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A Challenge with the Greatest Reward
Essary, Jessica
For many teachers, the first time that they have a student who has little or no background with English, the thought of constantly engaging them in relevant activities throughout the entire day can be intimidating. Based on the author's experience teaching English language learners, she can assure teachers that it is a challenge worth facing. In…
Stigma and Discrimination in HIV/AIDS; The greatest Challenge to ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The greatest challenge to the efforts of the various agencies and governments in the care, support and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS, appears to be stigma and discrimination. Stigma and discrimination has to be addressed through public education, legislation to protect people living with HIV/AIDS and also by ...
The greatest challenges reported by long-term colorectal cancer survivors with stomas.
McMullen, Carmit K; Hornbrook, Mark C; Grant, Marcia; Baldwin, Carol M; Wendel, Christopher S; Mohler, M Jane; Altschuler, Andrea; Ramirez, Michelle; Krouse, Robert S
This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the greatest challenges reported by long-term colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies. Surveys that included an open-ended question about challenges of living with an ostomy were administered at three Kaiser Permanente regions: Northern California, Northwest, and Hawaii. The study was coordinated at the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Tucson. The City of Hope Quality of Life Model for Ostomy Patients provided a framework for the study's design, measures, data collection, and data analysis. The study's findings may be generalized broadly to community settings across the United States. Results replicate those of previous research among veterans, California members of the United Ostomy Association, Koreans with ostomies, and colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies residing in the United Kingdom. The greatest challenges reported by 178 colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies confirmed the Institute of Medicine's findings that survivorship is a distinct, chronic phase of cancer care and that cancer's effects are broad and pervasive. The challenges reported by study participants should inform the design, testing and integration of targeted education, early interventions, and ongoing support services for colorectal cancer patients with ostomies.
Coping and acceptance: the greatest challenge for veterans with intestinal stomas.
Krouse, Robert S; Grant, Marcia; Rawl, Susan M; Mohler, M Jane; Baldwin, Carol M; Coons, Stephen Joel; McCorkle, Ruth; Schmidt, C Max; Ko, Clifford Y
Intestinal stomas (ostomies) create challenges for veterans. The goal of this qualitative analysis was to understand better patients' perspectives regarding their greatest challenge. Ostomates at three Veterans Affairs locations were surveyed using the modified City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy questionnaire that contained an open-ended request for respondents to describe their greatest challenge. The response rate was 51% (239 of 467); 68% (163 of 239) completed the open-ended item. Content analysis was performed by an experienced qualitative research team. Coping and acceptance were the most commonly addressed themes. The most frequently expressed issues and advice were related to a need for positive thinking and insight regarding adjustment over time. Coping strategies included the use of humor, recognition of positive changes resulting from the stoma, and normalization of life with an ostomy. Coping and acceptance are common themes described by veterans with an intestinal stoma. Health-care providers can assist veterans by utilizing ostomate self-management strategies, experience, and advice.
The actual challenges of financial literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mitchell Jan W.
Full Text Available In our always-evolving world, financial literacy and inclusion are crucial in the development of sustainable welfare and a more transparent and fairer society. We cannot forget that the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008 that has continued across the world to this day has financial illiteracy as one of the most aggravating factors. The main challenge for many consumers worldwide is that the requirements of adequate financial literacy skills have been steadily increasing over time. Individuals have to take a wide range of financial decisions and unfortunately, they sometimes overlook or simply do not know the risk attached with the decisions they are making until it is too late. The main challenges for financial literacy at the micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level are over deference to the financial industry, lack of financial knowledge, overconfidence about financial knowledge, lack of government initiatives, frameworks and regulations, lack of life-cycle planning and interesting and fascinating ways to teach financial literacy skills.
Cyberlearning for Climate Literacy: Challenges and Opportunities
McCaffrey, M. S.; Buhr, S. M.; Gold, A. U.; Ledley, T. S.; Mooney, M. E.; Niepold, F.
Cyberlearning tools provide cost and carbon-efficient avenues for fostering a climate literate society through online engagement with learners. With climate change education becoming a Presidential Priority in 2009, funding for grants from NSF, NASA and NOAA is leading to a new generation of cyberlearning resources that supplement existing online resources. This paper provides an overview of challenges and opportunities relating to the online delivery of high quality, often complex climate science by examining several existing and emerging efforts, including the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN,) a National Science Digital Library Pathway, the development by CIRES Education and Outreach of the Inspiring Climate Education Excellence (ICEE) online course, TERC's Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET,) DataTools, and EarthLab modules, the NOAA Climate Stewards Education Program (CSEP) that utilizes the NSTA E-Learning Center, online efforts by members of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), UCAR's Climate Discovery program, and the Climate Adaptation, Mitigation e-Learning (CAMeL) project. In addition, we will summarize outcomes of the Cyberlearning for Climate Literacy workshop held in Washington DC in the Fall of 2009 and examine opportunities for teachers to develop and share their own lesson plans based on climate-related web resources that currently lack built-in learning activities, assessments or teaching tips.
Surveying Parental Mediation: Connections, Challenges and Questions for Media Literacy
Mendoza, Kelly
This paper examines three strategies of parental mediation--coviewing, restrictive mediation, and active mediation--in order to make connections, challenge, and raise questions for media literacy. Coviewing, whether it is intentional practice, or whether it functions to promote media literacy, is explored. Restrictive mediation, how it connects to…
Plain language: a strategic response to the health literacy challenge.
Stableford, Sue; Mettger, Wendy
Low health literacy is a major challenge confronting American and international health organizations. Research in the past decade has documented the prevalence of limited literacy and limited health literacy skills among adults worldwide. This creates a major policy challenge: how to create text-based health information - a common method of health communication - that is accessible to the public. Plain language is a logical, flexible response. While touted by American, Canadian, and European health policy makers, adoption and promotion of plain language standards and skills in health-focused organizations have lagged. Most text-based health information continues to be too hard for most adults to read. Barriers to more rapid diffusion of plain language are reflected in a set of myths perpetuated by critics. These myths are identified and refuted. While plain language is only one of many broad-based solutions needed to address low health literacy, the benefits to everyone demand increased use by health organizations.
Curriculum integrated information literacy: a challenge
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bønløkke, Mette; Kobow, Else; Kristensen, Anne-Kirstine Østergaard
Information literacy is a competence needed for students and for practitioners in the nursing profession. A curriculum integrated intervention was qualitatively evaluated by focus group interviews of students, lecturers and the university librarian. Information literacy makes sense for students...... when it is linked to assignments, timed right, prepared, systematic and continuous. Support is needed to help students understand the meaning of seeking information, to focus their problem and to make them reflect on their search and its results. Feedback on materials used is also asked for...
[Health literacy as one of the contemporary public health challenges].
Iwanowicz, Eliza
One of the fundamental public health challenges in the 21st century should be the improvement of people's health literacy, namely the understanding of health messages. The acquired high level of health literacy means that one knows how and where information concerning health determinants can be found, is able to assess it critically and in favorable conditions even modify them, which seems to be of particular importance from the perspective of heath promotion, prevention or treatment of diseases. Therefore, for professionals in these fields, knowledge of ways how to improve health literacy, as well as awareness of related benefits and the consequences of its poor level, seems to be indispensable. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explain the term of "health literacy", its determinants and implications.
Educator Perspectives on Earth System Science Literacy: Challenges and Priorities
LaDue, Nicole; Clark, Scott K.
The challenges and priorities of defining and achieving Earth System Science (ESS) literacy are examined through surveys of geoscience educators attending a professional geological meeting. Two surveys with Likert-style and free-response questions were distributed to geoscientists and K-12 teachers to elicit what instructors think are important…
Contextualizing physical literacy in the school environment: The challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Darla M. Castelli
Full Text Available The intent of this paper is to conceptualize physical literacy in the school environment within the United States educational system. Evolution of physical literacy from both a general education and disciplinary focus is overviewed. The challenges of transitioning from a physically educated to a physically literate person as the primary learning outcome of physical education may inhibit progress. Five prioritized recommendations are made to assist teachers in overcoming such barriers: (a whole of school approach, (b effective, differentiated pedagogy, (c integration of technology for individualized tracking of progress, (d supportive school climate, and (e alignment of local efforts with national initiatives.
Editorial: Challenges of Social Science Literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Birgit Weber
Full Text Available Since international tests compare the performance of students in different subjects, the issue of literacy in the social science subject is becoming more pressing. The successes and failures in international tests influence the national education policies considerably. First, the inclusion of subjects in international comparisons has consequences for their importance. Second, the race in the Olympics of education leads to an increasing focus on the output of educational processes, also measured in the central exams. Social Sciences can refuse to take part in the national comparison studies with the price of losing much more importance; they can participate with the danger of undermining their goals. This raises a lot of questions: What competences students need in this social world to reason about it und to act responsibly? What is the foundation of concepts from social science students need for guidance and understanding their place and role as an individual in society? The social science disciplines, as sociology, political science and economics in a narrow sense, history, law and geography in a broader sense, supported by philosophy, pedagogy and psychology are able to select them for educational purposes or determine such educational aims. This Journal wants to resume und discuss competences and core con¬cepts for political and economic teaching and learning as Social Science Literacy". Contributions in this issue do not only discuss and recommend competences and core concepts from a domain specific political or economic point of view, but also from an interdisciplinary or psychological point of view. They analyse preconditions and interdependencies as well as obstacles und problems of development and diagnosis core concepts and competences of Social Science Literacy.
Contextual factors and challenges to e-health literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bolanle A. Olaniran
Full Text Available We live in a digital world or digital era. Hence, People will argue that not only do information communication technologies (ICTs make e-health possible but rather that it is an innovation advance whose time has come. Notwithstanding, e-health while hoping to create well needed improvement in health care, it is rife with certain challenges which are not limited to e-health literacy. However, this paper looks specifically at e-health literacy. The paper, in particular overviews e-health while addressing the impacts of key contextual factors that impacts e-health and e-health literacy regarding the propensity to adopt and use e-health in LEDCs.
Vocational Literacy in Mozambique: Historical Development, Current Challenges and Contradictions
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Oleg Popov
Full Text Available The study analyses the historical development of vocational literacy in basic education and Non-Formal Vocational Education (NFVE in Mozambique, as well as current challenges and contradictions. The theoretical lens of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT is employed in the study. Methodologically the study was executed through an analysis of oral, printed and e-resources produced by the main stakeholders and also the reflective experiences of the authors in their extensive educational work in the country. The findings reveal poorly developed vocational literacy education in schools and non-formal settings in spite of recurrent political declarations about its importance. There is a strong dependence by formal and particularly NFVE sectors on the technical and financial support provided by international organisations. Vocational literacy courses are characterized by a lack of adequate equipment and poor practice. As a consequence, theoretical or elementary forms of vocational knowledge are dominant in the courses, resulting in the dissatisfaction of both learners and educators. Vocational literacy development proved to be a complex field that faces many challenges and ischaracterised by diverse internal contradictions.
Fostering Scientific Literacy: Establishing Social Relevance via the Grand Challenges
Lyford, M. E.; Myers, J. D.; Buss, A.
Numerous studies and polls suggest the general public's understanding of science and scientific literacy remain woefully inadequate despite repeated calls for improvement over the last 150 years. This inability to improve scientific literacy significantly is a complex problem likely driven by a number of factors. However, we argue that past calls and efforts for improving scientific literacy have failed to: 1) articulate a truly meaningful justification for society to foster a scientifically literate public; 2) provide a rationale that motivates individuals of diverse backgrounds to become scientifically literate; 3) consider the impact of personal perspective, e.g. values, beliefs, attitudes, etc., on learning; and 4) offer a relevant and manageable framework in which to define scientific literacy. For instance, past calls for improving scientific literacy, e.g. the U.S. is behind the Soviets in the space race, U.S students rank below country X in math and science, etc., have lacked justification, personal motivation and a comprehensive framework for defining scientific literacy. In these cases, the primary justification for improving science education and scientific literacy was to regain international dominance in the space race or to advance global standing according to test results. These types of calls also articulate short-term goals that are rendered moot once they have been achieved. At the same time, teaching practices have commonly failed to consider the perspectives students bring to the classroom. Many STEM faculty do not address issues of personal perspective through ignorance or the desire to avoid controversial subjects, e g. evolution, climate change. We propose that the 'grand challenges' (e.g., energy, climate change, antibacterial resistance, water, etc.) humankind currently faces provides a compelling framework for developing courses and curricula well-suited for improving scientific literacy. A grand challenge paradigm offers four
Climate change: Wilderness's greatest challenge
Nathan L. Stephenson; Connie Millar
Anthropogenic climatic change can no longer be considered an abstract possibility. It is here, its effects are already evident, and changes are expected to accelerate in coming decades, profoundly altering wilderness ecosystems. At the most fundamental level, wilderness stewards will increasingly be confronted with a trade-off between untrammeled wilderness character...
The Greatest Mathematical Discovery?
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bailey, David H.; Borwein, Jonathan M.
What mathematical discovery more than 1500 years ago: (1) Is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, single discovery in the field of mathematics? (2) Involved three subtle ideas that eluded the greatest minds of antiquity, even geniuses such as Archimedes? (3) Was fiercely resisted in Europe for hundreds of years after its discovery? (4) Even today, in historical treatments of mathematics, is often dismissed with scant mention, or else is ascribed to the wrong source? Answer: Our modern system of positional decimal notation with zero, together with the basic arithmetic computational schemes, which were discovered in India about 500 CE.
Energy literacy in Alberta : a collective challenge : discussion and framework
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Martin, J.
The actions needed to advance energy literacy in Alberta were discussed. Advancing Energy Literacy in Alberta (AELA) is a process that supports the objectives of Alberta's energy strategy through the development of a multi-stakeholder process that will lead to better energy information, education and outreach initiatives for the province's large and diverse audience. Advancing energy literacy is in the interest of the energy community and the economic well being of the province. Strategies for launching an energy literacy program were also discussed. tabs.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Quigg, Chris
It is a pleasure to be part of the SLAC Summer Institute again, not simply because it is one of the great traditions in our field, but because this is a moment of great promise for particle physics. I look forward to exploring many opportunities with you over the course of our two weeks together. My first task in talking about Nature's Greatest Puzzles, the title of this year's Summer Institute, is to deconstruct the premise a little bit
Challenges to the Siyafunda Literacy Campaign in Richmond | Land ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Concepts of literacy campaigns provide the context for a description and evaluation of the Siyafunda Literacy Campaign in the town of Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal. Recent political events in the region are noted. The leadership provided by the mayor, the need for the involvement of community members and features of the ...
Mental health literacy as theory: current challenges and future directions.
Spiker, Douglas A; Hammer, Joseph H
Mental health literacy (MHL) is one increasingly researched factor thought to influence mental health behaviors. Researchers have argued for expanding the definition of MHL to include additional constructs, but no consensus has yet been reached on what constructs should be included as part of MHL. The purpose of this paper is to (i) elucidate how the expansion of the MHL construct has impeded the growth of MHL research and (ii) through the lens of construct and theory development, highlight how these challenges might be remedied. An inclusive search of the literature was undertaken to identify MHL studies. The principles of construct and theory development guided a critical analysis of MHL. The review of the literature found that MHL violates many principles of what constitutes an acceptable construct definition. To address these concerns, we proposed conceptualizing MHL as a theory and recommended principles of theory development that should be taken into consideration. A theory of MHL can guide future researchers to clearly delineate important constructs and their interrelationships. For practitioners, a theory of MHL can help inform how to improve MHL at both the individual and community level.
Computational Physics' Greatest Hits
Bug, Amy
The digital computer, has worked its way so effectively into our profession that now, roughly 65 years after its invention, it is virtually impossible to find a field of experimental or theoretical physics unaided by computational innovation. It is tough to think of another device about which one can make that claim. In the session ``What is computational physics?'' speakers will distinguish computation within the field of computational physics from this ubiquitous importance across all subfields of physics. This talk will recap the invited session ``Great Advances...Past, Present and Future'' in which five dramatic areas of discovery (five of our ``greatest hits'') are chronicled: The physics of many-boson systems via Path Integral Monte Carlo, the thermodynamic behavior of a huge number of diverse systems via Monte Carlo Methods, the discovery of new pharmaceutical agents via molecular dynamics, predictive simulations of global climate change via detailed, cross-disciplinary earth system models, and an understanding of the formation of the first structures in our universe via galaxy formation simulations. The talk will also identify ``greatest hits'' in our field from the teaching and research perspectives of other members of DCOMP, including its Executive Committee.
Literacy at a Distance in Multilingual Contexts: Issues and Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christine I. Ofulue
Full Text Available Literacy is perhaps the most fundamental skill required for effective participation in education (formal and non-formal for national development. At the same time, the choice of language for literacy is a complex issue in multilingual societies like Nigeria. This paper examines the issues involved, namely language policy, language and teacher development, and the role of distance education and information and communication technologies (ICTs, in making literacy accessible in as many languages as possible. Two distance learning literacy projects are presented as case studies and the lessons learned are discussed. The findings of this study suggest that although there is evidence of growing accessibility to ICTs like mobile phones, their use and success to increase access to literacy in the users' languages are yet to be attained and maximised. The implication of the lessons learned should be relevant to other multilingual nations that seek the goal of increasing access to learning and promoting development so as to harvest economic benefits.
Fostering sustained energy behavior change and increasing energy literacy in a student housing energy challenge
Brewer, Robert Stephen
We designed the Kukui Cup challenge to foster energy conservation and increase energy literacy. Based on a review of the literature, the challenge combined a variety of elements into an overall game experience, including: real-time energy feedback, goals, commitments, competition, and prizes. We designed a software system called Makahiki to provide the online portion of the Kukui Cup challenge. Energy use was monitored by smart meters installed on each floor of the Hale Aloha residence halls on the University of Hawai'i at Manoa campus. In October 2011, we ran the UH Kukui Cup challenge for the over 1000 residents of the Hale Aloha towers. To evaluate the Kukui Cup challenge, I conducted three experiments: challenge participation, energy literacy, and energy use. Many residents participated in the challenge, as measured by points earned and actions completed through the challenge website. I measured the energy literacy of a random sample of Hale Aloha residents using an online energy literacy questionnaire administered before and after the challenge. I found that challenge participants' energy knowledge increased significantly compared to non-challenge participants. Positive self-reported energy behaviors increased after the challenge for both challenge participants and non-participants, leading to the possibility of passive participation by the non-challenge participants. I found that energy use varied substantially between and within lounges over time. Variations in energy use over time complicated the selection of a baseline of energy use to compare the levels during and after the challenge. The best team reduced its energy use during the challenge by 16%. However, team energy conservation did not appear to correlate to participation in the challenge, and there was no evidence of sustained energy conservation after the challenge. The problems inherent in assessing energy conservation using a baseline call into question this common practice. My research has
Recruitment Challenges: Lessons from Senior Centers and Older African-American Participants in a Literacy Study
Ntiri, Daphne W.; Stewart, Merry
This article reviews the challenges encountered in the recruitment of urban older African-Americans in a study to explore the effects of interactive educational intervention on functional health literacy and diabetes knowledge. Our methods included identification of challenges related to the individual characteristics of seniors' centers that…
Challenges for information literacy education at a university of ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The article reports on an action research project to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first-year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The intervention consisted of two workshops which aimed at teaching the students to find information relevant to ...
Teaching Digital Natives: Promoting Information Literacy and Addressing Instructional Challenges
Neumann, Crystal
Technology must be used as a teaching and learning tool to help students succeed. However, educators must be proactive in identifying some of the pitfalls of technology, such as information illiteracy. The phenomenological study covers how English instructors from Indianapolis, who teach first year students, address information literacy and the…
Overcoming Impossible Bodies: Using Media Literacy to Challenge Popular Culture.
Graydon, Shari
Media education can be taught by analyzing the ways popular media represent the sexes. Discusses stereotyped gender images in popular culture and outlines classroom activities investigating modeling poses, images of ideal and successful males and females, gender sensitive language, sex role portrayal, and violence for a media literacy unit using…
Language and Literacy Development of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: Successes and Challenges
Lederberg, Amy R.; Schick, Brenda; Spencer, Patricia E.
Childhood hearing loss presents challenges to language development, especially spoken language. In this article, we review existing literature on deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children's patterns and trajectories of language as well as development of theory of mind and literacy. Individual trajectories vary significantly, reflecting access to…
The Challenge of Evaluating Students' Scientific Literacy in a Writing-to-Learn Context
Tomas, Louisa; Ritchie, Stephen M.
This paper reports on the challenge of evaluating students' scientific literacy in a writing-to-learn context, as illustrated by our experience with an online science-writing project. In this mixed methods study, year 9 students in a case study class (13-14 year olds, n?=?26) authored a series of two "hybridised" short stories that…
Developing Media Literacy Skills To Challenge Television's Portrayal of Older Women.
Cohen, Harriet L.
Focus groups of 19 graduate social work students viewed two episodes of "The Golden Girls." Students had differing opinions on whether the program reinforced or challenged social stereotypes about older women. The need for positive media portrayals and for media literacy was identified. (Contains 46 references.) (SK)
Critical Insights in Media Literacy Research in Spain: Educational and Political Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carmen Marta-Lazo
Full Text Available This article proposes a critical perspective on the tradition of media literacy research in Spain in order to examine how Spanish scholars are facing challenges on public policy, and more specifically school curricula, regarding media education. Research in media literacy in Spain (known as educomunicación in Spanish has moved forward through the interest of scholars and other groups, such as journalists and school teachers, who have raised awareness on the need to develop a critical and creative media learning system. This article will review a the European and Hispanic heritages on media literacy in Spain, b main current research groups and projects focusing on media education and c academic policy on digital competence in formal learning. Lastly, this article will suggest some recommendations on education and policy that will help gain more support among academia, media and citizens within the European and Latin American context.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bremholm, Jesper
I løbet at de seneste 10 år har literacy-begrebet for alvor vundet indpas som et etableret begreb i den nordiske forsknings- og uddannelsesverden, ikke mindst inden for læse-/skriveområdet. Der er dog langt fra konsensus om den præcise betydning af begrebet, og af samme grund hersker der en udbredt...... forvirring om hvorledes det skal forstås. Man kan på den baggrund stille spørgsmålet om hvorvidt literacy overhovedet er et brugbart og produktivt begreb i en nordisk kontekst. Når man i PISA-undersøgelserne giver læseområdet den pleonastiske betegnelse reading literacy, kunne det give anledning til...... at tvivle på at det er tilfældet. Med afsæt i forskellige begrebs- og forskningsmæssige perspektiver diskuteres i oplægget literacy-begrebets berettigelse, og i forlængelse heraf præsenteres et bud på en trifokal optik som teoretisk blik på literacy i undervisningskontekster. Eksempler fra forskellige...
Culturally Diverse Students in Higher Education: Challenges and Possibilities within Academic Literacy Practices
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Elena Tkachenko
Full Text Available With growing diversity in the population, higher education faces a new situation with increasing student diversity. In our paper, we will explore questions concerning the consequences student diversity has for higher-education institutions. Based on our experience from three different R&D projects, the differences in culture and academic literacy practices give culturally diverse students challenges that have often been ignored in academia. Some other studies also document that this group of students has a much higher risk of dropping out and underachieving than majority students (Andersen & Skaarer- Kreutz, 2007; Støren, 2009. In our paper, we are going to discuss the students' challenges and discourse of remediation that is often associated with their challenges and suggest how higher-education institutions can adjust their practices to be more oriented to intercultural communication. Intercultural communication as a dialogic approach may create dynamics in academic tutoring and lead to mutual change/transformation instead of a one-way adaptation of existing academic literacy norms. We argue that all teachers should be aware of cultural differences in literacy practices in the education systems and strive to adjust their teaching practices to the diversity in the classroom. This approach, we believe, can contribute to a better learning environment for all students, independently of their backgrounds.
