Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across the Curriculum: Comprehensive Study Guide

Message of the PNU President

President Bert Jazmin Tuga, PhD, welcomes the academic community to the academic year $2020$ - $2021$ , noting that the COVID- $19$ pandemic has severely disrupted global livelihoods and the education sector. Both teachers and students have struggled with the massive shift in teaching and learning methodologies. This era, termed the "new normal," necessitated the cessation of face-to-face ( $F2F$ ) interactions to prevent the spread of disease. Consequently, the Department of Education ( $DepEd$ ) and the Commission on Higher Education proposed remote and flexible learning modalities for instruction delivery. PNU has addressed these requirements through the Outcomes-Based Teacher Education Curriculum ( $OBTEC$ ) since $2014$ , incorporating flexible learning activities ( $FLAs$ ).

In response to these challenges, PNU present "Kaway-Aralan sa Bagong Kadawyan," a course pack system prepared since June $2020$ . The PNU System worked collaboratively to maintain educational standards via remote, online (synchronous and asynchronous), and mixed modalities. President Tuga emphasizes that while student learning is highly valued, safety and wellness are the primary concerns. He acknowledges that the current batch of learners is the first to experience this specific flexible and remote modality and invites constructive feedback. The year $2020$ is characterized not just by tragedies but as a period showcasing the triumph of the human spirit. The PNU driving force remains "Walang PNUan ang maiiwan!" (No PNUan will be left behind), ensuring that teaching and learning continue despite logistical limitations.

Overview of the Building and Enhancing New Literacies Course

This course, specifically Prof Ed $10$ , is taught by Dr. Bernadette A. Pastolero. It offers an in-depth and critical study of $21$ st-century literacies as evolving social phenomena. It examines current research and shared cultural practices across various learning areas. Pre-service teachers are given opportunities to differentiate between various literacy types, including globalization and multi-cultural literacy, social literacy, media literacy, financial literacy, cyber/digital literacy, arts and creativity literacy, and science literacy. The module encourages field-based interdisciplinary explorations, hands-on experiences, and strategies suited for modern requirements, eventually requiring students to develop instructional materials reflecting these literacies.

The course is structured into six distinct units anchored on the core principles of the Pre-service Teachers' Practice-based Training framework. Unit $1$ covers $21$ st-century competencies, globalization, and various models (economic, progressive, religious, and indigenous). Unit $2$ explores the components and classroom teaching of social literacy. Unit $3$ addresses financial literacy, covering the truth about money, budget planning, and storage of funds. Unit $4$ focuses on cyber literacy, including technology roles and media types in teaching. Unit $5$ discusses eco-literacy, environmental science goals, Millennium Development Goals ( $MDGs$ ), property laws, and waste management. Unit $6$ details arts and creativity, focusing on characteristics and cross-curricular application.

Introduction to Verticalization and Horizontalization in Literacy

Building and enhancing new literacies across the curriculum presents a new challenge in classroom instruction, requiring the liberalization of concepts to meet the changing needs of time, space, and circumstances. A critical and reflective teaching-learning environment is necessary. Literacies are categorized into several fields: globalization and multi-cultural, social, media, financial, cyber/digital, ecology/environment, arts and creativity, and field-based interdisciplinary explorations. Classroom instruction must interface learners with themes of interdependence and international global diversity.

Effective literacy development requires "verticalization" and "horizontalization," which involve landscaping the "cognito" on orientation (experience) and discipline (formal learning) for knowledge construction. Similar to building a physical structure, an architectural design serves as a roadmap for the program of work. Quality services in this context are measured by the "effectiveness" and "efficiency" of the planned program delivery. Individual multiple intelligences should be explored through field-based and cooperative learning to meet biological urges and psychological satisfaction within a socially engaged diverse community.

Module 1: 21st Century Competencies and Components

$21$ st-century literacies represent more than reading and writing; they prepare students to be well-rounded citizens capable of participating in society. The National Council of Teachers of English ( $2013$ ) defines success for $21$ st-century learners through several proficiencies: developing fluency with technological tools, building intentional cross-cultural connections to solve problems collaboratively, and designing information for global communities. Students must also manage and analyze multiple streams of simultaneous information, critique and evaluate multimedia texts, and adhere to ethical responsibilities in complex environments.

