Page 38 - Linguistically Diverse Educational Contexts

LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS
Chapter 2
The pluriliteracies approach
2.1 Concept of literacy and basic skills
There are many terms and definitions relating to literacy and basic skills. In the context of literacy, the terms "basic skills" and "functional literacy" are most commonly used (Przybylska, 2014, p. 30).
In the Second Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, the UNESCO Hamburg Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) presents five alternative interpretations of functional literacy, which I outline below (Przybylska, 2014, p. 30):
• the ability to read, write, and count, also understood as a cognitive skill (using logical, intuitive, and creative thinking) or a set of cognitive processes.
• a skill used in practice in different contexts (such as the ability to function in the family or work environment).
• a set of social and cultural practices in specific socioeconomic, political, cultural, and linguistic contexts.
• the ability of an individual to develop and use his or her own strengths and competences to achieve individual goals.
• an instrument for critical reflection and action on social processes of change (also critical or transformative literacy) (UNESCO, 2013, p. 21).
The EU Expert Group on Literacy identifies three dimensions of literacy:
• Baseline literacy is the ability to read and write at a level that gives an individual confidence and triggers motivation for further development.
• Functional literacy is the ability to read and write at a level that enables an individual to develop and function on a day-to-day basis in society, at home, at school, and at work.
• Multiple literacy is the ability to read and write to produce, understand, interpret, and critically appraise complex texts (EU High Level Group of Experts in Literacy, 2012).
According to the UNESCO definition (2013, p. 24), literacy and basic skills belong to the so-called basic skills needed for life. Certainly, by simply observing pupils at school we can add that the process of learning to write, read, or count is individual, conditioned by the life situation and cultural context of the individual in the learning process. Literacy is the individual's ability to use the written word at a specific time and in a variety of social contexts (Przybylska, 2014, p. 37). Literacy is commonly referred to as the type of competence required to find one's way in the modern world (Segal, 2017, p. 223). It is a way of looking at social and cultural issues, of finding and making meaning through looking at the textuality, fictionality, rhetoric, and historicity of things (Segal, 2017, p. 228). New conceptions of literacy work are emerging that emphasise psycholinguistic aspects and the social dimension of literacy (Przybylska, 2014, p. 1).
Literacy is a much broader concept than basic skills; it encompasses much more than the ability to read and write. An individual's literacy competence is influenced by social, cultural, political, and economic factors (Garcia et al., 2007, p. 207). This is because the use of two or more languages in reading and writing requires an awareness of different social contexts. The concept of literacy emphasises the
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