21st Century Education: What is literacy? And why does it matter in current education system?

I just finished my last undergraduate lecture last Thursday, I have to admit that I was quite emotional just thinking about I just went through four years of university. Of course, I still have one more year of teachers’ college to go for next year. But still, being in the school system for over 16 years is quite an accomplishment.   

Looking back to my education journey, my generation of students has gone through a lot in our life, within the last 20 years, the world has gone through such dramatic changes. I still remember going into computer lab when I was in Grade 7 learning how to type Chinese Pinyin in my middle school. I remember holding my tiny bitty Samsung phone for the first time in Grade 6 and learning how to send a text message in that white and black screen. Now in 2017, I am using my Ipad mini to watch some Youtube videos while listening to free music on Sporty from my phone. I am study in a foreign country, and I am able to speak fluent English. The innovation and advancement of technology has transformed the way we lived our life.

You might ask how the story of me texting my first message in my cellphone and how I learn to type Chinese in my Grade 7 computer class has to do with 21^st century education? The answer is that everything that is happening in our life as to do with education.

The rapid advancement of technology has significantly change the demographic, political, and economic trend in North America. Therefore, these changes have huge consequences and implications to young people in today’s society. It is believed that instead of learning the traditional material, students in today’s classroom should be equipped with a set of “21^st century skills” to adapt and thrive in the fast-changing environment (Jerald, 2009).   

These 21^st century skills can be defines as literacies skills. Literacy was traditionally define as a set of skills involving reading, writing, arithmetic skills (Merriam-Webster.com).  However, the current education system has shifted the definition of literacy in to “a set of skills that enable students to engage in a range of literacy practice drawing upon different sets of skills and processes suited to those particular practices” (Stevens & Bean, 2007,p. 18).

 21st Century Learning 

     Here is a list of literacy skills that students under 21^st education systems need to equip with:
     1.     Critical literacy
2.     Digital literacy& Media Literacy
3.     Multicultural Literacy
4.     Mental Health Literacy
5.     Environmental Literacy
6.     Global Literacy
7.     Financial Literacy
8.     Moral Literacy

   References:

Jerald, C. D. (2009). Defining a 21st century education. Center for Public education, 16.

"Literate." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 19 Aug. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literate>.

Stevens, L. P., & Bean, T. W. (2007). Critical literacy: Context, research, and practice in the K-12 classroom. Sage.

Kennedy, M. (2011). The 21st-Century Learning Environment. American School & University, 83(8), 16-22.