URL to article: https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/
NCTE’s Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age makes it clear that the continued evolution of curriculum, assessment, and teaching practice itself is necessary.
Literacy has always been a collection of communicative and sociocultural practices shared among communities. As society and technology change, so does literacy. The world demands that a literate person possess and intentionally apply a wide range of skills, competencies, and dispositions. These literacies are interconnected, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with histories, narratives, life possibilities, and social trajectories of all individuals and groups. Active, successful participants in a global society must be able to
Elements of the Framework for Literacy in a Digital Age
Applied to learners of English language arts, today’s literacy demands have implications for how teachers plan, model, support, and assess student learning. We believe that learning is a lifelong process which invites students and teachers alike to benefit from reflecting on questions associated with the continued literacy demands. Understandings of the definition of literacies used here have implications for learner agency, access, action, and opportunities.
Participate effectively and critically in a networked world
The internet is one of the primary information sources of the modern era, making it a necessity for learners to understand how to participate and navigate the networked world. Building and utilizing connections between people, ideas, and information provides opportunities for them to be critical consumers of information, builds agency in their own work, and prepares them for the global world beyond the classroom.
Explore and engage critically, thoughtfully, and across a wide variety of inclusive texts and tools/modalities
Learners have access to a wide variety of texts and tools. We engage with many multimedia texts in our daily lives for a variety of reasons. These texts not only give learners new information but also allow us to see our worlds in new ways. Engaging with texts that vary in format, genre, and medium gives us new perspectives and insights. Having knowledge and understanding of the various texts and tools available is important for using them intentionally. Being literate means making choices and using texts and tools in ways that match purpose. It also means thinking about texts and tools in new ways.
Consume, curate, and create actively across contexts
As empowered learners engage in literacy practices, they need opportunities to move from consumers to producers of content. More specifically, learners need to move from content consumers to content curators to content creators. These stages do not have to operate in a sequence, nor should they be mutually exclusive as learners fully utilize the reader/writer nature of digital texts.
Consume
Curate
Create
Advocate for equitable access to and accessibility of texts, tools, and information
Not only should learners have opportunities to explore and engage with a wide variety of inclusive texts and tools, but they should also be provided equitable access to these texts and tools on a frequent basis. Learners must have ready access to information and information professionals that provide expertise in print-based and digital-based texts and information sources. Additionally, learners with disabilities should be provided equitable access to text, tools, and information and, when necessary, advocate for this access in all of their learning experiences.
Build intentional global and cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought
Learners need communicative skills in order to work collaboratively in both face-to-face and virtual environments to use and develop problem-solving skills. Cooperation is not collaboration, and learners need to be actively working with one another to pose and solve problems and construct narratives. When learning experiences are grounded in well-informed teaching practices, the use of technology allows a wider range of voices to be heard, exposing learners to opinions, perspectives, and norms outside of their own. Understanding the ways in which connections support learning and being intentional about creating connections and networks are important for learners.
Promote culturally sustaining communication and recognize the bias and privilege present in the interactions
Culturally sustaining communication provides an opportunity for (and is possible when) learners draw on racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse sign systems/modalities to consume, curate, and create in face-to-face and digital spaces. Teaching practices grounded in this framework create opportunities for learners to inquire about how language and power converge in print or digital texts to create and perpetuate biases against marginalized communities. Learners need opportunities to practice recognizing patterns in discourse which are rooted in the oppression of nondominant groups (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, ability) and a variety of strategies they can use to interrupt this discourse.
Examine the rights, responsibilities, and ethical implications of the use and creation of information
Networked, digital spaces offer the opportunity to instantaneously share, aggregate, and access torrents of information from others. These spaces also raise questions about aspects of intellectual property and ownership of ideas, content, and resources online. The rapidly changing digital texts and tools create new categories of ethical dilemmas around these issues. It is important for learners to understand the ethics, or “principles governing an individual or group,” as they interact with information in current and future contexts.
Learners must understand and adhere to legal and ethical practices as they use resources and create information.
