21st Century Literacies: Initial Thoughts

Although this is a continuation of my previous blog, I thought I would provide a little bit of information about myself to ease my way back into it. I am currently a 4^th year student at Brock University, taking part in the Concurrent Education Child and Youth Studies program with a kindergarten to grade six teachable area. After I complete my degree in teaching, I would love to specialize in children with learning disabilities. For now, I am just excited to learn about interesting and innovative ways to teach children in the 21^st century.

I had previously heard about 21^st century literacy, but was never sure of what it entailed. Thus far, I better understand that literacy is not just reading and writing, it is so much more than that. Literacy provides meaning into different contexts. To me, this definition appears to be slightly vague. However, when I consider what literacy means to me I realize that it most likely means something different to others. Taking the perspective of a future educator, I believe that it is my responsibility to teach my students by being conscious of the different literacies that should be acquired in today’s society. I could incorporate this into group work, classroom lessons or encouraging communication skills in a stimulating environment.

I would love to see my classroom being as interactive as possible, promoting group work and giving options for the children to make their own assumptions and decisions based on critiquing skills. It would be extremely important to provide opportunities for critical analysis skills to be developed, by encouraging children to question, and stimulate their own learning based on their interests. Although these characteristics may have been encouraged when I was in elementary school, I do not recall classrooms being so highly interactive and critical. I think that unfortunately my educational experience may have suffered slightly because even now I sometimes struggle with critical analysis.

What I find most interesting about 21^st century literacies are the links that can be drawn between the many different forms of literacies. A single lesson can draw from multiple literacies at once, creating an environment of critically engaged students. For instance, I considered the example of a child bringing in food to school that could be donated to families in need. In order to buy this food to donate, they need financial skills, moral skills and perhaps global literacy. Other forms of literacy could be incorporated into this example as well. Children could learn for themselves the good that comes as a result of helping others.

I am excited to learn more about 21^st century skills and more importantly how I can use these to my advantage in the classroom. I hope to learn how to effectively adapt based on the needs of my students and provide meaningful lessons and incorporate many of the different types of literacy. The benefits are limitless in my opinion. Children will be able to learn from each other, communicate effectively, and be able to critically engage with the world in which they live in.

https://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/techintegration/iowa-core-21st-century-skills-technology-literacy/

Overall I recognize how vital it is how be open to new ideas due to the fact that literacies are constantly changing and expanding. As 21^st century literacy skills become more dynamic, I as an educator will need to constantly remind myself to reflect on my own learning to provide direction for my students’ learning in the future. I strive to assess my learning as I become more engaged in my teaching, particularly in the 21^st century literacy course I am currently taking by connecting with past material and re-reading blogs as I complete the course.