Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material. Today this traditional view is no longer sufficient. According to Lankshear, C. & Knobel, M. (2006) in their book "New literacies: Everyday practices and classroom learning", it is necessary to consider more meaningful aspects of literacy in education and in society as a whole.
Literacy is not anymore a singular and static concept. According to UNESCO, "literacy is a plural and dynamic concept, and there is no single notion of literacy but multiple literacies". These literacies include Cyberliteracy, Media and Information Literacy, Financial (Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial) Literacy, Health Literacy, Music Literacy, Language Literacy (Multilingual Education) and I should add, Cultural Literacy, Spiritual Literacy, Social Literacy and Environmental Literacy.
In a way, Multiple Literacy also echoes and intertwines with the philosophy of Peace Literacy about Personal Peace, Multiculturalism, Environmental Care, Human Rights, Active Non-Violence and Social Justice. Or maybe we should add Peace Literacy into this umbrella.
In a way, Multiple Literacy also echoes and intertwines with the philosophy of Peace Literacy about Personal Peace, Multiculturalism, Environmental Care, Human Rights, Active Non-Violence and Social Justice. Or maybe we should add Peace Literacy into this umbrella.
21st century technologies have challenged and proven the traditional competencies to be inadequate. The West of organized their traditional curricula around the demand of 19th century industrialization. The Madrasah system around religious education and rituals. Both traditional curricula have exposed their limits and relevance to 21st century life and living. With changing times comes the need to change the whole epistemology of curriculum development.
Contemporary Muslim education efforts should also be guided by this emergent "multiple literacy" philosophy when engaged in curriculum development and evaluation; just as we advocate Madrasah teachers to visit "multiple intelligences" as a pedagogical principle to guide teaching-learning interaction. This emergent philosophy is not actually new to Islam. We grew admonished by our elders to seek knowledge from cradle to grave (lifelong learning, not limited to formal instruction) and that Islamic knowledge is composed of dunya (mundane) and akhirah (hereafter). Thus this dual purpose of education in Islam actually fits well with this emergent multiple literacy philosophy.
Reference:
- Multi-literate Teacher of the 21st Century, http://www.gov.ph/2011/10/11/multi-literate-teacher-of-the-21st-century/
- Literacy (Wiki) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy
- Lankshear, C. & Knobel, M. (2006). New literacies: Everyday practices and classroom learning. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