Determine how and to what extent texts and tools amplify one’s own and others’ narratives as well as counter unproductive narratives
It is important for learners to have multiple opportunities to engage in multimodal literacy practices as a means to communicate information that supports participating in a diverse and democratic society. Learners are navigating digital spaces during a time when narratives are being constructed for a variety of purposes. Learners need a heightened awareness about how texts and tools can be used to produce and circulate biased narratives aimed at justifying exclusionary practices and policies that disproportionately impact nondominant communities. Learners also need sustained opportunities to produce counter-narratives that expose and interrupt misguided texts that do not represent the fullness of their identities or life complexities. To engage in participatory literacy practices, learners need opportunities within the curriculum to author multimodal stories in order to examine power, equity, and identities and grow as digitally savvy and civic-minded citizens.
Recognize and honor the multilingual literacy identities and culture experiences individuals bring to learning environments and provide opportunities to promote, amplify, and encourage these differing variations of language (dialect, jargon, register)
The use of learners’ variety in narrative and lived experience enables us to use our own potential to achieve in deeper and more authentic contexts. In addition, the use of learners’ native dialects in education enhances the social, cognitive, emotional, and linguistic development of learners in and out of school. In a multilingual society, the issue of dialects in education, and more specifically the languages of instruction, often are not problematized or debated. The literacy identities and dialects invited into the classroom are often dependent on a variety of factors such as historical, economic, pedagogical, sociolinguistic, cultural, ideological, theoretical, or/and political. As learners utilize and enculturate in current and future digital contexts, they need opportunities to promote, amplify, and encourage differing forms of language. This includes variations within the same language, social and regional dialects, standard and nonstandard varieties.
NCTE 21st Century Literacies Definition and Framework Revision Committee
We wish to extend our appreciation to the following individuals for their feedback at various stages of this revision:
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All I could think of as I read this is that I wish this were a semester-long or quarter-long required course in high school. Not just a day or week-long conversation, but something where students can get into this really deeply. I graduated high school in 1996 in the beginnings of the public internet, so I don’t know if there’s something like this now. But all of these feel like essential life skills.
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The learning process is a lifelong process. However, I believe that technology has made it hard for students to learn anything. They rely on the technology for everything and on their own abilities for few things. They don’t even take notes anymore. They take pictures of the board!
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The technology and tools should consistently be available to students. This is a huge issue for many of my students. They don’t have internet, so they can’t work on assignments outside of the classroom.
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Students think that they are gaining something by having access to digital tools. What they don’t realize is that they can’t make the best use of those tools if they have ineffective communication skills.
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Most of the teachers I know, including myself, have not mastered all of the skills listed below. This is especially true for teachers educated before the digital age. This means that while we are educating our students, we must be learning along with them.
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Teaching in general has evolved so far from whet it was originally. as society changes so does teaching and literacy.We have to learn and adapt to the new changes so that we provide what our students need to advance grow and adapt to their new society.
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…it would be a great conversation to instigate with students at the beginning of the school year to have conversations about what literacy means. I know I never got that question, and it would also help educators understand the ever-evolving potential of digital literacy…
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I love this idea to talk with students about what literacy means today. Important conversations.
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This sentence reads to me like it’s nodding towards the way changes in what “literacy” is means that literate people must continue learning and gaining skills to keep up.
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And I have to question whether the “world” actually demands this, or perhaps the educated and forward-thinking world… There are so many communities even within our own country that are actively fighting against education and literacy.
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If we expand our definition of literacy too that opens up more possibilities.
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To me this sentence hints at the correlation between literacy and educational attainment and socioeconomic status. I’m wondering what others think.
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Even thinking about the people in Alabama that I grew up with; they don’t want to do or even strive toward these bullet points… Their mindset is self-centric and small, as well as fearful and aggressive.
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I think of curating as collecting something with intent- so a careful and thoughtful collection of books or websites that are meant to be useful for specific purpose.
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and creation. I think curation is a nice balance between the consuming and creating. Curating creates a categorized space ready for consumption.
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My college prides itself on being a strong proponent and supporter of global education. We have many study-abroad programs, special lectures, etc. However, it has been like pulling teeth to get people to interact and collaborate with all the international students, refugees, immigrants, etc. who are studying English on our campus.
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Critical literacy is a big topic and I have wondered if it is being taught in elementary and secondary school? I see a clear need in post-secondary for better understanding of sources and bias and what constitutes evidence.
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I’m thinking about the ways that students (and adults) engage with one another in digital spaces, and the conversations about various topics that often take place outside of an academic setting, ex. text message and social media. How many times have we all seen the “comments” section on a social media post/article or a text conversation go south? I’m wondering how we help students learn how to navigate these situations.
