Preview

The Role of Literacy in Society

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1032 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Role of Literacy in Society
The role of literacy in Society
Adult literacy is essential to the economics of modern nations. It is crucial to individuals to have proficient literacy skills to make a difference to their prosperity. In 2003 the National Assessment of Adult Literacy used the following as a definition of literacy: using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential. This definition does not simply mean comprehending text it includes the range of information-processing skills that adults use in home, work and community. Literacy can be subdivided into three different categories: prose literacy, document literacy, and quantitative literacy.
Prose literacy is defined as editorials, news stories, poems and fiction; these can be broken down into two categories expository prose and narrative prose. Expository prose is printed information that defines, describes, or informs. Narrative prose tells a story. Prose literacy is divided into 5 different level of learning. The first level of prose requires a person to read a short passage of text and locate a single piece of information that is identical with the information given. The second level of prose literacy requires a person to locate a single piece of information in the text, compare and contrast easily identifiable information based on criteria provided in the question, or integrate a few pieces of information, when distracters were present or when low level inferences were required. Level 3 of the prose requires a person to match literal or synonymous information in the text with that requested in the question, to integrate many pieces of information from dense or lengthy text, or to generate a response based on information that could be easily identified in the text. The fourth level requires a person to search through text and match multiple features, and to integrate multiple pieces of information from complex passages. The last level requires a



Bibliography: 1. The Value of Words: Literacy and Economic Security in Canada, Vivian Shalla and Grant Schellenberg The Centre for International Statistics Canadian Council on Social Development 2. Literacy in a thousand words. Beatriz Pont and Patrick Werquin, Education and Training Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Published: November 2000 3. Hughes, Languages and writing from class.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The most prevalent form of literacy, especially in the United States, is functional literacy. It exists not as an art, not to paint a picture, or to express emotions. Functional literacy is, in all scenarios, a technical basis of reading and writing; just enough to get by in life. Functionalists will read what concerns them. And they certainly only write what they must, whether it is a legal document or sending a simple email. It is the literacy that exists in the very basic everyday functions for people.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This interview, focuses on Dwayne Lowery who started off as a line worker in a factory and became a field representive in a major employee union. During his transition, he had to learn new ways of being literate especially since in his younger years as a high school student he didn’t read as much because of parental influence on what was available to read in the house. However, when Lowery got a grant to take time off work and travel to Washington D.C. to attend a union training activity. Once he came back he was offered a full-time job at the union and eventually noticed that the people who he was negotiating with often lacked the mannerisms and academic level. Lowery can accredit his new lease on the literacy world to the “educational networks the unions established during the first half of the twentieth century”. Now sponsors in literacy whether it’s a person, a thing, or an event all impact in two different but powerful ways. They either “help to organize and administer stratified systems if opportunity and access” or they “hinder literacy activity, often forcing the formation of new literacy requirements while decertifying older…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This article, Literacy and the Politics of Education written by C.H Knoblauch was written to express his feelings on how America is becoming illiterate ever since a new era of technology was introduced in 1960. Knoblauch believes that the few who are literate will succeed in life, and that the rest of general society who are illiterate will have trouble finding success in their future endeavors. He has taken on this subject because of his frustration on his fellow peers, and their lack of motivation to excel in literacy. He uses repetition to stress the fact that we need to become more literate to succeed in today’s society. Knoblauch uses articles from various writings of other literate authors to help get his point across. He goes into detail explaining in order for society as a whole to succeed in life that it starts with the success of each individual’s literacy. Knoblauch explains how other totalitarian countries keep their strength by keeping the majority less knowledgeable about literacy. Dictators, of such countries are literate, and keep that privilege from the citizens of that country, because if the people of the country were as literate as the dictator himself/herself then the people would have the power to over through such dictator. Knoblauch uses all of these examples to point out and stress the importance of literacy and writing in the world today, and stresses that without the know-how of reading and writing we will not…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What Literacy Means to Me