The challenge of developing statistical literacy, reasoning and thinking
Garfield, Joan
Research in statistics education is an emerging field, with much of the work being published in diverse journals across many disciplines. Locating and synthesizing this research is often a challenging task, as is connecting the research literature to practical issues of teaching and assessing students. This book is unique in that it collects, presents, and synthesizes cutting edge research on different aspects of statistical reasoning and applies this research to the teaching of statistics to students at all educational levels. Unlike other books on how to teach statistics, or educational materials to help students learn statistics, this book presents the research foundation on which teaching should be based. The chapters in this volume are written by the today's leading researchers in statistics education. This volume will prove of great value to mathematics and statistics education researchers, statistics educators, statisticians, cognitive psychologists, mathematics teachers, mathematics and statistics cur...
The Challenges of Promoting Literacy Integration within a Play-Based Learning Kindergarten Program: Teacher Perspectives and Implementation
Pyle, Angela; Poliszczuk, Daniel; Danniels, Erica
Kindergarten teachers face the challenge of balancing traditional developmental programming and contemporary academic standards. In classrooms following a play-based learning framework, academic content such as literacy is to be taught within children's play. However, educators have reported conceptual and practical challenges with integrating…
The questions of scientific literacy and the challenges for contemporary science teaching: An ecological perspective
Kim, Mijung
This study began with questions about how science education can bring forth humanity and ethics to reflect increasing concerns about controversial issues of science and technology in contemporary society. Discussing and highlighting binary epistemological assumptions in science education, the study suggests embodied science learning with human subjectivity and integrity between knowledge and practice. The study questions (a) students' understandings of the relationships between STSE and their everyday lifeworld and (b) the challenges of cultivating scientific literacy through STSE teaching. In seeking to understand something about the pedagogical enactment of embodied scientific literacy that emphasizes the harmony of children's knowledges and their lifeworlds, this study employs a mindful pedagogy of hermeneutics. The intro- and intra-dialogical modes of hermeneutic understanding investigate the pedagogical relationship of parts (research texts of students, curriculum, and social milieu) and the whole (STSE teaching in contemporary time and place). The research was conducted with 86 Korean 6 graders at a public school in Seoul, Korea in 2003. Mixed methods were utilized for data collection including a survey questionnaire, a drawing activity, interviews, children's reflective writing, and classroom teaching and observation. The research findings suggest the challenges and possibilities of STSE teaching as follows: (a) children's separated knowledge from everyday practice and living, (b) children's conflicting ideas between ecological/ethical aspects and modernist values, (c) possibilities of embodied knowing in children's practice, and (d) teachers' pedagogical dilemmas in STSE teaching based on the researcher's experiences and reflection throughout teaching practice. As further discussion, this study suggests an ecological paradigm for science curriculum and teaching as a potential framework to cultivate participatory scientific literacy for citizenship in
Concerns and future challenges of health literacy in the Nordic countries - From the point of view of health promotion practitioners and researchers.
Ringsberg, K C; Olander, E; Tillgren, P; Thualagant, N; Trollvik, A
Health literacy is an essential social determinant for promoting and maintaining the health of a population. From a health promotion perspective, explore health literacy issues, concerns and future challenges among Nordic practitioners and researchers. Data were collected in a workshop at the 8 th Nordic Health Promotion Conference, and in a literature review, with articles from five databases. The search included title and abstract with the search terms health literacy* and health literacy as a MeSH term and all the Nordic countries. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were used. Twenty-five persons participated in the workshop. The discussions were summarized in six themes: concept of health literacy in national language; risk of victim blaming; measuring health literacy; content in school curricula on health literacy; new technologies for information and communication; communication and collaboration between different actors in support of health. Forty-three articles on health literacy were identified, mainly conducted within three fields: development, test and adaptation of instruments for measuring health literacy; measurement of health literacy among patients, or other defined target groups and on populations; and developing and evaluating methods/tools for the training of personnel groups or different target groups. There is a need for further studies providing a more in-depth understanding of the health literacy concept, knowledge on how to measure health literacy, ethical aspects, application in intersectoral collaboration as well as the adaptation to new technologies for information and communication in education supporting health literacy. As health literacy is an essential social health determinant, a concern and a future challenge must be, to make the health literacy concept familiar and visible in health promotion policies, research and practice such as health education.
Health literacy, health communication challenges, and cancer screening among rural Native Hawaiian and Filipino Women
Sentell, Tetine; Cruz, May Rose Dela; Heo, Hyun Hee; Braun, Kathryn
Native Hawaiians and Filipinos are disproportionately impacted by cancer, and are less likely to participate in cancer screening than whites. Limited information exists about health information pathways and health communication challenges as they relate to cancer screening in these groups. Six focus groups (n=77) of Native Hawaiian and Filipino women age 40+ years were conducted to investigate these research gaps. Participants noted many health information challenges. Challenges were both practical and interpersonal and included both written and oral health communication. Practical challenges included "big" words, complexity of terms, and lack of plain English. Interpersonal issues included doctors rushing, doctors not assessing comprehension, and doctors treating respondents as patients not people. Women noted that they would often not ask questions even when they knew they did not understand because they did not want the provider to think negatively of them. Overarching themes to improve cancer communication gaps included: (1) the importance of family and community in health information dissemination; (2) the key role women play in interpreting health information for others; (3) the importance of personal experience and relationships to the salience of health information; and (4) the desire for local cultural relevance in health communication. Findings are discussed in light of the 2010 National Action Plan for Health Literacy. PMID:23536194
Coaching to Support Disciplinary Literacy Instruction: Navigating Complexity and Challenges for Sustained Teacher Change
Di Domenico, Paula M.; Elish-Piper, Laurie; Manderino, Michael; L'Allier, Susan K.
This study investigated how a high school literacy coach provided coaching to support teachers' understanding and implementation of disciplinary literacy instruction. With a focus on collaborations between the literacy coach and teachers in the disciplines of social studies, math, and English, this article presents three case studies that…
Information Literacy on the Go! Adding Mobile to an Age Old Challenge
Schmidt Hanbidge, Alice; Sanderson, Nicole; Tin, Tony
Integrating information literacy skills is fundamental to learning in all contexts. The nexus of mobile devices and information literacy lessons to learn these skills is an innovative pedagogy in higher education explored in this Mobile Information Literacy Tool (MIL) project. Currently, the project's second stage of data collection and analysis…
Physical literacy in the field of physical education – A challenge and a possibility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Suzanne Lundvall
Full Text Available Publications of articles with physical literacy as a topic have increased dramatically since the beginning of 2000s. The aim of this paper is to, through an explorative literature overview with an inductive approach, analyze frequent, and significant themes in published peer reviewed articles, with a focus on physical literacy. The database EBSCO has been used with the identifiers "physical literacy" and "physical literacy and evidence". Furthermore ICSSPE Bulletin's special issue on physical literacy has been included in the overview. The findings have resulted in three key themes: assumptions of the concept physical literacy and its educative role, sports development and physical literacy, and assessment and physical literacy. Future studies are needed to examine if the advocated pedagogical strategies based on the concept physical literacy have led to a re-organized and revitalized school subject. There is also an existing critique towards making physical literacy an idealistic neutral concept or synonym with fundamental movement skills or sports talent identification. The role of higher education emerges as crucial for the next step of the development of the scientific framework as this involves how physical literacy will be socially configured, nurtured, and embodied in practice.
Successful Boys and Literacy: Are "Literate Boys" Challenging or Repackaging Hegemonic Masculinity?
Skelton, Christine; Francis, Becky
The National Assessment of Educational Progress statistics show that boys are underachieving in literacy compared to girls. Attempts to redress the problem in various Global North countries and particularly Australia and the United Kingdom have failed to make any impact. However, there are boys who are doing well in literacy. The aim of this…
Meeting the Challenge: Creating Engaging and Powerful Contexts for Literacy Learning
Wilhelm, Jeffrey D.
This article explores the conditions of "flow" experience from two studies into the literate lives of young men (Smith and Wilhelm 2002; 2006) that were explanatory, when present, of motivation and engagement in various activities including literacy, and when absent, of a lack of motivation and engagement in various activities including literacy.…
Potentials and challenges of family literacy interventions: the question of implementation quality
McElvany, N.; van Steensel, R.
Literacy interventions in the family context have great potential to promote reading development in children. However, the results of meta-analyses indicate that family-based approaches tend not to be as effective as expected. Although the effectiveness of family literacy interventions can be
Challenging How English Is Done: Engaging the Ethical and the Human in a Community Literacies Seminar
Weinstein, Susan; Cornelius, Jeremy; Kenny, Shannon; Leung, Muriel; Liew, Grace Shuyi; Lyons, Kieran; Torres, Alejandra; Tougas, Matthew; Webb, Sarah
Eight English graduate students and a professor reflect on their semester-long exploration of community literacy studies. The students, some in a MFA Creative Writing program and some doing doctoral work in literature, rhetoric, or English Education, discuss how the community literacies lens unsettled their relationship to English Studies.
Circles in the Sand: Challenge and Reinforcement of Gender Stereotypes in a Literacy Programme in Sudan
Greany, Kate
Participatory literacy programmes in developing countries are often seen as an important tool for women's empowerment and equality. This article problematises the way in which evaluation of progress towards these goals is couched in a linear trajectory, and often fails to uncover the messy reality of women's negotiations to achieve their own aims.…
Computer Literacy of Iranian Teachers of English as a Foreign Language: Challenges and Obstacles
Dashtestani, Reza
Basically, one of the requirements for the implementation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' ability to use computers effectively. Educational authorities and planners should identify EFL teachers' computer literacy levels and make attempts to improve the teachers' computer competence.…
Other Ways of Being: Challenging Dominant Financial Literacy Discourses in Aboriginal Context
Blue, Levon Ellen; Pinto, Laura Elizabeth
Financial literacy education (FLE) continues to gain momentum on a global scale. FLE is often described as essential learning for all citizens, despite the bulk of initiatives outside the compulsory school classrooms focussed on educating economically disadvantaged individuals. Informed by Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing a critical…
Sudan: world's greatest humanit-arian transport challenge
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rob McConnell
Full Text Available The Fleet Forum, a group of more than 40 aid agencies, is working to slash by 25% the annual $800 million cost of running some 60,000 vehicles. Darfur has shown the need to work together to achieve more cost-efficient and safe humanitarian transport.
I read. You read? Challenges and possibilities in working with literary literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sayonara Abrantes de Oliveira
Full Text Available This article is the result of a project linked to the Institutional Program of Scientific Initiation Scholarships for Higher Education (PIBIC-EM. The program's objective was to analyze the contributing factors for the process of reading literacy training in order to verify how young people make their choices of literary texts, as well as know the difficulties and facilities they face in contact with these genres. To do so, we used the quantitative qualitative research through the application of a questionnaire, consisting of open questions, and applied to the students of the Integrated in Information Technology and Integrated Technician in the Environment of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Paraíba (IFPB/campus Sousa courses. We also analyzed the perceptions derived from the observations of the Reader Club of the same campus, in an attempt to verify how the intervention of activities that mediate literary literacy favors the stimulus to the reading formation. Based on the data analysis, we observed that the student's distance element from reading is the lack of incentive, that is, the construction of an atmosphere that surrounds him, both in the classroom and in the other environments that welcome him. To overcome this, it is necessary for the teacher to have a theoretical-methodological apparatus guiding in his classes, since mediation favors literary literacy, having as support the Receptional Method and a conception of reading that articulates the interactional to the discursive, helping in the organization and selection of texts, in order to achieve the objectives of the formation of the reader.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Quigg, Chris; /Fermilab
It is a pleasure to be part of the SLAC Summer Institute again, not simply because it is one of the great traditions in our field, but because this is a moment of great promise for particle physics. I look forward to exploring many opportunities with you over the course of our two weeks together. My first task in talking about Nature's Greatest Puzzles, the title of this year's Summer Institute, is to deconstruct the premise a little bit.
Information literacy and social networking sites: challenges and stakes regarding teenagers' uses
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Karine AILLERIE
Full Text Available Research has shown that information seeking can act as a motivation to use SNS. In this paper, we identify patterns of information uses of SNS among teenagers specifically.There is evidence to suggest that teenagers use SNS for information purposes both informally outside of the school environment and also as part of their academic studies. We explore three important implications of this phenomemon in terms of students' information literacy: firstly, the evaluation and validation of information obtained via SNS; secondly, the significance of these practices for collaboration and other 21st century skills; and finally, the porosity of formal and informal learning contexts. We conclude by reflecting on the ways in which current IL models and teaching practices need to adapt to accommodation teenagers' uses of SNS.
Leadership, Literacy, and Translational Expertise in Genomics: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work.
Werner-Lin, Allison; McCoyd, Judith L M; Doyle, Maya H; Gehlert, Sarah J
The transdisciplinary field of genomics is revolutionizing conceptualizations of health, mental health, family formation, and public policy. Many professions must rapidly acquire genomic expertise to maintain state-of-the-art knowledge in their practice. Calls for social workers to build genomic capacity come regularly, yet social work education has not prepared practitioners to join the genomics workforce in providing socially just, ethically informed care to all clients, particularly those from vulnerable and marginalized groups. The authors suggest a set of action steps for bringing social work skills and practice into the 21st century. They propose that good genomic practice entails bringing social work values, skills, and behaviors to genomics. With education and training, social workers may facilitate socially just dissemination of genomic knowledge and services across practice domains. Increased genomic literacy will support the profession's mission to address disparities in health, health care access, and mortality. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.
Challenges posed by diversity in Academic institutions as they implement Information Literacy: the experiences of Makerere University Library in Uganda
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Faith Beatrice Akiteng
Full Text Available Over the years, academic libraries have been conducting information literacy (IL programmes for their users. This paper shares Makerere University Library's experience in implementing IL programmes at Makerere University and other academic institutions of learning in Uganda. The findings of this paper are based on the IL sessions' evaluation forms, together with the authors' experiences as instructors. A sample of one thousand (1000 participants' evaluation feedback forms was used in assessing the IL sessions conducted by Makerere University Library in two years (2008-2009. The evaluation focused on the duration and relevancy of training, nature of content, its organization; the instructors, new skills participants gained and how they hoped to pass them to others. Initial findings indicate that IL sessions are highly regarded with repeated recommendations for increased duration and frequency of information literacy sessions in different universities. The various challenges posed by diversity are explained as follows: Difference in age groups arise because admissions to the various universities cater for direct entrants from high school and mature age entrants'. Students also come from different social backgrounds that dictate the standard of schools they attend i.e.; urban schools where education standards are high and skills such as using computers are imparted visa-a-vis the rural schools where such skills are not imparted. To the IL instructor, this implies conducting the training with patience and extending the time allocated for each session in order to impart the basic ICT skills prior to imparting the IL skills. Internationalization on the other hand is not a very big challenge because the proportion of foreign students is small and their ICT skills are moderate. Gender aspects and the diverse disciplines of research in the Ugandan universities also pose challenges when conducting IL sessions in that the groups handled at a time are
Exploring English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teacher Trainers' Perspectives on Challenges to Promoting Computer Literacy of EFL Teachers
Dashtestani, Reza
Computer literacy is a significant component of language teachers' computer-assisted language learning (call) knowledge. Despite its importance, limited research has been undertaken to analyze factors which might influence language teachers' computer literacy levels. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of 39 Iranian EFL teacher…
Reading the Multimodal "Ologies": New Literacy Challenges or Old Wine in New Bottles?
Williams, Sandra
In this article, the "Ologies" series of books are interrogated with a focus on whether they present new challenges for the reader or merely require previously acquired skills. The multimodal texts are unusual in that they combine non-fiction with fantasy while including tactile elements such as flaps, pull-outs and items to stroke. Ways…
Putting the "Shop" in Reading Workshop: Building Reading Stamina in a Ninth-Grade Literacy Class in a Bronx Vocational High School
Gulla, Amanda N.
For many teachers of middle school and high school, the greatest challenge they face in trying to help struggling readers improve their skills can be students' self-perception. When young people do not see themselves as members of the "literacy club," it is not just a simple matter of persuading them that becoming a fluent reader is…
Assessing Conceptual Understanding via Literacy-Infused, Inquiry-Based Science among Middle School English Learners and Economically-Challenged Students
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Rafael Lara-Alecio
Full Text Available The overarching purpose of our study was to compare performances of treatment and control condition students who completed a literacy-infused, inquiry-based science intervention through sixth grade as measured by a big idea assessment tool which we refer to as the Big Ideas in Science Assessment (BISA. First, we determine the concurrent validity of the BISA; second, we investigate the differences in the post-test of the BISA between treatment and control English Learners (ELs, controlling for their performance in the pre-test; third, we analyze the differences in the post-test of the BISA between treatment and control non-ELs, controlling for their performance in the pre-test; and fourth, we examine the relationship between students' English language proficiency as measured by standardized assessment, and their performance in the BISA among ELs and non-ELs, respectively. Our findings indicate: (a literacy-infused science lessons with big ideas, implemented through the tested intervention, improved students' language acquisition and science concept understanding for ELs and economically challenged students (ECs; (b there was a positive relationship between language and content for both ELs and non-ELs, with a similar magnitude, suggesting that students with a higher level of English proficiency score higher in science assessment; and (c the lesson plans prepared were successful for promoting a literacy-infused science curriculum via a 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate that includes three to five of the Es used daily. A pedagogical approach for a literacy-infused science model with big ideas is proposed.
"But Pasta Is Pasta, It Is All the Same": The Language, Literacy and Numeracy Challenges of Supermarket Work
Hastwell, Kim; Strauss, Pat; Kell, Catherine
This paper reports on an ethnographically based study of entry level supermarket work. The study, carried out in a large suburban supermarket in Auckland, New Zealand, focused on the literacy and numeracy practices of supermarket assistants, all who had English as an additional language. It found that skills such as oral communication, personal…
Confessions of a Media Literacy Scholar-Practitioner: Job Market Advantages, Research Agenda Challenges, and Theory-Driven Production
Boulton, Christopher
This essay explores how higher education's instrumentalist move away from the liberal arts tradition of learning by thinking and towards more vocational "experiential" approaches has implications for media literacy educators' career options, scholarly identities, and teaching strategies. Specifically, I consider my own negotiation of…
Challenging the Concept of Ethical Literacy within Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Storytelling as a Method within Sustainability Didactics
Franck, Olof; Osbeck, Christina
Ethical literacy seems to be used, within Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), in various ways, some more general and others morally specific, emphasising individuals' responsibility. The overarching aim of this paper is to present some prerequisites for the development of narrative methods that focus on the vision of a good society…
Generational, Cultural, and Linguistic Integration for Literacy Learning and Teaching in Uganda: Pedagogical Possibilities, Challenges, and Lessons from One NGO
Ngaka, Willy; Graham, Ross; Masaazi, Fred Masagazi; Anyandru, Elly Moses
This qualitative case study focuses on a volunteer-led local NGO in Uganda to examine how integrating generations, cultures, and languages is enhancing literacy learning to help ethnically and linguistically diverse rural communities survive in the prevailing globally competitive neoliberal environment. Immersing the study in the social practices…
Advancing research in transitional care: challenges of culture, language and health literacy in Asian American and native Hawaiian elders.
Nishita, Christy; Browne, Colette
Recent federal policy supports an individual's preference for home and community-based long-term care, even among nursing home residents. Optimizing transitions from the nursing home to home is a complex undertaking that requires addressing the interrelationships between health literacy and cultural-linguistic factors in the nation's increasingly diverse older adult population. We look at four Asian American and Pacific Islander elder populations to illustrate that differing health profiles and cultural-linguistic values can affect the type of care and support needed and preferred. A research gap exists that links these factors together for optimal transitional care. The paper presents a conceptual framework and proposes a six-point research agenda that includes family assessments of health literacy abilities, exploring the relationship between culture, health, and decision-making, and the development/adaptation of transition planning tools.
Preparing Content Area Teachers for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction: The Role of Literacy Teacher Educators
Fang, Zhihui
The recent call for secondary reading instruction to move away from a focus on generic literacy strategies to discipline-specific language and literacy practices presents new challenges for secondary teacher preparation. This column identifies some of the roles literacy teacher educators can play in helping address these challenges.
Parental health literacy and its impact on patient care.
Scotten, Mitzi
The process of navigating through the modern American health care system is becoming progressively challenging. The range of tasks being asked of patients in the digital age is vast and complex and includes completing intricate insurance applications, signing complex consent forms, and translating medical data and prescription medication directions. Nearly 9 out of 10 adults have difficulty using the everyday health information that is routinely offered by medical providers. Mounting evidence now supports a growing awareness that general health literacy is the greatest individual factor affecting a person's health status. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
FedWeb Greatest Hits: Presenting the New Test Collection for Federated Web Search
Demeester, Thomas; Trieschnigg, Rudolf Berend; Zhou, Ke; Nguyen, Dong-Phuong; Hiemstra, Djoerd
This paper presents 'FedWeb Greatest Hits', a large new test collection for research in web information retrieval. As a combination and extension of the datasets used in the TREC Federated Web Search Track, this collection opens up new research possibilities on federated web search challenges, as
Developing Academic Literacy and Voice: Challenges Faced by a Mature ESL Student and Her Instructors (Desarrollo del discurso académico y la voz: retos de una estudiante de inglés como segunda lengua y sus profesores)
Correa, Doris
Drawing on critical, socio-cultural and sociolinguistic theories of writing, text and voice, this ethnographic study examines the challenges that a mature ESL student and her instructors in a university course on Spanish Language Media face as they co-construct a common understanding of academic literacy and voice in an undergraduate General…
Addressing Health Literacy Challenges With a Cutting-Edge Infectious Disease Curriculum for the High School Biology Classroom.
Jacque, Berri; Koch-Weser, Susan; Faux, Russell; Meiri, Karina
This study reports the secondary analysis of evaluation data from an innovative high school biology curriculum focused on infectious disease (ID) to examine the health literacy implications of teaching claims evaluation, data interpretation, and risk assessment skills in the context of 21st-Century health science. The curriculum was implemented between 2010 and 2013 in Biology II classes held in four public high schools (three in Massachusetts and one in Ohio), plus a private school in Virginia. A quasi-experimental design was used in which student participants (n = 273) were compared to an age-matched, nonparticipant, peer group (N = 125). Participants in each school setting demonstrated increases in conceptual content knowledge (Cohen's d > 1.89) as well as in understanding how to apply scientific principles to health claims evaluation and risk assessment (Cohen's d > 1.76) and in self-efficacy toward learning about ID (Cohen's d > 2.27). Participants also displayed enhanced communication about ID within their social networks relative to the comparison group (p biology classrooms is effective at fostering both the skills and self-efficacy pertinent to health literacy learning in diverse populations. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.
Teaching OOP with Financial Literacy
Zhu, Hongwei
Students lose interest in learning programming when the materials are not related to their lives. A challenge facing most students is that they lack the financial literacy necessary to manage their debts. An approach is developed to integrate financial literacy into an object-oriented programming (OOP) course. The approach is effective in…
Roučka, Ladislav
Topic: Physical literacy Goals: The aproximation of physical literacy, collection and evaluation questionnaires of physical literacy knowledge and students anamnesis. Description of applicants progress in the specific movement skills. Method: Unified questionnaires was used for obtaining informations. We make video for movement analysis. Results: The results didn't obtain our expectation that students are able to express precisely the content of physical literacy by specific skills. However, ...
Political Literacy as Information Literacy
Ross Cory Alexander
This paper contends that political literacy and information literacy are compatible concepts that are inextricably linked and should therefore be taught and stressed simultaneously to students in the classroom. Improving the information literacy and political literacy skills of students will allow them to not only perform better academically, but also empower them to become better citizens who form opinions and make decisions based on appropriate and quality information.
Data Literacy is Statistical Literacy
Gould, Robert
Past definitions of statistical literacy should be updated in order to account for the greatly amplified role that data now play in our lives. Experience working with high-school students in an innovative data science curriculum has shown that teaching statistical literacy, augmented by data literacy, can begin early.
Desarrollo de destrezas de información y nativos digitales: un reto en ciernes/Development of information literacy skills and digital natives: a budding challenge.
Centeno-Alayón, Purísíma
The Internet is useful for developing online information literacy experiences. This article justifies the developing of information literacy in its academic context and mentions the digital media as the vehicle to provide teaching-learning experiences. It also, emphasizes the digital native nature of our students and future learners.
Institutional Productivity Ratings and Publishing Trends in Nine Literacy Journals: 1972-2012
Rosborough, Alessandro; Miner, Amy Baird; Wilcox, Brad; Morrison, Timothy G.
