Bachelor of Secondary Education Department

Reaccredited Level IV by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities

of the Philippines

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
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COURSE
EDUC 206: Building and Enhancing New
Literacies Across the Curriculum

DEVELOPER AND THEIR

BACKGROUND Ms. Sheila Marie O. David
Faculty, Tarlac State University
College of Teacher Education
smdavid@tsu.edu.ph

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the concepts of new
literacies in the 21st century as an evolving social
phenomena and shared cultural practices across
learning areas. The 21st century literacies shall include
(a) globalization and multicultural 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 and other teaching strategies shall be used
in this course.

COURSE OUTLINE Week 1: TSU Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Class
Orientation
Week 2: Introduction to 21st Century Literacies
Week 3-5: Globalization and Cultural and Multicultural
Literacies
Week 6: Social Literacy
Week 7-8: Financial Literacy
Week 9: Midterm Examination
Week 10-12: Media and Cyber or Digital Literacies
Week 13: Ecological Literacy
Week 14-15: Artistic and Creative Literacy
Week 16-17: Critical Literacy
Week 18: Final Examination
CHAPTER #
02
TITLE
GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURAL AND
MULTICULTURAL LITERACIES

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RATIONALE
This is the second chapter of
EDUC 206-Building and Enhancing
New Literacies Across the Curriculum.
It concentrates on the rudiments and
issues in exploring Globalization,
Cultural, and Multicultural Literacies,
some of the valued skills in today’s society. Particularly,
this chapter is clustered into four key discussions: (a)
The Effects of Globalization; (b) Cultural Literacy; (c)
Multicultural Literacy; and (e) Issues in Teaching and
Learning Multicultural Literacy in the Philippines.
INSTRUCTION TO THE USERS
This module serves as a guide in understanding
one unit or chapter under EDUC 206. It consists of
the following sections:
(a) introductory guide: to establish common
ground and familiarize you with the course
title, description along with the rationale of this
chapter/module;
(b) pre-test: to gauge your prior knowledge about
the lesson;
(c) learning objectives: to set the expected
outcomes or skills to be learned in this
chapter;
(d) content (with preparatory, developmental and
closure activities): to impart knowledge, skills,
and abilities through this mode prepared by
the instructor;
(e) synthesis/generalization: to outline the focal
points that you need to remember in this
chapter;
(f) evaluation: to check your level of
understanding of the concepts explored in this
chapter;
(g) assignment/agreement: to encourage the
continuity of learning; and
(h) references: to enlist the available resources
used for this chapter and give due credit to the
intellectual properties of the authors.

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 You can re-read the chapter/module anytime.
However, the activities should be answered or
completed based on the schedule and/or
instructions set by the instructor.
The activities are set to be recorded and/or graded
by the instructor.
Should you have questions, difficulties, or
clarifications, feel free to contact the instructor.
PRE-TEST
Let us do a SELF-CHECK!
Moving forward to another
point of discussion, recall and reflect
on the positive and negative effects of
globalization, cultural literacy, and
multicultural literacy to you and to the society in
general. Organize your answers in a tabular form, as
shown below.
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Globalization
Cultural literacy
Multicultural literacy

Illustrate your table in a clean sheet of paper.

You may answer this for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Once you are done with the pre-test, you may proceed
to check the learning objectives for this chapter.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, the student will
be able to:
Share insights on the three core literacies;
Distinguish the effects and implications of
globalization to socio-cultural and political
contexts;
Expound the issues in teaching and learning
multicultural literacy in the Philippines;
Show self-reliance while working independently to
complete this chapter;
Conduct a survey in relation to multicultural
literacy; and
Prepare a case study.
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CONTENT
Global boundaries or linkages?
PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES
Time for an ACTIVITY! Get ready and
get a clean sheet of paper.
Create an image showing your connections to the rest
of the world based on the music you listen to, using the
following questions.
• What’s the origin of the most recent song or
piece of music that you listened to? (Identify
the nationality of the creator of the music as
well as the tradition to which it belongs.)
• What technology do you most commonly use
to listen to music?
• Where is the technology made? Where is the
company that owns the technology based?
• How have you obtained music – online
purchases or physically bought from retail
outlets?
Collect class data in relation to this and then make
generalizations about any patterns in the data. If not
possible, you can ask your circle of friends and/or
family for this part.
• Do certain countries predominate in terms of
musical choices and/or owning or making
technology?
• Which types of technology are most commonly
used?
Create a visual representation of your generalizations
(e.g. using graphs or a mapping tool).
Use your visual generalization to discuss: What is
GLOBALIZATION?
Think of a current event featuring in headlines around
the world. (Hint: politics, music, sport, film, celebrity
culture, or disaster. Twitter might provide some ideas).
Write about the event using some of the following
prompts: national identity, language, design, place of
manufacture, origin of natural resources, cultural
traditions, use of technology, history etc.

