THE CONCEPT LITERANCY

There are numerous views on the definitions and meaning of literacy, below are such of them

 The common definitions has the ability to read and write

 Literacy is the ability to read and write and perform simple mathematical computations
 It is also defined as the ability to understand a simple sentence in any language
 The most prominent views is that literacy is a set of skills reading, writing and numeracy

POPULAR CONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF LITERANCY

 It is believed that there is a lasting impact on individuals life chances if they do not have
the expected skills and competences required by their society (OECD, 2013)
 Negative discourses are associated with adults who have difficulties with literancy
 Literacy has some kind of “effect” that it provides the literate with improved job prospect
and/or empowerment
 Development experts have taken advantage of these perceived benefits of literancy
 They believe and use this in their laudable attempts to garner international monetary
support for literacy programmes
 They suggest that literancy “confers benefits” such as improved employment
opportunities and / or political engagement.

HOW CAN WE CLEARLY UNDERSTAND LITERANCY

 It is important to begin a general understanding of literancy

 Undoubtedly, studies on literancy have demonstrated that it is quite complex to define the
concept
 Thus, the concept literancy as evolved to be both on elitist and inclusivist concept. As an
elitist concept, literacy is viewed as a preserve of the elite and signify the highest
attainable standards in society
 It is associated with political power and other forms of influence such as economic and
religious power
 This puts literancy in a space of cultural tool, without which others are excluded from
enjoying the benefits of a society they live in
  O the other hand, the inclusivist view does not look at literancy as a tool for alienating
people
 It sees literancy in a very broad sense such as a person who is able to talk and
communicate or write letter Y for his or her a signature without fully comprehending the
contents of the document is deemed literate

THE MEANING OF LITERANCY

There two dominant views of literancy

COGNITIVE LITERANCY SOCIALCULTURAL LITERANCY

1. Mental skills of reading and writing 1. Everyday practices of reading and writing
2. Acquired by everyone regardless of context, embedded in the sociocultural contexts of
space and ones background the people
3. They are universal skills 2. There is one literancy, but multiple
literacies
3. Different domains of literancy

QUESTIONS ABOUT LITERANCY

1. What is it?
2. Do we need it?
3. Why should we bother about literancy?
4. What should we teach in the literancy classes?

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONCPT LITERANCY

 The 14th – Century Latin culture and literature

 The two Latin words are;
a. Litteratus (literate)
b. Littera (alphabetical lette/s)
 Who then was literate person at this time?
a. Latin knowledge of letters
 b. Read in the Latin language
 The 14th Century view of literacy
a. Writing?
b. Read in the Latin language
 The writing difficulties in the Ancient Roman and Greek societies
 The art of writing using feather and ink on scarce parched skins of animals
 The 16th Century Reformation of the Western Christendom
 Local language as part of the view of literancy
 Literancy incorporates aspect of writing
 Literancy as the “ability to a person to read and write in a native language”
 Litteratus and littera, survived up to the late 17th Century
 Illiteracy-lack of knowledge of the Greek and Latin letters and languages
 Literancy the early 18th Century dominant term
 Literancy associated with literature
 Reading and writing of the alphabet
 The prominent view of literacy (read and write)
 The primary focus of teaching literancy in class
 The literancy scholars and researchers influence on literancy
a. Skills development of understanding the spoken word
b. Interprets the written text
c. Produce a deep understanding of the text
What is a text
Does it have a universal application
How can it be interpreted, and how can we establish the meaning of the interpreted text.
The influence of literature on the meaning or literancy
UNESCO interest in adult literancy learning since its formation in 1946
The 1948 United Nations, Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
attempts on literancy
Literancy- to write a simple message in any language (UNESCO, 2013).
  UNESCO’s interest to deal with the perceived problem of adult literancy namely;
i. Poverty
ii. Ill-heath
iii. Underdevelopment
 These were potential consequences of WWR2 including
1. Denied people access to education
2. Increasing population that could not read and write
ii. Phonology; (sounds)
iii. Orthography (spelling patterns)
iv. Semantic (meaning)
v. Syntax (grammar)
vi. Morphology (patterns of forming words)
 These are technical details critical to learning a language literacy,
 Literacy learning is not a language

INTERVENTIONS

1. UNESCO and other development agencies introduced adult literancy learning

programmes in many countries
2. Provided the need to support ; technical , material and financial
3. National governments introduces YAL programmes

ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT LITERANCY

 Much of the human history has taken narrow view of literancy.