This study examined the productivity of faculty members who published in nine leading literacy professional journals from 1972-2012. Those universities with the greatest number of articles written by literacy faculty members are listed. This listing was also adjusted according to number of literacy faculty members at each institution, resulting in…
Was ocean acidification responsible for history's greatest extinction?
Schultz, Colin
Two hundred fifty million years ago, the world suffered the greatest recorded extinction of all time. More than 90% of marine animals and a majority of terrestrial species disappeared, yet the cause of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) dieoff remains unknown. Various theories abound, with most focusing on rampant Siberian volcanism and its potential consequences: global warming, carbon dioxide poisoning, ocean acidification, or the severe drawdown of oceanic dissolved oxygen levels, also known as anoxia. To narrow the range of possible causes, Montenegro et al. ran climate simulations for PTB using the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model, a carbon cycle-climate coupled general circulation model.
Massive the Higgs boson and the greatest hunt in science
Sample, Ian
Now fully updated -- this is the dramatic and gripping account of the greatest scientific discovery of our time. In the early 1960s, three groups of physicists, working independently in different countries, stumbled upon an idea that would change physics and fuel the imagination of scientists for decades. That idea was the Higgs boson -- to find it would be to finally understand the origins of mass -- the last building block of life itself. Now, almost 50 years later, that particle has finally been discovered.
Accelerating the health literacy agenda in Europe.
Quaglio, Gianluca; Sørensen, Kristine; Rübig, Paul; Bertinato, Luigi; Brand, Helmut; Karapiperis, Theodoros; Dinca, Irina; Peetso, Terje; Kadenbach, Karin; Dario, Claudio
Health literacy can be defined as the knowledge, motivation and competence to access, understand, appraise and apply information to make decisions in terms of healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion. Health literacy is a European public health challenge that has to be taken seriously by policy-makers. It constitutes an emerging field for policy, research and practice. However, recent research has shown that health literacy advancement is still at its infancy in Europe, as reflected in the scarce scientific health literacy literature published by European authors. From a total of 569 articles published until 2011 on this subject, the first author of only 15% of them is from Europe. This article conveys recommendations of different European stakeholders on how to accelerate the health literacy agenda in Europe. A general introduction on the current status of health literacy is provided, followed by two cases applying health literacy in the areas of prevention of communicable diseases and promotion of digital health. The current EU strategies integrating health literacy are listed, followed by examples of challenges threatening the further development of health literacy in Europe. Recommendations as to how European stakeholders involved in research, policy, practice and education can promote health literacy are given. It is vital that the European Commission as well as European Union Member States take the necessary steps to increase health literacy at individual, organizational, community, regional and national levels. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: email@example.com.
Lukinbeal, Chris
While the use of media permeates geographic research and pedagogic practice, the underlying literacies that link geography and media remain uncharted. This article argues that geographic media literacy incorporates visual literacy, information technology literacy, information literacy, and media literacy. Geographic media literacy is the ability…
Penicillin: the medicine with the greatest impact on therapeutic outcomes.
Kardos, Nelson; Demain, Arnold L
The principal point of this paper is that the discovery of penicillin and the development of the supporting technologies in microbiology and chemical engineering leading to its commercial scale production represent it as the medicine with the greatest impact on therapeutic outcomes. Our nomination of penicillin for the top therapeutic molecule rests on two lines of evidence concerning the impact of this event: (1) the magnitude of the therapeutic outcomes resulting from the clinical application of penicillin and the subsequent widespread use of antibiotics and (2) the technologies developed for production of penicillin, including both microbial strain selection and improvement plus chemical engineering methods responsible for successful submerged fermentation production. These became the basis for production of all subsequent antibiotics in use today. These same technologies became the model for the development and production of new types of bioproducts (i.e., anticancer agents, monoclonal antibodies, and industrial enzymes). The clinical impact of penicillin was large and immediate. By ushering in the widespread clinical use of antibiotics, penicillin was responsible for enabling the control of many infectious diseases that had previously burdened mankind, with subsequent impact on global population demographics. Moreover, the large cumulative public effect of the many new antibiotics and new bioproducts that were developed and commercialized on the basis of the science and technology after penicillin demonstrates that penicillin had the greatest therapeutic impact event of all times. © Springer-Verlag 2011
Greatest Happiness Principle in a Complex System Approach
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Katalin Martinás
Full Text Available The principle of greatest happiness was the basis of ethics in Plato's and Aristotle's work, it served as the basis of utility principle in economics, and the happiness research has become a hot topic in social sciences in Western countries in particular in economics recently. Nevertheless there is a considerable scientific pessimism over whether it is even possible to affect sustainable increases in happiness.In this paper we outline an economic theory of decision based on the greatest happiness principle (GHP. Modern equilibrium economics is a simple system simplification of the GHP, the complex approach outlines a non-equilibrium economic theory. The comparison of the approaches reveals the fact that the part of the results – laws of modern economics – follow from the simplifications and they are against the economic nature. The most important consequence is that within the free market economy one cannot be sure that the path found by it leads to a beneficial economic system.
Ackerman, S. A.; Mooney, M. E.
The Climate Literacy Ambassadors program is a collaborative effort to advance climate literacy led by the Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With support from NASA, CIMSS is coordinating a three-tiered program to train G6-12 teachers to be Ambassadors of Climate Literacy in their schools and communities. The complete training involves participation at a teacher workshop combined with web-based professional development content around Global and Regional Climate Change. The on-line course utilizes e-learning technology to clarify graphs and concepts from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers with content intricately linked to the Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science. Educators who take the course for credit can develop lesson plans or opt for a project of their choosing. This session will showcase select lesson plans and projects, ranging from a district-wide action plan that engaged dozens of teachers to Ambassadors volunteering at the Aldo Leopold Climate Change Nature Center to a teacher who tested a GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign (SCRC) learning project with plans to participate in the SCRC program. Along with sharing successes from the CIMSS Climate Literacy Ambassadors project, we will share lessons learned related to the challenges of sustaining on-line virtual educator communities.
... Improvement, April 19, 2017 Considerations for a New Definition of Health Literacy, April 04, 2016 Health Literacy Online, Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Connect with Us Contact Us Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube Flickr More Social Media from NIH ...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Anders Skriver
This paper discusses findings from the Danish contribution to the EASE project, a European research project running from 2008 to 2010 on early literacy in relation to the transition from childcare to school. It explores a holistic, inclusive approach to early literacy that resists a narrow...... and schools. The paper also draws on Gee's (2001, 2003, 2004, 2008) sociocultural approach to literacy, and Honneth's (2003, 2006) concept of recognition. Emphasizing participation and recognition as key elements, it claims that stakeholders in early liter- acy must pay attention to how diverse early literacy...... opportunities empower children, especially when these opportunities are employed in a project-based learning environ- ment in which each child is able to contribute to the shared literacy events....
Masses of galaxies and the greatest redshifts of quasars
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hills, J G [Illinois Univ., Urbana (USA)
The outer parts of a typical galaxy follows an R/sup -2/ density distribution which results in the collapse time of its protogalaxy being proportional to its mass. Since quasars probably occur in the nuclei of galaxies which can only form after the collapse of their parent galaxies, their greatest observed redshift, Zsub(max), is largely determined by the mass, Msub(t), of a typical protogalaxy. The observed Zsub(max) of quasars indicates that Msub(t) = 1 x 10/sup 12/ solar masses. This mass is consistent with the masses of galaxies found in recent dynamical studies. It indicates that most of the mass in a typical galaxy is in the halo lying beyond the familiar optically-bright core, but the mass of a standard galaxy is still only 0.3 of that required for galaxies alone to close the universe.
Putting Media Literacy Education in Perspective of Theory of "Participatory Culture" : The case of Henry Jenkins (2009) Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture
Sunagawa, Seiji
In this report, I took a viewpoint of the "participatory culture" of Henry Jenkins (2009) into account and argued what the literacy of the digital media. I clarified what kind of culture "participatory culture" is and what one participated with how. The support system between peers in the "participatory culture", have the community which can feel relieved where the system letting each other take an equal viewpoint. I made clear that it was a problem of the media literacy education how to buil...
Literacy and Health Disparities
Prins, Esther; Mooney, Angela
This chapter explores the relationship between literacy and health disparities, focusing on the concept of health literacy. Recommendations are provided for ways to bridge the health literacy gap for learners in adult basic education and family literacy programs.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fani Nolimal
Full Text Available The author first defines literacy as the ability of co-operation in all fields of life and points at the features of illiterate or semi-literate individuals. The main stress is laid upon the assessment of literacy and illiteracy. In her opinion the main weak ness of this kind of evaluation are its vague psycho-metric characteristics, which leads to results valid in a single geographical or cultural environment only. She also determines the factors causing illiteracy, and she states that the level of functional literacy is more and more becoming a national indicator of successfulness.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Riis, Søren
The entanglement of ethics and technology makes it necessary for us to understand and reflect upon our own practices and to question technological hypes. The information and communication technology (ICT) literacy required to navigate the twenty-first century has to do with recognizing our own...... human limitations, developing critical measures and acknowledging feelings of estrangement, puzzlement as well as sheer wonder of technology. ICT literacy is indeed all about visions of the good life and the art of living in the twenty-first century. The main focus of this paper is to explore...... sensitivity with regard to ICT in the 'classic' literacy context of the educational system....
Hockly, Nicky; Pegrum, Mark
Dramatic shifts in our communication landscape have made it crucial for language teaching to go beyond print literacy and encompass the digital literacies which are increasingly central to learners' personal, social, educational and professional lives. By situating these digital literacies within a clear theoretical framework, this book provides educators and students alike with not just the background for a deeper understanding of these key 21st-century skills, but also the rationale for integrating these skills into classroom practice. This is the first methodology book to address not jus
A Study To Determine Instructors Self-Reported Instructional Strategies Which Foster Science Literacy In An EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Environment
Noseworthy, Mark Joseph
This research titled 'A Study to Determine Instructors Self-Reported Instructional Strategies Which Foster Science Literacy in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Environment' is an ethnographic study based on grounded theory principles and research design. The essence of the research was to answer five research questions that would ultimately create a foundation for instructional strategies allowing science instructors to foster science literacy in an EFL environment. The research attempts to conceptualize the research participants' instructional strategies that promote strong science literacy skills. Further to this, consider the complexities that this learning environment inherently offers, where the learning event is occurring in an English environment that is a second language for the learner. The research was designed to generate personal truths that produced common themes as it relates to the five research questions posed in this thesis; what instructional strategies do current post secondary science instructors at one College in Qatar believe foster science literacy in an EFL environment? As well, do science instructors believe that total immersion is the best approach to science literacy in an EFL environment? Is the North American model of teaching/learning science appropriate in this Middle Eastern environment? Are the current modes of teaching/instruction optimizing student's chances of success for science literacy? What do you feel are the greatest challenges for the EFL learner as it relates to science?
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Chongtay, Rocio; Robering, Klaus
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in and recognition of the importance of Computational Literacy, a skill generally considered to be necessary for success in the 21st century. While much research has concentrated on requirements, tools, and teaching methodologies for the acquisit......In recent years, there has been a growing interest in and recognition of the importance of Computational Literacy, a skill generally considered to be necessary for success in the 21st century. While much research has concentrated on requirements, tools, and teaching methodologies...... for the acquisition of Computational Literacy at basic educational levels, focus on higher levels of education has been much less prominent. The present paper considers the case of courses for higher education programs within the Humanities. A model is proposed which conceives of Computational Literacy as a layered...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Institutions are consequently introducing information literacy programmes in their curricula in a bid to ..... Brazil, Chile and Mexico (Lau 2007:31). Lau (2007) reported that these initiatives rarely involve IL inclusion in curricula and are scattered ...
Identifying and Funding the Greatest Needs in School Facilities
Gorrell, Bob; Salamone, Frank
How should public school facilities programs allocate limited resources to school facilities needs fairly, cost-effectively, and efficiently while taking into account facility condition, educational adequacy, and other priorities? New Mexico has developed a solution that overcomes key challenges that are common to school facilities programs across…
Basili, Carla
Information literacy is a concept which is well established in theory while in practice it is only slowly breaking ground in accordance with the understanding of its significance and the possibilities of its realisation. Based on fundamental works, the characteristics of information literacy, its cognitive foundations and significance for individuals as well as for society, are argumented in the article. The analyzed content of this concept is connected with the content of a librarian's knowl...
Exploring Phytoplankton Population Investigation Growth to Enhance Quantitative Literacy
Baumgartner, Erin; Biga, Lindsay; Bledsoe, Karen; Dawson, James; Grammer, Julie; Howard, Ava; Snyder, Jeffrey
Quantitative literacy is essential to biological literacy (and is one of the core concepts in "Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action"; AAAS 2009). Building quantitative literacy is a challenging endeavor for biology instructors. Integrating mathematical skills into biological investigations can help build…
Teaching for Transfer: Reconciling the Framework with Disciplinary Information Literacy
Kuglitsch, Rebecca Z.
This article explores the tension between information literacy as a generalizable skill and as a skill within the disciplines. The new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education addresses many challenges facing the previous ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, but the tension between disciplinary…
Information Literacy and Employability
O'Keeffe, Colin
Information Literacy (IL) and its relationship to third level graduates' employability has gained more attention in recent years. This article examines how IL has evolved from skills initially associated with academic libraries into a key workplace skill set of the knowledge economy. It outlines the challenges interviewees encounter when selling IL to employers, how IL can be utilised when preparing for upcoming interviews and suggests a distinction between workplace IL and employability IL. ...
Transforming Our World: Literacy for Sustainable Development
Hanemann, Ulrike, Ed.
This compilation offers global examples of innovative and promising literacy and numeracy programmes that link the teaching and learning of literacy to sustainable development challenges such as health, social equality, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability. This publication is a timely contribution to the 2030 Agenda for…
Teaching about Starbucks and Consumer Literacy
Malczewski, Joan; Plafker-Gutt, Debra; Cohen, Robert
One of the great challenges social studies teachers face is promoting economic and consumer literacy among their students. Fostering such literacy helps students to think critically and independently about their own roles as consumers as well as about the claims and promises the corporate world makes through mass advertising and the branding of…
Media Literacy Education: Harnessing the Technological Imaginary
Fry, Katherine G.
An important challenge for media literacy education in the next decade will be to cultivate a commanding voice in the cultural conversation about new and emerging communication media. To really have a stake in the social, economic and educational developments that emerge around new digital media in the U.S. and globally, media literacy educators…
Beyond the Hyperbole: Information Literacy Reconsidered
Heidi Julien
Information literacy, as a concept, has suffered from terminological confusion and has been burdened with untenable expectations. In addition, insufficient attention has been given to the place of information with the context of information behavior or information practices generally. Significant challenges remain to developing information literacy, but its value remains relevant.
Canadian Public Libraries Are Aware of Their Role as Information Literacy Training Providers, but Face Several Challenges. A Review of: Lai, H.-J. (2011. Information literacy training in public libraries: A case from Canada. Educational Technology & Society, 14(2, 81-88.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Laura Newton Miller
Full Text Available Objective– To explore the current state of information literacy (IL training in Canadian public libraries, and to identify strategies used for improving IL training skills for staff and patrons.Design – Mixed-methods approach, including document analysis, observations, and focus group interviews.Setting – Two libraries of a large public library system in Canada: the central library and one branch library.Subjects – Six staff members (manager, administrator, training coordinator, instructor, and computer technician who have been involved in designing and teaching information literacy courses for library patrons and staff.Methods – The researcher analyzed internal and external library documents related to information literacy, including, but not limited to, reports, posters, lesson plans, newsletters, and training scripts. He also observed interactions and behaviours of patrons during IL training sessions. Finally, he conducted a focus group with people involved in IL training, asking questions about facilities and resources, programs, patron reaction, librarian knowledge of IL theory, and impediments and benefits of IL training programs in public libraries.Main Results – Staff were aware of the importance of IL training in the library. Attracting more library patrons (including building partnerships with other organizations, improving staff IL and training skills, employing effective strategies for running training programs, and dealing with financial issues were all concerns about running IL training that were highlighted.Conclusion – Canadian public libraries are well aware of their role as IL training providers, but they still face several challenges in order to improve their effectiveness.
Teachers for Children with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: Education's Greatest Challenge?
Lauritzen, Paul; Friedman, Stephen J.
This article describes children having emotional/behavioral disorders, presents data demonstrating the critical shortage of teachers for this population, discusses factors that contribute to this problem, and offers recommendations including giving teachers of these children an additional salary stipend and providing them the option of…
Red tape still greatest challenge for business in Baltic Sea region
Balti arengufoorumil kohtunud poliitikute, ärimeeste, meediatöötajate ja teadlaste arvates on regiooni põhilised probleemid bürokraatia, kultuuribarjäärid ja Euroopa Liidu seaduste mittetäielik elluviimine. Lisa: Läänemere regiooni probleemid ja väljakutsed
The Greatest Challenge Ever for Mankind, Requiring Policies of Accelerating Hardship and Implementation Difficulty
Wilson, John
Providing energy for the contemporary world has resulted in a multi-variable problem in which a confluence of historical anomalies and economic, psychological, political, and demographic factors thwart efforts to prevent significant harm from increasing atmospheric CO2. This unlikely combination has created the perfect storm in which the warnings by scientists are ineffective. Global warming is occurring simultaneously with increased population, some dysfunctional political institutions, ascendency of oversimplified economic theory, campaigns to discredit scientists, misinterpretation of the meaning of noise in the Milankovitch climate cycles, and substantially improved hydrocarbon extraction methods. These factors are compounded by traits of human nature, such as greed and resistance to changing the familiar and discontinuing profitable endeavors. The idea that future people are equal with us may not be widely supported, yet this value is the foundation of climate change action. History shows that most people and nations will not take appropriate measures until forced, yet the cost increases as action is delayed. This makes appropriate policies even more extreme and difficult to accomplish as more wealth is consumed in treating global warming symptoms.
Information literacy: Educate through literacy
Atjo, Nur Amanah Ilham; Pratama, Muhammad Fadhil
The concepts and terms about "Information Literacy" has become general study in education studies. Information literacy is pivotal in this global world where the information literacy equip a person's ability to access, understand and use the information intelligently. In higher education, in the learning process, students should be able to get used to a new way in education. Students must independently by finding, training themselves and absorbing the education material from lecturers. The de...
Health literacy and its importance for effective communication. Part 2.
Lambert, Veronica; Keogh, Deborah
This is the second of two articles exploring the concept of health literacy, an often hidden barrier to effective healthcare communication. Part 1 was published in April ( Lambert and Keogh 2014 ). This article explains how to detect low levels of health literacy among parents and children, and outlines the challenges to assessing health literacy levels, including the stigma and discrimination some people experience. Some basic healthcare communication strategies for supporting health literacy in practice are suggested.
Heritage-Language Literacy Practices: A Case Study of Three Japanese American Families
Hashimoto, Kumi; Lee, Jin Sook
This article documents the heritage-language (HL) literacy practices of three Japanese American families residing in a predominantly Anglo and Latino community. Through interviews and observations, this study investigates Japanese children's HL-literacy practices, parental attitudes toward HL literacy, and challenges in HL-literacy development in…
Urgency Competence of Media Literacy for Archivist
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Agus Santoso
Full Text Available The study of media literacy has been conducted by the earlier scientists. That research uses population that have different characteristics to each other. So this studies of media literacy have various models or patterns. This models or patterns of media literacies will be used as basic data to the next study that generated will usually be the basis for the further research. Basically, the model of media literacy generated by some researchers only can be applied in the population which become objects of research. To day, the archives faced many challenges due to the presence of information technology, so that the competence of media literacy as one of the important competencies to have. Through this competency, archivist are expected to manage archives organization effectively and efficiently. This paper uses a descriptive method to describe how media literacy becomes important for archives.
Center for Media Literacy Unveils the CML Medialit Kit[TM]: A Free Educational Framework that Helps Students Challenge and Understand Media
Social Studies, 2004
Five key questions form the basis of the new CML MediaLit Kit, an educational framework and curriculum guide developed by the Center for Media Literacy. Adaptable to all grades, the key questions help children and young people evaluate the thousands of media messages that bombard them daily. More than two years in development and available for…
Literacy in Francophone Africa.
Kokora, Pascal D.
Literacy in francophone Africa, where literacy is still a privilege, is reviewed in terms of the complex linguistic situation, effects of population change, concepts and definitions of literacy, promotion of literacy in adult nonformal settings (e.g., African language literacy materials, multilingual settings). (23 references) (LB)
... medical words, and of how their health care system works Abilities, such as physical or mental limitations Personal factors, such as age, education, language abilities, and culture More than 90 million adults in the United States have low health literacy. It affects their ability ...
Information Literacy in the workplace
Inskip, C.
This talk aims to provide an overview of thinking and practice in workplace information literacy, an important developing area. It will consider the semantic gap between education and workplace settings and identify key issues around the challenges to library and information professionals in bridging that gap.
Mathematical Literacy: A new literacy or a new mathematics?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Renuka Vithal
Full Text Available Mathematical Literacy is a 'hot' topic at present in most countries, whether it is referred to by that name, or in some cases as Numeracy, or Quantitative Literacy, or Matheracy, or as some part of Ethnomathematics, or related to Mathematics in Society. Questions continue to be asked about what is meant by mathematics in any concept of Mathematical Literacy and the use of the very word 'Literacy' in its association with Mathematics has been challenged. Its importance, however, lies in changing our perspective on mathematics teaching, away from the elitism so often associated with much mathematics education, and towards a more equitable, accessible and genuinely educational ideal.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Froes, Isabel
these practices, which compose the taxonomy of tablet play. My contribution lies in identifying and proposing a series of theoretical concepts that complement recent theories related to play and digital literacy studies. The data collected through observations informed some noteworthy aspects, including how...... with tablets' physical and digital affordances shape children's digital play. This thesis presents how young children's current practices when playing with tablets inform digital experiences in Denmark and Japan. Through an interdisciplinary lens and a grounded theory approach, I have identified and mapped...... vocabulary in children's digital play experiences. These early digital experiences set the rules for the playgrounds and assert digital tablets as twenty-first-century toys, shaping young children's playful literacy....
Dealing with multiliteracies in literacy pegagogy II
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Laursen, Helle; Lundqvist, ulla; Orluf, Birgit
meaning from the information available to them in their social environment. In this paper, we discuss the relevance of a multiliteracies approach to literacy pedagogy and present some preliminary observations and considerations from our research study with special attention to the challenge......Dealing with multiliteracies in literacy pedagogy II Focus on multimodality Ulla Lundqvist, Birgit Orluf, Uffe Ladegaard & Helle Pia Laursen This paper is the second of two interconnected papers dealing with multiliteracies in literacy pedagogy. Ten years ago the Multiliteracies Project (Cope...... & Kalantzis, 2000) reflected on the changing semiotic landscape of literacy teaching and learning and asked the question how these changes could be taken into account in designing literacy pedagogies. The notion of Multiliteracies combined a focus on the multiplicity of representational modes (multimodal...
Dealing with multiliteracies in literacy pedagogy I
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Laursen, Helle; Daugaard, Line Møller; Østergaard, Winnie
meaning from the information available to them in their social environment. In this paper, we discuss the relevance of a multiliteracies approach to literacy pedagogy and present some preliminary observations and considerations from our research study with special attention to the challenge......Dealing with multiliteracies in literacy pedagogy I. Focus on multilingualism Line Møller Daugaard, Winnie Østergaard & Helle Pia Laursen This paper is the first of two interconnected papers dealing with multiliteracies in literacy pedagogy Ten years ago the Multiliteracies Project (Cope...... & Kalantzis, 2000) reflected on the changing semiotic landscape of literacy teaching and learning and asked the question how these changes could be taken into account in designing literacy pedagogies. The notion of Multiliteracies combined a focus on the multiplicity of representational modes (multimodal...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Der-Thanq "victor" Chen
Full Text Available The 21st century has marked an unprecedented advancement of new media. New media has become so pervasive that it has penetrated into every aspect of our society. New media literacy plays an essential role for any citizen to participate fully in the 21st century society. Researchers have documented that literacy has evolved historically from classic literacy (reading-writing-understanding to audiovisual literacy to digital literacy or information literacy and recently to new media literacy. A review of literature on media literacy reveals that there is a lack of thorough analysis of unique characteristics of new media and its impacts upon the notion of new media literacy. The purpose of the study is to unpack new media literacy and propose a framework for a systematic investigation of new media literacy.
