communicate by e-mail, text messaging and listen to digital music. To learn new skills, they use
videos, rather than instructional books. They get their news from television, and the internet,
rather than from newspapers and magazines. They communicate with cell phones that also serve
as both digital cameras and as hand held computers that allow to access to e-mail, text
messaging, surfing the internet.

4.2 Media Literacy (Roe, B.D., Kolodziej, N.J., Stoodt-Hill, B.D., and Burns, P.C., 2014)

Media literacy is the ability to comprehend, evaluate, and produce material for both print
and nonprint media, including the ability to interpret and develop electronic messages that
include images, sounds, movements, and animations (Forcier and Descy, 2008; Roe et al, 2014).
4.3 Visual and Technology Literacy

Visual literacy is the ability to derive meaning from still pictures, animations, and
images in the context of both print and video presentations., as well as the ability to visually
present meaning through these images (Seglem and Witte, 2009; Roe et al, 2014

Computers

Computers are the key to success in most walks of life. They are found in businesses for
communications, record keeping, and accounting; in the cash registers of stores and restaurants,
in household appliances; and in children’s toys and games. Their home uses for communication
and entertainment are also numerous. They have many functions in the literacy education.
Digital literacy is a subset of media literacy. Valmont (2003) points out that digital
literacy includes the active interpretation of nonverbal symbolic systems that authors include in
electronic messages and the construction of sounds, images, graphics, photos, videos, animations
and movements to add nonverbal components to electronic messages.

Word-Processing and Desktop Publishing Programs

The writing of student papers, both creative efforts and research reports is an obvious
application of computers to literacy education. The ease of revision and editing that word
processing programs provide makes students more likely to reconsider content, organization,
wording and mechanical aspects of their papers and to make changes after the draft has been
completed. Spelling checkers and grammar checkers alert students to spelling and syntactic
constructions that they may need to change.
Desktop-publishing programs allow for integration of text and graphics. Generally,
users can flow text around graphics, choose from a variety of styles and sizes of type, format
texts into columns, and set up special formats (such as greeting cards, business cards, and
banners). Creating posters, flyers, and class newsletters and magazines are the most common
uses of desktop publishing for literacy and content development.

Databases and Spreadsheets

A database is an organized collection of data. Database program make possible a search

of the database by the computer. The information in the database is filed so that it can be
retrieved by category
Spreadsheets also organize data into pattern, using a grid of rows and columns. They are
ordinarily used to store and manipulate numerical data. Spreadsheet programs often make it
possible for data to be presented in chart and graph form.

Using the Internet

Material on the internet is made up of hypertext and hypermedia. Hypertext and

hypermedia refer to nonsequential text and media (text, graphics, motions and sounds)
respectively. Links, consisting of highlighted words and symbols, serve as connectors to other
texts, which can be accessed by clicking the high lightened elements. These links allow computer
users to access documents in an order chosen by the users.
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) are Internet addresses. Finding information on the
Internet is facilitated by a web browser, such as Mozilla, Firefox, Google Chrome, or Microsoft
Internet Explorer.

Skype Application

Using skype software, students can make audio and video connections over the Internet.
Skype support both instant messaging and voice chat for users and allows for conference calling
on cell phones and landline phones.

Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube are extremely popular
with adolescents, who use these sites to communicate with friend. Users create profiles, upload
photos, form groups, send messages and write on each others ‘walls’, employing multimodal
activities. Multimodal activities combine “two or more modes in representation- linguistic
(written words), visual, audio, gestural, and spatial (Mills, 2010).

Chat Rooms
 Chat rooms are virtual spaces in which users can meet and have conversations in real
time. They are the most often for social purposes, but teachers are beginning to use them as
instructional tools as well.

Videoconferencing and Webinars

Videoconferencing offers opportunities for students to hold conferences over the Internet
with someone who can be seen on a computer’s monitor and heard through its speakers. The
improvements in videoconferencing software and hardware and the availability of broadband
Internet access have made videoconferencing more accessible to school. Videoconferencing may
feature slide shows, live and streaming video, white boards with annotations, and recordings of
the conferences.
A type of videoconferencing is the webinar or web-based seminar. A webinar can be in a
form of lecture, a workshop, or a seminar that is broadcast on the web. It can be collaborative to
various degrees, and it can employ either voice over Internet protocol or use of regular
telephones for audience interaction.
5. LIFE SKILLS

Introduction
A core life skill start in childhood throughout our adult lives and continues into
adolescence, but it is something that can be worked. Life skills armed students to thrive in the
four corners of the classroom and beyond the complex world. It makes life better and each skill
will depend on one’s essential and relevant to life. Basically, any skill that can be applied and
used in daily lives is a life skill. It is a big challenge of the school to teach this kind of skills that
prepare you for real life because generally schools focus on the basic academic skills, like
literacy and numeracy.
At the end of this module, the students are expected to:
 Characterize the different life skills that are basically essential and relevant to learner’s
real life;
 Assess the right set of life skills that are essential in one’s life in the challenging and
complex world; and
 Appreciate the value of the life skills that are taught in the classroom by applying it in the
real life in order to achieve more and prevent from making bad life choices.