Fundamental to this education is the "Four Cs": Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. Education is shifting from an "old story" to a "new story" (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, $2014$ ), involving adjustments to personal, social, cultural, global, and universal concerns. The nine identified $21$ st-century literacies include Critical, Digital, Media, Multicultural, Global, Mental Health, Moral/Character Education, Financial, and Environmental literacy. These competencies underpin the holistic education schools provide to prepare students for the fast-changing world driven by globalization and technological advancement.

Framework for $21$ st Century Competencies includes core values which shape beliefs and actions: Respect (belief in self-worth and intrinsic worth of others), Responsibility (duty to family, community, and nation), Resilience (emotional strength and perseverance), Integrity (upholding ethical principles), Care (acting with kindness), and Harmony (promoting social cohesion). Social-Emotional Competencies are also vital: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management. These assist students in capitalizing on the opportunities of the digital age.

Globalization and Education: Transformations and Impacts

Globalization is a complex term with varying connotations. Jan Aart Scholte, a Professorial Research Fellow, notes that while some associate it with prosperity and peace, others associate it with disaster and gloom. In the sector of education, globalization has transformed the world economy into an interconnected, knowledge-based system. Global education interconnects teaching methods worldwide to encourage environmental sustainability and fortify global industries. It prioritizes access to schooling from primary to university levels and prepares students for multinational leadership roles.

Positive impacts of globalization include the ability of learners to manipulate symbols (political, legal, business terms, and digital money) and the acquisition of skills in systems thinking. It promotes the production of scientifically and technically trained persons and encourages teamwork, leadership, and group dynamics. Furthermore, globalization utilizes advanced information technologies to break the boundaries of space and time through synchronous and asynchronous activities. However, potential fallbacks include the increased technological gaps and "digital divides" between advanced and less developed countries, which may lead to new forms of colonization.

Multicultural Literacy and Identity Texts

Multicultural Literacy addresses social justice and difference, moving beyond typical understandings of ethnicity or race to include social identities and ways of knowing. The Ontario Ministry of Education ( $2013$ ) emphasizes that culture is reflected in students' multiple social identities. Multicultural Literacy enables deeper relationships and bridges gaps between diverse students. Identity texts are a key pedagogical tool; these are artifacts (written, spoken, visual, or musical) where students invest their identities. For example, creating a dual-language storybook allows marginalized students to share their home language, which is often unacknowledged in standard curricula.

This literacy connects to others: Critical Literacy helps students analyze power hierarchies; and activities like "Crossing The Line" demonstrate social privileges related to money, family support, and background. Digital and Media Literacy combined with Multiculturalism help students challenge hidden biases and stereotypes, such as analyzing the controversial H&M advertisement depicting a black child in a "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle" sweatshirt. Mental Health Literacy can be examined through a multicultural lens by looking at the impact of residential schools on indigenous populations. Moral education also varies culturally, such as differing global views on the morality of female education.

Models of Globalization: Economic, Religious, and Indigenous

Economics, a social science, focuses on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, assuming humans act with rational behavior to seek utility. Economic models determine the best results for acquiring resources and applying labor. Indigenous models must strictly reflect indigenous reality, integrating the past, present, and future visions of a people while resolving health concerns. Religious models are extensible and unitary; they dramatize cosmic orders through narrative myths and organizing images that restructure perception. Just as gas molecule models interpret laboratory observations, religious models of an unobservable God interpret diverse areas of human corporate experience.

Demographic Dynamics: Global Migration and Multilingualism

Global migration is a widespread phenomenon driven by various factors. The largest regional migration occurs from Southeast Asia to the Middle East due to oil construction booms. The largest flow between individual countries is from Mexico to the United States. Causes include safety, natural disasters, political conflict, education, family, career, and economic betterment. This is often explained by the "Push-Pull Factor": Pull factors are attractions in a destination country (e.g., job opportunities), while Push factors are conditions forcing exit (e.g., famine, war, or high unemployment). A Manpower Inc. survey across $27$ countries showed $82\%$ of respondents would move for pay increases, and $47\%$ for language learning.

Sociologically, multiculturalism assumes society benefits from diversity through the "melting pot" or "salad bowl" theories. Multilingualism is categorized by the number of languages spoken: Monolingual ( $40\%$ of the world population), Bilingual ( $43\%$ ), Trilingual ( $13\%$ ), and Multilingual/Polyglot ( $3\%$ for four or more languages; less than 1\text{\pm000} for five languages fluently). Monolingualism is most prevalent in English-speaking nations like the United States, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Bilingualism is highest in the U.S. Hispanic community and French-speaking Africa. Trilingualism is common in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Multilingualism thrives in nations with high foreign influence, such as Switzerland and Morocco.