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 Example: Globalization = Osama Bin Laden
He was born in Saudi Arabia to a family of
Yemeni descent and educated at a school modelled on
the British education system. He joined the US– and
Pakistani–Government backed resistance against the
Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and formed a
series of organizations, whose members came from
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon— to name
just a few. His men fought with imported weapons and
were funded by off-shore accounts, and by the early
1990s his networks, influence and terror attacks
spanned across the Middle East, North Africa and the
Balkans.
The victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in
the USA came from all over the world and worked for
multinational companies from countries like Japan,
Germany, Switzerland and Singapore.
Bin Laden’s death in Pakistan at the hands of US
forces (who arrived in helicopters that were built by a
company founded by a Ukranian immigrant) was initially
reported via Twitter; spreading the news worldwide
within minutes and more than half an hour before US
President Barack Obama officially confirmed the news
in a live television speech.
Organize your answers in a clean sheet of paper
and submit it to your instructor on the prescribed
schedule.

DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES
In this chapter, our focus is on Globalization, Cultural Literacy, and Multicultural Literacy..
You may review the answers that you provided for your pre-test and verify their accuracy while
reading this section.
GLOBALIZATION
Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between people, business
entitles, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade and
investment and supported by information technology (Levin-Institute, 2017).

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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 noticed an
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 has 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 experience 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 Korea 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 economists
and businessmen. But globalization and its effects go beyond import or export and
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Notice that in our illustration, the friend 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 different countries, where we are no longer integrating just languages or
mannerism, education, technology, manufacturing, ways of doing business, ideas, and
whole worldviews. This is globalization as we know it today.
Globalization as a phenomenon is no new. Nation and culture have been interacting and
integrating with one and another for millennia. Consider how ancient Greek culture was so
widespread across the Mediterranean that even Egyptians could speak their language,
and how Rome was so much of the Chinese, Arab, and Indian culture have become part
of our own; these interaction and subsequent integrations did not happen recently, but
even during centuries before there was even a political entity known as the Philippines.
What is different now, however, is the speed at which globalization is happening, its
overall scope, and its effects in the lives of ordinary people. Not only are we interacting
with, learning from, and integrating knowledge gleaned from other cultures and nations at
an unprecedented rate, there is now also a sense that no matter where one lives or how
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 limited is one’s face-to-face interaction with members of another nation or culture and how
limited one’s time is spent online, globalization and its effect are inescapable. Even
remote villages will be exposed to the latest KPOP hit, if they have access to a radio. If
they produce rice, they will also feel the effects of more affordable rice imports from
Thailand and Vietnam. If they have access to a kerosene stove, they will feel the effects of
the fluctuations in oil prices originating from Arab nations. All these things take place
without having to know anyone from or anything about Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, of the
Middle East.

A. THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION

The effects globalizations are multi-dimensional. As shown earlier, they range from
economic to cultural, on both national and individual levels.
Meyer (2000) summarizes the effect of globalization as follows:
1. Economic, political, and military dependence and interdependence between
nations;
2. Expanded flow or individual people among societies;
3. Interdependence of expressive culture among nations; and
4. Expanded flow or instrumental culture around the world.

1. Economic Dependence/ Interdependence

When the term globalization entered the Philippine public mindset in the early 90s, it
was popularly understood to be a mainly economic phenomenon, and a negative one
at that. The idea that foreign-owned businesses could come into that country and
freely “set-up shop,” thereby choking-out local industries was not a welcome though it
was erroneous.