 UNESCO, many development agencies and scholars did a equally adopted a narrow
meaning of literancy and took long to realize it
 The early formalization of the 1940s. in 1948 UNESCO attempted to define literancy as
the ability to read, write and perform some arithmetic’s
 This definition was sustained up to the late 1960s
 In the 1970s the conception of literancy shifted to the emphasis on functionality. A
literate person was one who could engage in all activities which required a continued use
of literancy for personal growth and improvement of the community (UNESCO, 2013)
  The evolution of the concept literacy tells us that literancy is used in our everyday life
and involves reading and writing. and people who are not able to do so are label as
illiterates

UNESCO’s EVOLVING DEFINATIONS OF LITERANCY

 1958 definition : literancy is the ability to read and write, with understanding, a short ,
simple sentence about one’s everyday life
 19788 a person who is functionally literate can engage in all those activities in which
literate is required for effective functioning of his or her group and community and also
for enabling him or her to continue to use reading, writing and calculating for his or her
own and the community development
 2003 operational definition: literancy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret,
create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with
varying contexts
 Literancy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve his or her
goals , develop his or her knowledge and potential and participate fully in community and
wider society
 2004, UNESCO presented the notion of a plurality of literancy stressing the social
dimensions of acquiring and using literancy

THE NEW PARADIGM OF LITERANCY

 A new literacy paradigm has emerged out of research and the practice of adult literacy. It
has done because of the new researches and information about youth and adult literacy.
 It has been shown that, in order to bring about culture and social transformation, literacy
must and as an activity embedded in social and cultural practice (Rodgers and Street,
2002; UNESCO, 2004)
 Literacy acquisition is concerned with participation in a literate environment at the
individual local, nation and regional levels.
 It is therefore no longer appropriate to regard illiteracy simply as a deficit or to speak or
eradicating illiteracy.
  The acquisition and use of literacy has to be seen as part of a long-term process in which
a community or society seeks to effect its own cultural and social transformation.
 The traditional approach tended to see the issue primarily in terms of measureable
literacy skills to be attained and the numbers to be made literate
 These variations in the meaning of literacy are demonstrated in many countries globally
 The new paradigm is based on the assumption that it is possible for even small
communities to begin their literacy programs and activities in their own communities
making as part of the fabric of their own way of life. They involve their everyday life in
literncy though they acknowledged as illiterate
 Furthermore this new approach implies the participation of both literate and non-literate
in a textual community

THE CONCEPT OF LITERACY LEARNING

 Learning is a complex set of ongoing practices through which people change their
understanding of themselves and the world around them in ways that facilitate a change
of action (Drotner, 2003)
 There are three kids of learning which have and continues to inspire among scholars:
formal, non-formal and informal learning

Informal learning: it is learning that results from everyday life activities. It is not structured in
terms of: learning objectives, learning time, and learning support. This part of learning is part of
us and its important because it lays an foundation for any other form of learning.

 Typically it does not lead to certification

 It may be intentional but often non-intentional
 Informal learning include all the unconscious influences from one’s sociocultural context
(.i.e family, work, religion, sports, peers, accidents and all the everyday events)
 It should be note that even in the formal learning we are informally through a hidden
curriculum
 It is the most important form of learning because it is responsible for our acquisition of
values, we are socialized deeply through informal learning and, it determines the
assumption values, beliefs, and exceptions we bring to formal learning.
 It also determines our aspirations and motivations
MULTIPLE INFORMAL LEARNINGS

There are different kinds of informal learning:

1. Self-directed learning: is intentional learning activities undertaken for self-learning

(Brookfield, 1995). Adults take control of their own learning, locate appropriate
resources, decide on which learning methods to use and evaluates their progress
 We identify ourselves as learners and measure our success in terms of how much we
have learned. To achieve the desired learning goals we may use formal or non-formal
learning programmes
2. Incidental learning: results from our engagement in purposeful activity and we vaguely
aware that we are learning because our focus is on performing a task. It is also referred to
as task conscious learning.
 Associated with a steep learning curve especially at work i.e focusing on completing
a task in the process learning has taken place
 We do not measure our success in terms of learning rather in terms of completing a
task
 We do not identify ourselves as learners but as workers
3. Unintentional learning:
 Learning that occurs when we do not have any intentions of learning at all
 For example from everyday unplanned events and happenings

INTENTION AND AGENY IN LEARNING

 In all the three kinds of learning (formal, non-formal and informal) there is a learning
element of intentional
 Meaning that all learning is through intention of both the learners and learning providers
 The agency in learning refers to the providers of learning (both intentional and
unintentional)
 Conscious agency in learning vales
i. Sometimes learners intend to learn sometimes they do not
ii. Sometimes learning provides intend the learners to learn
iii. Sometimes they do not but promote learning unintentional
 So we have to distinguished between intentional and unintentional modes of learning
  Some unintentional learning are in fact intended, but not by a learner but by the provider
i.e advertisements we get subjected to everyday health campaigns
 These are called sponsors of learning they are powerful and single minded

THE LEARNING CONTINUUM

 Learning is often seen as formal or informal. However, these are not discrete categories
to do is to misunderstand the nature of learning. There are rare learning situations that
informal and formal learning elements are completely absent.
 It is more accurate to conceive formality and informality as attributes present in all
circumstances of learning. In much of informal learning there a particular element and
some assessment of learning outcomes

RELATIONSHIP OF FORMAL, NONFORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING

 Informal learning is now recognized as being far more extensive that formal learning
(Rodgers, 2014)
 Most of the learning that people do is informal and carried out without the help of an
educational institution
 Therefore, relationship is that all learning involve is that all learning involve informal
learning
 This can be explained in terms of an ice berg learning theory. That learning is seen by
,many people to be what goes on in a structured programme of intentional learning such
as formal learning. However, the iceberg says that what cannot be seen is not on;ly larger
but also more influential that what can ne seen, for it supports and determines what can
be seen above the water line

ICEBERG THEORY

Formal and non-formal learning: what you see is not that much but it’s just little

Informal learning: this is where much learning is done which guides a life of a person which is
invade in beliefs, values and assumptions that people have

Behaviorism: this learning take place through response to external stimuli. This process is
associated with the writings of BF Skinner.
Cognitivism: learning is an internal mental process that is universal regardless of context

Constructivism: learning is an active process in which learners is an active creator of knowledge

seeking to make meaning of experience rather than receiving these from outside (associated with
humanists like Carl Rodgers and Jack Mezirow)

Sociocultural learning: learning takes place through interaction in social contexts such as
communities of practice (Lave Wenger)

LEARNING WHAT?

 There is nothing such as learning standing on its own decontextualized rather learning is
always in context
 One cannot just learn, on one only learn something
 What is been learned has a direct bearing on how learning takes place

ASSUMPTION ABOUT ADULT LEARNERS

The assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners are anchored on the concept
of learning which is andragogy and it is continues.
These are distinguishes from the assumption about child learners (pedagogy) it not about
different on how adults learn but it’s the characteristic which differs children. Example
they both learn by observation, discovery but it’s the concentration and focus. There
characteristic informs on how they should learn
Self-concept: As a person matures his/her self-concept moves from one of being a
dependent personality towards one being a self-directed human being. They choose what
they what to do because they no longer controlled by parents etc.
Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
Prior experience: As a person matures he/she accumulates a growing reservoir of
experience that becomes an increasing recourses for learning
Experience (including mistakes) providers the basis for the learning activities
Readiness to learn: As a person matures his/her readiness to learn becomes oriented
increasingly to the developmental tasks of his/her social roles
 Adults are most interested in learning subject that have immediate relevance and impact
to their job or person
Motivation to learn as a person matures the motivation to learn is internal to learn and
personal
We discover gaps in skills and knowledge and decide to engage in learning
The drive is felt by an individual and not prescribed
Orientation to learning: as a person matures his/her time perspective charges from one
of changes application
As a result his/her orientation towards learning shifts from one of subject-centeredness’
to one of problems centeredness’
Adult learning is problem-centered rather that content-oriented