Module 2: Social Literacy and Interpersonal Relationships

Social Literacy is the successful understanding and performance of social, organizational, and communication skills, enabling a student to connect effectively with peers, family, and coworkers. It involves grasping social cues and roles appropriate for different settings (e.g., communicating differently with a mother versus a professor). Interpersonal relationships are strong connections built on mutual respect, trust, and loyalty. They comprise family (first formed, potentially lifelong), friendship (chosen bonds), romantic (involving mutual love/attraction), and work (coworker bonds reflecting shared experience).

Empathy, Social Responsibility, and Business Ethics

Empathy is the ability to sense others' emotions and imagine their perspectives. Emotion researchers distinguish between "Affective empathy" (sensations felt in response to others, like mirrored stress) and "Cognitive empathy" (the ability to identify and understanding emotions). Empathy has genetic roots and evolutionary history seen in primates and dogs; in the brain, it is associated with mirror neurons. Social Responsibility, a concept in business ethics, demands accountability for impacts on society and culture. This prevents practices like the early $20$ th-century dumping of chemicals by leather factories. Modern firms often use discounts for seniors or profit donations to non-profits as socially responsible actions.

Dimensions of Social Competence and Self-Regulation

Social competence is the ability to successfully select and carry out interpersonal goals (Guralnick, $1990$ ). It includes six categories: adoption of social values, personal identity, interpersonal skills, behavioral regulation, planning/decision-making, and cultural competence. Self-regulation involves controlling impulses, delaying gratification, and managing emotions (Emotional regulation). Interpersonal knowledge includes articulated needs, negotiation, and maintenance of friendships. Positive self-identity includes a sense of self-worth; low self-esteem can lead to cycles of rejection. Cultural competence requires interacting with varying ethnic backgrounds and questioning unfair treatment. Social values include caring, honesty, and social justice, often centering on classroom community cohesion.