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 While Philippine society has come to realize that this early perspective represented a
shallow understanding of globalization, the fact of the matter is that globalization has
brought economic development to our society as a whole. By attracting Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI), new technologies, employment opportunities, and money have
come into the country. The phenomenon of a taxi driver owning multiple smartphones
to browse social media while stuck in traffic because of the rise of the number of
vehicles in our roads is testament to this fact.
This does not mean, however, that there have been no negative effects of
globalization. Kentor (2001) notes that foreign capital dependence increases income
inequality in four ways: (1) It creates a small, highly paid class of elites to manage
these investments, who create many but usually low-pay jobs; (2) Profits from these
investments are repatriated, rather than invested in the host country, therefore
inhibiting domestic capital and economic climates favorable to foreign capital that in
turn limit domestics labor’s ability to obtain better wages. In simple words, “the rich
become richer, and the poor become poorer.”
Hout (1980) observes that international dependence (another word for globalization)
tends to suppress adult wages, which in turn perpetuates the role of children as
economic necessities (the familiar saying “kapag maraming anak, maraming katulong
sa hanapbuhay”), leading to explosive population growth.
In a chain reaction of negative effects, this explosive population growth creates a
large sub-sector of society that is insulated from economic development yet
competes for resources with the rest of the population. Coupled with the economic
inequalities in which this society is concluded, this encourages political instability,
resulting in policies that favor the redistribution of income, which in turn discourages
investment, which then shows economic growth.

2. Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence

Survey conducted in late 2018 found that three in five Filipinos believe that the United
States would intervene on behalf of the country in case of war (Viray, 2018) Despite
the current very conservative stance of the US on its foreign policies, this can be
taken as evidence of the Philippines’ dependence on both the political and military
power of the US in order to maintain its sovereignty as a nation-state in the Southeast
Asian region. Similar things can be said of Russia and the many communist nations
throughout the world.
The point is that where there are some forms of economic dependence/
interdependence, political dependence/interdependence is not far behind, as the
participating nations strive to protect their investments and interest in one another.

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3. Expand Flow of Expressive and Instrumental Culture
Expressive culture, as the term suggests, deals with how a particular culture
expresses itself in its language, music, arts, and the like. Globalization encourages
the monetization of these cultural artifacts and their imports/exports among
participating cultures; the increased consumption of which changes the consuming
culture. Case in point, KPOP music and culture was a relatively niche occupation ten
years ago, with very few people aware of its existence, let alone actual fans. Today, it
is practically ubiquitous in Philippine society, alongside the consumption of all things
Korean, from skin-care products to instant noodles.
Instrumental culture, on the other hand, refer to “common models of social order”
(Meyer, 200) –that is, models or ways of thinking about and enacting national identity,
nation-state policies both domestic and foreign, socio-economic development, human
rights, education, and social progress. A simple example of this is the Philippine
educational system: closely patterned after the American educational system,
educational leaders in the country closely follow the educational trends in America
and select European countries, perceiving them to be the global leaders in the field.
While this has served us to an arguably satisfactory degree thus far, it is interesting to
observe that the problem and difficulties in America education eventually show-up in
Philippine education, albeit five to ten year removed.
4. Expanded Flow of People among Societies
The fact the globalization encourages the movement of people between nation-states
should come as no surprise to us. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimated
that there were 2.3 million Overseas Filipino Worker (OFWs) during the period of April
to September 2017, who were responsible for up to 205.2 billion pesos in remittances
(Philippines Statistics Authority, 2018).
Meyer (2000) observes three reasons for this: socio-economics migration, political
expulsion, and travel/tourism.
Socio-economic migration explains the Philippines’ OFW phenomenon. Filipinos
travel abroad to find better economic opportunities for themselves and their families
for lack of said opportunities here.
Political expulsion, on the other hand, has more to do with trying to escape the
political climate of a particular country, thereby forcing an individual to the political
climate of a particular country, thereby forcing an individual to seek asylum (and
ultimately, resettlement) in another more favorable country.

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 Travel for the sake of leisure (i.e., tourism) is a strong indicator of economic
development as more and more Filipinos are able to finance short-term travels
abroad, fueled by curiosity that is fed by social media and enabled by globalization.

IT’S YOUR TURN! What are the personal effects of GLOBALIZATION to you? Give at
least ten (10) specific examples. Write your answers in a clean sheet of paper.

