Literacy As Freedom

I’m not certain that I can find any definition, in any text form, which quite captures all the facets of literacy. I see literacy as ever-changing and redefining itself depending on the context in which it is being analyzed. In its simplest form, I suppose the definition provided by UNESCO is as close to capturing today’s definition of literacy as any:

Literacy is about more than reading and writing – it is about how we communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. Literacy…finds its place in our lives alongside other ways of communicating. Indeed, literacy itself takes many forms: on paper, on the computer screen, on TV, on posters and signs. Those who use literacy take it for granted – but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communication in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the notion of “literacy as freedom”.(UNESCO, Statement of the United Nations Literacy Decade, 2003-2012)

However, every time I read this statement I recognize that there are gaps, things that are missing, things that need to be noted or adjusted. Depending on when I read it and why I’m reading it, those gaps change. I deem it necessary to position myself before I offer my views on literacy, for then you may better understand my stance. I am a child of immigrant parents who have less than 5 years of formal education, which in some countries would qualify them as illiterate. I went to an inner city school and graduated at the top of my class. I went to a relatively young and progressive university. I married one year into my teaching career. I became a mother at 26 years of age. I am a hockey mom and a dance mom. I am an aunt to 13 nephews and nieces. I have taught elementary students and high school students. I have been the dean of library in a high school. I have been a literacy program resource teacher. I am the coordinator of all secondary programs in my board. All of my experiences have influenced my ideas on literacy and my ideas continue to morph with every new experience in my life.

As a child of immigrant parents, I agree that Literacy is about more than reading and writing – it is about how we communicate in society. My parents are a perfect example of this. For them, more important than reading and writing in the national language (English) was how they communicated in their new society. Quickly, they discovered that in order to succeed in their new country, they had to make friends and engage in societal rituals. This meant that they needed to be able to interpret and understand their surroundings. They needed to be able to convey their ideas to others so that others understood them. Much of this was done without reading or writing in its traditional sense, but rather by speaking and listening and reading body language, signs and posters. They were forever questioning and problem solving, in whatever way they knew best. Like my parents, we are all challenged with the task of connecting with the society in which we live. How well we do may depend on our degree of literacy.

This poses another dilemma, because I don’t see that literacy can be measured by whether we speak the language or not, whether we share the same culture or not, whether we participate in the same social practices or not. So if It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture then it is important that we qualify what that means. I see this to mean that literacy is about being able to understand and respond competently to others. It’s about the relationships we establish. It’s about how we create them and how we nurture them and how we behave in social situations. It’s about whether or not we engage in positive or negative social practices. Literacy requires that we are knowledgeable and that we can use language effectively, both to understand and to be understood. It draws our attention to culture and the importance of recognizing, embracing, respecting and responding to all cultures…familiar and unfamiliar. It is important to know how to learn about individual and organizational culture and interact in the various cultural environments in which we find ourselves. Hence, it is negligent to leave out the conversation that needs to be had in this arena of social practice, to which this particular definition refers.

Literacy…finds its place in our lives alongside other ways of communicating. Again, communication is highlighted. How can it not be emphasized, when nothing else really matters if we can’t communicate it? I find it difficult to believe that anything can be exalted if it can’t be communicated. If a gem cannot be seen, it does not shine; if music cannot be heard, it has no sound; and if we cannot communicate, we do not grow. Therefore, we need to emphasize that we must strive to communicate, in whatever way we can.

Indeed, literacy itself takes many forms: on paper, on the computer screen, on TV, on posters and signs. Evident in this statement is the fact that since UNESCO wrote this, other forms of communication have surfaced. We cannot limit our definition of literacy to a finite number of forms that it can take. There is critical literacy, media literacy, information literacy, financial literacy, visual literacy, global literacy, …just to name a few. Today we have blogs, wikis, podcasts, facebook, video games and other forms of interactive information sharing. There is a shift in how people communicate. We are charged with the responsibility to be current and remain actively literate…for responding to change is part of being literate. But, we must remember that simply decoding information, without making sense of it, analyzing it and being able to communicate it, is an example of ‘fake literacy’. We need to look at the world through a critical lens. This will help us to see things from different perspectives and then we can bring various interpretations of the world to others and to ourselves.

Ultimately, Those who use literacy take it for granted – but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communication in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the notion of “literacy as freedom”. Literacy as freedom allows us to live life to its fullest. As a mother, a daughter, a wife, an aunt, a teacher…I am responsible for continuing to grow in my capacity as a literate learner, so that I may help others to grow, as well.