Module 3: Financial Literacy and Economic Wellness

Financial Literacy is the ability to manage money by understanding products, costs, and risk assessment. It involves behaviors and sentiment adjustments. For example, a person taking home $P2,000$ per month must not spend more than that to avoid debt. A highly literate person might follow the $80/$ 20 $rule: spend$ 80\% $and save$ 20\% $($ P400). Financial decisions require asking about short-term versus long-term costs and consequences of missed payments. The five key components are the basics of budgeting, understanding interest rates (including compound interest), prioritizing saving, avoiding credit-debt cycle traps, and awareness of identity theft and digital safety.\n\n# Myths of Wealth and Abundance\n\nThree common myths about money include:\n1. Money is the root of all evil: Money is a trigger for the neurotransmitter dopamine, which can lead to addictive behavior, greed, and materialistic debt-based systems if not managed.\n2. Those who apply themselves deserve endless money: This myth justifies disparities and ecological costs, such as the rapid disappearance of topsoil and rainforests.\n3. We can all manifest infinite amounts of money: This is mathematically impossible as an infinite supply does not exist; increased supply only results in price inflation and currency devaluation.\n\n# Typologies of Money: Commodity, Fiat, Fiduciary, and Bank\n\nEconomically, money performs three functions: medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account. Types include:\n- Commodity Money: The oldest form, based on scarce natural resources with intrinsic value (e.g., gold coins, beads, spices).\n- Fiat Money: Derived from government order; it is legal tender without intrinsic value backings, such as standard coins and bills.\n- Fiduciary Money: Depends on the confidence of acceptance; the issuer promises exchange for fiat or commodity (e.g., cheques, banknotes).\n- Commercial Bank Money: Debt generated by commercial banks through fractional reserve banking, representing claims against financial institutions.\n\n# Seeds of Greatness and Mindfulness\n\nThe seven "seeds of greatness" for unleashing potential are:\n1. Be Hungry: Maintain ambition to exceed past self.\n2. Pay Attention: Practice mindfulness through meditation or solitude to avoid being stifled by monotony.\n3. Strive Your Face Off: Recognize that greatness requires concentrated effort.\n4. Experiment: Regularly try new approaches.\n5. Quantity Vs. Quality: Complete and ship creations to the world; quality improves over time with volume.\n6. Always Be Learning (ABL): Continual learning expands growth capacity.\n7. Time Travel: Mentally look into the future to envision the best version of oneself.\n\n# Managing Savings, Investments, and the Risks of Gambling\n\nShort-term savings goals (under one year, e.g., vacation) should be kept in high-yield savings accounts, Money Market Accounts (MMAs $), or Cash Management Accounts ($ CMAs $). Medium-term goals ($ 1 $-$ 3 $years, e.g., house down payment) suit high-yield accounts or Certificates of Deposit ($ CDs $) that mature before the goal date. Long-term goals (decades, e.g., retirement) should use investment accounts like$ 401(k) $or$ IRAs. While both investing and gambling involve risk, gambling has negative expected returns and is short-lived, while investing typically yields positive returns over the long run. Investors own a share of a company and may receive dividends, whereas gamblers own nothing and play against "the house."\n\n# Module 4: Cyber Literacy and Instructional Technology\n\nCyber Literacy addresses the hybrid space between the material and virtual worlds. Technology use in curricula boosts engagement through several methods:\n- Gamified learning: Virtual scavenger hunts.\n- Digital field trips: Using Google Street view for landmarks like the Statue of Liberty.\n- Social media integration: Class Facebook groups or Twitter hashtags.\n- Student feedback: Online polls and surveys.\n- Digital content creation: Student-produced blogs, podcasts, and eBooks.\n- Shared calendars: Google Calendar for due dates.\n- Webpage review: Teaching students why sites like Wikipedia might not be reliable sources.\n- Video/Multimedia: Slideshows and virtual guest speakers via Skype or FaceTime.\n- Learning stations: Online activities for students who finish assignments early.\n\n# The Role of Technology in Delivering Instruction\n\nTechnology in education acts as both a tool and a catalyst for pedagogical change. Assistive technology improves functional capabilities for special needs (e.g., braille machines for the visually impaired). Educators must explore the relationship between technology and pedagogy to ensure it is appropriate for the tasks. Ways to leverage technology include using student databases to track individual progress, identifying learning objectives via technology, and designing follow-up activities to evaluate learning efficiency. When technology is incorporated, it changes how people gather, access, and analyze information.\n\n# Different Media for Modern Teaching\n\nMedia serves as a channel of communication used in direct instruction and projects. Types include:\n- Print Media: Books, newspapers, and textbooks.\n- Television: Used for cultural exposure and language learning (e.g., learning English in Spain).\n- Internet: Search engines like Google and Bing, and social media databases. \nMedia stimulant interest, facilitates active learning through cases and problem solving, and promotes digital storytelling. Student-created media allows for high social interaction and individual immersion.\n\n# Module 5: Environmental Literacy (Eco-Literacy)\n\nEco-literacy is the ability to understand natural systems and processes that sustain life on Earth. Key facts regarding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs $) show child deaths fell from$ 12.7\,million $in$ 1990 $to$ 6.3\,million $in$ 2013 $, and new HIV infections declined by$ 38\% $between$ 2001 $and$ 2013 $. The MDGs, succeeded by the Sustainable Development Goals, were eight goals established in$ 2000 $to combat poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation by$ 2015 $. Goal$ 1 $specifically targets extreme hunger and poverty, noting that undernutrition is the underlying cause for$ 45\% $of child deaths under$ 5 $. Goal$ 2 $increased primary school enrollment from$ 82\% $to$ 90\% $by$ 2010 $. Goal$ 3 $focused on closing the gender gap in primary education. Additional goals targeted child mortality (Goal$ 4 $), maternal health (Goal$ 5 $), and specific diseases like Malaria and Tuberculosis (Goal$ 6).