Building and Enhancing New

Literacies in the Curriculum

with Emphasis on 21st
Century Skills
Mae A. Verian-Ceblano, MAT
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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

I. OVERVIEW

Purpose of the Module

Establishing new benchmark for teacher education is not an easy task
especially that teaching nowadays are becoming complex and demanding of
the teachers’ knowledge, skills, and values needed in the discharge of their
duties and responsibilities. This course module is designed to provide
instructional material in the subject Prof Ed BEC (Building and Enhancing
New Literacies across the Curriculum). It aims to inform education students
how the world has changed so fundamentally in the last few decades and that
the roles of learning and education have also changed forever. Though many
of the skills needed in centuries past, such as critical thinking and problem
solving are even more relevant today, how these skills are learned and
practiced in everyday life in the 21st century is rapidly shifting (Trilling & Fadel,
2009) . This module will facilitate students in learning to master some of the
new skills such as social literacy, financial literacy, media and cyber or digital
literacies, ecological literacy, artistic and creative literacy and critical literacy,
considered as an evolving phenomenon and shared cultural practices across
learning areas. It hopes to assist students examine new literacies through
varied theoretical lenses which may lead them to understand the standards
that characterize 21st century teachers as lifelong learners and functional and
multi-literate individuals.

Module Title

Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on

the 21st Century Skills

Description
This course introduces the concepts of new literacies in the 21st
century as an evolving social phenomenon and shared cultural practices
across learning areas. It offers fresh insights on literacy teaching and learning
in the contemporary age. It presents unique approach in examining new
literacies through multiple theoretical lenses and highlighting critical literacy in
the list to emphasize the importance of critical thinking and evaluation of
information and sources in the contemporary information and knowledge
production age. It clearly defines instruction design that aids the teacher in
facilitating logical interactive classroom discourse and exchange.

Topics

Lesson 1 What is 21st Century Learning?

Learning Past and Future
The Perfect Learning Storm: Four Converging Forces

Lesson 2 The Perfect Learning Storm: Four Converging Force

Lesson 3 What are 21st Century Skills?

Learning and Innovation skills: Learning to Create
Together
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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Digital Literacy Skills: Info Savvy, Media-Fluent, Tech-

Tuned
Career and Life Skills: Work-Ready, Prepared for Life

Lesson 4 21st Century Learning in Practice

21st Century Learning and Teaching
Powerful Learning: Proven Practices, Researched
Results
Retooling Schooling: Reshaping Support Systems
Learning for Life-Building a Better World

Module Guide

This module will empower you to become self-directed learners. This is

considered as an alternative strategy of learning in place of face-to-face
instruction. You are expected to read the assigned readings, and provide
responses on the assigned task in all activities provided herein. If there are
terminologies you don’t understand, look in the Key Terms, it will help you
find what you need. You will be using various learning resources (textbooks,
online resources, journals and articles) in accomplishing the task.
You will start with a pre-assessment to determine if you have prior
knowledge of the subject. Likewise, post-assessment will be given at the end
of the course to assess and determine your understanding of the content
covered. In the learning plan, you will be provided with a learning sequence
wherein you have to go through the 4 phases of 2E-2A Model of Instruction.
This model communicates text information and learning activities in 4 major
components provided below:

Engage: Authoritative and research-based inputs of both declarative and

Input Stage functional knowledge which include facts, concepts, theories,
principles, laws, methods, and procedures will be presented to
you.

Explore: Interactive activities is provided for you to process the input.

Processing You will be encouraged to provide explanation and feedback,
of Input analyse and critique input knowledge, and add new information.

Apply This is the phase where problem situations, scenarios and

Application questions requiring analytical, critical, and creative application
Tasks will be presented to bring you to a more practical way of using
HOW you are going to use what you have learned (input), and
think of new ways on how it can be improve further.

Assess Different forms of assessment methods and styles that are

aligned to the intended learning outcomes will be given to you.
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 Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Course Outcome

When you have completed this module, you will be able to:

Create a Project Learning proposal guided by the four phases of The Project
Learning Bicycle model.

Module Requirements
You are expected to read the content of the module, understand and
answer the pre and post assessment. You are required to complete all the
activities found in every lesson, pass the written midterm and final
examination, and submit all extended activities in the suggested readings.
You are expected to design a project learning proposal guided by the Project
Learning Bicycle Model. You will be evaluated using the rating scale:

5 4 3 2 1

Content Content is Content is Content is accurate Content is Content is

accurate and all accurate but but some required either inaccurate.
Project contains required some required information is questionable or Information is
appropriate items information is information is missing and/or not incomplete. incomplete,
and information presented in a missing and/or presented in a Information is inaccurate, or
(information is logical order. not presented in logical order, not presented in not presented in
appropriate to a logical order, making it difficult to a logical order, a logical order,
assigned topic). but is still follow. making it making it difficult
generally easy difficult to to follow.
to follow. follow.

