Page 66 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 8(2) (2020)
P. 66
ring the difference between ‘digital native’studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 8 (2020), številka 2 66can, with understanding, both read and write
students and ‘immigrant’ teachers (Rajeswaran a short simple statement on his or her everyday
2019), while others investigate the new role ofhereditati life” (UNESCO Educational Sector 2004). The
learners as content creators (Lenhart and Mad- notion slowly started to widen a little, mostly be-
den 2005), or the different types of texts and cause of a tendency which spread in the sixties
discourses. Within the classroom, many have and seventies that considered literacy as a use-
achieved positive results by experimenting with ful way of developing professional skills as well
one or more tools and different approaches to as promoting social growth and political aware-
see if and how different ways of making mean- ness. UNESCO offered a new definition of
ing could be helpful to the students, stimulating functional literacy in 1978, which said that “a
their motivation and different learning styles. person is functionally literate who can engage in
All these different areas have long been the sub- all those activities in which literacy is required
ject of research and observation. However, they for effective functioning of his group and com-
remain sectoral, and it is difficult to obtain a munity and also for enabling him to continue to
complete picture of what the situation is today, use reading, writing and calculation for his own
in the light of the studies conducted in the field and the community’s development” (UNESCO
of language education, when it comes to literacy 1978).
in foreign language teaching and learning with-
in a formal educational context. The present re- While most definitions still mainly ac-
search project stems from the observation of an knowledge the basic skills which allow people
open question: “what we do in schools under the to read, write and calculate, the new approach-
rubric of literacy, and particularly what we meas- es to literacy began to focus on several different
ure in our literacy assessments, has not caught up aspects: literacy was thus identified, depending
with [the] profound changes” that have been af- on the circumstances, as the ability of each in-
fecting society and language education (Cope dividual to properly use such skills in order to
et al. 2011). Not only that, there seems to exist a achieve their communicative goals; as a set of so-
significant gap between theoretical multilitera- cial and cultural practices which change accord-
cies approaches and common assessment practic- ing to different contexts; and as a tool for crit-
es (Botelho et al. 2014). It is therefore necessary ical thinking. Setting four “pillars of education
to explore if and how the school system is man- for the future” in his Report, Delors focuses on
aging to keep up with the research conducted in learning to know, do, be, and live profitably with
this field, how aware teachers are of such any dis- others (Delors 1996).
crepancy, and how to attempt to reduce the dis-
tance between theory and practical application. The notion being this wide, it gradually be-
came clear that the acquisition and develop-
The concept of literacy ment of literacy could not be limited to a specif-
The first attempt to summarise systematical- ic learning environment or purpose, but rather
ly the growing corpus of research on literacy ed- it is a lifelong process which involves a contin-
ucation dates back to Edmund Burke Huey’s uum of learning, is not age-related, and takes
work in 1908. Deriving from the Latin word lit- place before, during, and after school, regardless
tera, it was traditionally defined as the ability to of how formal the learning environment is. It is
read and write, perhaps also referring to numera- the foundation upon which any other learning
cy. Not much changed during the following dec- occasion rests: according to the definition UNE-
ades, until 1958, when UNESCO provided one SCO provided in 2003, “Literacy is the ability to
of the first and most quoted definitions of liter- identify, understand, interpret, create, commu-
acy, by stating that “a literate person is one who nicate and compute, using printed and written
materials associated with varying contexts. Lit-
eracy involves a continuum of learning in ena-
students and ‘immigrant’ teachers (Rajeswaran a short simple statement on his or her everyday
2019), while others investigate the new role ofhereditati life” (UNESCO Educational Sector 2004). The
learners as content creators (Lenhart and Mad- notion slowly started to widen a little, mostly be-
den 2005), or the different types of texts and cause of a tendency which spread in the sixties
discourses. Within the classroom, many have and seventies that considered literacy as a use-
achieved positive results by experimenting with ful way of developing professional skills as well
one or more tools and different approaches to as promoting social growth and political aware-
see if and how different ways of making mean- ness. UNESCO offered a new definition of
ing could be helpful to the students, stimulating functional literacy in 1978, which said that “a
their motivation and different learning styles. person is functionally literate who can engage in
All these different areas have long been the sub- all those activities in which literacy is required
ject of research and observation. However, they for effective functioning of his group and com-
remain sectoral, and it is difficult to obtain a munity and also for enabling him to continue to
complete picture of what the situation is today, use reading, writing and calculation for his own
in the light of the studies conducted in the field and the community’s development” (UNESCO
of language education, when it comes to literacy 1978).
in foreign language teaching and learning with-
in a formal educational context. The present re- While most definitions still mainly ac-
search project stems from the observation of an knowledge the basic skills which allow people
open question: “what we do in schools under the to read, write and calculate, the new approach-
rubric of literacy, and particularly what we meas- es to literacy began to focus on several different
ure in our literacy assessments, has not caught up aspects: literacy was thus identified, depending
with [the] profound changes” that have been af- on the circumstances, as the ability of each in-
fecting society and language education (Cope dividual to properly use such skills in order to
et al. 2011). Not only that, there seems to exist a achieve their communicative goals; as a set of so-
significant gap between theoretical multilitera- cial and cultural practices which change accord-
cies approaches and common assessment practic- ing to different contexts; and as a tool for crit-
es (Botelho et al. 2014). It is therefore necessary ical thinking. Setting four “pillars of education
to explore if and how the school system is man- for the future” in his Report, Delors focuses on
aging to keep up with the research conducted in learning to know, do, be, and live profitably with
this field, how aware teachers are of such any dis- others (Delors 1996).
crepancy, and how to attempt to reduce the dis-
tance between theory and practical application. The notion being this wide, it gradually be-
came clear that the acquisition and develop-
The concept of literacy ment of literacy could not be limited to a specif-
The first attempt to summarise systematical- ic learning environment or purpose, but rather
ly the growing corpus of research on literacy ed- it is a lifelong process which involves a contin-
ucation dates back to Edmund Burke Huey’s uum of learning, is not age-related, and takes
work in 1908. Deriving from the Latin word lit- place before, during, and after school, regardless
tera, it was traditionally defined as the ability to of how formal the learning environment is. It is
read and write, perhaps also referring to numera- the foundation upon which any other learning
cy. Not much changed during the following dec- occasion rests: according to the definition UNE-
ades, until 1958, when UNESCO provided one SCO provided in 2003, “Literacy is the ability to
of the first and most quoted definitions of liter- identify, understand, interpret, create, commu-
acy, by stating that “a literate person is one who nicate and compute, using printed and written
materials associated with varying contexts. Lit-
eracy involves a continuum of learning in ena-