To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy.
Brozo, William G.
When it comes to reading, teen and preteen boys are the most difficult students. This book addresses the growing concern among middle and high school teachers about boys' lack of literacy growth and independent reading. The book makes the case that boys are in the greatest need of help with literacy instruction and stresses the importance of…
Graubard, Stephen R., Ed.
This collection of essays addresses issues related to basic literacy and mathematical competence in the United States. Articles include the following: "The Roots of Literacy" (David Hawkins); "Historical Perspectives on Literacy and Schooling" (Daniel P. Resnick); "Reconciling the Literacies of Generations" (William…
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sehested, Caroline
I Projekt familielæsning, der er et samarbejde mellem Nationalt Videncenter for Læsning og Hillerød Bibliotek, arbejder vi med at få kontakt til de familier, som biblioteket ellers aldrig ser som brugere og dermed også de børn, der vokser op i familier, for hvem bøger og oplæsningssituationer ikk...... er en selvfølgelig del af barndommen. Det, vi vil undersøge og ønsker at være med til at udvikle hos disse familier, er det, man kan kalde family literacy....
Tres retos para la investigación y formación de docentes en inglés Three Challenges for Research and English Teacher Education: A Reflexivity on Literacy Beliefs and Practices
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mora Raúl Alberto
Full Text Available Este artículo está basado en el trabajo de investigación que culminó en la disertación doctoral sobre la evolución de las creencias y prácticas en literacidad de docentes y egresados de un programa de educación en enseñanza del inglés. Inspirado en la idea de reflexividad como un proceso de reflexión social que lleva a repensar el quehacer de las prácticas educativas, este artículo plantea tres retos: (a En vez de indagar sobre las contradicciones en los mensajes que se transmiten en los cursos de preparación docente, tenemos que mirar las yuxtaposiciones que se están presentando y que aún no son completamente reconocidas; (b Tenemos que repensar la idea de lecto-escritura y empezar a hablar más acerca de literacidad y (c Tenemos que repensar qué significa el preparar docentes involucrados en procesos de literacidad y segunda lengua en el contexto social, político y tecnológico de este milenio. This article is based on the research work that comprised my doctoral dissertation about the evolution of the literacy beliefs and practices of a group of faculty and graduates from an English teacher education program. Inspired by the idea of reflexivity as a social reflection process that leads to rethinking educational practices, this article poses three challenges: (a Instead of inquiring about the messages found in teacher education courses, we need to look at the unrecognized overlaps that are taking place; (b we need to rethink literacy as a construct much larger than just talking about reading and writing; and (c we need to rethink the characteristics of teachers education in regards to issues of literacy and second language in the social, political, and technological contexts of the new millennium.
Rethinking literacy education in new times: Multimodality, multiliteracies, and new literacies
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jenniffer Rowsell
Full Text Available The article presents a theoretical overview of new fields of research, pedagogy, and practice in literacy education. In a digital, media-driven, globalized world, educators are faced with the challenge of mediating traditional notions of what it means to be literate (e.g., read and writing print-based texts with new and ever-emerging skills and interests in technology and digital media. Focusing on a pilot study in Oakville, ON and a longitudinal research study in Sydney, Australia, we compel readers to think about literacy in a new light. Without a push to redefine literacy, educators run the risk of teaching and learning language and literacy skills in anachronistic paradigms and frameworks. While research has not been able to fully establish the impact of multimodal communication, it is essential that educators learn to use these different modes of communication to teach literacy.
Health Literacy and Communication Quality in Health Care Organizations
Wynia, Matthew K.; Osborn, Chandra Y.
The relationship between limited health literacy and poor health may be due to poor communication quality within health care delivery organizations. We explored the relationship between health literacy status and receiving patient-centered communication in clinics and hospitals serving communication-vulnerable patient populations. Thirteen health care organizations nationwide distributed a survey to 5,929 patients. All patients completed seven items assessing patient-centered communication. One third also completed three items assessing health literacy. The majority of patients had self-reported health literacy challenges, reporting problems learning about their medical condition because of difficulty understanding written information (53%), a lack of confidence in completing medical forms by themselves (61%), and needing someone to help them read hospital/clinic materials (57%). Logistic regression models showed that, after adjustment for patient demographic characteristics and health care organization type, patients with limited health literacy were 28–79% less likely than those with adequate health literacy to report their health care organization "always" provides patient-centered communication across seven communication items. Using a scaled composite of these items, limited health literacy remained associated with lower reported communication quality. These results suggest that improving communication quality in health care organizations might help to address the challenges facing patients with limited health literacy. They also highlight that efforts to address the needs of patients with limited health literacy should be sensitive to the range of communication challenges confronting these patients and their caregivers. PMID:20845197
A Decade of Critical Information Literacy: A Review of the Literature
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eamon Tewell
Full Text Available As information literacy continues in its centrality to many academic libraries' missions, a line of inquiry has developed in response to ACRL's charge to develop information literate citizens. The literature of critical information literacy questions widely held assumptions about information literacy and considers in what ways librarians may encourage students to engage with and act upon information's complex and inherently political nature. This review explores the research into critical information literacy, including critical pedagogy and critiques of information literacy, in order to provide an entry point for this emerging and challenging approach to information literacy.
Alfabetización informacional en la educación superior virtual: logros y desafíos Informational Literacy in Virtual Higher Education: Achievements and Challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Clelia Pineda Báez
' information literacy to find out about possible ruptures, transformations, advantages, problems and solutions that emerge from this form of education. The study used a quantitative and qualitative approach to gather information from teachers, coordinators, tutors and students from 9 higher education institutions. Results show that efforts to improve students' information literacy have been undertaken; however a greater collective effort is needed to improve the search for, evaluation and ethical use of information. Implicit here is the need for expert training and the need to reflect upon strategies to combat plagiarism.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ryberg, Thomas; Georgsen, Marianne
There are some tensions between high-level policy definitions of "digital literacy" and actual teaching practice. We need to find workable definitions of digital literacy; obtain a better understanding of what digital literacy might look like in practice; and identify pedagogical approaches, which...... support teachers in designing digital literacy learning. We suggest that frameworks such as Problem Based Learning (PBL) are approaches that enable digital literacy learning because they provide good settings for engaging with digital literacy. We illustrate this through analysis of a case. Furthermore......, these operate on a meso-level mediating between high-level concepts of digital literacy and classroom practice....
Mathematics-Literacy Checklists: A Pedagogical Innovation to Support Teachers as They Implement the Common Core
del Prado Hill, Pixita; Friedland, Ellen S.; McMillen, Susan
This article presents two innovative tools--the Mathematics-Literacy Planning Framework and Mathematics-Literacy Implementation Checklist--which are designed to help instructional coaches and specialists support teachers to meet the challenges of the mathematics-literacy integration goals of the Common Core. Developed with teacher input, these…
No Selling the Genie Lamp: A Game Literacy Practice in "The Sims"
Hayes, Elisabeth R.; Gee, James Paul
Drawing on the New Literacy Studies, the authors argue that game literacy takes multiple forms and is embedded in different practices associated with particular games and gaming communities. They examine one specific game literacy practice that involves players of "The Sims" creating challenges for other players, and they identify how playing and…
Social Justice Teaching: Adopting a Critical Pedagogy to Negotiate Old and New Literacies
Bender-Slack, Delane
Literacy is intricately linked to social justice, and it can shape the learning that occurs in our English language arts (ELA) classrooms. Challenging the notion of the traditional secondary ELA classroom--as centered on literature and old literacies--I advocate utilizing a critical pedagogy with a new literacy approach that employs texts to teach…
Science Fairs for Science Literacy
Mackey, Katherine; Culbertson, Timothy
Scientific discovery, technological revolutions, and complex global challenges are commonplace in the modern era. People are bombarded with news about climate change, pandemics, and genetically modified organisms, and scientific literacy has never been more important than in the present day. Yet only 29% of American adults have sufficient understanding to be able to read science stories reported in the popular press [Miller, 2010], and American students consistently rank below other nations in math and science [National Center for Education Statistics, 2012].
Progress in Literacy Coaching Success--A Dozen Years On
Toll, Cathy A.
Literacy coaches are most successful when they: develop strong, trusting relationships; provide clarity about their roles; communicate well; spend much of their time in coaching conversations; and monitor their perspectives about their work and those with whom they work. However, challenges still persist for literacy coaches, particularly in…
Developing Psychological Literacy: Is There a Role for Reflective Practice?
Coulson, Debra; Homewood, Judi
Psychological literacy is an umbrella term that is widely used to describe the attributes or capabilities of psychology graduate (Cranney & Dunn 2011). This article explores some of the complexities inherent in the learning and teaching of psychological literacy by exploring challenges to the development of self-awareness and cultural…
Position paper: Web tutorials and Information Literacy research
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hyldegård, Jette
Position paper on future research challenges regarding web tutorials with the aim of supporting and facilitating Information Literacy in an academic context. Presented and discussed at the workshop: Social media & Information Practices, track on Information literacy practices, University of Borås...
Peeling the Onion: Teaching Critical Literacy with Students of Privilege.
Foss, Abigail
Describes a teacher who explores her passion for critical literacy by challenging students of privilege to name their identities and disrupt the familiar. Creates a classroom founded on the philosophy that every student needs and deserves to be exposed to critical literacy--reading literature and their own lives with an awareness of systems of…
Literacy, learning and health - a social practices view of health literacu
Papen, Uta
In this paper, I use a social practices view of literacy to challenge dominant conceptions of health literacy. Health literacy is frequently defined as an abstract skill that can be measured through individual performance tests. The concept of health literacy as a skill neglects the contextual nature of reading and writing in health care settings. It risks ignoring the many ways in which patients access and comprehend health information, make sense of their experience and the resources they d...
... Submit What's this? Submit Button What is Health Literacy? Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Low Resolution ... and services to make appropriate health decisions. Health Literacy Capacity and Skills Capacity is the potential a ...
Health Literacy - Multiple Languages
... Here: Home → Multiple Languages → All Health Topics → Health Literacy URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/languages/ ... W XYZ List of All Topics All Health Literacy - Multiple Languages To use the sharing features on ...
Heide, van der Iris; Uiters, Ellen; Sørensen, Kristine; Röthlin, Florian; Pelikan, Jürgen; Rademakers, Jany; Boshuizen, Hendriek
Background: Health literacy is an important determinant of health, but national health literacy levels are known for only some European countries. This study aims to examine to what extent national health literacy levels can be estimated based on publicly available census data. Method:
Diemer, Frederieke S.; Haan, Yentl C.; Nannan Panday, Rani V.; van Montfrans, Gert A.; Oehlers, Glenn P.; Brewster, Lizzy M.
Low health literacy is an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. However, data on health literacy in low- and middle-income countries are scarce. Therefore, we assessed the level of health literacy in Suriname, a middle-income country with a high cardiovascular mortality. We estimated
Jones, Stephanie
In this commentary, the author invites readers to consider the body and its central place in literacy pedagogy, practice and research. She emphasizes two interrelated paths for teachers and researchers interested in literacies to tend to the body: (1) the ways literacies are engaged and cultivated for making sense of bodies, and (2) the literacies…
Hornberger, Nancy H.
Literacy in South America must be understood in terms of the linguistic diversity there, where only 2 of 14 nations and territories are monolingual. Oral traditions, standardization of indigenous languages, nonstandard varieties of colonial languages, bilingual education and mother tongue literacy, literacy teaching, and politics are discussed.…
Maksl, Adam; Ashley, Seth; Craft, Stephanie
News media literacy refers to the knowledge and motivations needed to identify and engage with journalism. This study measured levels of news media literacy among 500 teenagers using a new scale measure based on Potter's model of media literacy and adapted to news media specifically. The adapted model posits that news media literate individuals…
The greatest hydroelectric power plant in the world. Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Andonov - Chento, Ilija
Details to demonstrate the size and engineering achievements of one of the world's greatest hydroelectric power plant are given. Principal technical features of construction and operation of the Itaipu Dam are tabulated and discussed
Health literacy in Europe: comparative results of the European health literacy survey (HLS-EU).
Sørensen, Kristine; Pelikan, Jürgen M; Röthlin, Florian; Ganahl, Kristin; Slonska, Zofia; Doyle, Gerardine; Fullam, James; Kondilis, Barbara; Agrafiotis, Demosthenes; Uiters, Ellen; Falcon, Maria; Mensing, Monika; Tchamov, Kancho; van den Broucke, Stephan; Brand, Helmut
Health literacy concerns the capacities of people to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. In spite of the growing attention for the concept among European health policymakers, researchers and practitioners, information about the status of health literacy in Europe remains scarce. This article presents selected findings from the first European comparative survey on health literacy in populations. The European health literacy survey (HLS-EU) was conducted in eight countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain (n = 1000 per country, n = 8000 total sample). Data collection was based on Eurobarometer standards and the implementation of the HLS-EU-Q (questionnaire) in computer-assisted or paper-assisted personal interviews. The HLS-EU-Q constructed four levels of health literacy: insufficient, problematic, sufficient and excellent. At least 1 in 10 (12%) respondents showed insufficient health literacy and almost 1 in 2 (47%) had limited (insufficient or problematic) health literacy. However, the distribution of levels differed substantially across countries (29-62%). Subgroups within the population, defined by financial deprivation, low social status, low education or old age, had higher proportions of people with limited health literacy, suggesting the presence of a social gradient which was also confirmed by raw bivariate correlations and a multivariate linear regression model. Limited health literacy represents an important challenge for health policies and practices across Europe, but to a different degree for different countries. The social gradient in health literacy must be taken into account when developing public health strategies to improve health equity in Europe. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.
Information Literacy and Digital Literacy: Competing or Complementary?
Rosanne Marie Cordell
Digital Literacy is a more recent term than Information Literacy and is used for multiple categories of library users in multiple types of libraries. Determining the relationship between Information Literacy and Digital Literacy is essential before revision of the Information Literacy Standards can proceed.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sandvik, Kjetil; Thestrup, Klaus
This paper takes its departure in the EU-project MakEY - Makerspaces in the early years – enhancing digital literacy and creativity that is part of a H2020 RISE-program and is running January 2017 - June 2019. Here digital literacy and creative skills of young children between the age of 3......-8 will be developed through participation in creative activities in specially-designed spaces termed 'makerspaces'. This paper discusses, develops and challenges this term in relation to Danish pedagogical traditions, to expanding makerspaces onto the internet and on how to combine narratives and construction....... The Danish part of the project will be undertaken by a small network of partners: DOKK1, a public library and open urban space in Aarhus, that is experimenting with different kind of makerspaces, spaces and encounters between people, The LEGO-LAB situated at Computer Science, Aarhus University, that has...
Literacy and Technological Development in Nigeria: A Philosophical ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Literacy and Technological Development in Nigeria: A Philosophical ... Many challenges have occurred in society as a result of advances in sciences and technology. ... historical and cultural factors determine if and how, a technology is used.
The unavoidable need for distributed cognition in teaching literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Catherine Elizabeth Snow
the position of facing these challenges alone. In this article, I sketch out the kinds of knowledge that are required in teaching literacy, the kinds of widespread and common sense beliefs that need to be overcome in order t
Studying bilingual students' literacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Laursen, Helle Pia
In the official educational discourse in the Nordic countries literacy teaching has become a central and contested issue. In both public and political debate literacy seems to be constructed as a unified concept streamlined for administration and measurement (Prinsloo & Baynham, 2008...... conceived of as a threat to a school's profile (Rampton, Harris & Leung, 2001). In this paper, I focus on different conceptualizations of literacy and discuss the implications for research on bilingual children's literacy acquisition and the need to expand the understanding of literacy in ways, which might...... contribute to lift the basic understanding of bilinguals' literacy out of a disqualifying political discourse. Drawing on the ongoing study Sign of Language (Laursen, 2011), I reflect on how a social semiotic framework might help open new research perspectives on bilingual children's literacy acquisition...
Enhancing Literacy Skills through Technology.
Sistek-Chandler, Cynthia
Discusses how to use technology to enhance literacy skills. Highlights include defining literacy, including information literacy; research to support reading and writing instruction; literacy software; thinking skills; organizational strategies for writing and reading; how technology can individualize literacy instruction; and a new genre of…
Publishing Literacy for Researchers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Susanne Mikki
Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present an example of teacher-librarian collaboration (TLC in a highly diverse branch of geography as a part of bachelor's seminar teaching. One can say that everything is geography if the phenomenon in question is delimited in a certain region, place or space. Thus every other discipline provides its methods, paradigms and information sources into the use of geography. This obviously presents a challenge to the librarian as he tries to support the geography students' information seeking. The topics can vary between cellular biology applications to sociological perception which also means a large variety in information needs. In our paper we aim to describe different approaches of collaboration this kind of variety requires based on the experiences and feedback gathered in a project, the aim of which was to integrate information literacy (IL into the academic curriculum. Collaborating with teachers with different backgrounds and from different scientific traditions can be challenging for the librarian. Not only the information sources, databases and methods are different but it is the whole approach to the science that is different. Thus it is fairly obvious that the competence of a single librarian or a teacher is not sufficient for an effective IL instruction. The key here is the collaboration when librarian's information literacy and teacher's academic subject competence complete each other. A successful TLC gives opportunity for both marketing the idea of information literacy and the competence of a library professional. It may also increase the efficiency of teaching and studies and even shorten the time for a student to graduate. Especially in the case of seminar teaching TLC seems to give a valuable opportunity to instruct the students' seminar thesis along the way. In 2008, Kumpula Campus Library launched a project to integrate the IL teaching into the academic curriculum and to enhance the collaboration
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The paper also discusses some challenges faced in the teaching ... groups, language and cultural barriers and time and lack of computers. The paper ... administrative staff, researchers and librarians work with information. ...... The role of Information and Communication Technologies in Harnessing Information for women in.
Beyond the Hyperbole: Information Literacy Reconsidered
Julien, Heidi
Information literacy, as a concept, has suffered from terminological confusion and has been burdened with untenable expectations. In addition, insufficient attention has been given to the place of information with the context of information behavior or information practices generally. Significant challenges remain to developing information…
Literacy and Sexuality: What's the Connection?
Ashcraft, Catherine
In this column, the author highlights how the current framing of teen sexuality obscures important connections between literacy and sexuality. She argues that we need to challenge two current assumptions: the assumption that teen sexuality is primarily about public health and the assumption that all efforts to address teen sexuality are…
Canadian Public Library Users are Unaware of Their Information Literacy Deficiencies as Related to Internet Use and Public Libraries are Challenged to Address These Needs. A Review of: Julien, Heidi and Cameron Hoffman. "Information Literacy Training in Canada's Public Libraries." Library Quarterly 78.1 (2008: 19‐41.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Martha Ingrid Preddie
interviewees identified time as the main barrier to Internet use and online access.As regards library staff, 22 (78.6% of those interviewed posited IL training as an important role for public libraries. Many stated that customers had been asking for formal IL sessions with interest in training related to use of the catalogue, databases, and productivity software, as well as searching the web. Two roles were identified in the context of the public librarian as a provider of IL: "library staff as teachers/agents of empowerment and library staff as 'public parents'" (32. The former was defined as supporting independent, lifelong learning through the provision of IL skills, and the latter encompassing assistance, guidance, problem solving, and filtering of unsuitable content.Staff identified challenges to IL training as societal challenges (e.g., need for customers to be able to evaluate information provided by the media, the public library's role in reducing the digital divide, institutional (e.g., marketing of IL programs, staff constraints, lack of budget for IL training, infrastructural (e.g., limited space, poor Internet access in library buildings and pedagogical challenges, such as differing views pertinent to the philosophy of IL, as well as the low levels of IL training to which Canadian students at all levels had been previously exposed. Despite these challenges library staff acknowledged positive outcomes resulting from IL training in terms of customers achieving a higher level of computer literacy, becoming more skillful at searching, and being able to use a variety of information sources. Affective benefits were also apparent such as increased independence and willingness to learn. Library staff also identified life expanding outcomes, such as the use of IL skills to procure employment.In contrast to customer self‐perception, library staff expressed that customers' IL skills were low, and that this resulted in their avoidance of "higher‐level online
Making the Invisible More Visible: Home Literacy Practices of Middle-Class and Working-Class Families.
McCarthey, Sarah J.
Interviews with eight families showed that literacy materials and goals for using literacy differed between middle and working class families, with middle class families drawing on more resources to learn about the child's classroom. However, all families expressed value for literacy activities, challenging the myth that working-class families do…
The Quality of a "Local Values Based" Fuctional Literacy Program: Its Contribution to the Improvement of the Learner's Basic Competencies
Wahyudin, Uyu
Literacy facilitators across the archipelago are currently faced with the challenge to integrate local values in functional literacy education programs, because its integration is a new aspect. This makes localized literacy content a hard thing to implement. Yet, if properly conducted, it can lead to improved learner's basic competencies. In an…
Anneke Dirkx
In 2000 the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) published the Standards for Information Literacy. After 15 years these standards were in desperate need of revision. Instead of releasing a revised edition of the Standards, in 2015 ACRL presented a completely new vision on information literacy in higher education. In this keynote we will explore the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in all its glory. We will compare it to the old standards. Is this new American Fram...
La sociedad multipantallas: retos para la alfabetización mediática Multi-screen society: a challenge for media literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
José Manuel Pérez Tornero
Full Text Available La televisión convencional, en sus inicios medios de comunicación centralizada y de audiencia masiva, se está actualmente transformando y diversificando para acomodarse a las nuevas exigencias y condiciones de los nuevos contextos digitales. Se están produciendo, en este sentido, profundas y progresivas transformaciones en los sistemas de producción, distribución y recepción; en los programas, géneros, y contenidos en general; e incluso en las formas de comercialización y financiación. Este trabajo recoge los nuevos retos de la «sociedad multipantallas» que se abre ya de forma inexorable en nuestro horizonte. Conventional television is getting transformed and diversified to adapt to the new requirements and conditions of the new digital contexts. This means deep transformations in the production, distribution and reception systems; in the programs, genres, and contents in general; and in the commercialization channels and financing systems. This work gathers the new challenges of the "multi-screen society" that is appearing in our horizon.
It's in the Bag!: Going beyond the Science Classroom with Take-Home Literacy Bags
Martin, Susan Ferguson; Daughenbaugh, Lynda; Shaw, Edward L., Jr.; Burch, Katrina
Although literacy plays a large role in elementary science classrooms, one thing that offers a challenge for educators is meeting the linguistic needs of English language learners (ELLs) while also meeting their content needs. An additional challenge is ensuring that academic literacy extends beyond the classroom. This article presents ways of…
School Issues Under [Section] 504 and the ADA: The Latest and Greatest.
Aleman, Steven R.
This paper highlights recent guidance and rulings from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of interest to administrators, advocates, and attorneys. It is a companion piece to Student Issues on SectionNB504/ADA: The Latest and Greatest. Compliance with SectionNB504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) continues to involve debate and dialog on…
Can schools save kids' palates? Cooking from scratch in schools--the greatest food service challenge of our time.
Collins, Beth
School District Food Service Departments are faced with the enormous task of feeding children in the United States up to two thirds of the meals that they consume during the week at school. The shift in food production since the 1970s produced a trend away from scratch-cooked foods and resulted in more meals created from processed foods. The United States has reached a tipping point where the health of the current generation is compromised by increasing health risks of diet-related disease. Schools have been identified as a critical environment in which there is an opportunity to effect change in what children eat. As a result, in the last 10 years, there has been a resurgence of interest in freshly prepared meals in schools. This article explores one chef's transition from the private sector to the public sector and the experiences of working with school districts to successfully transform their school food service operations into a scratch cooking model.