B. CULTURAL LITERACY

Cultural Literacy is a term coined by Hirsch (1983), referring to the ability to understand
the sign and symbols of a given culture and being able to participate in its activities and
customs as opposed to simply being a passive (and outside) observer. The sign and
symbols of a culture include both its formal and informal languages its traditions, and the
like –most of which are assumed and unstated. Thus, they are learned by being part of
the culture, rather than by any formal means.
To illustrate this, consider the following statement: “The classroom was in absolute
bedlam.” Without any sort of background, the reader is forced to guess the meaning of the
word “bedlam” from its context within the sentence. As it turns out, “bedlam” refers to a
scene of uproar, confusion, and chaos. The term is British in origin, referring to a
psychiatric hospital in London by the name of St. Mary Bethlehem that was once
representatives of the worst excesses of insane asylum during the 14th century and
“bedlam is a corruption of the word “Bethlehem” in the name. While it is one thing t know
that meaning of the word, note that it is knowledge of its cultural origin that better enables
a person to both appreciate and participate in conversations and activities
Of course, by its very definition, cultural literacy is culture-specific, but is not limited to
national cultures, contrary to what many people assume. The culture of one workplace
can be very different from another, just as the culture of a particulars school can differ
widely from another school nearby.
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There are too many cultures for any one person to be literate in all of them. As more and
more Filipinos travel –both domestically and abroad – as the result of globalization and
increased opportunities it brings, the need to develop new cultural literacies comes to the
fore.

Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts

(NCCA) is the government body tasked with the
domination, preservation, and dissemination of
Philippine culture, both locally and abroad. Part of how
the NCC is addressing this and related matters is
through the establishment of the Philippine Cultural
Education Program (PCEP), which “envisions a nation of
culturally literate and empowered Filipinos” (NCCA,
2015). Designed to make cultural education accessible
to all sectors of Philippine society, the PCEP held
national consultative meetings, conferences, workshops, art camps, and festivals on
culture-based teaching and good governance from 2003 to 2007. As a result of Republic
Act 10066 (2010), PCEP has been designated as the body, together with the Department
of Educational (DepEd), tasked to “formulate the cultural heritage education programs
both for local and overseas Filipinos” that are to be an integral part of Philippines
education in all its aspects.
Cultural education –and thus cultural literacy–in the Philippines is quite a challenge, given
that Philippines culture is a complex blend of many indigenous and colonial cultures and
varies widely across region, and the average citizen is almost as ignorant of other
Philippine cultures as foreigners are. To point out, consider the question, “What makes
something or someone ‘Filipino’?”
The average reader will be hard-pressed to pin down a definite answer. De Leon (2011)
argues that this is in part due to a colonial mindset among Filipino artists that inhibits the
full development and realization of Filipino artistic creativity –a kind of artistic and cultural
creativity that is fully Filipino.
De Leon (2011) coins this propensity for Filipinos to look at their culture and themselves
through western lenses as the Doña Victorina Syndrome, a kind of inferiority complex
wherein anything and everything natively Filipino is considered by the Filipino themselves
as being inferior, backward, and worthless in comparison to their western counterparts,
and therefore a source of embarrassment and unease.

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 As De Leon puts it, our low self-esteem borders on self-contempt, perverse delight it
belittling ourselves, lack of respect and goods, concepts, techniques, approaches, and
expertise (2011). The biggest challenge then, according to him, is the deconstruction of
the negative self-images and notions of ourselves that we have imbibed over generations
more through “a workable, effective program of education that can make Filipinos more
responsive and sensitive to Filipino dignity, needs, values, and cultural potentials and
assets.”
For De Leon, it is excellence in the arts-via an expression that is truly Filipino-that can
form the core of national unity. Of course, this remains to be seen.

Challenges for Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

As Applebee (1987) observes, interesting discussions on cultural literacy give rise it same
very difficult questions which are particularly important to a multicultural and multilingual nation like
in the Philippines.
What kinds of knowledge constitute cultural literacy? Is it knowing fact, names, and dates,
or is it something more experiential like being familiar with a story or a particular song?
If culture is more “caught than taught,” should cultural literacy be one of the goals of
education? If yes, how does one teach it?
Whose culture must we be literate in to be considered “culturally literate”? Who decide
which cultures are included and which ones are included, and on what bases?
How is cultural literacy to be assessed and evaluated? How can we know someone is
“culturally literate”?