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I’m wondering how many teachers/teachers of English are able to abide by this and use multilingual identities and culture experiences in the classroom. It seems as if most classrooms only utilize eurocentric material that doesn’t represent minorities.
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This is so important and something that I think is often missing. In higher education, I think there should be more of an understanding of what “literacy” means for other cultures, but so often literacy is pigeonholed and those who do not adhere to our standards are remedial.
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And post them in all classrooms and all schools across the country?
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The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have provided us with an opportunity to work on acquiring some of these skills or to fine tune them. On the other side of this pandemic, I believe, are changes that will require more of the bulk of these skills.
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Earlier this summer, I came across a journal article written using African American Vernacular English by a professor who sought to counter the notion that AAVE should be excluded from academic discourse. There’s a growing number of Black academics who are intentionally using Black English in their classrooms and in their scholarly work, and I’m excited to see this acknowledgment of Black English and other dialects in academic spaces become more widespread.
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Definitely a true statement. As we learn more we become more adapted to these changes and are more prepared to do the job at hand.
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I never really see much about students in the “networked” world, but this made me consider how much of our and our students’ lives really are networked to be digital. They do need to be able to be effective digitally as well as be critical. I like how this is phrased.
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I think this is a great callout – being able to work in a digital world improves students’ agency, ownership, and gives them a glimpse into how connected and large the world is.
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The majority of the community college students I have worked with struggle with selecting and evaluating appropriate digital resources for research projects. I’m interested to know where and how this is taught at the K-12 level.
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Elizabeth, see my post below regarding AP Capstone. At this point I don’t know of many high schools that offer it, unfortunately.
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These are key questions to ask of ourselves if we are to remain relevant and capable in this new digital age. Especially during this pandemic also when such a major shift has occurred in the way learning and teaching takes place
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I’m curious to know if students know (and care) about the ways in which search engines and social media platforms curate one-sided views on topics.
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I agree with you that having a deeper understanding how search engines work, would help all of us to process and analyze what we find on the internet.
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Agreed. I often only click on the first 3-4 articles that pop up when I Google something. It is sometimes very difficult to find credible articles with an opposing or alternate viewpoint.
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There is a two-year course taught at our local high school called AP Capstone Seminar and Research. The Research portion features extensive discussion regarding credible v. bogus research sources on the internet.
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I would love to see more discussions about this among parents and students, though I don’t know that some parents completely understand how the technology works…
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If someone wanted to start a thread of discussion in Blackboard around this topics, I have some resources I could share and sounds like others might too.
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I’m wondering what is considered to be a “reliable” source. There’s so much out there.
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I wonder how many students are provided with the option to use tools that are not mandated by the teacher.
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Whew! This seem way beyond the scope of literacy.
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Hi Sara. Curious why you say that. I tend to think about the ways that one must be persistent to be a writer; continually solving problems, etc.? How are you understanding this?
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Making choices and thinking about purpose is something I think is so important for writers to learn how to do. Having the tools and support they need to make informed choices with their writing that match their goals is empowering!
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Definitely true…it’s the way forward and upward.
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For me, this implicates the fact that teachers have to model acceptance and understanding when it comes to new ideas. Working with students, I’ve often found that it is hard for them to change their perception if they don’t agree with an idea.
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Considering multiple perspectives and broadening understanding often requires reading the history and literature of various cultures. How can English instructors collaborate with the social sciences to ensure that students have the background knowledge to critically analyze these perspectives?
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Good point! In order to accomplish these goals, collaboration is necessary. One way this could be achieved is to have paired courses where English instructors and social science instructors work together to develop curriculum.
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…aren’t learners to this extent. I ask students questions related to this when we sit down to talk about which colleges they are considering, and so very few of even the best students are cross-pollinating ideas and knowledge. What a wonderful shift this would be within curriculum, but I don’t think this level of learning is happening…
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One issue that concerns me is how I will do using Blackboard (or similar system) from the teacher end. I can use it as a student, but will I have trouble navigating it to set up a course? That is essentially on the job training.
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I think having used a Learning Management System like Blackboard as a student is already training you to use it on the other side. I think you’ll do just fine.
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I am hoping that it is intuitive. For me, sometimes technology is intuitive, and when it is not, I run into some trouble. I find myself getting anxious as the end of the program approaches.