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Literacy refers to the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word. The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Literacy is taught through parents by making reading to your child a regular part of your daily schedule, just as my mother did when I was younger. She would read both early readers and chapter books to me. When reading, she would point to the words as she said them and read slowly. This allowed me to read along with her. Once she noticed that I understood certain words, such as the word "the," my mother would let me say that word a few times when it appears in the story. This method taught me to be quite an advanced reader by the age of 5 and was heading into kindergarten.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literacy is the ability to read and write and allows people to become influential speakers and powerful leaders. Strictly defined, literacy is the quality or state of being literate, having possession of education, and a person's knowledge of a particular subject or field. Literacy is not having or involving ignorance; it is having knowledge or competence. The term literacy is derived from the Middle English and Latin term literate meaning marked with letters. In the story Malcom X Literacy Behind Bars, Malcom X defines how literacy changed his life by introducing new things such as, oral communication, freedom, and helped to become an independent spokesman.…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Literacy and Young People

    • 1795 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Literacy means the ability to read and write. Only recently has the word ‘literacy’ been applied as the definitive term for reading and writing, mostly since the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy in schools. The skills of reading and writing complement each other and develop together, it therefore makes sense to use the term ‘literacy’. Reading and writing are forms of communication based on the spoken language. Effective speaking and listening skills are essential in order to develop literacy skills.…

    • 1795 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: Drakeford, W. (2002). The Impact of an Intensive Program to Increase the Literacy Skills of Youth…

    • 1525 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Throughout my first year as a middle school Language Arts teacher, I have developed a theoretical understanding of what I believe are the necessary components to providing a meaningful and generative environment in which students develop and expand literacy skills. The teaching of literacy needs to include a balance of reading, writing, speaking and listening activities, and needs to be a social endeavor that provides a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all diverse learners. My teaching strategies, beliefs and personality that I bring to my classroom can be characterized as a blend of two types of philosophical theories: social constructivism and relational teaching and learning. My philosophy of literacy education centers around five different ideals which I believe make my classroom a successful learning environment that promotes literacy acquisition. Those five elements in no particular order are: 1. building meaningful relationships with students, 2. encouraging collaborative learning, 3. providing generative learning experiences, 4. bringing relevance to subject matter, and 5. empowering students. I will discuss the research that supports these five methods, along with specific examples of their practical application in my classroom.…

    • 3066 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    They said about literacy that literacy is one of the engines to get money or profit, and to compete advantages. In addition, people’s literacy skills have less growing in their economy values because of changing in the literacy standers with every new generation of learners.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Review of Race and Culture, Vol. XL, No. 1, first quarter, March, 1979, pp. 15-28.…

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Best Essays

    “The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within”. (Gandhi) A lawful and fair democracy is one that represents the people, where the will of the people is done not where the government’s will is enforced. Here in Canada we believe a democratic government is well suited for its people but like any other system it has its flaws. This country was a model democracy. Canada’s wealth, respect for legal, human and civil rights almost promises that this country has the potential to uphold a legitimate democracy. Reading headlines today concerning the state of democracy in Canada we can see how our political system is slipping. A democracy should uphold the rights of its people rather than the rights of a sovereign to rule. Throughout this paper the strengths and weakness of Canadian democracy will be discussed. The first issue of discussion will be the state of Canadian democracy and current events of politics in Canada today. After that, points on the Prime Minister and also the electoral system will be made. Finally the last points of discussion will be the Canadian Charter of rights, judges in the parliament and the effect of the media on Canadian Democracy.…

    • 2568 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Guzzetti, B.J. (2002). Literacy in america: an encyclopedia of history, theory and practice. Retrieved from http://books.google.com…

    • 1850 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Literacy Definition Essay

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What is literacy? Literacy is the ability to read and write. But, much more than that, it is the ability to comprehend and understand the changing world around us. This essay will examine and explain the various sections of literacy, how they relate to real world situations, and how technology and art are changing literature.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    According to the authors literacy is best understood as a set of social practices. These literacy practices can be inferred from events, which are mediated by written text. To put it simply “literacy practices are what people do with literacy”. (Barton and Hamilton 22) With literacy being a…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literacy, is that achievable by everyone? Yes, it is possible in one way or another way. Education is the key to success. Literacy is the ability…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays