As an English and Reading teacher, I focus on the meaning someone is able to glean or convey through reading and writing, respectively. “Literacy” has always been the term I used to refer to one's ability to make meaning from the written word. Though this is correct, there are many other types of literacy which are based on particular subjects and have their own structures and skillsets.
Students are required to learn various literacies as they go through school, and even on into the professional world. In order to master a specialized literacy that’s necessary for college, trade school, and career, students have to have mastered the basics of reading and writing.
Here is a list, in no particular order, of literacies students will encounter in their personal, academic, or professional lives:
- Basic Literacy: The ability to read and write at a functional level, allowing people to understand and produce written texts.
- Numeracy: Competence in using numbers and mathematical concepts for everyday tasks like budgeting, measuring, or interpreting data.
- Digital Literacy: The ability to use technology and digital platforms, including computers, smartphones, and the internet, to find, evaluate, and create information.
- Media Literacy: The skill of critically analyzing media content (news, advertisements, social media, etc.) to understand its intent, biases, and the messages it conveys.
- Cultural Literacy: Understanding and being able to engage with the customs, traditions, and shared knowledge of a society or group.
- Information Literacy: The ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively, which is essential in academic and professional settings.
- Health Literacy: Understanding health-related information, such as reading medical instructions, understanding prescriptions, and making informed health decisions.
- Financial Literacy: The knowledge and skills needed to manage personal finances, including budgeting, investing, and understanding credit.
Today, “literacy” is a multi-faceted concept that involves not only reading and writing, but also critical thinking, problem-solving, and navigating informational sources and tools.
Students are required to draw on their knowledge of any of these literacies at a moment’s notice. Ensure exposure to these various concepts through project-based learning where more than one literacy is needed to accomplish a task thus showing the interdependence of these career and life skills. Wide-reading is another way for students to engage with these ideas. This can take place during or outside of school.
Our brain loves to make connections. The more students engage their brain in the task of making connections between these literacies, the more successful they will be in using them in their future endeavors.