Literacy in the 21st century: Towards a dynamic nexus of social relations
Benavot, Aaron
Literacy is an essential means of communication. It enables individuals, communities and institutions to interact, over time and across space, as they develop a web of social relations via language. Effective literacy policies, programmes and practices expand the scale of social communication and interaction. Thus, literacy thrives when a state of connectedness - or social nexus of relations - is forged and sustained among individuals, households, communities and social institutions. This paper provides an overview of recent literacy trends and challenges as well as core aspects of the policy strategies which seek to address them. It reviews the main barriers or complicating factors which limit the effective implementation of literacy policies. The paper describes how the notion of non-formal education, which frames many scholarly and policy accounts of adult literacy work today, is under-conceptualised. One result of this is a relatively undifferentiated view of literacy programmes and their specific non-formal components. The author argues that the concept of the social nexus of literacy is implicit in many analyses of literacy policies and strategies. Thus, well-defined, context-specific and sharply conceived literacy policies, which enhance the social nexus of literacy, are crucial for improving the effectiveness of literacy work.
Information Literacy and Digital Literacy: Competing or Complementary?
Cordell, Rosanne Marie
Digital literacy is a more recent concept than information literacy and can relate to multiple categories of library users in multiple types of libraries. Determining the relationship between information literacy and digital literacy is essential before revision of the ACRL "Standards" can proceed.
The measurement of psychological literacy: a first approximation.
Roberts, Lynne D; Heritage, Brody; Gasson, Natalie
Psychological literacy, the ability to apply psychological knowledge to personal, family, occupational, community and societal challenges, is promoted as the primary outcome of an undergraduate education in psychology. As the concept of psychological literacy becomes increasingly adopted as the core business of undergraduate psychology training courses world-wide, there is urgent need for the construct to be accurately measured so that student and institutional level progress can be assessed and monitored. Key to the measurement of psychological literacy is determining the underlying factor-structure of psychological literacy. In this paper we provide a first approximation of the measurement of psychological literacy by identifying and evaluating self-report measures for psychological literacy. Multi-item and single-item self-report measures of each of the proposed nine dimensions of psychological literacy were completed by two samples (N = 218 and N = 381) of undergraduate psychology students at an Australian university. Single and multi-item measures of each dimension were weakly to moderately correlated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of multi-item measures indicated a higher order three factor solution best represented the construct of psychological literacy. The three factors were reflective processes, generic graduate attributes, and psychology as a helping profession. For the measurement of psychological literacy to progress there is a need to further develop self-report measures and to identify/develop and evaluate objective measures of psychological literacy. Further approximations of the measurement of psychological literacy remain an imperative, given the construct's ties to measuring institutional efficacy in teaching psychology to an undergraduate audience.
Visual Competence, Media Literacy and "New Literacies" – Conceptual Considerations in a Plural Discursive Landscape
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Theo Hug
Full Text Available Debates on media competence and media literacy have been going on now for a few decades. Many concepts have been developed in various disciplines. Along with that, discourses on visual literacy have been intensified, too, although visuals have been used in educational contexts throughout history. But only recently, after almost three thousand years of historiography, turns like the iconic turn, pictorial turn or mediatic turn have been claimed. "Competencies of Visuals" (Ratsch et al. 2009 and their epistemological relevance are intensively discussed in arts, architecture and philosophy as well as in educational, communication and media studies. In this situation, we are facing new conceptual challenges for media education and media literacy discourses. The paper starts (1 with an outline of some points of departures, followed (2 by a discussion of selected concepts of 'visual competence,' 'media competence' and 'media literacy.' In part (3, "new literacies" are questioned. Finally (4, the contribution aims at conceptual clarifications and the relativization of literacy concepts. In this context, medial forms sensu Leschke (2010 are being considered as a fruitful framework not only for future developments in media theory but also in media education and educational theory.
Identifying attributes of food literacy: a scoping review.
Azevedo Perry, Elsie; Thomas, Heather; Samra, H Ruby; Edmonstone, Shannon; Davidson, Lyndsay; Faulkner, Amy; Petermann, Lisa; Manafò, Elizabeth; Kirkpatrick, Sharon I
An absence of food literacy measurement tools makes it challenging for nutrition practitioners to assess the impact of food literacy on healthy diets and to evaluate the outcomes of food literacy interventions. The objective of the present scoping review was to identify the attributes of food literacy. A scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted and attributes of food literacy identified. Subjects included in the search were high-risk groups. Eligible articles were limited to research from Canada, USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The search identified nineteen peer-reviewed and thirty grey literature sources. Fifteen identified food literacy attributes were organized into five categories. Food and Nutrition Knowledge informs decisions about intake and distinguishing between 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods. Food Skills focuses on techniques of food purchasing, preparation, handling and storage. Self-Efficacy and Confidence represent one's capacity to perform successfully in specific situations. Ecologic refers to beyond self and the interaction of macro- and microsystems with food decisions and behaviours. Food Decisions reflects the application of knowledge, information and skills to make food choices. These interdependent attributes are depicted in a proposed conceptual model. The lack of evaluated tools inhibits the ability to assess and monitor food literacy; tailor, target and evaluate programmes; identify gaps in programming; engage in advocacy; and allocate resources. The present scoping review provides the foundation for the development of a food literacy measurement tool to address these gaps.
Climate Literacy and Cyberlearning: Emerging Platforms and Programs
McCaffrey, M. S.; Wise, S. B.; Buhr, S. M.
With the release of the Essential Principles of Climate Science Literacy: A Guide for Individuals and Communities in the Spring of 2009, an important step toward an shared educational and communication framework about climate science was achieved. Designed as a living document, reviewed and endorsed by the thirteen federal agencies in the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (now U.S. Global Change Research Program), the Essential Principles of Climate Literacy complement other Earth system literacy efforts. A variety of emerging efforts have begun to build on the framework using a variety of cyberlearning tools, including an online Climate Literacy course developed by Education and Outreach group at CIRES, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and the Independent Learning program of the Continuing Education Division at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The online course, piloted during the Summer of 2009 with formal classroom teachers and informal science educators, made use of the online Climate Literacy Handbook, which was developed by CIRES Education and Outreach and the Encyclopedia of Earth, which is supported by the National Council for Science and the Environment and hosted by Boston University. This paper will explore challenges and opportunities in the use of cyberlearning tools to support climate literacy efforts, highlight the development of the online course and handbook, and note related emerging cyberlearning platforms and programs for climate literacy, including related efforts by the Climate Literacy Network, the NASA Global Climate Change Education programs, the National STEM Education Distributed Learning (NSDL) and AAAS Project 2061.
Critical Literacy: Foundational Notes
Luke, Allan
The term "critical literacy" refers to use of the technologies of print and other media of communication to analyze, critique, and transform the norms, rule systems, and practices governing the social fields of everyday life (A. Luke, 2004). Since Freire's (1970) educational projects in Brazil, approaches to critical literacy have been…
Overton, K.; Sosa-Tzec, O.; Smith, N.; Blevis, E.; Odom, W.; Hauser, S.; Wakkary, R.L.
The goal of this workshop is to develop ideas about and expand a research agenda for visual literacy in HCI. By visual literacy, we mean the competency (i) to understand visual materials, (ii) to create visuals materials, and (iii) to think visually [2]. There are three primary motivations for this
Balajthy, Ernest
Presents the first year's results of a continuing project to monitor the availability of software of relevance for literacy education purposes. Concludes there is an enormous amount of software available for use by teachers of reading and literacy--whereas drill-and-practice software is the largest category of software available, large numbers of…
Bush, Sarah B.; McGatha, Maggie B.; Bay-Williams, Jennifer M.
The current state of the economy elevates the need to build awareness of financial markets and personal finance among the nation's young people through implementing a financial literacy curriculum in schools. A limited amount of time spent on financial literacy can have a positive effect on students' budgeting skills. This knowledge will only add…
Literacy, Learning, and Media.
Adams, Dennis; Hamm, Mary
Considers the expanding definition of literacy from traditional reading and writing skills to include technological, visual, information, and networking literacy. Discusses the impact of media on social interactions and intellectual development; linking technology to educational goals; influences of new media symbol systems on communication;…
Cognitive Aspect ," AEDS Journal, 18, 3 (Spring 1985) 150. "°Geoffrey Akst, "Computer Literacy: An Interview with Dr. Michael Hoban." Journal of Develop- m...1984. Cheng, Tina T.; Plake, Barbara; and Stevens, Dorothy Jo. "A Validation Study of the Computer Literacy Examination: Cognitive Aspect ." AEDS
Marketing Information Literacy
Seale, Maura
In 2012, more than a decade after the original Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (hereafter the Standards) were institutionalized as the goal of academic library instruction, the Information Literacy Competency Standards Review Task Force convened by ACRL recommended…
Institutionalizing Information Literacy
Weiner, Sharon A.
There is increasing recognition that information literacy is essential for individual and community empowerment, workforce readiness, and global competitiveness. However, there is a history of difficulty in integrating information literacy with the postsecondary educational process. This paper posits that a greater understanding of the…
Srivastava, R. N.
A study of the various facets and dimensions of literacy programs in South Asia indicates that literacy is viewed as a means of human resource development geared toward meaningful participation of all sectors in society, with individual programs varying according to the magnitude of illiteracy, national goals, linguistic setting, and regional…
Nettle, Keith
Democracy in western countries now depends on literacy at every level: censuses by which governments can plan for the future; elections which are the cornerstone of democratic choice; local meetings which have agendas and minutes--the whole apparatus of social living is organized and recorded through literacy. This paper is concerned with how…
Greatest Happiness Principle in a Complex System: Maximisation versus Driving Force
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Katalin Martinás
Full Text Available From philosophical point of view, micro-founded economic theories depart from the principle of the pursuit of the greatest happiness. From mathematical point of view, micro-founded economic theories depart from the utility maximisation program. Though economists are aware of the serious limitations of the equilibrium analysis, they remain in that framework. We show that the maximisation principle, which implies the equilibrium hypothesis, is responsible for this impasse. We formalise the pursuit of the greatest happiness principle by the help of the driving force postulate: the volumes of activities depend on the expected wealth increase. In that case we can get rid of the equilibrium hypothesis and have new insights into economic theory. For example, in what extent standard economic results depend on the equilibrium hypothesis?
Why Does Media Literacy Matter?
Sargant, Naomi
Media literacy is taking its place in the array of literacies increasingly recognised as necessary for participating actively in democracy or, indeed, in day-to-day life. Financial literacy is another current example. "Literacy" is a term now widely used in relation to adults. The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as a…
Social Media - DoD's Greatest Information Sharing Tool or Weakest Security Link?
or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. SOCIAL MEDIA – DOD'S GREATEST INFORMATION SHARING TOOL...appropriateness and effectiveness of these policies in securing the information network. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Social media , information...TYPE Civilian Research Paper 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) August 2009-April 2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Social Media
The conditions for attaining the greatest degree of system stability with strict generator excitation control
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gruzdev, I.A.; Ekimova, M.M.; Truspekova, G.A.
Expressions are derived for an idealized model of a complex electric power system; these expressions define the greatest level of stability of an electric power system and the optimum combination of stabilization factors with automatic excitation control in a single power system. The possibility of increasing the level of stability of an electric power system with simultaneous strict automatic excitation control of the synychronous generators in several power systems is analyzed.
Asymptotics for the greatest zeros of solutions of a particular O.D.E.
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Silvia Noschese
Full Text Available This paper deals with the Liouville-Stekeloff method for approximating solutions of homogeneous linear ODE and a general result due to Tricomi which provides estimates for the zeros of functions by means of the knowledge of an asymptotic representation. From the classical tools we deduce information about the asymptotics of the greatest zeros of a class of solutions of a particular ODE, including the classical Hermite polynomials.
Relocalising academic literacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Clemensen, Nana; Holm, Lars
This article contributes to the continuing discussion about academic literacy in international higher education. Approaching international study programmes as temporary educational contact zones, marked by a broad diversity in students' educational and discursive experiences, we examine the negot......This article contributes to the continuing discussion about academic literacy in international higher education. Approaching international study programmes as temporary educational contact zones, marked by a broad diversity in students' educational and discursive experiences, we examine...... the negotiation and relocalisation of academic literacy among students of the international master's programme, Anthropology of Education and Globalisation (AEG), University of Aarhus, Denmark. The article draws on an understanding of academic literacy as a local practice situated in the social and institutional...... contexts in which it appears. Based on qualitative interviews with eleven AEG-students, we analyse students' individual experiences of, and perspectives on, the academic literacy practices of this study programme. Our findings reveal contradictory understandings of internationalism and indicate a learning...
Why Information Literacy Is Invisible
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William Badke
Full Text Available Despite the many information literacy programs on higher education campuses, the literature of information literacy and the concept of information literacy as a viable academic subject remain hidden to most professors and academic administrators. Information literacy is invisible to academia because it is misunderstood, academic administrators have not put it on their institutions' agendas, the literature of information literacy remains in the library silo, there is a false belief that information literacy is acquired only by experience, there is a false assumption that technological ability is the same as information literacy, faculty culture makes information literacy less significant than other educational pursuits, faculty have a limited perception of the ability of librarians. and accrediting bodies have not yet advanced information literacy to a viable position in higher education. The new information age demands that these barriers be overcome and information literacy take a prominent place within the academic experience.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jelena Perovic
Full Text Available Few countries in the world have introduced media education into their curriculums. Montenegro became one of them in 2009, when "media literacy" was introduced as an optional subject for 16 and 17 year old students of Gymnasium high schools. This article presents the findings of the first and only research conducted so far on media education in Montenegro. It is a national case study which examines the potential of media education to change the school culture and accelerate education system reform towards embracing the new digital education paradigm in the future. The focus is on the results of research conducted through in-depth interviews with media literacy teachers all over the country. Despite the many challenges, all teachers identify the potential of media education to strengthen some of the key competences of the students and to improve their motivation and academic performance. They also identify potential to change positively school culture by transforming teachers into "cultural mediators" (Morcellini, 2007 and by supporting the formation of a "participative culture" (Jenkins & Kelley, 2013 in schools. This research recommends focusing education reform on spreading the media education pedagogy to the entire curriculum in order to embrace the new digital education paradigm in the future.
Why Information Literacy Is Invisible
William Badke
Despite the many information literacy programs on higher education campuses, the literature of information literacy and the concept of information literacy as a viable academic subject remain hidden to most professors and academic administrators. Information literacy is invisible to academia because it is misunderstood, academic administrators have not put it on their institutions' agendas, the literature of information literacy remains in the library silo, there is a false belief that infor...
Information literacy dimension seeking learning quality in university education
Vaičiūnienė, Vilhelmina; Gedvilienė, Genutė
Education in Lithuania is undergoing great transformations that are affecting higher education. Today's education at large experiences challenges caused by new technologies, abundance of information resources, thus being forced to search for new and effective methods of teaching / learning. The issue of information literacy at university level in Lithuania has not been researched in more depth so far. Integration of information literacy into the curriculum of higher education is a key questio...
The development of a concise questionnaire designed to measure perceived outcomes on the issues of greatest importance to patients.
Busby, M; Burke, F J T; Matthews, R; Cyrta, J; Mullins, A
To develop a concise patient feedback audit instrument designed to inform practice development on those issues of greatest importance to patients. A literature review was used to establish the issues which were of greatest importance to patients. Ten core questions were then designed with the help of an experienced survey and polling organisation. A challenging grading of patient responses was utilised in an attempt to differentiate perceived performance within a practice on the different aspects and between practices. A feasibility study was conducted using the interactive voice response mode with seven volunteer practices in 2009. The instrument was then used in the later part of 2010 by 61 practices mostly in paper-based format. Practices received feedback which is primarily based on a bar chart plotting their percentage of top grades received against a national reference sample (NRS) compiled from the results of other participating practices. A statistical analysis was conducted to establish the level at which an individual practice result becomes statistically significant against the NRS. The 61 participating practices each received an average of 121 responses (total 7,381 responses). Seventy-four percent of responses across all ten questions received the top grade, 'ideal'. Statistical analysis indicated that at the level of 121 responses, a score of around 4-9% difference to the National Reference Sample, depending on the specific question, was statistically significant. In keeping with international experience with dental patient feedback surveys this audit suggests high levels of patient satisfaction with their dental service. Nevertheless, by focusing results on the proportion of highest grades received, this instrument is capable of indicating when perceived performance falls significantly below the average. It can therefore inform practice development.
Northeast and Midwest regional species and habitats at greatest risk and most vulnerable to climate impacts
Staudinger, Michelle D.; Hilberg, Laura; Janowiak, Maria; Swanton, C.O.
The objectives of this Chapter are to describe climate change vulnerability, it's components, the range of assessment methods being implemented regionally, and examples of training resources and tools. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments (CCVAs) have already been conducted for numerous Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their dependent 5 habitats across the Northeast and Midwest. This chapter provides a synthesis of different assessment frameworks, information on the locations (e.g., States) where vulnerability assessments were conducted, lists of individual species and habitats with their respective vulnerability rankings, and a comparison of how vulnerability rankings were determined among studies.
Culkin, John; Drexel, John
Media education specialist John Culkin talks with editor John Drexel about learning to read in the television age--and discusses a new alphabet, UNIFON, that may help solve the literacy crisis. (Editor)
Willows, Dale
Describes professional development program in Ontario school district to improve student reading and writing skills. Program used food-pyramid concepts to help teacher learn to provide a balanced and flexible approach to literacy instruction based on student needs. (PKP)
Does literacy improve finance?
Poon, Martha; Olen, Helaine
When economists ask questions about basic financial principles, most ordinary people answer incorrectly. Economic experts call this condition "financial illiteracy," which suggests that poor financial outcomes are due to a personal deficit of reading-related skills. The analogy to reading is compelling because it suggests that we can teach our way out of population-wide financial failure. In this comment, we explain why the idea of literacy appeals to policy makers in the advanced industrial nations. But we also show that the narrow skill set laid out by economists does not satisfy the politically inclusive definition of literacy that literacy studies fought for. We identify several channels through which people engage with ideas about finance and demonstrate that not all forms of literacy will lead people to the educational content prescribed by academic economists. We argue that truly financial literate people can defy the demands of financial theory and financial institutions. © The Author(s) 2015.
Embracing early literacy indicators
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Broström, Stig; Hansen, Ole Henrik; Jensen, Anders Skriver
Abstract til paper om early literacy indikatorer. Det paper abstractet er knyttet til var en del af et inviteret, selvorganiseret symposium som afrapporterede EASE-projektet (www.ease-eu.com) på OMEP's 26. verdenskongres.......Abstract til paper om early literacy indikatorer. Det paper abstractet er knyttet til var en del af et inviteret, selvorganiseret symposium som afrapporterede EASE-projektet (www.ease-eu.com) på OMEP's 26. verdenskongres....
Schoedinger, S. E.; Strang, C.
"Ocean Literacy is an understanding of the ocean's influence on you and your influence on the ocean." This simple statement captures the spirit of a conceptual framework supporting ocean literacy (COSEE et al., 2005). The framework comprises 7 essential principles and 44 fundamental concepts an ocean literate person would know (COSEE et al., 2005). The framework is the result of an extensive grassroots effort to reach consensus on (1) a definition for ocean literacy and (2) an articulation of the most important concepts to be understood by ocean-literate citizen (Cava et al., 2005). In the process of reaching consensus on these "big ideas" about the ocean, what began as a series of workshops has emerged as a campaign "owned" by an ever-expanding community of individuals, organizations and networks involved in developing and promoting the framework. The Ocean Literacy Framework has provided a common language for scientists and educators working together and serves as key guidance for the ocean science education efforts. This presentation will focus on the impact this Ocean Literacy Campaign has had to date as well as efforts underway to provide additional tools to enable educators and educational policy makers to further integrate teaching and learning about the ocean and our coasts into formal K-12 education and informal education. COSEE, National Geographic Society, NOAA, College of Exploration (2005). Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences Grades K-12, a jointly published brochure, URL: http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/documents/OceanLitChart.pdf Cava, F., S. Schoedinger , C. Strang, and P. Tuddenham (2005). Science Content and Standards for Ocean Literacy: A Report on Ocean Literacy, URL: http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/documents/OLit2004-05_Final_Report.pdf.
Morphing Literacy: Boys Reshaping Their School-Based Literacy Practices
Blair, Heather A.; Stanford, Kathy
Details about a two-year ethnographic case study research in middle school boys to understand school literacy are presented. The study revealed that boys resist many school-based practices by transforming the assigned literacy work.
Reducing mortality from childhood pneumonia: The leading priority is also the greatest opportunity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Igor Rudan
Full Text Available Pneumonia and diarrhoea have been the leading causes of global child mortality for many decades. The work of Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG has been pivotal in raising awareness that the UN's Millennium Development Goal 4 cannot be achieved without increased focus on preventing and treating the two diseases in low– and middle–income countries. Global Action Plan for Pneumonia (GAPP and Diarrhoea Global Action Plan (DGAP groups recently concluded that addressing childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea is not only the leading priority but also the greatest opportunity in global health today: scaling up of existing highly cost–effective interventions could prevent 95% of diarrhoea deaths and 67% of pneumonia deaths in children younger than 5 years by the year 2025. The cost of such effort was estimated at about US$ 6.7 billion.
Teaching Literacy through Braille in Mainstream Settings whilst Promoting Inclusion: Reflections on Our Practice
Roe, Joao; Rogers, Sue; Donaldson, Marion; Gordon, Clare; Meager, Nathan
We would describe teaching literacy through braille as one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of the role of a Qualified Teacher for the Visually Impaired (QTVI). This article focuses on teaching literacy through braille in mainstream settings whilst promoting inclusion and meeting the social-emotional needs of children who use braille.…
Oral health literacy among clients visiting a Rural Dental College in ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
BACKGROUND: Limited health literacy among adults is one of the many barriers to better oral health outcomes. It is not uncommon to find people who consider understanding oral health information a challenge. Therefore, the present study assessed oral health literacy among clients visiting Gian Sagar Dental College and ...
Literacy Instruction for Young Children with Severe Speech and Physical Impairments: A Systematic Review
Stauter, Donna W.; Myers, Sarah R.; Classen, Audra I.
Children with severe speech and physical impairment who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) present unique challenges in literacy development. Traditional reading instruction has not met these students' needs. Occupational therapy and speech therapy provide supports to mediate limitations to literacy instruction. A systematic…
Reading Success: Validation of a Specialized Literacy Program (1978-2007)
Idol, Lorna
Reading Success is an individualized teacher-guided literacy program proven for 663 students who experienced difficulty with reading. The students had learning disabilities, mild mental retardation, and behavior challenges; were at risk for school failure; or were transitioning from speaking Spanish to English and experiencing literacy problems.…
Adolescent Literacy in the Academic Disciplines: General Principles and Practical Strategies
Jetton, Tamara L., Ed.; Shanahan, Cynthia, Ed.
From leading authorities in both adolescent literacy and content-area teaching, this book addresses the particular challenges of literacy learning in each of the major academic disciplines. Chapters focus on how to help students successfully engage with texts and ideas in English/literature, science, math, history, and arts classrooms. The book…
Learning to Queer Text: Epiphanies from a Family Critical Literacy Practice
McClung, Nicola A.
Critical literacy provides the opportunity to queer picture books and challenge normative depictions of family. In this autoethnography, the author describes her 4-year-old's journey of learning to talk back to texts as she actively constructs a better, more just world. The author argues that a critical literacy tool kit is vital to every child's…
Teaching Strategies to Develop Inquiry and Literacy Skills: "Languaging" in Foreign Language Immersion Education
Husbye, Nicholas; Dorner, Lisa M.
One-way, or foreign language, immersion schools face unique challenges as they seek to support the literacy development of their students. This manuscript draws on sociocultural theories of literacy development and the concept of languaging, the process of using language to make meaning. Working with two classrooms over one semester, we asked:…
Information Literacy for Social Workers: University at Albany Libraries Prepare MSW Students for Research and Practice
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mary Jane Brustman
Full Text Available In a series of workshops, University at Albany librarians collaborate with the School of Social Welfare to impart information literacy skills to Master in Social Work students. The rationale, curriculum, and embedded ACRL information literacy standards are discussed. Also presented are assessments and a discussion of the challenges of implementation.
