Resource Organizing

Jacky Chen

Professor Navarro

English 1A

11 September, 2021

Literacy

Education is a key component of a country's economy. It is a measure of the potential

human capital of a nation. Literate individuals in a society have greater social standing than their

peers, but they also have better jobs and chances for riches. The greater the degree of literacy, the

better a nation is able to lead its goals/objectives for growth.

Literacy is the process of learning that allows a person to comprehend and communicate

written material, obtain new knowledge, teach these abilities and use the knowledge and skills

gained in society. The important terms here are acquire, the capacity to comprehend, to teach, to

apply and to profit. However, at various times different individuals have defined literacy

differently. Traditionally, literacy was defined as the capacity to read, utilize written material

properly and write it in various situations. New aspects arise from the definition, though.

In using the knowledge obtained from textual sources, this definition does not require

critical thinking. It remains inadequate since it does not take into consideration a number of

important elements of literacy.

Most individuals understand that literacy consists of a number of concrete abilities

including cognitive reading and writing skills. These abilities should be separate from the

environment of their acquisition and the background of the person who obtains them. The person

should be able to decode phonetics, orthography, word recognition and vocabulary. This

indicates that you should not rely on images to indicate significance. The focus is on the capacity

to comprehend and convey orally provided knowledge as written literature.

Recently, many academics have begun to use the word 'literacy' in a much wider

metaphorical meaning, in order to allude to other talents and skills, such as 'information literacy,'

'visual literacy'. The introduction of these ideas has changed the understanding of literacy as a

collection of words and also the interpretation of signs, symbols, images and sounds that vary

according to the social environment. These abilities allow a person to collect knowledge and use

it in many situations.

Additionally, to the current notions of literacy, it should be a learning process in which

people continuously acquire knowledge and abilities and use them to serve society. According to

the National Literacy Teaching Investigation, reading learning and reading teaching are generally

considered in the wider field of literacy. The literacy learning system should thus concentrate on

research, reflection, customisation, testing, embedding, deliberately practiced and shared

methods.

A literacy community is a group of individuals who communicate through reading and

writing. It is a space where students are invited to discuss writing and reading. The growth of

literacy relies on the wealth of the literacy group. Literacy communities are based on

interpersonal connections built around the reading and writing of a community. This implies that

the community frequently introduces and talks about new literature. These talks focus on linking

books and book sections with real life or other books. Centres on listing, journaling, book

response and resource charts are written to assist students comprehend their learning.

In this case I do understand that the community has got different ways on how they define

literacy. One of the definitions of literacy by the community is someone who is able to read and

write. They all have the same understanding whereby they can all communicate in one language.

It is the true definition of literacy by the community. It applies in most cases on only in the

community but also within the school set up. The school in most cases is termed to be a

community. The reason for this, is the fact that they get to share the same cultures which defines.

They have gathered together for a common goal which is to get education. The gathering in this

case is what we term as a community. The school in this case is brought up by different

ideologies that they get to share on a daily basis. I therefore think the fact that my own

understanding and definition of literacy is the same as that of the community. The key aim with

literacy is the fact that it helps bring different people of the same culture together. They can get

to share ideas at all times and exchange words. They also get to share experiences and make a

better way on how they express themselves. All the members are brought together with a

common goal which is to share ideas and interact on a daily basis.

They help determine different things such as where I come from. The key thing with

literacy is the fact that it helps provide me with the right confidence that will determine what the

future goals for. The next thing is that I can get to express myself among the people or the

community members due to the fact that we can get to speak the same language and share the

same ideas.

Literacy has had an effect on me and my everyday lives, not just in basic tasks, but also

in initiatives where my voice has a long-term influence. In Melissa Checker and Maggie

Fishman's book Local Actions: Cultural activism, Power and public life in America they state

how "... different activist groups... rather than being isolated, these groups reach out to the

American public and often each other as they demand that they are recognized, countered and

heard" (Page 2). Checker highlights the effect and the way activists attempt to raise awareness of

activist and social movements.

Growing up in the Bay region, I have seen the effect of our voices in a relatively liberal

place. The organizing of demonstrations is extremely frequent in the Bay Area. I attended some

protests, where a huge number of posters hung with different themes. Demonstrators utilize these

posters to convey their opinions and voices during demonstrations and social movements. We

would remain quiet about political issues without our voices and the willingness to utilize our

voices. As a person who is well aware of our present problems with immigration, healthcare and

the Black Lives Matter movement, and a member of many social movements, I have opened my

eyes to how literacy can affect Americans from every point of life. We may prioritize and alter

our present problems by becoming informed and competent to utilize literacy. For example, most

recently, police officers who killed the African American George Floyd were jailed because

every day people protested to hold them responsible. To prioritize these problems, we utilize the

power in our voice that provides "a variety of possibilities and promises" (Page 2). Through

literacy, we may utilize our voices and disseminate knowledge to educate other people and draw

attention to topics of concern to us.

My cousin has impacted my life and he was my greatest role model while I grew up with

him. One thing that I learned from him was to use my voice to influence the world positively. He

exposed me to social movements. As I started to comprehend literacy in my identity, I

participated in immigration. I should identify as a timid person, but I do appreciate the power my

voice has to 'transform prevailing views, ideas and understanding for social change' when it

comes to societal problems (Page 6). I recognize the advantage in my life and I am able to assist

other Asian and Chinese groups that feel their voices that are not as strong with my literacy.

These events formed my "Social Identity" (page 7) through the impact of my cousin.

Literacy is a challenge, particularly with English as a second language in America. Not

only is literacy difficult for me but also for other Asian and Chinese in the USA and other ethnic

communities. I was born in China with Chinese parents who only spoke Chinese. I was totally

confused when I started third grade. In the mind of an eight-year-old language it's strange, and

you don't know that there are numerous languages. I was able to acquire the English language

with the assistance of my instructor and my elder cousin who was then at school. I was able to

quickly take up the language due to the assistance I received. That is why it is essential that we

begin to teach language skills for people from a very early age. I think that it is very essential to

assist people who have faced this circumstance to learn a new language. After all, it's necessary

in our daily lives.

When you think about literacy, you just think about it, but not about yourself. My

Chinese parents moved to the United States in 2012, but then my cousin and I became their

traductors. For the most part of my youth, I learnt literacy at primary school, but also taught

English literacy to my parents. I often have to translate to the staff at the grocery shops to obtain

assistance. That was extremely tough since English is my second language and had not expanded

my vocabulary. The precise translation of terms proved difficult to discover. It went on to my

education. I would start thinking in Chinese while writing essays and desire to write Chinese

terms. It was certainly a barrier to my reading, and I think it slowed down me, but benefited my

parents at the same time. My parents can now converse effortlessly in English. Although it

slowed me down in school, it taught me the significance of learning literacy in two languages to

assist others in a similar position.