What is Literacy?

Literacy is a term that is thrown around a lot in the teacher preparation program along with in the classroom. But does anyone really have a good definition for the word? I think that literacy encompasses so much that it can be difficult to form a concrete definition. In TE 301 we did a lot of work with literacy and defining terms that fall under the "literacy" category. I always had difficulty creating a definition for literacy but working on the definition in class helped shape my understanding. The definition that my table group created to define literacy was "literacy is the ability to read, write, understand, and think critically about texts in a variety of formats. It allows one to explore the world and new ideas in personal, academic, and professional contexts." I really liked this definition that we came up with. I think that this definition is broad enough to incorporate all the sub categories of literacy. It also discusses the different contexts that literacy is used. Many get stuck thinking literacy is only in the classroom, when in fact it is used in all environments. Defining literacy is a tricky task and there isn't one clear cut answer. I think that any literacy definition needs to be flexible to be able to fit to the given environment.

In the classroom that I am working at I feel like the task of reading and writing has a negative connotation . Most of the students do not enjoy to read or write and that makes it difficult to encourage literacy. My classroom set up however is conducive to literacy. There are couches and comfortable chairs to help make reading more comfortable and enjoyable. My MT tries her best to include writing tasks that the students will enjoy but that seems to still be a challenge. When I have a classroom I want to put emphasis on the enjoyment of reading and writing and try to create an environment that stimulates the students literacy development. One thing that I have observed in my classroom that I feel takes away from literacy is when the students must write as a form of punishment. Sometimes my MT uses writing as a way to correct a behavior and this makes the students feel that writing is a negative thing. Literacy is an important concept both in the classroom and outside the classroom. It is important to recognize this as a teacher and enhance the concept.