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The challenge with LMSes are they are built for management. Not really for learning. So they are challenging to use in sound pedagogical ways mostly. Especially when it comes to writing too, I find. BB for one is not build to support writers and readers so it’s a very awkward (at the best) tool for the work unfortunately. Having other things like Voicethread in the mix are necessary in my experience.
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I found that the clarification between what is built into a blackboard course at the outset helps and gets everyone on the same page. Ie. This is for our learning environment, this for getting to know each other, this is for resources, this is how we will interact with text. All teachers use the same tech differently so the intent of the substructures at the outset helps. Might seem rudimentary as a teacher but gains mileage for the student.
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This is also key for learning across a vast array of disciplines, like our students do today.
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This sentence garnered my full attention. As I read the rest of the section, I was struck by the focus on analyzing and evaluating sources and one’s own work and articulating thoughts and ideas that others can understand. As a writing tutor, I find that many students do not see the value in this. I’m interested in learning ways to encourage this practice.
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I’m with you on this. This is one of those sentences where it lays out the expectations that we have as educators. Even the follow up sentence explain that it doesn’t have to be that particular order, but it’s still the goal.
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I think this could be another good topic for discussion if anyone wants to start a thread in BB.
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I think this is great and important for students to recognize that they are constantly switching between content consumer and creator. And the process of being a writer makes both roles so important.
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I wonder how many schools or teachers speak with their students when it comes to writing with bias and the credibility of a source, especially considering the way that media is produced today.
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Can we go back and teach this to adult users of social media? It is too easy for all of us to share without digging deeper for sources and evidence.
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Agreed. I find social media to be a very difficult place. The narrative is often controlled by what is “trending” and there is pressure to be part of the trending narrative. I think often about the extent to which people of all ages are consuming and reposting information without asking questions or doing research.
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I can’t think of a time when this has been more relevant for our students than today…
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This is organizational in nature and so necessary. It’s like the pause, ponder, put in a space before the click. Having students share and explain curated collections at some point would go long way in demonstrating the value of this skill. I see this as a pause/reflection before creation.
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The college personal statement is often the first time that many of our students have been asked to write about themselves in a reflective way. I’m wondering how much value is placed on personal writing in middle/high school classrooms?
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With my kids I sometimes see personal writing but it is very bounded by the rules of the assignment
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When working with high school students on their college application essays, we often have to remind them about their intended audience. This can not only impact the narrative but also occasionally the topic itself.
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I do think that different levels of “create” is missing from education. Thinking out lout here… a student should have the opportunity to try different ways of creating- but usually,schools will only take one or two.
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Equity is so important and I think that expanding writing instruction to digital modes definitely helps with that. But it is still up to schools to assess the needs of students and be committed to providing for them where necessary.
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I see every day how the wealthier neighborhoods have better schools and supply better resources, whereas the not-so-wealthy neighborhoods have schools that can’t afford basics, such as buses for students, so students end up having to walk to school and therefore don’t go when the weather is bad, and even with Zoom, there isn’t security with the digital connection. But, the wealthier schools give all students tablets or Mac laptops, and they can have individual cars come pick up students and drive them to specialized programs. It’s all so very frustrating to see at all levels!
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This has become even more relevant in this age as this issue has now come into the daylight…
Making a difference here will require significant buy in and courage from our elected officials, our communities, families, and the school systems who are the ones who should be driving such efforts in the first place.
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I’m interested to hear from my classmates as to how K-12 library professionals might be supporting English teachers in this initiative.
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A great question and an important insight. I’d be interested in hear more from others too on this.
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Could this be fostered through better listening rather than responding skills. The ability to listen to voices and expose thinking to knew perspectives does not always mean immediate feedback or response. Just as we teach observance skills to young writers, we can teach keen listening as well. How can this be practiced in the online environment?
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Or video collections/playlists of people reading their stuff. Comments off or comments on, but the goal is to simply listen. Too, Facebook Live events are similar, since my musician friends are playing and they can see the comments when the songs are over, but as audience members, we are simply there as an audience.
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I wonder what methods teachers use for stubborn group members/introverted group members who have a hard time collaborating with group members.
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One way I’ve dealt with this is to ask each group to create a checklist of tasks for a project and to decide which group member is responsible for each task. Also, checking in with the group frequently helps to identify issues early.
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With today’s students more comfortable with text-based conversations than face-to-face conversations, how as instructors do we teach the skills needed for collaboration? What strategies promote respective sharing of diverse perspectives?