Presentation

Project is clean, Presentation is Presentation is Presentation flows Presentation is Presentation has

neat, and creative. neat, clean, well- mostly neat and well. Some tools unorganized. no flow.
The information is organized and clean. are used to show Tools are not Insufficient
well organized, presented in a Information is acceptable used in a information and
interesting, creative way. organized in a understanding. relevant lacking some of
accurate, and logical manner manner. the member’s
reflects an Presentation is and shows Each member’s Lacking some information.
understanding of colorful and some degree of information is of the members’
the topic. creative. creativity. The represented and information/ and
Information is overall identified with their or information is
interesting and presentation is name. not identified
accurate. interesting.

Mechanics No spelling, A few (2-3) No more than 5 No more than 7 More than 7
grammar, or errors in spelling, grammar spelling, spelling,
Spelling, punctuation spelling, or punctuation grammar or grammar or
grammar, and errors in the text. grammar or errors. Several punctuation punctuation
Text is in the punctuation. instances where errors. Most of errors. Text is
punctuation in any student’s own Most text is in the text is not in text is not in copied or not
text on the poster words. student’s own student’s own authors’ own included.
is accurate. words. words. words and/or no
text included.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

II. Course Pre- Assessment

Directions: Read the statements carefully and answer the questions that
follow.

1. How is 21st century learning different from learning in the 20th century?

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2. What are your views of literacy in the 21st century?

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3. How will a 21st century learning approach help solve global problems?

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

III. Key Terms

Literacy 21st century literacy

To be literate in the 21st century, a person must
be willing to constantly learn about and adapt to
many different areas of life, subjects, and
environments.
Basic Literacy Ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken
sounds in order to decode written materials and
translate them into oral language.

Comprehension Ability to understand the meaning of what is being

Literacy read.

Functional or Ability to read written materials needed to perform

practical literacy everyday vocational tasks.

Globalization and Multicultural Literacy consists of the skills and ability

Multicultural to identify the creators of knowledge and their
Literacy interests, 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 a humane and just world
(https://21stcenturyliteracy214.wordpress.com/test-
2/).
Social Literacy Concerns with the development of social skills,
knowledge and positive human values that enable
human beings to act positively and responsibly in a
range of complex social settings.

Financial Literacy The ability to read, analyze, manage and

communicate about the personal financial
conditions that affect material well-being.

Media and Ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and

Cyber/Digital communicate messages in a wide variety of forms.
Literacies

Ecological literacy Refers to an individual’s understanding not only of

and ecological concepts, but also of his/her place in the
ecosystem.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

IV. Learning Plan

LESSON 1 What is 21st Century Learning?

 Several studies showed that students graduating from secondary

schools, technical colleges, and universities are sorely lacking in some basic
skills and a large number of applied skills (Trilling, Bernie & Fadel, Charles
(2009.
 Reports from around the world confirm that this “21st century skills
gap” is costing business a great deal of money.

Pre-activity

Present the possible scenario (it can be in a form of illustration) what the
world will be like twenty or many years from now when your child has left
school and has not learned all the skills he/she might have learned, if she had
attended only formal education. What skill will your child need to be
successful in this world you have imagined 20 years from now?

Activity 1

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist…using
technologies that haven’t yet been invented…in order to solve problems we
don’t even know are problems yet.”

-Richard Riley, Secretary of Education under Clinton--

1. Revisit the historical role education has played on society’s evolving stage.
How will the world be like 20 years from now?

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2. Trace the historical role of education in society using the sequencing flow
map.

Historical role of education

Analysis

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

3. Explore the world of work students will be graduating into and the prospects
for future jobs and careers in the 21st century. What skills will your child need
in order to be competitive in the profession he will choose to have in the future?

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Analysis

1. What is the function of education in the 21st Century? How does learning
take responsibility throughout life?

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

2. Why is education so important why every country in the world has

implemented some sort of formal education system? Why has United Nations
declared it as the fundamental right of all children?

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Abstraction

 Improving a country’s literacy rate by a small amount can have huge

positive economic impacts.
 The rising demand for a highly skilled workforce also means that there
will be a growing income gap between less educated, relatively
unskilled workers and highly educated, highly skilled workers.
 Our world’s education systems must now prepare as many students as
possible for jobs at the top of the chart—the high-paying knowledge
work jobs of today and tomorrow that require complex skills, expertise,
and creativity.

Application

Make a “Creative Leap” poster bridging 21st century skills gap.

Bridging 21st century skills gap

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

LESSON 2 The Perfect Learning Storm: Four Converging Force

Trilling, Bernie & Fadel, Charles, 2009

 The four powerful forces that that are converging and leading us
toward new ways of learning for life in the 21st century are knowledge
work, thinking tools, digital lifestyles and learning research.