5.1 Flexibility
The only constant in this world is change. The ability to adapt and adjust the different
changes in this world is very critical to success.
The inquiry process requires and rewards flexibility. Instead of following a set course or
a rigid set of instructions, students must make constant course corrections as they do the
following:
  set goals
 seek answers
 navigate information
 collaborate with others
 create something
 evaluate their work
 improve it
 share it with the world

5.2 Initiative
The entrepreneurial spirit is found on initiative – the willingness to step forward with an
idea and take the risk of bringing it to fruition. The changing economic landscape requires
entrepreneurs. Students need to learn how to set goals for themselves, plan how they will reach
their goals and enact their plans.
By teaching students the inquiry process, you equip them to take initiative. When you
step back into a facilitating role, you require students to step forward. Students take the initiative
when they:
 question
 plan
 research
 create
 improve
 present

5.3 Social Skills

Human beings have always been social creatures, connecting to and depending on a tribe
of some hundred others. Technology now allow people to belong to multiple tribes- students at
the same school, friends on Facebook, colleagues on LinkedIn, fan on fan sites, gamers on
massively multiplayer online games. In all of these environments social skills are critical.
Whether students are having a face-to-face meeting or are tweeting with hundreds of strangers,
there are real human beings with real thoughts, feelings and needs on the other end. And, as work
environment become more collaborative social skills are a key to success.
The best way for students to develop social skills is to collaborate with others when
students together on a project, they have common goals and interests, they are required to
develop such as these:
 cooperation
 compromise
  decision-making
 communicating
 using emotional intelligence
 using constructive criticism
 trusting others
 delivering on promises
 coordinating work

5.4 Productivity
The productivity of a worker in a country that reached at all time high clearly means that
those who kept their jobs did so in part by producing more than they needed to before. The
increase in productivity among workers in a country means that more is being produced by fewer
people which mean that the job market is even more competitive after the recession than during
it. Workers have lower productivity are being left behind.
By using the inquiry process and developing projects, students learn the habits of
productivity:
 goal setting
 planning
 time management
 research
 development
 evaluation
 revision
 application

5.5 Leadership
Leadership is a suite of related skills that combines the other life skills. Good leaders take
initiative, have strong social skills are flexible, and are productive.
They also do the following:
 identify goals
 inspire others to share those goals
 organize a group so that all members can contribute according to their abilities
 resolve conflicts among members
 encourage the group to reach their goals
 help group members solve problems and improve performance
 give credit where it is due
 That list pretty well describes what you do daily as a teacher-because you are the leader
of your class. However, if students are perpetually in the role of followers, they never have to
learn these skills. They need to occasionally become the teacher, and inquiry allows them to
do so. Group projects also require students to take on leadership responsibilities. Inquire
provides many projects that can be done in groups.
5.6 Ecological Literacy
Ecological literacy is the ability to understand the natural system that makes life on earth
possible. An ecologically literate society would be a sustainable society which did not destroy
the natural environment on which they depend. Ecological literacy is a powerful concept as it
creates foundation for an integrated approach to environmental problems. Advocates champion
eco-literacy as a new educational paradigm emerging around the poles of holism, system
thinking, sustainability and complexity.
When we teach ecological literacy, we teach about how nature works. We learn that: (Jones,
2020)
 Life is cooperative.
 Every living and non-living is connected.
 Everything starts with the sun.
 Matter cycles.
 Ecosystems do not have waste.
 People need nature to survive.

Why to teach ecoliteracy?

If a classroom would foster a sense of wonder for the natural, there is joy in our
relationship with the rest of nature and encourages children to an on-going relationship with
natural places, whether these are corner of an urban, school yard or a wilderness area.
Together adults and children would learn that they rely on nature and that they are part of
nature. This would provide a foundation so that children could inquire, learn and grow as life-
long citizens of the planet.
Why should we create such a space in our classrooms and in our homes?
Through ecological literacy, children and adults grow to understand nature and their
place in nature. We foster connections with nature and encourage people to move beyond fear to
explore, learn and act on their knowledge and, so that our children can walk into a forest and feel
a joyful connections with that place.
5.7 Financial Literacy
Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively apply various financial
skills, including personal financial management, budgeting and investing. Financial literacy
helps individuals become self-sufficient so that they can achieve financial stability (Kenton,
2020).
Financial illiteracy contributes to people making poor financial decisions and becoming
victims of abusive financial practices.

Benefits of Financial Literacy (Kenton, 2020).

Financial literacy focuses on the ability to manage personal finance matters efficiently,
and it includes the knowledge of making appropriate decisions about personal finance, such as
interesting insurance, real estate, paying for college, budgeting, retirement and tax planning.
Those who understand the subject should be able to answer several questions about purchases,
such as whether an item is required, whether it is affordable, and whether it is affordable and
whether it is an asset or liability. Financial literacy education should also include organizational
skills, attention to detail and consumer rights.
As educators, we should evaluate how we are educating students (or not educating
students) on these important life aspects. Here are the five key components to work in order to
improve your financial literacy, mastering these aspects was not always easy but with a little bit
of practice will benefit you for lifetime (Randolph, K.K., 2020).
1. The Basics of Budgeting.
2. Understanding interest rates.
3. Prioritizing saving.
4. Credit-Debit Cycle Traps.
5. Identify theft issue and safety.

15 Ways to Teach About Money (Ramsey, D., 2020)

Pre-schoolers and Kindergartners

1. Use a clear jar to save.
2. Set an example.
3. Show them that stuff costs money.

Elementary and Middle Schoolers

4. Show opportunity cost.
5. Give commissions, not allowances.
6. Avoid impulse buys.
7. Stress the importance of giving.

Teenagers
8. Teach them contentment.
9. Give them the responsibility of a bank account.
10. Get them saving for college.
11. Teach them to steer clear student loans.
12. Teach them the danger of credit cards.
13. Get them on a simple budget.
14. Introduce them to the magic of component interest.
15. Help them figure out how to make money.