Digital Literacy and Metaphorical Models
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carolina Girón García
Full Text Available It is an acknowledged fact that the appearance of new genres in cyberspace has shifted the main focus of instruction strategies nowadays. Learners of any field are challenged by the acquisition of a new type of literacy, digital literacy –how to read and write, or how to interact, in and through the Internet. In this line, websites often show expressions like "home", "visit", "down-load", "link", etc. which are used in a new sense that did not exist before the digital era. Such expressions constitute the manifestation of mental models that have been transferred from traditional conceptual domains onto the new knowledge domain of the Internet. These conceptual metaphors are some of the cognitive models that help in the conceptualization of new cybergenres. This paper points at describing how these cognitive models build our notion of diverse cybergenres in English – e.g. the weblog, the social network, the cybertask. Our aim here consists in detecting these metaphorical models as well as describing and classifying their conceptual mappings between domains. With that purpose, some digital materials are analyzed, so as to test the hypothesis that such mappings and models guide the user's representation of the genre, as a coherent structure.
Literacy of the Other: The Inner Life of Literacy
Tarc, Aparna Mishra
My paper situates literacy in the pre-symbolic implications of the maternal relation. Turning to child psychoanalysis, particularly Melanie Klein's theories of infancy and symbolization, my paper discusses the role the child's inner life plays in her engagements with literacy. Citing cases of second language learning, I pose literacy as…
Reform in Literacy Education in China. Literacy Lessons.
Yianwei, Wang; Jiyuan, Li
Literacy in China is mainly concerned with illiteracy in rural areas. Therefore, reforming literacy education is largely a problem of how to eliminate rural literacy within the general framework of reform in contemporary China. From 1949 to 1988, the illiteracy rate among the population decreased from 80 percent to 20 percent. There are still…
New literacies, multiple literacies, unlimited literacies: what now, what next, where to? A response to blue listerine, parochialism and ASL literacy.
Paul, Peter V
This article is a response to Blue Listerine, Parochialism, and ASL Literacy (Czubek, 2006). The author presents his views on the concepts of literacy and the new and multiple literacies. In addition, the merits of print literacy and other types of literacies are discussed. Although the author agrees that there is an American Sign Language (ASL) literacy, he maintains that there should be a distinction between conversational "literacy" forms (speech and sign) and secondary literacy forms (reading and writing). It might be that cognitive skills associated with print literacy and, possibly, other captured literacy forms, are necessary for a technological, scientific-driven society such as that which exists in the United States.
Hall, Amy Conlin
This descriptive study was designed to be a detailed, informative study of a group of adult males who have been gamers since adolescence. The purposes of the study are to provide information regarding gaming as a literacy practice and to explore other vernacular technological literacy practices. The study sheds light on the merits of gaming and other new literacies by examining the literacy development of a select group of adult males. This research was centered on vernacular technological...
The Geography of Financial Literacy
Christopher Bumcrot; Judy Lin; Annamaria Lusardi
This paper explores how well equipped today's households are to make complex financial decisions in the face of often high-cost and high-risk financial instruments. Specifically we focus on financial literacy. Most importantly, we describe the geography of financial literacy, i.e., how financial literacy is distributed across the fifty US states. We describe the correlation of financial literacy and some important aggregate variables, such as state-level poverty rates. Finally, we examine the...
The Value of Literacy Practices
Esposito, Lucio; Kebede, Bereket; Maddox, Bryan
The concepts of literacy events and practices have received considerable attention in educational research and policy. In comparison, the question of value, that is, "which literacy practices do people most value?" has been neglected. With the current trend of cross-cultural adult literacy assessment, it is increasingly important to…
Literacy in an Information Society.
Breivik, Patricia Senn
Today's definition of literacy must include the ability to find and evaluate needed information. Proposes a national literacy agenda to change the way information is used in educational settings and provide greater access to expanding information resources. Considers information literacy a means of personal and national empowerment. (DMM)
Information Literacy: A Bogus Bandwagon?
McCrank, Lawrence J.
Discusses the concept of information literacy and its target audience of library users. Topics discussed include the relationship of information literacy to bibliographic instruction (BI) and other library instruction; the role of librarians; terminology problems in librarianship; and the effects of information literacy on the value of information…
Writing, Literacy, and Applied Linguistics.
Leki, Ilona
Discusses writing and literacy in the domain of applied linguistics. Focus is on needs analysis for literacy acquisition; second language learner identity; longitudinal studies as extensions of identity work; and applied linguistics contributions to second language literacy research. (Author/VWL)
The Comprehensive Emergent Literacy Model
Leigh Rohde
The early skills of Emergent Literacy include the knowledge and abilities related to the alphabet, phonological awareness, symbolic representation, and communication. However, existing models of emergent literacy focus on discrete skills and miss the perspective of the surrounding environment. Early literacy skills, including their relationship to one another, and the substantial impact of the setting and context, are ...
Current Global Pricing For Human Papillomavirus Vaccines Brings The Greatest Economic Benefits To Rich Countries.
Herlihy, Niamh; Hutubessy, Raymond; Jit, Mark
Vaccinating females against human papillomavirus (HPV) prior to the debut of sexual activity is an effective way to prevent cervical cancer, yet vaccine uptake in low- and middle-income countries has been hindered by high vaccine prices. We created an economic model to estimate the distribution of the economic surplus-the sum of all health and economic benefits of a vaccine, minus the costs of development, production, and distribution-among different country income groups and manufacturers for a cohort of twelve-year-old females in 2012. We found that manufacturers may have received economic returns worth five times their original investment in HPV vaccine development. High-income countries gained the greatest economic surplus of any income category, realizing over five times more economic value per vaccinated female than low-income countries did. Subsidizing vaccine prices in low- and middle-income countries could both reduce financial barriers to vaccine adoption and still allow high-income countries to retain their economic surpluses and manufacturers to retain their profits. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
MreB filaments align along greatest principal membrane curvature to orient cell wall synthesis
Szwedziak, Piotr; Wong, Felix; Schaefer, Kaitlin; Izoré, Thierry; Renner, Lars D; Holmes, Matthew J; Sun, Yingjie; Bisson-Filho, Alexandre W; Walker, Suzanne; Amir, Ariel; Löwe, Jan
MreB is essential for rod shape in many bacteria. Membrane-associated MreB filaments move around the rod circumference, helping to insert cell wall in the radial direction to reinforce rod shape. To understand how oriented MreB motion arises, we altered the shape of Bacillus subtilis. MreB motion is isotropic in round cells, and orientation is restored when rod shape is externally imposed. Stationary filaments orient within protoplasts, and purified MreB tubulates liposomes in vitro, orienting within tubes. Together, this demonstrates MreB orients along the greatest principal membrane curvature, a conclusion supported with biophysical modeling. We observed that spherical cells regenerate into rods in a local, self-reinforcing manner: rapidly propagating rods emerge from small bulges, exhibiting oriented MreB motion. We propose that the coupling of MreB filament alignment to shape-reinforcing peptidoglycan synthesis creates a locally-acting, self-organizing mechanism allowing the rapid establishment and stable maintenance of emergent rod shape. PMID:29469806
Covering women's greatest health fear: breast cancer information in consumer magazines.
Walsh-Childers, Kim; Edwards, Heather; Grobmyer, Stephen
Women identify consumer magazines as a key source of information on many health topics, including breast cancer, which continues to rank as women's greatest personal health fear. This study examined the comprehensiveness and accuracy of breast cancer information provided in 555 articles published in 17 consumer magazines from 2002 through 2007. Accuracy of information was determined for 33 key breast cancer facts identified by an expert panel as important information for women to know. The results show that only 7 of 33 key facts were mentioned in at least 5% of the articles. These facts all dealt with breast cancer risk factors, screening, and detection; none of the key facts related to treatment or outcomes appeared in at least 5% of the articles. Other topics (not key facts) mentioned centered around controllable risk factors, support for breast cancer patients, and chemotherapy treatment. The majority of mentions of key facts were coded as fully accurate, although as much as 44% of mentions of some topics (the link between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer) were coded as inaccurate or only partially accurate. The magazines were most likely to emphasize family history of breast cancer or genetic characteristics as risk factors for breast cancers; family history was twice as likely to be discussed as increasing age, which is in fact the most important risk factor for breast cancer other than being female. Magazine coverage may contribute to women's inaccurate perceptions of their breast cancer risk.
The Big Three: Our Greatest Security Risks and How to Address Them
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Danzig, Richard
.... Ethnic and national groups lock in conflict so extensive and bitter that even when U.S. interests are not directly at stake, as in Bosnia or Rwanda, there are imperatives for intervention. The challenges at the end of the 20th century are immensely demanding. But beyond the present lie other, probably even more.
Literacy research methodologies
Duke, Nell K
The definitive reference on literacy research methods, this book serves as a key resource for researchers and as a text in graduate-level courses. Distinguished scholars clearly describe established and emerging methodologies, discuss the types of questions and claims for which each is best suited, identify standards of quality, and present exemplary studies that illustrate the approaches at their best. The book demonstrates how each mode of inquiry can yield unique insights into literacy learning and teaching and how the methods can work together to move the field forward. New to This Editi
Take-home video for adult literacy
Yule, Valerie
In the past, it has not been possible to "teach oneself to read" at home, because learners could not read the books to teach them. Videos and interactive compact discs have changed that situation and challenge current assumptions of the pedagogy of literacy. This article describes an experimental adult literacy project using video technology. The language used is English, but the basic concepts apply to any alphabetic or syllabic writing system. A half-hour cartoon video can help adults and adolescents with learning difficulties. Computer-animated cartoon graphics are attractive to look at, and simplify complex material in a clear, lively way. This video technique is also proving useful for distance learners, children, and learners of English as a second language. Methods and principles are to be extended using interactive compact discs.
New Literacies, Multiple Literacies, Unlimited Literacies: What Now, What Next, Where to? A Response to "Blue Listerine, Parochialism and ASL Literacy"
Paul, Peter V.
This article is a response to "Blue Listerine, Parochialism, and ASL Literacy" (Czubek, 2006). The author presents his views on the concepts of literacy and the new and multiple literacies. In addition, the merits of print literacy and other types of literacies are discussed. Although the author agrees that there is an American Sign…
Five Fabulous Literacy-Oriented Web Sites.
Kurlychek, Ken
Profiles six noteworthy web sites on literacy-related information, including sites that deal with issues addressing literacy and deafness, literacy development, family literacy program development, evaluation of family literacy programs, and encouraging young children with deafness to read. Online addresses of the web sites are provided. (CR)
The arrow of time a voyage through science to solve time's greatest mystery
Coveney, Peter
In this book physical chemist Dr Peter Coveney and award-winning science journalist Dr Roger Highfield have questioned our understanding of science with their humorous reinterpretation of the most profound aspect of time - why it points from the past to the future. The author's challenge to scientific preconceptions about the irreversibility of time is designed to link apparently irreconcilable features of science, from Einstein's obsession with causality to chaos theory, from the cause of jet lag to the Monday morning feeling.
Duncan, Barry
Provides an up-to-date bibliography of resources available for teaching media literacy. Groups resources into the areas of media education methodology, mass media texts, general background, television, film, the news and medium of print, advertising, gender and the media, popular culture, popular music and rock video, periodicals, and…
Adolescent Literacy. Fact Sheet
Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011
The nation's workforce is demanding ever more literate workers and citizens. As technology advances and the American economy grows increasingly knowledge based, individuals must be able to read, write, and communicate at higher levels in order to remain economic and social contributors. A student's level of literacy is a critical determinant of…
Stewards of Digital Literacies
Rheingold, Howard
Participatory culture, in which citizens feel and exercise the agency of being cocreators of their culture and not just passive consumers of culture created by others, depends on widespread literacies of participation. One can't participate without knowing how. And cultural participation depends on a social component that is not easily learned…
Riecken, Ted J.; Court, Deborah
Advocates defining cultural literacy to recognize the mass media's role in transmitting and maintaining cultural stereotypes and shaping values and beliefs. Distinguishes between ideational and material aspects of culture. Advocates teaching critical thinking and respect for persons in light of questionable moral perspectives in certain media…
Weiss-Magasic, Coleen
Writing activities are a sure way to assess and enhance students' science literacy. Sometimes the author's students use technical writing to communicate their lab experiences, just as practicing scientists do. Other times, they use creative writing to make connections to the topics they're learning. This article describes both types of writing…
Nuclear literacy - Hungarian experiences
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Toth, E.; Marx, G.
The operation of nuclear power plants and the related environmental sentiments make basic nuclear education to a precondition of modern democratic decision making. Nuclear chapters of the curriculum used to treat the topics in historical and descriptive, thus less convincing way. The question arises: how to offer nuclear literacy to the youth in general, to show its empirical aspects and relevance to citizens. (author)
Chamberlin, Shannon Marie
Scientific literacy is the foundation on which both California's currently adopted science standards and the recommended new standards for science are based (CDE, 2000; NRC, 2011). The Writing for Science Literacy (WSL) curriculum focuses on a series of writing and discussion tasks aimed at increasing students' scientific literacy. These tasks are based on three teaching and learning constructs: thought and language, scaffolding, and meta-cognition. To this end, WSL is focused on incorporating several strategies from the Rhetorical Approach to Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking to engage students in activities designed to increase their scientific literacy; their ability to both identify an author's claim and evidence and to develop their own arguments based on a claim and evidence. Students participated in scaffolded activities designed to strengthen their written and oral discourse, hone their rhetorical skills and improve their meta-cognition. These activities required students to participate in both writing and discussion tasks to create meaning and build their science content knowledge. Students who participated in the WSL curriculum increased their written and oral fluency and were able to accurately write an evidence-based conclusion all while increasing their conceptual knowledge. This finding implies that a discourse rich curriculum can lead to an increase in scientific knowledge.
Streibel, Michael J.; Garhart, Casey
Describes the approach taken in an education computing course for pre- and in-service teachers. Outlines the basic operational, analytical, and evaluation skills that are emphasized in the course, suggesting that these skills go beyond the attainment of computer literacy and can assist in the effective use of computers. (ML)
Adolescents and media literacy.
McCannon, Robert
In the face of media industry consolidation, fewer people control media content which makes it harder for parents and citizens to know the research about media-related issues, such as video game violence, nutrition, and sexual risk-taking. Media literacy offers a popular and potentially successful way to counter the misinformation that is spread by Big Media public relations.
Searle, Jean
Uses examples drawn from research across several sites in tourism and hospitality in which employees are required to interact with technology, in order to highlight issues relating to new online literacies that are now required for efficient work practices and to discuss implications for practice. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy…
Investigating Primary Source Literacy
Archer, Joanne; Hanlon, Ann M.; Levine, Jennie A.
Primary source research requires students to acquire specialized research skills. This paper presents results from a user study testing the effectiveness of a Web guide designed to convey the concepts behind "primary source literacy". The study also evaluated students' strengths and weaknesses when conducting primary source research. (Contains 3…
Diehm, Rae-Anne; Lupton, Mandy
Introduction: This paper reports on university students' experiences of learning information literacy. Method: Phenomenography was selected as the research approach as it describes the experience from the perspective of the study participants, which in this case is a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate students studying education at an…
Kindell, Gloria
Discusses four general areas of linguistics studies that are particularly relevant to literacy issues: (1) discourse analysis, including text analysis, spoken and written language, and home and school discourse; (2) relationships between speech and writing, the distance between dialects and written norms, and developmental writing; (3)…
Hedrick, Charles W.
Discusses the ambiguous attitude toward literacy in ancient Athenian society. Asserts that few Athenian citizens could read, yet reading was regarded as intrinsic to democratic practices. Maintains that the democratic power of writing rests in the active, social interaction of citizens. (CFR)
Disciplinary Literacy in Engineering
Wilson-Lopez, Amy; Minichiello, Angela
People who practice engineering can make a difference through designing products, procedures, and systems that improve people's quality of life. Literacy, including the interpretation, evaluation, critique, and production of texts and representations, is important throughout the engineering design process. In this commentary, the authors outline…
The Effect of STEM Learning through the Project of Designing Boat Model toward Student STEM Literacy
Tati, T.; Firman, H.; Riandi, R.
STEM Learning focusses on development of STEM-literate society, the research about implementation of STEM learning to develope students' STEM literacy is still limited. This study is aimed to examine the effect of implementation STEM learning through the project of designing boat model on students STEM literacy in energy topic. The method of this study was a quasi-experiment with non-randomized pretest-posttest control group design. There were two classes involved, the experiment class used Project Based Learning with STEM approach and control class used Project-Based Learning without STEM approach. A STEM Literacy test instrument was developed to measure students STEM literacy which consists of science literacy, mathematics literacy, and technology-engineering literacy. The analysis showed that there were significant differences on improvement science literacy, mathematics technology-engineering between experiment class and control class with effect size more than 0.8 (large effect). The difference of improvement of STEM literacy between experiment class and control class is caused by the existence of design engineering activity which required students to apply the knowledge from every field of STEM. The challenge that was faced in STEM learning through design engineering activity was how to give the students practice to integrate STEM field in solving the problems. In additional, most of the students gave positive response toward implementation of STEM learning through design boat model project.
Science literacy in local communities
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sasagawa, Sumiko
The Institute for Environmental Sciences was established in December, 1990 at Rokkasho, Aomori, as a focal point in the research activities necessary to solve the problems between nuclear energy and the environment. In 2001 the Public Relations and Research Information Office was newly organized in the institute in order to facilitate the communication of scientific knowledge and information with the local inhabitants. The office is expected to play a role, as the communication window opens, to the local community neighboring the nuclear fuel cycle facilities as well as other communities in the prefecture. It seems, however, that the methodology for pursuing this aim is not generally provided but needs to be developed on a trial-and-error basis suitable to each situation. The author would like to take this opportunity to consider the given subjects and introduce the experiences, in which the author succeeded in communicating with neighboring people through the common interests regarding the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize is recognized as the greatest honor and authority over the world and is awarded to genuine human wisdom. The public with admiration receives the laureates, and their ways of life along with their arts of thinking are always matters which attract the interest of all the citizens. The people, who sometimes easily understand the scientific background behind the Prizes, always accept the stories of the laureates. The Nobel Prize has played an important role, therefore, not only in disseminating scientific knowledge or information so far, but will function also in cultivating the so-called science literacy'' among the public in the future, even in the issues on acceptance of nuclear energy. (author)
The Geography of Financial Literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christopher Bumcrot
Full Text Available This paper explores how well equipped today's households are to make complex financial decisions in the face of often high-cost and high-risk financial instruments. Specifically we focus on financial literacy. Most importantly, we describe the geography of financial literacy, i.e., how financial literacy is distributed across the fifty US states. We describe the correlation of financial literacy and some important aggregate variables, such as state-level poverty rates. Finally, we examine the extent to which differences in financial literacy can be explained by states' demographic and economic characteristics. To assess financial literacy, five questions were added to the 2009 National Financial Capability Study, covering fundamental concepts of economics and finance encountered in everyday life: simple calculations about interest rates and inflation, the workings of risk diversification, the relationship between bond prices and interest rates, and the relationship between interest payments and maturity in mortgages. We constructed an index of financial literacy based on the number of correct answers provided by each respondent to the five financial literacy questions. The financial literacy index reveals wide variation in financial literacy across states. Much of the variation is attributable to differences in the demographic makeup of the states; however, a handful of states have either higher or lower levels of financial literacy than is explained by demographics alone. Also, there is a significant correlation between the financial literacy of a state and that state's poverty level. The findings indicate directions for policy makers and practitioners interested in targeting areas where financial literacy is low.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available The present article tries to capture current market developments of the Chinese retail sales in the last 4-5 years, emphasising its tendency to become the first global market before 2020. The author makes a brief analysis of the Chinese retail market sales characteristics including growth rates, sales structure, influencing factors (population growing income, urbanization, consumer goods imports. The characteristics of the constantly changing retail consumer market and the main challenges faced by the trans-national companies activating on the Chinese market represent distinct points in the analysis undertaken in this article.
Becoming Disciplined about Disciplinary Literacy through Guided Retelling
Parenti, Melissa A.
Becoming more disciplined about teaching disciplinary literacy in our classrooms can be a challenge. Encouraging student production of the academic language and the demands and styles of thinking associated with each discipline requires an additional push that was often overlooked in content area instruction of the past. As this new journey in…
Against Infrastructure: Curating Community Literacy in a Jail Writing Program
Jacobi, Tobi
This essay argues that while fostering individual and collaborative literacy can indeed promote self-awareness, confidence, and political awareness, the threat of emotional and material retribution is ever-present in jail, making the development of infrastructure challenging. Such reality compels engaged teacher-researchers to develop tactical…
Information Literacy: Liberal Education for the Information Age.
Breivik, Patricia Senn; Jones, Dan L.
The challenge for higher education today is to develop better ways to guide individuals through rapidly expanding old and new resources in their search for knowledge. This means helping undergraduates develop skills in information literacy, the effective seeking and packaging of information. (MSE)
Cultural Literacy: A Critique of Hirsch and an Alternative Theory.
Kaufer, David S.
Outlines a practical alternative to E. D. Hirsch's challenge of teaching cultural knowledge. Asserts that a theory of cultural literacy based on contributing new knowledge is conceptually richer, less vague, and less authoritarian than Hirsch's theory based on "shared knowledge." (MM)
Investigating scientific literacy documents with linguistic network analysis
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bruun, Jesper; Evans, Robert Harry; Dolin, Jens
International discussions of scientific literacy (SL) are extensive and numerous sizeable documents on SL exist. Thus, comparing different conceptions of SL is methodologically challenging. We developed an analytical tool which couples the theory of complex networks with text analysis in order...
The Vatican and Unesco Link Efforts for World Literacy
Ryan, Leo V., Brother
The problem of functional literacy has been recognized as a moral issue and offers a special challenge to religious authorities. Founded at the Vatican level in March 1969, the Committee on Human Development was commissioned to promote and animate efforts in: (a) basic education; (b) leadership training; (c) vocational education; (d) opinion…
College of Lake County National Workplace Literacy Program. Final Report.
Gee, Mary Kay
The College of Lake County's 3-year National Workplace Literacy Program (1994-1997) contributed to economic development by meeting companies' changing educational and production needs as they fluctuated and met new challenges for global marketing and improvement. It assessed 883 employees at 8 business sites with customized assessment tools and…
Teaching and Reaching the Millennial Generation through Media Literacy
Considine, David; Horton, Julie; Moorman, Gary
These are times of rapid technological change that challenge all educators. The children currently in school--often referred to as the "Millennial Generation"--have always been immersed in Information Communication Technology. Millennials bring to school a rich set of literacy skills that allows them instant communication and access to a wealth of…
Students' Information Literacy: A Perspective from Mathematical Literacy
Ariyadi Wijaya
Information literacy is mostly seen from the perspective of library science or information and communication technology. Taking another point of view, this study was aimed to explore students' information literacy from the perspective of mathematical literacy. For this purpose, a test addressing Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) mathematics tasks were administered to 381 eighth and ninth graders from nine junior high schools in the Province of Yogyakarta. PISA mathematics ...
Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Szabo, R J [Colin Maclaurin Building, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom)
The book Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics describes historical events leading up to the discovery of the Monster sporadic group, the largest simple sporadic group. It also expounds the significance and deep relationships between this group and other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. It begins, in the prologue, with a nice overview of some of the mathematical drama surrounding the discovery of the Monster and its subsequent relationship to number theory (the so-called Moonshine conjectures). From a historical perspective, the book traces back to the roots of group theory, Galois theory, and steadily runs through time through the many famous mathematicians who contributed to group theory, including Lie, Killing and Cartan. Throughout, the author has provided a very nice and deep insight into the sociological and scientific problems at the time, and gives the reader a very prominent inside view of the real people behind the mathematics. The book should be an enjoyable read to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics. For the non-mathematician the book makes a good, and mostly successful, attempt at being non-technical. Technical mathematical jargon is replaced with more heuristic, intuitive terminology, making the mathematical descriptions in the book fairly easy going. A glossary/hspace{l_brace}0.25pc{r_brace} of/hspace{l_brace}0.25pc{r_brace} terminology for noindent the more scientifically inclined is included in various footnotes throughout the book and in a comprehensive listing at the end of the book. Some more technical material is also included in the form of appendices at the end of the book. Some aspects of physics are also explained in a simple, intuitive way. The author further attempts at various places to give the non-specialist a glimpse into what mathematical proof is all about, and explains the difficulties and technicalities involved in this very nicely (for instance, he mentions the various
Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Szabo, R J
The book Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics describes historical events leading up to the discovery of the Monster sporadic group, the largest simple sporadic group. It also expounds the significance and deep relationships between this group and other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. It begins, in the prologue, with a nice overview of some of the mathematical drama surrounding the discovery of the Monster and its subsequent relationship to number theory (the so-called Moonshine conjectures). From a historical perspective, the book traces back to the roots of group theory, Galois theory, and steadily runs through time through the many famous mathematicians who contributed to group theory, including Lie, Killing and Cartan. Throughout, the author has provided a very nice and deep insight into the sociological and scientific problems at the time, and gives the reader a very prominent inside view of the real people behind the mathematics. The book should be an enjoyable read to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics. For the non-mathematician the book makes a good, and mostly successful, attempt at being non-technical. Technical mathematical jargon is replaced with more heuristic, intuitive terminology, making the mathematical descriptions in the book fairly easy going. A glossary/hspace{0.25pc} of/hspace{0.25pc} terminology for noindent the more scientifically inclined is included in various footnotes throughout the book and in a comprehensive listing at the end of the book. Some more technical material is also included in the form of appendices at the end of the book. Some aspects of physics are also explained in a simple, intuitive way. The author further attempts at various places to give the non-specialist a glimpse into what mathematical proof is all about, and explains the difficulties and technicalities involved in this very nicely (for instance, he mentions the various 100+ page articles that
BOOK REVIEW: Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics
Szabo, R. J.
The book Symmetry and the Monster: One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics describes historical events leading up to the discovery of the Monster sporadic group, the largest simple sporadic group. It also expounds the significance and deep relationships between this group and other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. It begins, in the prologue, with a nice overview of some of the mathematical drama surrounding the discovery of the Monster and its subsequent relationship to number theory (the so-called Moonshine conjectures). From a historical perspective, the book traces back to the roots of group theory, Galois theory, and steadily runs through time through the many famous mathematicians who contributed to group theory, including Lie, Killing and Cartan. Throughout, the author has provided a very nice and deep insight into the sociological and scientific problems at the time, and gives the reader a very prominent inside view of the real people behind the mathematics. The book should be an enjoyable read to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics. For the non-mathematician the book makes a good, and mostly successful, attempt at being non-technical. Technical mathematical jargon is replaced with more heuristic, intuitive terminology, making the mathematical descriptions in the book fairly easy going. A glossary\\hspace{0.25pc} of\\hspace{0.25pc} terminology for noindent the more scientifically inclined is included in various footnotes throughout the book and in a comprehensive listing at the end of the book. Some more technical material is also included in the form of appendices at the end of the book. Some aspects of physics are also explained in a simple, intuitive way. The author further attempts at various places to give the non-specialist a glimpse into what mathematical proof is all about, and explains the difficulties and technicalities involved in this very nicely (for instance, he mentions the various 100+ page articles that
Narratives of Agency: The Experiences of Braille Literacy Practitioners in the "Kha Ri Gude" South African Mass Literacy Campaign
McKay, Veronica I.; Romm, Norma R. A.
In this article, we locate the "Kha Ri Gude" South African Mass Literacy Campaign within the context of the problem of illiteracy and exclusion in South Africa, while concentrating on various post-apartheid initiatives designed to give visually challenged adults the opportunity to become literate. We shall provide a detailed account of…
Literacy in the contemporary scene
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Angela B. Kleiman
Full Text Available In this paper I examine the relationship between literacy and contemporaneity. I take as a point of departure for my discussion school literacy and its links with literacies in other institutions of the contemporary scene, in order to determine the relation between contemporary ends of reading and writing (in other words, the meaning of being literate in contemporary society and the practices and activities effectively realized at school in order to reach those objectives. Using various examples from teaching and learning situations, I discuss digital literacy practices and multimodal texts and multiliteracies from both printed and digital cultures. Throughout, I keep as a background for the discussion the functions and objectives of school literacy and the professional training of teachers who would like to be effective literacy agents in the contemporary world.
Literacy Programmes with a Focus on Women to Reduce Gender Disparities: Case Studies from UNESCO Effective Literacy and Numeracy Practices Database (LitBase). http://www.unesco.org/uil/litbase/
Kairies, Jan, Ed.
Literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning and a crucial element in the universally recognised right to education. However, illiteracy continues to exist as a global challenge, and many individuals still lack the basic literacy skills that are needed to engage in further learning opportunities and for the economic and social development of…
A Reconsideration of Information Literacy
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Stanley J. Wilder
Full Text Available This article is a reflection on the author's 2005 Chronicle of Higher Education article "Information Literacy Makes All the Wrong Assumptions." In it, the author argues that while library instruction is properly grounded in disciplinary norms, information literacy serves a vital institutional obligation as a means of assessing student learning. The content of library instruction thus serves the University's "vertical" disciplinary agendas, while information literacy serves its "horizontal" institution-wide agenda.
Childhood roots of financial literacy
Grohmann, Antonia; Kouwenberg, Roy; Menkhoff, Lukas
Financial literacy predicts informed financial decisions, but what explains financial literacy? We use the concept of financial socialization and aim to represent three major agents of financial socialization: family, school and work. Thus we compile twelve relevant childhood characteristics in a new survey study and examine their relation to financial literacy, while controlling for established socio-demographic characteristics. We find in a mediation analysis that both family and school pos...
The Comprehensive Emergent Literacy Model
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Leigh Rohde
Full Text Available The early skills of Emergent Literacy include the knowledge and abilities related to the alphabet, phonological awareness, symbolic representation, and communication. However, existing models of emergent literacy focus on discrete skills and miss the perspective of the surrounding environment. Early literacy skills, including their relationship to one another, and the substantial impact of the setting and context, are critical in ensuring that children gain all of the preliminary skills and awareness they will need to become successful readers and writers. Research findings over the last few decades have led to a fuller understanding of all that emergent literacy includes, resulting in a need for a new, more comprehensive model. A new model, described in this article, strives to explain how emergent literacy can be viewed as an interactive process of skills and context rather than a linear series of individual components. Early literacy learning opportunities are more likely to happen when teachers have a solid knowledge base of emergent literacy and child development. Research has shown that preschool teachers with limited knowledge about literacy development are significantly less able to provide such experiences for children. Teachers will be better able to facilitate all of the components of emergent literacy if they have access to, and understanding of, a model that describes the components, their interactions, and the importance of environmental factors in supporting children.
Implementing a Disciplinary-Literacy Curriculum for US History: Learning from Expert Middle School Teachers in Diverse Classrooms
Monte-Sano, Chauncey; De La Paz, Susan; Felton, Mark
In recent years, educators in the USA have emphasized disciplinary literacy as an essential path forward in cultivating adolescents' understanding of subject matter in tandem with literacy practices. Yet, this agenda poses challenges to teachers who have been tasked with its implementation. Here, we examine two expert US history teachers' efforts…
Ethics and patient education: health literacy and cultural dilemmas.
Marks, Ray
This article discusses health literacy and cultural factors that have implications for the ethical practice of health education. It specifically focuses on recent data that speaks to the challenges in carrying out patient education from the perspective of comprehension and equitable distribution of health-related information across diverse cultures and communities. It discusses strategies for reducing the negative impact of low health literacy among diverse groups and the importance of acknowledging this pervasive problem in the context of ensuring equity in the optimal delivery of health promotion messages.
Graphics, playability and social interaction, the greatest motivations for playing Call of Duty. Educational reflections
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Beatriz Elena Marcano Lárez
Full Text Available War videogames raise a lot of controversy in the educational field and are by far the most played videogames worldwide. This study explores the factors that encouraged gamers to choose war videogames with a sample of 387 Call of Duty players. The motivational factors were pinpointed using a non-experimental descriptive exploratory study through an online Likert-type survey that was valid and reliable (Cronbach's α = 0.897, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient, KMO: 0.903. A factor analysis with varimax rotation was applied, which yielded 7 dimensions: graphics/playability; social interaction; learning; challenge/overcoming; fantasy; fun; and competition. Considering the score obtained for each dimension, it can be concluded that the most influential motivational factors were game graphics/playability game and the social interaction allowed by its multiplayer online status, both of them being factors determined by game design elements. These aspects should be considered in the design of educational activities so as to make them impactful and motivational.
Innovative Approaches in Chronic Disease Management: Health Literacy Solutions and Opportunities for Research Validation.
Villaire, Michael; Gonzalez, Diana Peña; Johnson, Kirby L
This chapter discusses the need for innovative health literacy solutions to combat extensive chronic disease prevalence and costs. The authors explore the intersection of chronic disease management and health literacy. They provide specific examples of successful health literacy interventions for managing several highly prevalent chronic diseases. This is followed by suggestions on pairing research and practice to support effective disease management programs. In addition, the authors discuss strategies for collection and dissemination of knowledge gained from collaborations between researchers and practitioners. They identify current challenges specific to disseminating information from the health literacy field and offer potential solutions. The chapter concludes with a brief look at future directions and organizational opportunities to integrate health literacy practices to address the need for effective chronic disease management.
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Anneke Dirkx
Full Text Available In 2000 the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL published the Standards for Information Literacy. After 15 years these standards were in desperate need of revision. Instead of releasing a revised edition of the Standards, in 2015 ACRL presented a completely new vision on information literacy in higher education. In this keynote we will explore the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in all its glory. We will compare it to the old standards. Is this new American Framework an opportunity for librarians to promote their courses to faculty in a new light, with the aim to integrate them into the curriculum? Do we really need a framework for information literacy to achieve this integration? Or is there another way? We will take a closer look at an interesting British alternative: the Researcher Development Framework from Vitae and The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL. We will compare both frameworks and list the pros and cons. It is a complicated situation: there are Standards, there is a new Framework in an early stage of implementation and there is this Researcher Development Framework. What do we, the librarians, have to do? Should we bid the old standards farewell and switch to the new framework? Or does the Researcher Development Framework provide a better alternative? We have to think and talk about our teaching role in our institutions. At this conference we can think and spar with our colleague librarians, putting one of the ACRL framework concepts, "scholarship as conversation", into practice.
Heritage Literacy: Adoption, Adaptation, and Alienation of Multimodal Literacy Tools
Rumsey, Suzanne Kesler
This article presents the concept of heritage literacy, a decision-making process by which people adopt, adapt, or alienate themselves from tools and literacies passed on between generations of people. In an auto-ethnographic study, four generations of a single family and Amish participants from the surrounding community were interviewed to…
A Commentary on Literacy Narratives as Sponsors of Literacy
Brandt, Deborah
This brief commentary first clarifies Brandt's concept of sponsors of literacy in light of the way the concept has been taken up in writing studies. Then it treats Brandt's methods for handling accounts of literacy learning in comparison with other ways of analyzing biographical material. Finally it takes up Lawrence's argument about literacy…
Quantitative Literacy Courses as a Space for Fusing Literacies
Tunstall, Samuel Luke; Matz, Rebecca L.; Craig, Jeffrey C.
In this article, we examine how students in a general education quantitative literacy course reason with public issues when unprompted to use quantitative reasoning. Michigan State University, like many institutions, not only has a quantitative literacy requirement for all undergraduates but also offers two courses specifically for meeting the…
National Institute for Literacy. Literacy Information and Communication System ("LINCS")
National Institute for Literacy, 2010
Each month, the Literacy Information and Communication System ("LINCS") will feature one of the three LINCS Resource Collections--Basic Skills, Program Management, and Workforce Competitiveness--and introduce research-based resources that practitioners can use in their adult and family literacy programs and classrooms. This edition features the…
Literacy for the New Millennium. Volume 1: Early Literacy
Guzzetti, Barbara J., Ed.
Living in an age of communication, literacy is an extremely integral part of our society. We are impacted by literature during our infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. "Literacy for the New Millennium" includes information from specialists in the field who discuss the influence of popular culture, media, and technology on…
The Relevance of Health Literacy to mHealth.
Kreps, Gary L
This chapter examines the importance of health literacy to the design and use of mobile digital health information technology (mHealth) applications. Over the past two decades mHealth has evolved to become a major health communication channel for delivering health care, promoting health, and tracking health behaviors. Yet, there are serious communication challenges that must be addressed concerning the best way to design and utilize mHealth application to achieve key health promotion goals, including assuring the appropriateness and effectiveness of mHealth messaging for audiences with different communication competencies, styles, and health literacy levels, to ensure that mHealth applications are truly effective tools for health promotion. Health literacy is one of the major communication issues relevant to the effective use of mHealth. To be effective, mHealth applications need to match the messages conveyed via these mobile media to the specific health communication needs, orientations, and competencies of intended audience members. Unfortunately, current evidence suggests that many mHealth applications are difficult for audiences to utilize because they provide health information that is not easy for many consumers to understand and apply. Health literacy refers to the ability of participants within the health care system to accurately interpret and utilize relevant health information and resources to achieve their health goals. Evidence suggests that many consumers possess limited levels of health literacy to adequately understand health information, especially when they are feeling ill, since health literacy is both a trait (limited education, language facility, etc.), and a state condition (based on how their current physical and mental states influence their abilities to communicate effectively). Therefore, it is incumbent upon mHealth developers to design and utilize message systems. Strategies for designing and implementing mHealth applications to meet
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Full Text Available Civilization change is a necessity. Culture as one formers also experienced dynamic civilization. Changes in form and content (content takes place not in a vacuum but in a variety of contextual quadrants. The era of modernity with the development of industry and capitalism climate has led to one part in cultural homogenization. Public spaces which in essence is a classless into an entity that has a value of commodities. Shift function of public spaces including public frequency in packs of popular culture has been a challenge for the creation of the public who have media literacy skills. With media literacy, public to understand what has been done for the public media and to the public .Keywords : public frequency , media literacy, cultural homogeneity, Castration
Literacy as Value: Cultural Capital in Barbara Bush's Foundation for Family Literacy
Westmoreland, Brandi Davis
Many different views of literacy exist. In my study, I make use of Brian V. Street's two major models of literacy--the autonomous and the ideological. These models show contrasting views of literacy and are based on very different assumptions. I examine the views of literacy prevalent in family literacy campaigns, with special focus on Barbara…
Tracing Literacy Journeys: The Use of the Literacy Autobiography in Preservice Teacher Education
Edwards, Debra
This paper analyses the use of literacy autobiography as a way for preservice teachers to examine their own understandings of literacy, multiliteracies and literacy teaching. We reflect on what we as lecturers have learnt about our students and their literacy experiences, about our own literacy experiences and values, as well as what the students…
Measuring Ocean Literacy: What teens understand about the ocean using the Survey of Ocean Literacy and Engagement (SOLE)
Greely, T. M.; Lodge, A.
attitudes significantly contributed to ocean literacy. Teens demonstrated a 2-32% increase in content knowledge following the OCG learning experience. The most significant content gains correlated with ocean literacy Essential Principles 1, 2 and 5. Analysis of environmental reasoning patterns revealed that biocentric reasoning (71%) was most important to teens in solving ocean dilemmas. Further, teens reasoning about challenging ocean dilemmas were capable of supporting a position, counter-argument, rebuttal, and accurately use scientific information. Findings provide empirical evidence that connects field studies with ocean literacy. Current guidelines for ocean literacy address cognitive understanding but lack multimodality. The need for ocean literacy that goes beyond content to include reasoning and actions is relevant towards preparing students, teachers and citizens to regularly contribute to decisions about ocean issues and undertake actions as consumer, citizen or steward. This research supports the use of socioscientific issues and stewardship to advance 'functional' ocean literacy.
Developing the digital literacies of academic staff: an institutional approach
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Barbara Newland
Full Text Available Institutional engagement with digital literacies at the University of Brighton has been promoted through the creation of a Digital Literacies Framework (DLF aimed at academic staff. The DLF consists of 38 literacies divided into four categories that align to the following key areas of academic work:• Learning and teaching• Research• Communication and collaboration• AdministrationFor each literacy, there is an explanation of what the literacy is, why it is important and how to gain it, with links to resources and training opportunities. After an initial pilot, the DLF website was launched in the summer of 2014. This paper discusses the strategic context and policy development of the DLF, its initial conception and subsequent development based on a pilot phase, feedback and evaluation. It critically analyses two of the ways that engagement with the DLF have been promoted: (1 formal professional development schemes and (2 the use of a 'School-based' approach. It examines the successes and challenges of the University of Brighton's scheme and makes some suggestions for subsequent steps including taking a course-level approach.
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Marko van Deventer
Full Text Available The entire spectrum of society, includingGeneration Y, face the challenge ofmanaging their personalfinances in uncertain economic,financialand politicaltimes. Thischallengehighlights the importance of being equipped with thenecessary financial literacy to make informed financial decisions. Financialilliteracy is a global phenomenon that has become a topical issue. As a result,there has been a steady increase in the body of knowledge that pertains to theimportance and benefits of financial literacy and the consequences offinancialilliteracy.This study investigates differences inthe significantly sizedblackGeneration Y (hereafter referred to as African Generation Ystudent cohort'sfinancial literacy in terms ofselected demographic factors, namely gender, yearand field of study respectively, within the South African context. Following adescriptive research design and a quantitative research approach, data werecollected from a convenience sample of 385 African students registered at twoGauteng based public South African university campuses. Multiple-choicequestions,relatingto general financial knowledge, saving, spending and debt,were used to test the students' financial literacy. Data analysis includeddescriptive statistics, an independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis ofvariance (ANOVA. The findings suggest thatAfrican Generation Y studentsmaybe categorised as having a relatively low level of financial literacyand that thesample's financial literacydid not differ much in terms ofgender.The findings ofthis study is likely to inform policymakers, educators, universities and financialinstitutions on the most effective strategies to employ for implementationwithregards to differing financial literacy levels.
Health literacy and chronic disease management: drawing from expert knowledge to set an agenda.
Poureslami, Iraj; Nimmon, Laura; Rootman, Irving; Fitzgerald, Mark J
Understanding the nature and impact of health literacy is a priority in health promotion and chronic disease prevention and treatment. Health literacy comprises the application of a broad set of skills to access, comprehend, evaluate, communicate and act on health information for improved health and well-being. A complex concept, it involves multiple participants and is enacted across a wide variety of contexts. Health literacy's complexity has given rise to challenges achieving a standard definition and developing means to measure all its dimensions. In May 2013, a group of health literacy experts, clinicians and policymakers convened at an Expert Roundtable to review the current state of health literacy research and practice, and make recommendations about refining its definition, expanding its measurement and integrating best practices into chronic disease management. The four-day knowledge exchange concluded that the successful integration of health literacy into policy and practice depends on the development of a more substantial evidence base. A review of the successes and gaps in health literacy research, education and interventions culminated in the identification of key priorities to further the health literacy agenda. The workshop was funded by the UBC Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, Vancouver. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.
What Is Physical Literacy, Really?
Jurbala, Paul
Physical literacy has become an increasingly influential concept in the past few decades, and is being woven into education, sport, and recreation policy and practice, particularly in Canada. The term is based on a metaphor that likens movement fluency to language literacy. Use of a metaphoric rather than a theoretical foundation has enabled…
Factors in Information Literacy Education
Williams, Michelle Hale; Evans, Jocelyn Jones
Information literacy has long been discussed in the field of library science but is only recently becoming applied in specific academic disciplines. This article assesses student learning of information literacy skills analyzing data collected from three semesters of the Introduction to Comparative Politics course. Variables such as major…
Information Literacy: Partnerships for Power.
Breivik, Patricia Senn; Senn, J. A.
Describes the partnerships between teacher-librarians and principals, teachers, community members, public librarians, and businesses that school children need to gain information literacy skills. Descriptions, which are adapted from the forthcoming book "Information Literacy: Resources for Elementary School Leaders," include the…
Characterizing Financial and Statistical Literacy
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Di Girolamo, Amalia; Harrison, Glenn W.; Lau, Morten
We characterize the literacy of an individual in a domain by their elicited subjective belief distribution over the possible responses to a question posed in that domain. We consider literacy across several financial, economic and statistical domains. We find considerable demographic heterogeneity...
The Importance of Financial Literacy
Kezar, Adrianna; Yang, Hannah
In this article, the authors argue that campus communities must play a more active role in developing financial literacy than they currently do--and not just by providing counseling in moments of emergency. They argue that financial literacy, as a life skill, as a requisite to citizenship, and as a critical intellectual competency, is an essential…
Financial Literacy and Financial Behaviour
Sayinzoga, Aussi; Bulte, Erwin H.; Lensink, Robert
We organise a field experiment with smallholder farmers in Rwanda to measure the impact of financial literacy training on financial knowledge and behaviour. The training increased financial literacy of participants, changed their savings and borrowing behaviour and had a positive effect on the
Visual Literacy and Message Design
Pettersson, Rune
Many researchers from different disciplines have explained their views and interpretations and written about visual literacy from their various perspectives. Visual literacy may be applied in almost all areas such as advertising, anatomy, art, biology, business presentations, communication, education, engineering, etc. (Pettersson, 2002a). Despite…
Visual Literacy and Visual Culture.
Messaris, Paul
Familiarity with specific images or sets of images plays a role in a culture's visual heritage. Two questions can be asked about this type of visual literacy: Is this a type of knowledge that is worth building into the formal educational curriculum of our schools? What are the educational implications of visual literacy? There is a three-part…
Food, nutrition or cooking literacy
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Benn, Jette
similarities and differences concerning the understanding of food literacy, ranging from a narrow r understanding of food literacy as the ability to read food messages to broader interpretations aimed at empowerment and self-efficacy concerning food and nutrition and from simple cooking skills to life skills...
A Reconsideration of Information Literacy
Wilder, Stanley J.
This article is a reflection on the author's 2005 Chronicle of Higher Education article "Information Literacy Makes All the Wrong Assumptions." In it, the author argues that while library instruction is properly grounded in disciplinary norms, information literacy serves a vital institutional obligation as a means of assessing student…
Threshold Concepts and Information Literacy
Townsend, Lori; Brunetti, Korey; Hofer, Amy R.
What do we teach when we teach information literacy in higher education? This paper describes a pedagogical approach to information literacy that helps instructors focus content around transformative learning thresholds. The threshold concept framework holds promise for librarians because it grounds the instructor in the big ideas and underlying…
Traditional Literacy and Critical Thinking
Dando, Priscille
How school librarians focus on activating critical thinking through traditional literacy development can proactively set the stage for the deep thinking that occurs in all literacy development. The critical-thinking skills students build while becoming accomplished readers and writers provide the foundation for learning in a variety of…
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M. Potapova
Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of literacy of population and the evolution of literacy according to the requirements of nowadays. The approaches of scientists to multifaceted literacy of population and its necessity are considered. Special attention is paid to statistical literacy of population and its necessity in the life of every modern person.
The Intersection of Information and Science Literacy
Klucevsek, Kristin
To achieve higher science literacy, both students and the public require discipline-specific information literacy in the sciences. Scientific information literacy is a core component of the scientific process. In addition to teaching how to find and evaluate resources, scientific information literacy should include teaching the process of…
Resisting Age Bias in Digital Literacy Research
Bowen, Lauren Marshall
Through an eighty-one-year-old woman's literacy narrative, I argue that literacy researchers should pay greater attention to elder writers, readers, and learners. Particularly as notions of literacy shift in digital times, the perspective of a lifespan can reveal otherwise hidden complexities of literacy, including the motivational impact of…
Literacy testing practices in transition
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Holm, Lars
Literacy testing has been researched as a social practice from different perspectives (McNamara & Roewer, 2006; Shohamy, 2001). Drawing on a Faucault inspired concept og governmentality in which literacy testing practices are seen as social technologies (Dean, 1999) and as a phenomenon closely...... related to supra- and transnational agencies this paper investigates the relation between state, pedagogy and conceptualizations of literacy. Drawing on data and findings from three ethnographic oriented studies of institutional testing practices of literacy in preschool, primary school and adult second...... language teaching in Denmark (Holm, 2004; 2007; 2009) this paper reveals the construction of values, ideologies and practices around institutional testing of litaracy in education. The analyses of testing instruments and assessment practices indicate among other things that testing of literacy have become...
