Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum (PDF)

Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum BENL 211 John Paul D. Gatchalian LPT, MAED. Instructor LOBAIONGLIATZ  Objectives Explain the term “globalization” and its importance to the field of education Enum...

Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum BENL 211 John Paul D. Gatchalian LPT, MAED. Instructor LOBAIONGLIATZ  Objectives Explain the term “globalization” and its importance to the field of education Enumerate the globalization models and elaborate how they function. Discuss the relationship between multilingualism and global migration Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between people, business entities, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade and investment and supported by information technology (Levin Institute, 2017).  Let’s analyze Cnsider two people from different countries, for example, the Philippines and South Korea. Let us say they meet in college and become good friends, so that the Korean comes to be treated like a member of the Filipino's family. After some time, the Korean returns to her own country, but something has changed-she notices an aspect of her culture that she finds herself wishing to be more Filipino. She knows very well that she cannot change Korean culture as a whole, so she decides to just change herself. She does not change everything, of course-just a little thing here and there; she is still obviously Korean, but she just does a few things differently from those who have never been to the Philippines. Now suppose a little more time passes and the Korean is very happy with the changes she has made to her life that makes it just a little more Filipino. Let us say some of her colleagues notice how she does some things differently and they become curious, so she tells them about her experiences in the Philippines and how that in some ways, she wishes to do things the way the Filipinos do. Her colleagues decide to give it a try, and they find that they like this different way of doing things, too.  longer integrating just languages or mannerisms food recipes, styles of clothing, forms of entertainment education technology manufacturing ways of doing business, ideas, and whole worldviews. This is globalization as we know it today. Have you interacted with people who have a different culture from yours? How was your interaction with them? Was it clear? Was it productive? Was it respectful? What could you have done for a better interaction? What is your attitude toward people who have a different culture from yours? Do you celebrate how they are different from you? Do you look down on them? What is different now, however, is the speed at which globalization is happening, its overall scope, and its effects on the lives of ordinary people. Not only are we interacting with, learning from, and integrating knowledge gleaned from other cultures and nations at an unprecedented rate, but there is now also a sense that no matter where one lives or how limited is one's.  The Effects of Globalization The effects of globalization are multi-dimensional. As shown earlier, they range from economic to cultural, on both national and individual levels. Meyer (2000) summarizes the effects of globalization as follows: economic, political, and military dependence and interdependence between nations; expanded flow of individual people among societies; interdependence of expressive culture among nations; and expanded flow of instrumental culture around the world. When the term globalization entered the Philippine public mindset in the early 90s, it was popularly understood to be a mainly economic phenomenon, and a negative one at that. The idea that foreign-owned businesses could come into the country and freely "set-up shop," thereby choking-out local industries was not a welcome thought, even though it was erroneous. While Philippine society has come to realize that this early perspective represented a shallow understanding of globalization, the fact of the matter is that globalization has brought economic development to our society as a whole. By attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), new technologies, employment opportunities, and money have come into the country. This does not mean, however, that there have been no negative effects of globalization. Kentor (2001) notes that foreign capital dependence increases income inequality in four ways: (1) It creates a small, highly paid class of elites to manage these investments, who create many but usually low-pay jobs; (2) Profits from these investments are repatriated, rather than invested in the host country, therefore inhibiting domestic capital formation; (3) Foreign capital penetration tends to concentrate land ownership among the very rich; and (4) Host countries tend to create political and economic climates favorable to foreign capital that in turn limit domestic labor's ability to obtain better wages. In simple words, "the rich become richer, and the poor become poorer."  Political and Military Dependence/Interdependence A survey conducted in late 2018 found that three in five Filipinos believe that the United States would intervene on behalf of the country in case of war (Viray, 2018). Despite the current very conservative stance of the US on its foreign policies, this can be taken as evidence of the Philippines' dependence on both the political and military power of the US in order to maintain its sovereignty as a nation-state in the Southeast Asia region. Expanded Flow of Expressive and Instrumental Culture Expressive culture, as the term suggests, deals with how a particular culture expresses itself in its language, music, arts, and the like. Globalization encourages the monetization of these cultural artifacts and their import/export among participating cultures; the increased consumption of which changes the consuming culture. Case in point, KPOP music and culture was a relatively niche occupation ten years ago, with very few people aware of its existence, let alone actual fans. Today it is practically present in Philippine society, alongside the consumption of all things Korean, from skin-care products to instant noodles. Instrumental culture, on the other hand, refers to "common models of social order" (Meyer, 2000)—that is, models or ways of thinking about and enacting national identity, nation-state policies both domestic and foreign, socio-economic development, human rights, education, and social progress. A simple example of this is the Philippine educational system: Closely patterned after the American educational system, education leaders in the country closely follow the educational trends in America and select European countries, perceiving them to be the global leaders in the field. While this has served us to an arguably satisfactory degree thus far, it is interesting to observe that the problems and difficulties in American education eventually show up in Philippine education. Expanded Flow of People among Societies The fact that globalization encourages the movement of people between nation-states should come as no surprise to us. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates that there were 2.3 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during the period of April to September 2017, who were responsible for up to 205.2 billion pesos in remittances (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2018). Meyer (2000) observes three reasons for this: socio-economic migration, political expulsion, and travel/tourism. Socio-economic migration explains the Philippines' OFW phenomenon. Filipinos travel abroad to find better economic opportunities for themselves and their families for lack of said opportunities here. Political expulsion, on the other hand, has more to do with trying to escape the political climate of a particular country, thereby forcing an individual to seek asylum (and ultimately, resettlement) in another more favorable country. Travel for the sake of leisure (i.e., tourism) is a strong indicator of economic development as more and more Filipinos are able to finance short-term travels abroad, fueled by curiosity that is fed by social media and enabled by globalization.  