THEORIES OF LITERACY (ADULT LITERACY

COGNITIVE THEORY OF LITERACY

Group theories that sees the acquisition of literacy skills as mental process
Regards adult literacy as psychological or cognitive set of skills
Characterized by the mastering of numbers, reading and writing
The mastering of fluency, comprehension and the phonemic aspects
It sees literacy as universal set of skills which can be mearsured in the same way across
different time frames, languages, cultures and contexts
The theory suggest that adult literacy is neutral and separated from the sociocultural
environment of the people
Adult literacy is a set of skills which are technical, s discrete and can be acquired by
anyone through a process of cognitive
The theory sees adult learners are the same everywhere, in reality this is not true
The theory also suggests that some people have literacy and some do not
Those who are literate have a deficiency or disability and are regarded as illiterates
(Nabie et al.,2009)

CONGNITVE METHODS

On the pedagogy level, the theory emphasizes reading and writing prophecies
 These proficiencies are expected to be by all adult literacy learners through a
hierarchically ordered sequence (Demetrion, 2005)
Adult literacy is taught based on the conviction of the theory that learning to read and
write are processes that place in the mind
These process are critical and important in guiding teaching as they produce
competencies which are believed to be essential (Langer, 19866)
Therefore the cognitive theory of adult literacy rends to be more inclined teacher-
centered pedagogy practices

SOCIOLCULTURAL THEORY

 Group of theories that sees literacy as practices of reading and writing that a situated in
various sociocultural contexts. Example the field of literacy, doctor etc)
 Sociocultural contexts are domains of life in which humans are found (schools,
religious ,institutions, health environment etc)
 The literacy practices vary among contexts and compromise a wide range of social
practices and meaning (Tett, 2014, Rodgers and Street, 2012)
 This view is a shift from seeing adult literacy as a single universal set of skills to that of
multiple literacies (Teet 2014, Street, 2006)
 It argues that there is not one universal adult literacy multiple about literacies (e.g
literacies of a farmer, literacies of carpenter literacies of pupil, literacies of teacher of
health worker , literacies of worker)
 This perspective favors social literacies found in the everyday lives of the adult learners
 The proposition of the theory is that the everyday uses of literacy are crucial in enhancing
adult literacy learning (Nabi eta’l, 2009, Tett eta’l, 2006)
 Adult literacy should be seen as social practices (LPS) which can be inferred from
literacy events and daily practices
 Literacy events are observable episodes in which engage which we engage with various
texts in our everyday life
 They interactions we have with literacy-related activities-reading newspaper , religious
books and writing letters
  For literacy events to be meaningful they should be identified and connected in some
pattern to generate meaning
 The sociocultural view of adult literacy has influenced the new meaning of literacy and
adult literacy in the 21st century
 A recent definitions adopted by UNESCO 205 defines as communicative practices that
are associated with oral visual and digital practices embedded in everyday life
 Adult literacy is seen as the practices of reading, writing and numeracy which occur both
in and formal educational programmes (Robinson-Pant, 2016).
 This means that adult learners are involved in adult literacy practices in many different
domains of life as learning is part of everyday life.

SOCIOLCULTURAL METHODS

 On a pedagogy level they emphasizes teaching literacy by a way of enhancing or

promoting the already existing literacies. They need to start from what they have and
where they her because they have something and it’s not like they have nothing
 Teaching uses of literacy in everyday life rather that learning for its own sake
 The pedagogy methods and practices are often learner-centered.