The Importance Of Literacy

The clear cut definition of literacy is the ability to read and write, pretty simple. The more elaborate definition of literacy, though, is being able to read, write, and comprehend what is being read or written. People apply it to everyday life such as reading a book for school to reading a menu at a restaurant. Throughout

Literacy embraces reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Integrating all of these into a literacy program is key. Teachers must provide endless and ongoing opportunities for their student to read, write, listen, and speak.

Literacy, as I see it, has a very broad definition that solely depends on the interpreter. I believe literacy is the ability to read and evaluate the content in their own way of thinking, along with the ability to write and display understanding on a story, topic, or your own thoughts. Reading by itself is useless without being able to think past words on a page and develope one’s own conclusion to form the connections to what the author is trying to say. Writing, and how it is displayed, is a useful tool for the audience in which it is being written for. Effective, descriptive writing makes a more enjoyable read and ultimately a better piece of literature.

Since a child going up, literacy was not my strong suit. Literacy throughout my life seem not to cope with me. Later as I grew up, literacy meant to me that it is one’s ability to read, write, and speak. More importantly there is a more meaning of literacy, meaning that not only writing, reading, and speaking, but able to understand, analyze, and communicate with other peoples’ ideas. Soon enough literacy has made an impact on my life, it has been and will be a lifelong process. Literacy will always be with me, starting from my past and ending in my future.

I define literacy as being able to express my thoughts and emotions. I know everyone has different opinions and emotions. Therefore, everyone will write differently and read in a different pace. Also, everyone likes different types of books, for example fiction or nonfiction. As a result, everyone’s literacy journey is unique. Everyone has a different definition when it comes to literacy which is what makes it special. Some prefer to read and others prefer to write. It all depends on personal preference.

Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning from an early age, as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum. Being literate increases opportunities for pupils in all aspects of life and lays the foundations for lifelong learning and work.

If you were to ask me what literacy meant to me when I was younger I would tell you, that it represented reading a book, and simply writing. The first thing that would come to my mind is English, reading and writing is what I do when it comes to that subject. Being young I was never taught the true meaning of literacy, and if you’re anything like me, you would eventually have to just learn on your own. Growing up I rarely thought what literacy truly meant, yet growing up it was a question I was always curious about, because this is when my writing became more serious. The more I began to write essays, the more it seemed to bother me. I asked myself, how could I truly write a good paper without knowing the basic true meaning of it all?

Our view of literacy upon commencing this course, was that it is the ability to read and write. Our understanding of it however was partially true because, reading and writing are essential of any person’s literacy, but reading and

In Jonathan Kozol’s “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” and Malcolm X’s “Literacy Behind Bars” they both talk about the advantages of being literate, as well as the hardships that those who are illiterate goes through. Using these articles, we can see that it’s important to be as literate as possible because, a literate person would be more confidant in interacting with others, they’re less likely to be cheated, they don’t have to rely on others, and ultimately their world view is much bigger.

Literacy is usually understood as the ability to read and write. Becoming literate as a human being is very vital to your success. Without literacy you are bound to fail. Most people began the literacy journey prior to even being born. The human fetus begins to hear at around the seven month mark, although comprehension doesn’t start until a while after the child is actually born. Literacy typically is learned via a parent and or guardian, school teachers in addition to self-teaching. In my personal opinion literacy is a topic that you will continually improve upon your entire life.

Why I care about literacy. Reading means the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message. How does a person that doesn’t know how to read make it through one entire day? Being literate is one of the most important skills to have. It’s something that is needed on a daily basis.

In the society of today, one of the most vital skills to have is literacy. It seems like our whole lives revolve around literacy.

Since literacy evolves with changes in cultural communicative practices and technological developments, so too do definitions of what literacy is. There is some agreement on what literacy involves, and most definitions include reading, writing, speaking and listening, and sometimes viewing or visual literacy. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia [EYLF] (DEEWR, 2009, p.38) defines literacy as “a students’ capacity to access, manage, interpret and reflect on written texts in order to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate effectively in society”. But why is literacy so important? Research shows that people with good literacy skills are more likely to have greater self-esteem, improved health, better jobs and higher wages than those with poor literacy skills. They are more able to take advantage of the opportunities that life may offer them. In order to acquire and share an important text, teachers need to consider a number of variables relating to students’, as according to Larson and Marsh in Making Literacy Real (2014) “literacy is grounded in social, cultural, historical and political practices”. In addition to appropriate literature, the NRP (National Reading Panel, 2000) noted that phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are crucial for effective reading instruction. The recommendations were that all students be explicitly and systematically taught these five key components.

Literacy is not simply being able to read and write. There are many different definitions of literacy for instance the NCTE states that Literacy is thought of as a purposeful social and cognitive process. Another definition by the IRA states that Literacy is the ability to read, write, understand, interpret and discuss texts. Empowering Literacy encompasses both of these definitions, but also includes the consideration that Literacy Empowers one to take control of their own life. Empowering Literacy enables one to improve their life or to improve the lives of others.

Literacy is nothing but learnedness. It is the competency to read and write. Literacy is not just a term, it’s an existence. Yes! Life of an aspiring student like me. Literacy made me what I am today. My life without literacy would be nothing. It is the key variable which helped me to cross the seas, a long way from my home nation of origin, my family and my companions to reach my aspirations in my life.