C. 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 understood as multicultural literacy.

Multicultural Literacy, as a set of skills and knowledge, is difficult to define because of how
it changes depending on the context in which it is discussed. For example, multicultural

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literacy as defined in American literature is different from how it is deployed in a more
European context.
In America, multicultural literacy has very strong leanings toward knowing or identify the
poly-ethnic origins of knowledge with express goal of fostering equality, diversity, and
social justice. This is in direct response to the “Euro-centric” and “white-dominant”
traditions of educations that in the eyes of America cultural minorities (particularly the
blacks) is a farm of racial injustice. This is very foreign to the Philippines context, which
despite having our own deeply ingrained traditions of discrimination, does not have the
same issues of discriminations as in the United States, nor the same amount of
hospitality. Nevertheless, the fact that the perceive need for multicultural literacy stems
from slighted sense of justice for “the other” (that is, any individual, group, or culture that
another individual, group, or culture considers “ not of us,” for any reasons) cannot be
ignored in our attempts to pin down a functional definition of multicultural literacy for
ourselves.
Meanwhile, in Europe, multicultural literacy comes more in the form of intercultural
communications competence (ICC) which is defined by Dusi, Messetti, and Steinbach
(2014) as a composite of skills, abilities, attitude, personality patterns, etc. necessary for
clear and productive communication with cultures other than our own. Similarly, Fantini
(2006) defines it as “a complex of abilities needed to perform effectively and appropriately
when interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different form oneself.”
Clearly, the broader and more magnanimous European definition of multicultural literacy
is more fitting for the Philippine context, even if the exact definition of what is, there would
also be wise to include how justice contributes to the literacy; that is, there would be no
discussion on multicultural literacy if not for the lack of justice in a multicultural discussion
or discourse.
We define multicultural literacy here as the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that
any communication with a culture different form our own is clear, productive, and
respectful such that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned a
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.
The skills and knowledge required for one to be multi-culturally literate are not mere
language skills, since it is assumed that some medium of communication already exist
between two cultures. Rather, true multicultural literacy consists of perspectives, attitudes,
and beliefs about other cultures that affect the manner in which we communicate and
motives behind our communication. Here are some examples:
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 1. Be selfless – An attitude of selflessness-one that less concerned with how I
feel and more concerned with how I am making others feel—is crucial to
multicultural literacy, as so much of the offence and conflict associated with the
meeting of different cultures is the result of a “me first” attitude: I should be
accommodated, you should be the one to adjust to me, I should feel comfortable,
etc, Such selflessness is not instinctive to people, and is especially difficult when
one feels insecure of oneself and identity.
2. Know that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different
from us - Hand-in-hand with a dismissive attitude toward another culture is the
idea that nothing good can come from them. Furthermore, there is a tendency to
ignore or outright dismiss evidence to the contrary. Simply acknowledging that
good ideas and products preparing our minds to perceive them as being equally
valuable.
3. Be willing to compromise – Any significant interaction with someone from a
different culture is government by the principle of “He/She wants something, and
I want something.” In the other words, cultures do not interact out of pure
magnanimity. If both of you are willing to give the other what they want, well and
good. But what happens when one or both are unwilling to give what the other
wants? There must be a compromise: a reciprocal adjustment of demands and
expectations to accommodate what the other party is willing to give.
4. Accept that there are limits – At some point however, one or both cultures will
be unwilling/unable to adjust their wants for the sake of the other any further.
Beyond this point, the productivity of the interaction drops and one must either
change the purpose of the interaction or walk way, accepting that what you want
cannot be had from that particular source. Attempting to force the other party to
adjust (when you refuse to do the same) only results in misunderstanding, hurt,
and conflict. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we can set realistic
expectations of one another.

D. ISSUES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING MULTICULTURAL LITERACY IN THE

PHILIPPINES
A number of important issues stand in the way of Philippine educators attempting to learn
multicultural literacy for themselves and teach it in turn to others, which are different from what can
be found in Western literature, particularly those of the United States.
Conflicting Requirements for Peace
When all is said and done, the heart of multicultural literacy is peace among different
cultures-that is, productive and non-violent interaction. It is easy to assume that all

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cultures value peace to the same degree and are therefore willing to make the same
compromises in order to attain it, but this is not necessarily true.
Take for example the Israel/Palestinian conflict, which is really a conflict over territory:
Both sides desire peace, but they do not desire it enough to be willing to compromise. In a
very real sense, both sides rather live in perpetual conflict with one another rather than
give-up their claim to the land which each side believes is rightfully theirs.

