So, what is Autonomous ‘Literacy’?

Why is it implied so often that literacy can be fixed, categorised, quantified and assessed, when in fact, Literacy shifts and differs from individual to individual?  Such an enquiry raises further questions about how and why we engage in practices which encourage educators to categorise, quantify and assess literacy.  To address this we might consider some differing philosophical viewpoints about literacy. First: Autonomous Literacy.

A Quick Guide to: Autonomous Literacy.

·      Teaching literacy (ie. Improving a person’s ability to read and write), will yield a  range of benefits for that student.

·      Amongst these are self-efficacy, personal belief and positive self-esteem.

·      Other benefits include an improved ability to think critically and express oneself in more metacognitive ways, due to the widened vocabulary and access to texts that can liberate and empower the student.

·      The economic benefits for the student include widened access to better jobs, higher salary expectations, adoption of values related to joining more productive sectors of society,

·      Literacy allows students to transfer their learned skills and expectations to their children.

·      Literacy acquisition means transferable skills.

·      Literacy improves a person’s fitness to adapt to other more demanding tasks in a fast-moving increasingly demanding multiliterate world and job-market.

·      The role of the educator is to liberate and democratise education so that those previously denied education  may get the access they deserve, and share in its societal benefits.

·      Unfortunately,  those student who fail to take advantage of such opportunities are responsible their own shortcomings, and blamed for not participating in a club they were never told weren’t members of.

So, to what extend does this describe you?