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I like the idea of giving students an assignment to write a piece about a controversial issue and to ask them to try to fairly present the two or more viewpoints objectively and with sources. I do not intend this as a project for collaboration, but rather as a project that teaches respect for alternative opinions.
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I feel that this implicates the need for teachers to have a good understanding of the definition and meaning of the word culture and the importance of cultures outside their own. The teacher must create a classroom space that is willing to speak about this with acceptance and understanding as well by guiding conversations.
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I love Gloria Ladson Billings on this subject. She writes a lot about cultural humility and how to make learning spaces truly multicultural beyond just a token black author or holiday from religion that isn’t the majority in that class.
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I aim in my own instruction to talk about how language and writing interact with power structures, bias, and privilege. I think this is a necessary part of instruction.
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Yes. Language has power—life giving or the opposite. And as writers and teachers of writing do we emphasize the balance of when to write and when to be silent. Do we need to look at timing of voice more in light of cultural issues especially when the language has wielded power? And how does a writer then use language or quietness to let other voices surface? So good that you are having these conversations.
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Until we can achieve this both as learners and teachers…we will not move the dial much in terms of helping our students to fully develop their potential. There are also so many stake holders who simply oppose anything that is tied to creating equity in the education system and beyond…
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Working toward providing cross cultural collaboration opportunities in real world environments. Learning that each voice holds pieces to a complex puzzle.
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This section made me reflect on the history of journalism. With the push to instantaneously report and comment on events, have we as a society indicated to today’s youth that feelings are more important than data?
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These conversations are always happening, especially now. Issues of plagiarism became so complicated because of the overwhelming access to knowledge and writing that we have. It is definitely necessary to have learners weigh in on these issues and learn how to make sure that their writing and creating is adhering to these rules. So many students in my college tutoring sessions were confused about these things!
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My somewhat educated guess about students’ understanding of respect for intellectual property comes from downloading music, rather than any other material. Unless this topic is covered comprehensively in the classroom, there are few methods beyond requiring citation that exist to discourage this practice other than “turnitin” or similar applications.
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I believe that once youth have a chance to really own their own work creations — IN school and out of school — they it makes much more sense to talk about copyright, etc. Once any of us owns what we make and create, then we can think through the nuances here, including how to give credit, what to use and when to use it (or when not), decisions around putting something out to share with Creative Commons licensing, etc.
I think Turnitin and tools like that are just surveillance tools that are unnecessary at best and that what really needs to be looked at is the teaching and learning, not the student.
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Ownership is so key to learning in general. Not only a student’s work, but taking ownership of their learning. Making it active, rather than passive, when the learning is imposed upon them. Giving students a sense of autonomy and control is so necessary.
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These are all key ways to address societal issues. How do we incorporate diversity of belief systems into multi-modal narratives? And address appropriate response and honor. These are unseen yet tangible elements of identity as well.
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Development of critical thinking skills is necessary in an increasingly diverse and complex society.
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I support this point of view, but I have questions about it. In Paterson, where I teach, there are many dialects of English spoken, but in our college, the focus of both the English language studies program and the English program has always been on teaching academic English.This is a struggle for many students, and I believe it has inhibited their voices in writing, yet we teach them this because we believe it will lead them to more opportunities. With this new vision of literacy, what will be the role of requiring students to use academic English in English classes? If there is less of a focus, will they still be able to master it considering they are not as exposed to it as students in other communities?
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I wonder if this new vision of literacy is shared in academia abroad? Does the global marketplace welcome and accept a variety of English dialects?
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I definitely agree with this, and I’m curious how different dialects and modes of language can be used in writing and creating. It sounds like an equitable and exciting notion, though!
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This whole section is amazing but doesn’t it feel impossible to layer on top of everything else that needs to be taught? I want to be aware of these as a goal and to make my classroom spaces safe, inclusive and open but I’m feeling overwhelmed at what is included in literacy.
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I hear this Sara. Sometimes I struggle with the weight of it and the impartation of skills and information at the same time. Awareness IS key.
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Yes. Yes. Yes. Writing and the teaching of the craft has been healing space and nurturing conditions as I have worked with marginalized youth and women from diverse backgrounds. As difficult as the task is before us, I clutch this hope tightly and still hold to language as a life-giving (not only marginalizing, power wielding)force. Committed to that reframed perspective-lifelong learner. Is there any other way to teach?
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