Quote: Pahl writes, "If literacy is understood as a global and social practice, this helps us understand why children need to communicate not only across different cultures, but also in relation to changing global communication."
Comment: Before starting this class and reading the Pahl book I just assumed literacy was reading and writing done in the classroom. I did not bother to think of it any deeper or in terms outside of the classroom. As I read Pahl and thought more about it, I agree that literacy is very much a global and social practice. Literacy is how one person communicates to another person. It is as simple as writing a check or as complex as understanding why a certain culture has the moral standards it does. As channels of communication widen our world gets smaller and smaller. We are instanly able to connect across all cultures and continents. It is imperative that our students learn to be effective communicators within and outside of their own cultures.
Question: It is great and if our students can read and write but are they literate if they cannot effectively communicate their ideas to others? How as teachers can we assess the effectiveness of our students communication through literacy
I think one way to assess this is to constantly talk to the students about various things. Involve them in discussions about different topics to make sure they are developing global and social literacy. We need to let the students be creative, work in groups and work on their abilities to communicate their ideas and work with others.
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