About this course: This course opens with an exploration of the social context and aims of literacy teaching and learning. It goes on to describe a range of historical and contemporary approaches to literacy pedagogy, including didactic, authentic, functional, and critical approaches. The course takes has a 'Multiliteracies' perspective, which aims to expand the definition of literacy to encompass today's multimodal communications, and the diversity of literacies across different social and culltural contexts. A Multiliteracies approach also suggests a broad range of activity types—experiential, conceptual, analytical and critical. -------------------------------- Recommended Background -------------------------------- This course is designed for people interested in literacy teaching and learning, including people who may wish to join education as a profession, practicing teachers interested in exploring future directions for a vocation that is currently undergoing transformation, and community and workplace leaders who regard their mission to be in part "educative." -------------------------------- Take this Course for Credit at the University of Illinois. -------------------------------- This course has the same content and anticipates the same level of contribution by students in the 'New Media and Literacies' course offered to graduate certificate, masters and doctoral level students in the College of Education at the University of Illinois. Of course, in the nature of MOOCs many people will just want to view the videos and casually join some of the discussions. Some people say that these limited kinds of participation offer evidence that MOOCs suffer from low retention rates. Far from it - we say that any level of engagement is good engagement. On the other hand, if you would like to take this course for credit at the University of Illinois, apply here: http://education.illinois.edu/online-offcampus/programs-degrees/ldl-online If you have already taken this course in Coursera, you can prepare a portfolio of work created there and request that this work is taken into account for your University of Illinois course.
Created by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Taught by: Dr William Cope, Professor
Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, College of Education
Taught by: Dr Mary Kalantzis, Dean
College of Education
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The Aims of Literacy
This module explores the notion of "literacies" in the plural, and in particular the concept of "Multiliteracies" coined by the presenters in this course as part of the New London Group. Literacy in the singular consists of the rigid rules of official standard languages, and is purely grounded in written text. Literacies in the plural, or multiliteracies, acknowledges that language use will vary greatly from one cultural and social context to another, and that contemporary communication is increasingly multimodal, where written text is juxtaposed with, or supplemented by, image, sound, space, object, gesture, and speech. The module goes on to explore the evolution of human communication, and the patterns of communication in today's work, public, and community settings.
8 videos, 14 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: Task Overview: How to Pass This Course
- Reading: About the Discussion Forums
- Practice Quiz: Orientation Quiz
- Reading: Take this Course as a Stepping Stone for a University of Illinois Certificate, Masters, or Doctorate - Fully Online!
- Discussion Prompt: Getting to Know Your Classmates
- Reading: Updating Your Profile
- Reading: Social Media
- Video: 1.1 Introduction to the Concept of Literacies
- Reading: 'Multiliteracies': New Literacies, New Learning (Journal Article)
- Video: 1.2 First Languages
- Reading: First Languages
- Reading: On Globalization and Diversity (Journal Article)
- Video: 1.3 Starting to Write
- Reading: The Coming of Writing
- Video: 1.4 Digital Literacies
- Reading: The Impact of New Media on Literacies
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Optional Update #1
- Peer Review: Optional Peer Reviewed Update #1
- Video: 2.1 Why Literacy?
- Video: 2.2 Literacies for Work
- Reading: Literacies for Work
- Video: 2.3 Literacies for Citizenship
- Reading: Literacies for Citizenship
- Video: 2.4 Literacies for Everyday Life
- Reading: Literacy for Contemporary Community Life
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Essential Update #2
Graded: Essential Peer Reviewed Update #2
WEEK 2
Theory and Practice of Literacies Learning and Teaching
In this module, we discuss the nature of pedagogy as the conscious design of learning activities. We introduce the idea of "knowledge processes" or activity types: experiential, conceptual, critical, and applied. In the case of literacies learning, experiential knowledge processes involve immersion in familiar and new texts. Conceptual knowledge processes include naming of the features of text, and developing theories of how these texts work to serve meaningful purposes. Analytical knowledge processes explore the contexts and purposes of texts. Applied knowledge processes engage learners in the creation of texts.
5 videos, 3 readings
- Video: 3.1 Pedagogy as Learning Design
- Video: 3.2 Activity Types in Literacies Pedagogy
- Reading: Literacies Pedagogy in Action
- Video: 3.3 Experiential and Conceptual Learning
- Video: 3.4 Analytical and Applied Learning
- Video: 3.5 Major Approaches to Literacy Teaching and Learning
- Reading: Literacies Pedagogy in Theory
- Reading: The Things You Do to Know: An Introduction to the Pedagogy of Multiliteracies (Book Chapter)
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Essential Update #3
Graded: Essential Peer Reviewed Update #3
WEEK 3
Didactic + Authentic Approaches to Literacy
This module begins with an overview of the range of activity types that might be found in literacies pedagogy. These are illustrated with some examples of literacies learning modules. It goes on to examine two major models of literacy pedagogy: didactic and authentic.
7 videos, 2 readings
- Video: 4.1 Didactic Literacy Pedagogy: An Overview
- Video: 4.2 The Content Focus of Didactic Literacy Teaching
- Video: 4.3 The Organization of the Didactic Literacy Curriculum
- Reading: Didactic Literacy Pedagogy
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Optional Update # 4
- Peer Review: Optional Peer Reviewed Update #4
- Video: 5.1 Authentic Literacy Pedagogy: An Overview
- Video: 5.2 The Content Focus of Authentic Literacy Pedagogy
- Video: 5.3 The Organization of the Authentic Literacy Curriculum
- Video: 5.4 Critical Views of Authentic Literacy Pedagogy
- Reading: Authentic Literacy Pedagogy
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Essential Update #5
Graded: Essential Peer Reviewed Update #5
WEEK 4
Functional + Critical Approaches to Literacy
Now we explore the remaining two of the four major traditions in literacy teaching and learning: functional and critical approaches to literacy. Our purpose in introducing these four major approaches has been to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, as well as to advocate for the idea that literacy teaching and learning ideally involves a repertoire of different kinds of pedagogical moves or activity types.
6 videos, 2 readings
- Video: 6.1 Functional Literacy Pedagogy: An Overview
- Video: 6.2 The Content Focus of Functional Literacy Pedagogy
- Video: 6.3 Critical Views of Functional Literacy
- Reading: Functional Literacy Pedagogy
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Optional Update # 6
- Peer Review: Optional Peer Reviewed Update #6
- Video: 7.1 Critical Literacies Pedagogy: An Overview
- Video: 7.2 The Content Focus of Critical Literacies Learning
- Video: 7.3 Mapping Pedagogical Approaches to Literacies
- Reading: Critical Literacy Pedagogy
- Discussion Prompt: Discussion Forum: Essential Update # 7
- Peer Review: Optional Work 1: Educational Theory
- Peer Review: Optional Work 2A: Learning Practice Case Study
- Peer Review: Optional Work 2B: Design a Learning Module
Graded: Essential Peer Reviewed Update #7
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