 These four forces are simultaneously creating the need for new forms
of learning in the 21st century and supplying the tools, environments,
and guiding principles required to support 21st century learning
practices.

Activity 2.1

Automobiles are cultural icons that of modern times. How cars have been
designed and manufactured in the past decades reveal just how much times
have changed.

Directions: Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

1. Anita, Peter, Lee…three generations working, learning, and living in ways

that reflect their time. What are the societal forces that make Lee’s world
so different from that of his father or his grandmother?

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

2. How are these changing forces reshaping our learning, work, and life in
the 21st century?

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3. The 21st century has already brought historic changes to the world of work.
What does knowledge age requires? How is knowledge work achieved today?
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4. Cite some emergent concern of business leaders today.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Activity 2.2

Whether you call them “digital natives,” “net geners,” “netizens,” “homo
zappiens,” or something else, it is clear that the members of the first
generation to grow surrounded by digital media (those now aged 11 to thirty –
one) are different from the “digital immigrants” who learned to “do technology”
in later life.

Directions: Draw innovations/inventions that have come into common use

since 1975.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

1. What are the advantages and drawbacks of thinking and knowledge tools?
the digital tools?
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Activity 2.3

Present in a form of matrix the resistive pressures to change, as well as the

turning of learning toward a new balance.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Analysis

1. How are schools shifting their balance toward 21st century learning? How
does it affect the teacher and students in school classrooms everyday?
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2. How does the 4 forces converged and lead toward a new way of learning
for life in the 21st century?

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

LESSON 3 : What are 21st Century Skills?

With the vast number of websites, web forums, and social media
applications now available for us, never before has there been so much
information-in nearly every form imaginable, from nearly every source
imaginable-available to us twenty-four hours a day, no matter our location.

Activity 3.1

Learning and Innovation skills: Learning to Create Together. The first set of
21st century skills focuses on critical learning skills and innovation:

 Critical thinking and problem solving (expert thinking)

 Communication and collaboration (complex communicating)
 Creativity and innovation ( applied imagination and invention)

1. Why do you think these skills are the keys to unblocking a lifetime of
learning and creative work?
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2. Do you believe that critical thinking and problem solving are considered by
many to be the new basics of 21st centuri learning? Explain your answer.
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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

3. What are the manisfestations/characteristics of students possessing

a. critical thinking and problem solving?

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b. Communication and Collaboration skills

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c.Creativity and innovation skills

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Activity 3.2

Digital Literacy Skills: Info Savvy, Media-Fluent, Tech-Tuned. It is no longer

enough simply to read and write. Students must also become literate in the
understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a
sterotype, isolate a social cliche, and distinguish facts from propaganda,
analysis from banter, and important news from coverage.

-Ernest Boyer, past president, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of

Teaching

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

1. Make a collage of students with skills on:

a. Information literacy

b. Media Literacy

c. ICT Literacy

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Activity 3.3

Career and Life Skills: Work-Ready, Prepared for Life. The rapid pace of
technological change forces us all to adapt quickly to new ways of
communicating, learning, working and living. We switch jobs and careers
more frequently, and entirely new kinds of work are arising from innovations in
many fields.

1. We are in a time of great change. Flexibility and adaptability are now

essential skills for learning, work and citizenship in the 21st century.What are
the skills involved in life and career that could help students, teachers, and
school?

Life and Career Dimension Skills Involved

A. Flexibility and Adaptability

skills

B. Initiative and Self-Direction

skills

C. Social and Cross-Cultural

skills

D. Productivity and
Accountability Skills

E. Leadership and
Responsibility Skills

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Lesson 4 21st Century Learning in Practice

The learning power of the right question at the right time has been
celebrated throughout recorded history.The careful construction of basic
questions about our natural world and the imaginative search for accurate
answers to them are at the center of the scientific method-our most important
innovation for exploring and uncovering new knowledge.

1. Why do you think questions and problems are natural motivators for
learning?
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2. Make a distinction between inquiry-based learning and design based
learning.
Inquiry-based learning Inquiry-based learning

3. Scientists use experiments to test an explanation or hypothesis, and

engineers devise prototypes or create new designs to see how well their
solution works. Though these methods are similar, they differ in the way
answer and questions are derived and tested.

From the illustration above, how does scientific experimental method differ
from engineering design method? Give at least 3.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

Scientific experimental method Engineering design method

4. Compare and Contrast the Student and Teachers’Project Wheel. Use

appropriate graphic organizer in your presentation.

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Building and Enhancing New Literacies in the Curriculum with Emphasis on the 21st Century Skills

5. Make a Poster how this formula 3Rs x 7C’s = 21st Century Learning direct
to a successful learning in the 21st century. Post it in the class GC.

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