Cultural Literacy Cultural Literacy is a term coined by Hirsch (1983), referring to the ability to understand the signs and symbols of a given culture and being able to participate in its activities and customs as opposed to simply being a passive (and outside) observer. The signs and symbols of a culture include both its formal and informal languages, its idioms and forms of expression, entertainment, values, customs, roles, and traditions, which are assumed and unstated. Thus, they are learned by being part of the culture, rather than by any formal means. Cultural literacy is culture-specific, but it is not limited to national cultures, contrary to what many people assume. The culture of one workplace can be very different from another, just as the culture of a particular school can differ widely from another school nearby. There are far too many cultures for any one person to be literate in all of them. As more and more Filipinos travel-both domestically and abroad-as the result of globalization and the increased opportunities it brings, the need to develop new cultural literacies comes to the fore.  Cultural Literacy in the Philippines The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is the government body tasked with the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of Philippine culture, both locally and abroad. Part of how the NCCA is addressing this and related matters is through the establishment of the Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP), which "envisions a nation of culturally literate and empowered Filipinos" (NCCA, 2015). What are the challenges of the Philippines in terms of cultural education and literacy?  average citizen is almost as complex blend of many indigenous and colonial cultures ignorant of other Philippine cultures as foreigners are. low self-esteem Filipino is considered by -which results is doubting in the Filipino capacity for achievement the Filipinos themselves -blind dependence on foreign goods, concepts, as being inferior in techniques, approaches, and expertise terms of culture biggest challenge then, according to De Leon, is the deconstruction of the negative self- images and notions of ourselves that we have absorb over generations through "a workable, effective program of education that can make Filipinos more responsive and sensitive to Filipino dignity, needs, values, and cultural potentials and assets." Multicultural Literacy as a set of skills and knowledge is difficult to define because of how it changes depending on the contexts in which it is discussed. For example, multicultural literacy as defined in American literature is different from how it is deployed in a more European context. American European fostering equality, intercultural communication competence - diversity, and social composite of skills, abilities, attitudes, personality patterns justice. a complex of abilities needed to perform white-dominant traditions effectively and appropriately when of education interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different from oneself." We define multicultural literacy here as the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that any communication with a culture different from our own is clear, productive, and respectful such that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned or treated as inferior. It is important to realize that under this definition, a "different culture" is not just limited to "someone from another country," but could also include someone whose gender, economic background, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or even sense of fashion is different from our own. The skills and knowledge required for one to be multi-culturally literate are not mere language skills, since it is assumed that some medium of communication already exists between two cultures. Rather, true multicultural literacy consists of perspectives, attitudes, and beliefs about other cultures that affect the manner in which we communicate and the motives behind our communication. Here are some examples: 1. Be selfless - 2. Know that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us 3. Be willing to compromise 4. Accept that there are limits Issues in teaching and learning Multicultural Literacy in the Philippines Conflicting Requirements for Peace Nationalistic and Regionalistic Pushback The Persistence of the Problem The Question of Value Familiarize yourself with how discrimination and prejudice appear in your own culture. Boutte (2008) and Banks (1991b) agree that teachers must be able to identify and confront patterns of discrimination and prejudice in their own lives before they can teach their students to do the same. For example, when someone you just met says he or she is from Mindanao, what words immediately come out of your mouth, in response? Do they express genuine acceptance, or do they betray some long-held preconceptions about people from the region? As you are, so will you behave. Key to genuine multicultural literacy is core values-that is, what you, the teacher, really believe about people who are different from you; not the kind of belief that you can just say you possess when talking to your class, but the kind that determines your behavior when you think no one is watching. Model more, tell more. Young students, by nature, will have difficulty in exercising empathy toward those who are different from them. The ability is there, but it will naturally lack practice. It is therefore not enough that teachers tell them to be more compassionate-you, the teacher, must model for them what empathy and compassion for others look like on a day-to-day basis. Wrap Up ____________ is the process of interaction and integration between people, business entities, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade and investment and supported by information technology. ____________ is the knowledge and understanding of the life of a culture to the point where one can fluently participate in the activities of the said culture. This includes, but is not limited to, its languages, traditions, values, beliefs, forms of entertainment, and worldviews. ____________ is the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that any communication with a culture different from our own is clear, productive, and respectful such that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned or treated as inferior. The skills and knowledge required to be multi-culturally literate are: 1. 1. selflessness; 2. knowledge that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us; 3. willingness to compromise; 4. acceptance that there are limits; and idea that we cannot be friends with everyone. The issues in teaching and learning multicultural literacy in the Philippines are the nationalistic/regionalistic pushback, the persistence of the problem, and the question of value. Wrap Up Globalization is the process of interaction and integration between people, business entities, governments, and cultures from other nations, driven by international trade and investment and supported by information technology. Cultural Literacy is the knowledge and understanding of the life of a culture to the point where one can fluently participate in the activities of the said culture. This includes, but is not limited to, its languages, traditions, values, beliefs, forms of entertainment, and worldviews. Multicultural Literacy is the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that any communication with a culture different from our own is clear, productive, and respectful such that their differences are celebrated and neither culture is demeaned or treated as inferior. The skills and knowledge required to be multi-culturally literate are: 1. 1. selflessness; 2. knowledge that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us; 3. willingness to compromise; 4. acceptance that there are limits; and idea that we cannot be friends with everyone. The issues in teaching and learning multicultural literacy in the Philippines are the nationalistic/regionalistic pushback, the persistence of the problem, and the question of value.  Activity Answer the questions briefly. 1. How will you describe globalization to a peer? 2. What are the benefits brought by globalization?