IT’S YOUR TURN! What about you? When do you consider yourself at peace with
other people? Kindly expand the details of the situation(s).

Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback

The increasing demand for multicultural sensitivity, inclusion, and diversity in the recent
years has also given rise to resistance from groups who believe that their identity is being
“watered-down” by the needed compromises.
Case in point is the very recent proposal of “Ortograpiya ti Pagsasao nga Ilokano” by
official of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) in October of 2018. The proposal was
met with intense backlash from group of Ilokano writers and language advocates over the
“incompetence in preparing the Ilokano orthography that didn’t conform with the existing
orthography being used by the Ilokano writers and experts,” claiming that the proposed
orthography was based on Tagalog and not Ilokano and that the commission’s attempts to
compel the regional language to conform to the standards of the Ortograpiyang
Pambansa (National Orthography) would “destroy the identity of the Ilokano language”
(Dumlao, 2018).
In the ensuing online firestorm, one particular individual commented on how much
regional pride is out of step with modernity, particularly with our need to be united as a
country. Now this sentiment is consistent with the multicultural literacy of being able to put
aside differences for the sake of a common goal, but notice how for the Ilokanos, national
unity (as far as language is concerned) is not worth the coast giving-up their ability to
determine the orthography of their language for themselves.
Such issues become even more complex and clouded when they come to a head with
economics, social justice, and religion. What is to be done when accommodating the
idiosyncrasies of another culture means decrease economic opportunities for other
members of my culture? What about when we must decide between gender equality and
retaining a venerable, historical institution like the Boy Scout of the Philippines? What
about if, for the sake of peace, one culture must compromise on its religious values? We
might think that peace is worth it, but what if the other culture believes otherwise?

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We see here that while multicultural inclusiveness is by and large a good thing, it comes
at a cost. Part of the identity of the host culture becomes diluted and lost-the inevitable
result of the compromise necessary for it to have inclusion might very well be asking
some cultures to decide which has more value: inclusion or identity.
We must be aware that these questions are easier to answer for the culture that wants to
be accommodated because it will cost them nothing), rather than the one that must do the
accommodating.

The Persistence of the Problem

On the surface, multicultural literacy might seem to just be a matter of “good common
sense,” and understandably so, no one actively desires to experience discrimination
regarding what they know and what they can and cannot do simply on the basis of race,
ethnicity, or in the case of the refrain from such behavior under the assumption that “if you
don’t do it to me, I won’t do it to you.” And yet, to our horror and shame, the practice
persists. Worse, we sometimes find ourselves participating in and justifying such
discriminatory behavior—if only online and not in real life (as if anything written or posted
online is not, in fact, in real life).
Therefore, the primary issue that educators face in teaching multicultural literacy to their
students and learning it for themselves is, “Why does this problem persist?” Or to put it in
another way, “Despite all out advance in science, technology, and culture, why is this still
a problem today?”
Boutte (2008) suggests that issues of discrimination in all its forms (racial religious, tribal,
cultural, etc.) are really issues of hatred, which she defines in an educational settings as
“the lack of compassion and lack of respect for the tights of other,” and that such hatred
must be fought and its roots must be attacked, because for as long hatred exist in the
human mind, real peace will be impossible (Vreeland, 2001).
If this is true, then it leads to some interesting questions: For one, what is the root of this
hatred? Boutte (2008) suggests that, at least in an educational context, such hate is often
unintentional, but is usually the result of a lack of education. Now if a lack of education is
blame, then a lack of education in what, exactly? Is it awareness of the existence of those
different from us? Is it awareness that those different from us are worthy of respect?
The former is unlikely: Thanks to the internet; we are very much aware of the existence of
people and cultures that are fundamentally different from us, yet this has done nothing to
mitigate the hatred that Boutte speaks of. The latter questions is more promising, but
presumes that something exist in all individuals-regardless of color, language, religion,

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education, social status, etc.-that is worthy of respect. If this is true, what is this
something? How do you teach it?
To date, no literature exists within academia that gives a definitive authoritative and final
answer to these questions.

