The fact that the Common Core State Standards reference to literacy is limited, and so, problematic, has been bothering me for a while now. However, with a brief search of various organizational, cultural and crowd sourced understandings related to to the meaning of Literacy, I now realize that it’s going to take a lot more time for me to make sense of this issue than I have at the moment! So…I’ve decided , (at this very moment!), that this blog post will serve as the very basic start for an ongoing Inquiry.

Connect:

• Most adults in the US and in general dictionary definitions, define literacy  as the ability to read and write; that is, a literate person can read and write.
• The definition/understanding of literacy has changed with time.
• The definition/understanding of literacy differs amongst cultures.
• Transliteracy is a term that refers to multiple literacies.
• A librarian’s area of expertise is Information Literacy
• Information Literacy is often synonymous with Media Literacy which is often synonymous with 21st Century Literacies
• Other Literacies commonly referenced: digital, financial, visual, cultural, media
• My current definitions of literacy: an understanding; the ability to learn and communicate utilizing a shared means for communication.

Wonder:

Probable Hypothesis:   The Common Core State Standards are limited due to a limited understanding of the meaning of literacy.

CCSS:

• Did the creators of the Common Core State Standards offer a formal definition of literacy as it relates to the standards they wrote?
• Is the CCSS definition limited due to testable skills? (I know, this could be an I think I know!)

Literacy/General:

• How much of literacy is knowledge/understanding as opposed to the skills necessary or ability to create knowledge?
• How do other cultures define literacy?
• Who is/what are the organizations that matter when it comes to the issue of literacy?
• What are the biases that might exist with this issue?

Literacy/Education:

• What is the history of  literacy’s relationship with education in the United States?
• Does literacy within content areas define student learning objectives in nations that we associate with advanced education systems? (Finland etc)=

Investigation Plan/Thoughts:

• Be aware of my personal biases, (that a broader definition is necessary!), during my  investigation; do not discount explanations that I don’t agree with!
• Start by collecting resources in diigo

Express Plan:

Other than a future blog post, I am unsure how far to take the results of this Inquiry. Possibilities include offering written findings to NJASL, AASL, Knowledge Quest, SLJ, Library Media Connection.

Note: If I find that someone else has already compiled complete and up to date findings with regard to my Inquiry, I may not take this any more further than sharing the conclusions that they’ve already come to!

That’s it for now!