What Is Literacy

Research Framework and Methodology When asked “What is literacy?”, the instinctive response is, “Reading and writing.”. It can be easy to assume that literacy correlates with the ability to piece together words to form coherent sentences, use proper grammar, and correct spelling. That about sums it up does it not? After all, the grade school education system drills into students, the importance of these two skills in getting ahead in life. However, in all actuality, literacy is more than writing essays and reading books, it holds a much broader spectrum than that. So, what is literacy? How do you find it? How do you know if something is a form of literacy? If literacy is more than just the ability to read and write, what is another way to explain it? Literacy appears in many different forms, yes reading and writing are a significant piece, but it can also be …show more content…
Whether it is reading a favorite magazine, speaking with family members or co-workers, or navigating your way around the internet, literacy is all around. However, with closed mindedness and failure to pay close attention, it is easily missed. From a young age, students are instructed to seek the evidence of literacy through its tale-tale characteristics, words. Granted, words are a substantial portion of literacy, how the educational system goes about teaching, it becomes autonomous to search for words in a written form. With that being said, observing literacy practices, among other discourse communities, is ultimately the best way to discover different styles. Ways members communicate, certain terminology used, diverse or shared skills amid the group, are all part of literacy that should be paid attention to. When studying the literary practices of a discourse community, there is a good possibility of adopting some of the language observed during the research, and with this a glance into the infinite levels of