M2 Blog Post 1:Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter
The first thing that catches my eye in the reading "Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies" is the emphasis on preparing students for the modern world (Sang, 2017). Through my work as an agriculture teacher, I find myself telling my students that I am trying to teach them how to operate in the real world, whether that means improving public speaking skills or teaching them how to write a resume.
With the students I am teaching, many of them will not attend college, and instead take a vocational or work-force route. I transported kids to a field trip at a local farm in September, and there was a Cornell Cooperative Extension employee there who was talking to the kids about Guatemalan and Mexican employees that are working on farms in our county. For many of these students, they do not realize the large number of Spanish-speaking members in our very rural county, and our school has not had the right tools to help students with the language barrier. For us to truly prepare these students for the workforce, we "...should address the corresponding issues in order to better prepare students to participate in social and cultural activities in the modern society" (Sang, 2017). My school has a low number of ELL students, but even the small number we do have they are not making the most of their school experience due to the language barrier with their peers.
In the article from NCTE, my attention was drawn to the section entitled "Participate Effectively and Critically In A Networked World". It talks a lot about life outside the classroom, and the different situations that students will need a deeper understanding of other cultures and languages (NCTE, 2017). Students need to have an understanding of the world around them to make educated decisions as producers and consumers, but also to network with their peers and future employers.
When I think of the equality and equity debate, I think of a picture I saw in undergrad. It was the kids trying to peer over the fence. If your goal is equality, you will still have students whose needs are not being met, and others who have more of something than they need. If your goal is equity, it is about giving the right amount of something to each student and is more indicative of needs for success (Williams, 2016).
I attended a conference last year where one of the workshops addressed the issue of the language barrier in rural communities. The speakers talked about the need for electives that students can take that are more specific to their needs post-graduation. Examples would be Agricultural Spanish, Math for Electricians, etc. Not everyone would have a need for Agricultural Spanish, but students in rural areas that intend to work with farms would find this helpful for their success. That being said, my recommendation is that as we enter this realm of "Portrait of a Graduate" in schools, that schools are able to offer electives that are more specific in preparing students for life outside of high school. This will help them become more culturally and linguistically competent (Iowa State University).
References
Iowa State University. (n.d.). Chapter 1. What is Literacy? Multiple Perspectives on Literacy – Methods of Teaching Early Literacy. Iowa State University Digital Press. Retrieved January 15, 2026, from https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/teachingearlyliteracy/chapter/what-is-literacy-multiple-perspectives-on-literacy/
NCTE. (2019, November 7). Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age - National Council of Teachers of English. NCTE. Retrieved January 15, 2026, from https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/
Sang, Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(8), 16-19. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1139059.pdf
Williams, J. (2016, January 13). Illustrating Equality VS Equity - Interaction Institute for Social Change. Interaction Institute for Social Change. Retrieved January 15, 2026, from https://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/
Your post really resonated with me. I love the illustration you posted in your blog- it makes perfect sense! I'm glad that at the high school level you have electives to address post-graduation vocational skills. Students need to be prepared for employment but also to be part of a community that respects and appreciates each other! My elementary students are alternately assessed, and some may follow a vocational path, but some will not. Our communities are very different, however. My district is a large suburban area with 7 elementary schools! We do have a number of ELL students, and the community has a large middle eastern population. My own life has been enriched by the various cultures as I have gained insight to other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post! I do think that the new portrait of a graduate is a great way to think about education and how we prepare kids for the world they are entering. As an educator who has worked with very few students in ELL populations but has had many students with a large variety of cultures, I have gained so much from teaching these students and learning more about the cultures they have grown up in. I would love to see a world where students can take more electives that prepare them for the literacies they will need in their future endeavors and your rural perspective is so different from my own but all students need the access to the skills for their own future!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I completely connect with your mention of preparing students for the real world. Teaching our students life skills is crucial and so helpful for them. I am currently creating a presentation assignment for my students to practice their public speaking skills, something that they won't be able to run away from after graduation!!
ReplyDeleteYour mention of ELL students resonated with me as well. The amount of Spanish speakers is large and again something that we will encounter throughout life post grad. This came to fruition for me when I was placed on an ENL team without remembering a lick of Spanish from high school. I had to figure out how to teach English to students in conversations that neither of us could understand which was unfair to them. Also a prime example of teacher challenges! I learned how to use translation tools and my students learned a long side me in the reverse language. New literacies can be incredibly beneficial if we use them to benefit our teaching!
I really liked how you grounded new literacies in actual life skills your students will need, especially since so many are headed straight into the workforce. Your example from the farm field trip was powerful it shows how literacy isn’t just about reading text, but about navigating language, culture, and communication in real workplaces. The point you made about rural communities often overlooking language diversity really stood out to me, because it’s easy to assume those issues only exist in urban spaces when they clearly don’t. I also appreciated how you tied equity into this, because offering things like Agricultural Spanish or Math for Electricians is such a clear example of giving students what they need, not just the same thing across the board. Your connection to the “Portrait of a Graduate” idea makes a lot of sense if schools are serious about preparing students for life after high school, then flexible, career-specific electives seem like a smart and necessary step forward.
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