\n\n# Goals of Environmental Science and Sustainability\n\nEnvironmental science is a quantitative discipline drawing from ecology, geology, and biology to study human impacts. Environmental sustainability requires human consumption to only occur at a rate where resources can be replenished. Human values affect this; the current rate of species extinction is one species per million per year, which could lead to losing two-thirds of all species by the end of the century. The goals of environmental science education include maintaining ecological balance, providing knowledge of the interrelationship between man and nature, and educating people about global warming consequences and rational resource utilization.\n\n# Frameworks of Environmental Law and Global Initiatives\n\nEnvironmental law regulates pollution and resource use to preserve health and energy efficiency. Its components include:\n1. Waste Management: managing groundwater pollution and radioactive materials.\n2. Food Production: regulating pesticides and processing safety.\n3. Water Reserves: protecting potable water and irrigation systems.\n4. Flora and Fauna: protecting biodiversity from poachers.\n5. Mining: studying chemical impacts on air and water.\n6. Emissions/Construction: focused on policies like removing lead and asbestos.\nThe United Nations oversees global treaties to coordinate these efforts, especially helping developing countries avoid repeating past industrial mistakes. Environmental officers and enforcers must be protected by law to perform their duties without illegal interference.\n\n# Waste Management Strategies\n\nWaste management involves the collection, storage, and disposal of materials from household trash to nuclear waste. Historically, landfills were the primary option, but space limitations and pollution concerns have made them problematic. Other methods include incineration (sometimes for power), ocean dumping, or even shooting waste into space, though the latter are considered troubling for future generations. Reducing waste through reclaiming unusable goods (recycling) is an increasing industrial and individual focus. Specialty services exist for sharp medical waste or confidential paper shredding.\n\n# Module 6: Arts and Creativity Literacy in the Curriculum\n\nCreativity is "the process of having original ideas that have value" (Sir Ken Robinson). It is the number one skill demanded by employers. Integrating the arts requires designing supporting physical and emotional environments, project-based learning with choice, teaching metacognition ("thinking about thinking"), and alternative assessments like student-produced radio broadcasts instead of standard assignments. Scheduling must allow for smaller learning communities, and arts like music and dance should be integrated into the core curriculum rather than kept separate.\n\n# Characteristics of the Creative Mindset\n\nCreativity relies on five major personal characteristics:\n1. Flexibility: Understanding there is more than one single answer; being open to innovation.\n2. intense Curiosity: Deeply discovering how the world and structures work.\n3. Positive Attitude: Positivity spurs the mind to seek wonder.\n4. Strong Motivation: The determination to follow through with the construction of a creation.\n5. Fearlessness: Believing in the value of one's own ideas regardless of whether they are eventually debunked.\n\n# Enhancing Creativity through the Six Hats and Snowball Techniques\n\nTo boost individual creativity, one should become an expert in a topic, take risks, and overcome failure fears. Specific techniques include:\n- Brainstorming: Suspending judgment to generate many ideas quickly.\n- Mind Maps/Flow Charts: Specifically linking terms to central topics visually.\n- Six Hats Technique: Viewing problems through six lenses: Black (negative), Blue (broad solution), Green (creative), Red (emotional), White (objective facts), and Yellow (positive functionality).\n- Snowball Technique: Implementing one idea that leads directly to others.\n- "What if" Scenarios: Considering outcomes of specific approaches before choosing one.\n\n# Course Syllabus and Performance Indicators\n\nThe course Prof Ed 10 $occurs in the$ 3 $rd Term, S.Y.$ 2020 $-$ 2021 $at PNU-Mindanao. The syllabus aligns with the Multicultural Education Hub vision. Learning outcomes include analyzing social phenomena, exploring teaching strategies for new literacies, and developing instructional materials. Assessments are weighted: Flexible Learning Activities ($ 20\% $), Oral Presentation ($ 20\% $), Quizzes ($ 20\% $), Midterm Exam ($ 20\% $), and Final Examination ($ 20\% $). Attendance is monitored; seven absences result in a failing grade of$ 70\% $. Cheating is considered a serious offense. The grading standard for performance tasks (essays, etc.) includes content ($ 50\% $), organization ($ 20\% $), and mechanics ($ 15\% $-$ 20\%\n).\n\n# Questions & Discussion\n\n### Essential Questions per Module\n1. What are the components of 21$$st century literacy?

How has social literacy changed over time?
What is the difference between gambling and investing?
What are the different media types to be used in teaching?
How can we sustain waste management?
How can you apply creativity in the classroom?

Thinking Activities and Discussion Prompts

Think of one major technological change in society that affected learning, and compare the past and present methods.
Categorize personal priorities into "Wants" (high-tech gadgets, movies) versus "Needs" (transportation, healthcare, food).
Create a concept map of strategies for enhancing interpersonal relationships.
Define the relationship between multilingualism and global migration in the context of cultural diversity.
Discuss the core competencies of eco-literacy and why "the survival of humanity depends upon our ecological literacy."