The Question of Value

Another issue in teaching and learning multicultural literacy is better posited as a question:
“Why should I treat people of another culture with respect?”
It might seem that the answer to the question is simple one: for peace. But as we have
seen earlier, it is easier, not everyone values peace to the same degree. What if, for a
certain culture, it is easier to just destroy anyone who opposes them rather than expend
the effort needed to come to a mutual understanding?
Such statements might sound crass, but only if we believe that we, as a society, are
above such things. How many times have we broken “small” laws and rules of etiquette-
running red traffic lights “because no one is there to catch me,” or asking a vendor at a
flea market or tiangge to list a different price on the receipt than what an item is worth-
because it is more convenient than to do otherwise? How many times have we been
selfish in or decision-making no thinking about, not caring about its implications for
others? And how many times have we justified such behavior “because of the
circumstances” or “because everyone else is doing it”?
In other words, “Why should I value another culture, another society, another person more
than myself and my own?” If we subscribe to Dawkins’ (2016) concept of a “selfish gene”-
where on a genetic level, the more two individuals are genetically similar to one another,
the more sense it makes to behave selflessly toward one another and selfishly toward
others who are different-then we can easily frame the issue of discrimination of cultural
discrimination and justice in necessary for my survival, and therefore it is in my best
interests(genetic and otherwise) that I maintain the status quo-or reverse it, as the case
may be. Educators like Freire (2000) have recognized and written against such a
monstrous perspective-and rightly so-but have also admitted that when the oppressed are
freed from their oppression, they inevitably become the new oppressors.
If such perspectives seem horrible to us (and they should), it is because the question of
the value humanity, both individually and collectively as a culture, makes no sense without
subscribing to some absolute moral standard-one that is true and right for people,
regardless of race, color, or creed. But in today’s society where such absolutes are
reduced to matters to perspective, there remains no final and sensible answer to the
question.

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A majority of research on multicultural literacy stems from the West, specifically the United
States, and focuses on teaching teachers to be more multicultural in their pedagogies.
• Learn about other cultures. Banks (1991a) posits that the first step to teaching
multiculturalism is knowing about cultures that are not your own. It follows that if
you, the teacher, know only your own culture, then you will be unable to teach
your students to appreciate a culture that is different from your own.
• Familiarize yourself with how discrimination and prejudice appear in your
own culture. Boutte (2008) and Banks (1991b) agree that teachers must be able
to identify and confront patterns of discrimination and prejudice in their own lives
before they can teach their students to do the same. For example, when
someone you just come out of your mouth in response? Do they express
genuine acceptance, or do they betray some long-held preconceptions about
people from the region?
• As you are, so will you behave. Key to genuine multicultural literacy is core
values-that is, what you, the teacher, really believe about people who are
different from you; not the kind of belief that you can just say you possess when
talking to your class, but the kind that determines your behavior when you think
no one is watching.
Simply put, if you do not truly believe that those who are different have value
equal to your own, it will show, and your students will detect it. It will be seen in
the words you use, in the expression on your face, in the change of you behavior
when you think no one can see, etc. The converse is also true: of you do believe
others have value equal to your own, no matter their social class educational
background, skin color, or regional accent, it will show; and what is shown is
what students will learn.
• Model more, tell more. Young students, by nature, will have difficulty in
exercising empathy toward those who are different from them. The ability is
there, but it will naturally lack practice. It is therefore not enough that teachers tell
them to be more compassionate-you, the others look like on a day –to-day basis.

IT’S YOUR TURN! What are the other issues in teaching and learning multicultural
literacy in the Philippines that you think of?

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CLOSURE ACTIVITIES
Globalization, Cultural Literacy,
and Multicultural Literacy are
highlighted in this chapter. Additional
information and readings may also be
accessed in the class’ official Dropbox folder should
you be interested in extending your knowledge about
the lesson.
Based on the lesson presented, what are the key
areas to highlight and remember? Explicate your
thoughts by writing a reflection paper about the chapter.
You may use a short bond paper or yellow paper for
this activity. This is good for 1 hour.

SYNTHESIS / GENERALIZATION
 Globalization is the process of interaction and
integration between people, business entitles,
governments, and cultures from other nation,
driven by international trade and investment
and supported by information technology.
 Cultural Literacy is the knowledge and
understanding of the life of a culture to the
point where one can fluently participate in the
activities of the said culture. This includes, but
is not limited to, its languages, tradition,
values, beliefs, forms of entertainment, and
worldviews.
 Multicultural Literacy is the knowledge and skill
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.
 The skills and knowledge required to be multi-
culturally literate are:
1. Selflessness;
2. Knowledge that good and useful things
can (and do) come from those different
from us;
3. Willingness to companies;
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 4. Acceptance that there are limit; and
5. Idea that we cannot be friends with
everyone.
 The issues in teaching and learning
multicultural literacy in the Philippines are the
nationalistic/regionalistic pushback, the
persistence of the problem, and the question
of value.
EVALUATION
A. Get a whole sheet of yellow paper or
short bond paper, and accomplish the
tasks below. Make sure that your answers
are the product of your own understanding and
not lifted nor consulted from outside sources,
as the instructor may run your answers in a
Plagiarism Checker/ Detector software. This is
good for 1 hour. Do not forget to submit your
output to your instructor on the prescribed
schedule.
1. What are the effects and implications of
globalization to socio-cultural and political
contexts? Discuss. (20 points)
2. Elaborate the issues in teaching and learning
multicultural literacy in the Philippines. Relate
it with your local community. (20 points)

B. Prepare a case study in relation to

globalization, cultural literacy, or multicultural
literacy. The rubric in checking the case study
shall be provided separately by the instructor.
Feel free to contact the instructor for
clarifications regarding this requirement.
Here are the steps in preparing a case study:
Identify the problem. For example,
globalization of jobs in the Philippines.
Think about the underlying causes of the
problem. Problems can vary from a poor
supply chain structure to an incorrect market

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 positioning strategy.
Make an outline. This will help identify the
main points when writing a case study.
Examine cause-and-effect relations. Try to
explain why the problem occurred and which
actions led to the reason for this problem.
Formulate possible solutions to the
problem. Think about how you would solve
this problem and what actions you would
undertake to eliminate the impact of negative
circumstances.

Here are the parts of a case study:

Introduction – Write an introduction where you
identify the key problem and make a summary
of the thesis statement in 1 or 2 sentences.
Background Information – Include some
relevant facts and issues and conduct
research on the problem.
Alternatives – Describe several alternatives
and explain why some were rejected. Describe
existing constraints and explain why some
alternatives were rejected.
Solution – Provide one realistic solution to the
problem, explain the reasons behind the
proposed solution, support this solution with
justification, include relevant theoretical
concepts in addition to the results of your
research.
Recommendations – Identify specific
strategies to accomplish the proposed
solution, recommend further actions, outline
an implementation plan.
ASSIGNMENT / AGREEMENT
Make an advance reading about Social
Literacy.

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REFERENCES
Main Textbook:
Alata, E.J.P. and Ignacio, E.J.T. (2019). Building and
Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum, First
ed. Metro Manila, Philippines: REX Book Store.
Other References:
Alsubaie, M.A. (2015). Examples of Current Issues in
the Multicultural Classroom. Journal of Education and
Practice, (6)10, 86-89.
Avila, J.L.V., et al. (2011). Globalization, Governance,
and the Philippine State. Makati City, Philippines:
Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Retrieved
June 27, 2020 from https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/
CDN/PUBLICATIONS/pidsbk11-globalization.pdf
Hirsch, E.D. Jr. (1987). Cultural Literacy: What Every
American Needs to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company.
Navita, N.C. (2014). Teachers’ Multicultural Awareness
of the School Environment: Basis for a Proposal for
Multicultural Awareness Enahncement Program for
Teachers. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Arts and
Sciences, (1)4, 90-103.
Polistina, K. (2009). Cultural Literacy. England:
University of Brighton. Retrieved June 27, 2020 from
http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/__data/assets/
pdf_file/0006/5982/Cultural-Literacy.pdf
Reyes, W.S. and Murray-Harvey, R. (2018). Faculty
and Student Teachers ‘Voices’ in Developing a
Multicultural Teacher Education Curriculum Using a
Collaborative-Participatory Approach. The Normal
Lights, 12(1), 156-184.
Schweizer, B. (2009). Cultural Literacy: Is it time to
revisit the debate?. The NEA Higher Education Journal,
51-56. Retrieved June 27, 2020 from
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/
HE/TA09CulturalLiteracy.pdf

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