Health Literacy and Older Adults
Chesser, Amy K.; Keene Woods, Nikki; Smothers, Kyle; Rogers, Nicole
Objective: The objective of this review was to assess published literature relating to health literacy and older adults. Method: The current review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses. Results: Eight articles met inclusion criteria. All studies were conducted in urban settings in the United States. Study sample size ranged from 33 to 3,000 participants. Two studies evaluated health-related outcomes and reported significant associations between low health literacy and poorer health outcomes. Two other studies investigated the impact of health literacy on medication management, reporting mixed findings. Discussion: The findings of this review highlight the importance of working to improve health care strategies for older adults with low health literacy and highlight the need for a standardized and validated clinical health literacy screening tool for older adults. PMID:28138488
Financial literacy and financial literacy education : what might be the components of an effective financial literacy curriculum?
Lee, Nirmala
Abstract There is concern about lack of financial literacy and need for financial literacy education, but little or no attempt to understand their nature. Three questions were asked: 'What is financial literacy?', 'What is financial literacy education?' and 'What might be the components of an effective financial literacy curriculum?'. Adopting an inductive grounded theory approach and a pragmatist philosophy, in association with real-world organisations such as the National ...
Information Literacy at Augustana: A Programmatic Approach
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Nancy E. Goebel
Full Text Available Information literacy programs, and the factors that influence their development and structure, can vary significantly from institution to institution. Credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses are a rare and valuable component of an undergraduate educational experience and form the basis of Augustana's information literacy program. This article provides an overview of the development, implementation, successes, and drawbacks of the credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta (Camrose, Alberta, Canada. Additional program components including Augustana's annual information literacy workshop, information literacy awards, information literacy DVD, and marketing/branding, are discussed.
Students' Information Literacy: A Perspective from Mathematical Literacy
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Ariyadi Wijaya
Full Text Available Information literacy is mostly seen from the perspective of library science or information and communication technology. Taking another point of view, this study was aimed to explore students' information literacy from the perspective of mathematical literacy. For this purpose, a test addressing Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA mathematics tasks were administered to 381 eighth and ninth graders from nine junior high schools in the Province of Yogyakarta. PISA mathematics tasks which were used in this test had specific characteristics regarding information processing, i.e. containing superfluous information, having missing information, and requiring connection across information sources. An error analysis was performed to analyze students' incorrect responses. The result of this study shows that students did not acquire three characteristics of information literacy; i.e. recognizing information needs, locating and evaluating the quality of information, and making effective and ethical use of information. This result indicates students' low ability in information literacy.Keywords: information literacy, mathematical literacy, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.7.2.3532.73-82
The Roles of Social Support and Health Literacy in Self-Management Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.
Chen, Yu-Chi; Chang, Li-Chun; Liu, Chieh-Yu; Ho, Ya-Fang; Weng, Shuo-Chun; Tsai, Tzu-I
To investigate the relationships among social support, health literacy, and self-management, and the factors influencing self-management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cross-sectional study. A random sample of 410 patients was recruited from nephrology clinics. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and chart reviews from January 2013 to February 2014. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the predictive factors of self-management behaviors and ∆R 2 to determine each variable's explanatory power. Health literacy and social support were positively correlated with self-management behaviors. Furthermore, social support, health literacy, and marital status were significant predictors of self-management behaviors. Social support had a relatively greater explanatory power for self-management behaviors than did health literacy. Particularly, healthcare provider support had the greatest influence on patients' self-management behaviors. Health literacy and social support play independent positive roles in self-management behaviors of patients with CKD, with social support having a particularly dominant role. Further research using a systems approach to improving self-management behaviors is necessary to clarify the role of social support. Health literacy and social support are independently and positively related to self-management. Social support, which is a system-level factor, is a relatively stronger and crucial predictor than is health literacy. Nurses have to refine self-management programs to focus on families and adopt a systems approach to help CKD patients improve their self-management behaviors. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Benefits literacy, Bugs Bunny and bridge.
Moses, John; Hogg, Barbara
The human resources world is buzzing about literacy--specifically, financial literacy and health literacy. Yet if employers truly want their employees to take action based on that literacy, then employers must add motivation and process simplification to their benefits equation. This article provides employers with things to keep in mind in order to deliver content that improves employees' benefits literacy, and makes taking desired actions both relevant and easy for employees.
Effect of information literacy training course on information literacy skills of undergraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences based on ACRL standards.
Karimi, Zohreh; Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Papi, Ahmad; Shahrzadi, Leila; Hassanzadeh, Akbar
standard), ethics and legal use of information (the third standard), effective use of information (the fourth standard), critically evaluate information and its sources (the fifth standard). This study showed that the training was effective on enhancing students' information literacy skills as the greatest impact was on increasing the ability to access information. Due to low mean score information literacy in the context of object recognition, there is a need for more training in this area.
Measuring Practicing Clinicians' Information Literacy
Barboza, Katherine; Jensen, Ashley E.; Bennett, Katelyn J.; Sherman, Scott E.; Schwartz, Mark D.
Summary Background As healthcare moves towards technology-driven population health management, clinicians must adopt complex digital platforms to access health information and document care. Objectives This study explored information literacy, a set of skills required to effectively navigate population health information systems, among primary care providers in one Veterans' Affairs (VA) medical center. Methods Information literacy was assessed during an 8-month randomized trial that tested a population health (panel) management intervention. Providers were asked about their use and comfort with two VA digital tools for panel management at baseline, 16 weeks, and post-intervention. An 8-item scale (range 0-40) was used to measure information literacy (Cronbach's a=0.84). Scores between study arms and provider types were compared using paired t-tests and ANOVAs. Associations between self-reported digital tool use and information literacy were measured via Pearson's correlations. Results Providers showed moderate levels of information literacy (M= 27.4, SD 6.5). There were no significant differences in mean information literacy between physicians (M=26.4, SD 6.7) and nurses (M=30.5, SD 5.2, p=0.57 for difference), or between intervention (M=28.4, SD 6.5) and control groups (M=25.1, SD 6.2, p=0.12 for difference). Information literacy was correlated with higher rates of self-reported information system usage (r=0.547, p=0.001). Clinicians identified data access, accuracy, and interpretability as potential information literacy barriers. Conclusions While exploratory in nature, cautioning generalizability, the study suggests that measuring and improving clinicians' information literacy may play a significant role in the implementation and use of digital information tools, as these tools are rapidly being deployed to enhance communication among care teams, improve health care outcomes, and reduce overall costs. PMID:28197620
Great Lakes Literacy Principles
Fortner, Rosanne W.; Manzo, Lyndsey
Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie together form North America's Great Lakes, a region that contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water and is home to roughly one quarter of the U.S. population (Figure 1). Supporting a $4 billion sport fishing industry, plus $16 billion annually in boating, 1.5 million U.S. jobs, and $62 billion in annual wages directly, the Great Lakes form the backbone of a regional economy that is vital to the United States as a whole (see http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/economy/11-708-Great-Lakes-Jobs.pdf). Yet the grandeur and importance of this freshwater resource are little understood, not only by people in the rest of the country but also by many in the region itself. To help address this lack of knowledge, the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, developed literacy principles for the Great Lakes to serve as a guide for education of students and the public. These "Great Lakes Literacy Principles" represent an understanding of the Great Lakes' influences on society and society's influences on the Great Lakes.
Literacia em saúde mental de adolescentes e jovens: conceitos e desafios Literacía de la salud mental de la adolescencia y juventud: conceptos y desafíos Mental health literacy of teenagers and youth: concepts and challenges
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Luís Manuel de Jesus Loureiro
también un modelo de literacía de la salud, así como aquellos conceptos clave relacionados con ella, es decir: la educación para la salud, la promoción y la comunicación de la salud. Se cuestiona, asimismo, la capacidad de ampliación de esta cuestión en el contexto de las nuevas herramientas para la promoción de la salud, tales como Internet, y su potencial y utilidad en la mejora de los conocimientos sobre la salud mental de los adolecentes y jóvenes.Health literacy, understood as a constellation of cognitive and social skills and competences that allow individuals to access, understand and use information in the health domain, has been, during the last decade, viewed as a fundamental dimension of health promotion and mental illness prevention programmes. In this article, the health literacy concept and mental health literacy are presented and critically analyzed, discussing their scope and applicability, in terms of the emerging challenges that are placed on mental health education and sensitization programs for teenagers and young people. Because literacy is as relevant as it is complex (Nutbeam, 2009, a health literacy model is also presented, as well as the principal concepts related to it, namely: health education, health promotion and health communication. The extension of this theme to the area of new tools at the service of health promotion is also debated, as in the case of the Web and its potential and utility in increasing the mental health literacy of teenagers and young people.
Psychosocial factors and financial literacy.
Murphy, John L
This study uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to analyze the psychological and social variables associated with financial literacy. The HRS is a nationally representative longitudinal survey of individuals older than age 50 and their spouses. An ordinary least squares linear regression analysis explores the relationship between financial literacy and several economic and psychosocial variables. After controlling for earnings, level of education, and other socioeconomic variables in this exploratory study, I find that financial satisfaction and religiosity are correlated with financial literacy.
Literacy Standards for Preschool Learners.
Bodrova, Elena; Leong, Deborah J.; Paynter, Diane E.
Preschool and kindergarten teachers can help young learners meet early literacy standards without sacrificing developmentally appropriate practice. Several professional associations have described appropriate expectations for children of different age levels known as milestones, developmental accomplishments, and benchmarks. (MLH)
Localising supranational concepts of literacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Holm, Lars
According to Blommaert (2003) conceptualizations of literacy within education might be seen as a variety of language that should be "read locally as well as translocally" by examining how conceptualizations of literacy are being both globalized and localized by whom, for whom and how...... – and with what impact for education. Following this research agenda I would like to argue for a Latour-inspired research approach that theorizes the material dimension of literacy and its capacity to travel. It is central to Latours´ sociology that humans are seen delegating roles and responsibilities to objects......, and Latour argues that it is by tracing the objects that circulate within and between sites of human social interaction that an account of the social becomes possible (Latour, 1999). An application of Latours theoretical perspective allows for an examination of literacy practices that can follow...
Literacy Education and Interprofessional Collaboration
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Joron Pihl
Full Text Available The aim of this article is to explore inter-professional collaboration in literacy education. It examines factors that facilitate collaboration between teachers and librarians and the contributions to literacy education. The study was designed as a research and development project in multicultural schools in Norway (2007-2011. Its theoretical framework was cultural-historical theory of activity theory, and the theory of expansive learning. The methods were formative intervention, interviews, participant observation, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of student literacy. In the study, interprofessional collaboration made significant contributions to professional development and literacy education. Interprofessional collaboration was developed as a collective learning process. It was facilitated by research interventions, development of a shared object of activity and work with new theoretical concepts and cultural artefacts. The findings indicate that inter-professional collaboration can make important contributions to realization of the mandate of the teaching and library profession.
'Academic literacies approaches to genre'?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Brian Street
Full Text Available I provide an overview of approaches to writing referred to as 'academic literacies' building on broader traditions, such as New Literacy Studies, and I draw out the relevance of such traditions for the ways in which lecturers provide support to their students with regard to the writing requirements of the University. I offer three case studies of the application of academic literacies approaches to programmes concerned with supporting student writing, in the UK and the USA. I briefly conclude by asking how far these accounts and this work can be seen to bring together many of the themes raised at SIGET conferences - including academic literacies and its relation to genre theories - and express the hope that it opens up trajectories for future research and collaboration of the kind they were founded to develop.
Achieving Technological Literacy in Minnesota.
Lindstrom, Mike
Describes how Minnesota implemented the Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology. Includes the timeline, rationale, potential activities and estimated costs associated with all phases, and steps for implementing the plan: investigate, replicate, integrate, and mandate. (JOW)
Health Literacy and Health Outcomes
... 1998. Relationship of functional health literacy to patients' knowledge of their chronic disease. A study of patients with hypertension and diabetes. Archives of Internal Medicine. 158(2): 166-172. ...
Technological literacy and innovation education
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hansbøl, Mikala
Lately, in Denmark and internationally, there has been an increased focus on welfare technology and innovation. The Danish healthcare system is being fundamentally restructured and re-formed, the health professions are dealing with increased speed on the introductions of new political strategies...... on innovation education and educational activities fostering technological literacy. While focus on technological literacy has often (historically) taken a functionalist direction, and mainly been related to ICT and development of non- vocational curricula, more recent developments of approaches...... to technological literacy emphasizes profession oriented relational technological literacy. Furthermore, new definitions of 21st century competencies and skills emphasize creative learning and innovation skills and competencies as central ingredients in the 21st century labor market, and call for innovation...
Financial Literacy Education for Women
Jarecke, Jodi; Taylor, Edward W.; Hira, Tahira K.
Exploring the pedagogical approaches of four women's financial literacy education programs, this chapter provides an overview of trends and needs in financial education for women and offers pedagogical strategies for teaching women about finance.
Literacy for all young learners
Jalongo, Mary Renck
Literacy for All Young Learners offers 65 strategies to support literacy learning with children from preschool through the third grade. Each strategy is designed to be simple to use with all of the children in your classroom-from the not-yet-readers to the fluent readers-and each strategy is tied to the Common Core State Standards for kindergarten through third grade.
A shifting paradigm: Teachers' beliefs and methods for fostering ecological literacy in two public charter schools
Sterling, Evan P.
Ecological literacy is measured by a person's ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible and how to live in accordance with those systems. The emergence of the pedagogies of place- and community-based education during the past two decades provides a possible avenue for fostering ecological literacy in schools. This thesis explores the following research questions: 1) How is ecological literacy fostered in two Alaskan public charter schools? 2) What are teachers' beliefs in these two schools about the way children and youth develop ecological literacy? 3) What are effective teaching methods and what are the challenges in engaging students in ecological literacy? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six K--12 teachers in two public charter schools in Alaska in order to investigate these questions, and relevant examples of student work were collected for study as well. Qualitative data analysis revealed several emergent themes: the need for real-world connections to curriculum; the necessity of time spent outdoors at a young age; the long-term and holistic nature of ecological literacy development; and the importance of family and community role models in developing connections with the natural world. Based upon the research findings, several recommendations are made to support the efforts of teachers in these schools and elsewhere for fostering ecological literacy in children and youth.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Josè Manuel Pérez Tornero
Full Text Available In questo contributo si ripercorre la storia della media literacy in Spagna e si descrivono i molti cambiamenti avvenuti sinora: tutti i soggetti coinvolti (educatori, autorità regolatrici, industria, società civile sono ben consapevoli dell'importanza della media literacy e della media education, e le azioni intraprese mirano a un ulteriore potenziamento di questa importanza. Tuttavia, malgrado gli sforzi compiuti, occorre un maggiore coordinamento e una più accurata programmazione. Lo sviluppo della media literacy viene qui descritto a partire dagli anni Sessanta, quando alcune scuole cominciano a usare i media come strumenti didattici in classe, sino ai Novanta con il boom delle nuove tecnologie digitali e della convergenza mediale e con l'affermarsi dei concetti di digital literacy e, più tardi, di media literacy. Per quanto riguarda l'educazione permanente, in questo contributo si solleva la questione della formazione degli insegnanti e delle specializzazioni postlaurea. Si accenna anche al processo di introduzione della materia nel curricolo. Rispetto alla ricerca e a progetti particolari, si citano alcune esperienze realizzate sia da istituzioni nazionali che da associazioni della società civile. Infine, si auspicano sviluppi futuri per la media literacy in Spagna grazie alla promulgazione della Ley General de la Comunicación Audiovisual (LGCA 2010 e all'istituzione del Consejo Estatal de Medios Audiovisuales (CEMA.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Saeideh Ahangari
Full Text Available This paper explores the ways in which the transfer of assumptions from first language (L1 writing can help the process of writing in second language (L2. In learning second language writing skills, learners have two primary sources from which they construct a second language system: knowledge and skills from first language and input from second language. To investigate the relative impact of first language literacy skills on second language writing ability, 60 EFL students from Tabriz Islamic Azad University were chosen as participants of this study, based on their language proficiency scores. The subjects were given two topics to write about: the experimental group subjects were asked to write in Persian and then translate their writing into English. The control group wrote in English. The results obtained in this study indicate that the content and vocabulary components of the compositions were mostly affected by the use of first language.
Literacy Coaching: Middle School Academic Achievement and Teacher Perceptions Regarding Content Area Literacy Strategy Instruction
Edwards, Anjell H.; Neill, Patricia; Faust, Phyllis B.
This study examined differences in perceptions of content area teachers receiving literacy coaching and teachers receiving no literacy coaching regarding implementation of literacy instruction. It also examined student achievement on standardized tests relative to literacy coaching. A survey measured teachers' perceptions regarding their…
Using Coding Apps to Support Literacy Instruction and Develop Coding Literacy
Hutchison, Amy; Nadolny, Larysa; Estapa, Anne
In this article the authors present the concept of Coding Literacy and describe the ways in which coding apps can support the development of Coding Literacy and disciplinary and digital literacy skills. Through detailed examples, we describe how coding apps can be integrated into literacy instruction to support learning of the Common Core English…
The relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women in health centers of Isfahan.
Akbarinejad, Farideh; Soleymani, Mohammad Reza; Shahrzadi, Leila
The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and convey information in various forms of media including print and nonprint requires media literacy, but the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic information and services needed for appropriate decisions regarding health, considered an important element in a woman's ability to participate in health promotion and prevention activities for herself and her children, is needed to a level of health literacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women in health centers in Isfahan. This study used a descriptive correlation study. Data collection tools include Shahin media literacy and functional health literacy in adults' questionnaires. The population include pregnant women in health centers of Isfahan (4080 people). Ten out of the 351 health centers in Isfahan were selected as cluster. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Media literacy of respondents in the five dimensions was significantly lower than average 61.5% of pregnant women have inadequate health literacy, 18.8% had marginal health literacy, and only 19.7% of them have had adequate health literacy. There was a significant positive relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women. This study showed that the majority of pregnant women covered by health centers had limited health literacy and media literacy. Since one of the basic requirements for the utilization of health information is needed for adequate media literacy, promotion of media literacy is necessary for the respondents.
Literacy in the Southern Sudan: A Case Study of Variables Affecting Literacy Programs.
Cowan, J. Ronayne
Describes the Local Languages Literacy Project in the Southern Sudan; delineates the most important educational, socioeconomic, and linguistic variables affecting the success of large-scale literacy programs in Africa; and questions the widely held assumption that indigenous language literacy is essential to subsequent literacy in the prestige…
Media literacy between primary and secondary students in Andalusia (Spain
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Ignacio Aguaded
Full Text Available The media consumption by children and young people in our society is a fact. Since 2010 there has been an R&D project that aims to assess media literacy in compulsory education in Andalusia. The content was defined in terms of six dimensions developed to assess the skill levels of citizenship. This article analyzes the degree of media literacy in primary and secondary school population in Andalusia. It is an important challenge for the information society to prepare media literate students. The study reports the comparative results of two surveys conducted in a varied sample of Andalusian schools. Both tools are designed to be implemented online with real-time tracking of the platform, to identify needs and gaps and plan for future strategies at school. The study defines media literacy and analysis of its dimensions and various categories of the quantitative study. This research concludes that the population of primary and secondary media literacy lacks the dimensions analyzed. It is, therefore, necessary to develop a course in media education in the school curriculum.
The Impact of Health Literacy on a Patient's Decision to Adopt a Personal Health Record
Noblin, Alice M.; Wan, Thomas T. H.; Fottler, Myron
Health literacy is a concept that describes a patient's ability to understand materials provided by physicians or other providers. Several factors, including education level, income, and age, can influence health literacy. Research conducted at one medical practice in Florida indicated that in spite of the patients' relatively low education level, the majority indicated a broad acceptance of personal health record (PHR) technology. The key variable explaining patient willingness to adopt a PHR was the patient's health literacy as measured by the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). Adoption and use rates may also depend on the availability of office staff for hands-on training as well as assistance with interpretation of medical information. It is hoped that technology barriers will disappear over time, and usefulness of the information will promote increased utilization of PHRs. Patient understanding of the information remains a challenge that must be overcome to realize the full potential of PHRs. PMID:23209454
Are Health Literacy and eHealth Literacy the Same or Different?
Monkman, Helen; Kushniruk, Andre W; Barnett, Jeff; Borycki, Elizabeth M; Greiner, Leigh E; Sheets, Debra
Many researchers assume that there is a relationship between health literacy and eHealth literacy, yet it is not clear whether the literature supports this assumption. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between health and eHealth literacy. To this end, participants' (n = 36) scores on the Newest Vital Sign (NVS, a health literacy measure) were correlated with the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS, an eHealth literacy measure). This analysis revealed no relationship (r = -.041, p = .81) between the two variables. This finding suggests that eHealth Literacy and health literacy are dissimilar. Several possible explanations of the pattern of results are proposed. Currently, it does not seem prudent to use the eHEALS as the sole measure of eHealth literacy, but rather researchers should continue to complement it with a validated health literacy screening tool.
Web Literacy, Web Literacies or Just Literacies on the Web? Reflections from a Study of Personal Homepages.
Karlsson, Anna-Malin
Discusses the question of whether there is such a thing as web literacy. Perspectives from media studies, literacy studies, and the study of multimodal texts are used to find the main contextual parameters involved in what might be classed as web literacy. The parameters suggested are material conditions, domain, power or ideology, and semiotic…
Pssst! There Is Literacy at the Laundromat.
Proudfoot, Gail
Advocates looking around and discovering the real literacy exhibited in everyday activities. Describes the literacy observed at a laundromat. Finds that everyone there was literate in this situation, able to both follow directions and entertain themselves with reading. (SR)
Engineering and "Standards for Technological Literacy."
Gorham, Douglas
Describes the relationship between engineering and technological literacy, criteria used by the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology, and the role of professional engineering societies in promoting technological literacy. (SK)
Fulfilling a Promise: Standards for Technological Literacy.
Bybee, Rodger W.
Discusses the place of standards in U.S. education, the development of the Standards for Technological Literacy, and the recent publication of "Advancing Excellence in Technological Literacy: Student Assessment, Professional Development, and Program Standards." (Contains 21 references.) (SK)
Financial Literacy, Retirement Planning and Household Wealth
van Rooij, Maarten C. J.; Lusardi, Annamaria; Alessie, Rob J. M.
Relying on comprehensive measures of financial knowledge, we provide evidence of a strong positive association between financial literacy and net worth, even after controlling for many determinants of wealth. We discuss two channels through which financial literacy might facilitate wealth
Promoting media and information literacy in libraries
Huysmans, F.; Franke, M.
Librarians and (public) libraries are active in promoting information literacy and (more recently) media literacy. After a brief historical sketch, this document describes how public libraries assist patrons and educational institutions in enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to
African Journals Online (AJOL)
literacy skills they learn, to overall national development. ... The media literacy movement according to Baran and Davis (2012:414), .... media such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, computers and video games, pop music, and the ...
Understanding the Health Literacy of America Results of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy
Cutilli, Carolyn Crane; Bennett, Ian M.
Health literacy refers to an individual's ability to understand healthcare information to make appropriate decisions (S. C Ratzen & R. M. Parker, 2000). Healthcare professionals are obligated to make sure that patients understand information to maximize the benefits of healthcare. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) provides information on the literacy/health literacy levels of the U.S. adult population. The NAAL is the only large-scale survey of health literacy. The results of t...
Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning in Sweden
Johan Almenberg; Jenny Säve-Söderbergh
We examine the relationship between financial literacy and retirement planning in a representative sample of Swedish adults. We find significant differences in financial literacy between planners and non-planners. Financial literacy levels are also lower among older people, women and those with low education or earnings. When we control for demographic variables we do not find an association between a narrow measure of financial literacy and planning, but with a broader measure the associatio...
Financial Literacy and Self-Employment
Cumurovic, Aida; Hyll, Walter
In this paper, we study the relationship between financial literacy and self-employment. We use established financial knowledge-based questions to measure financial literacy levels. The analysis shows a highly significant correlation between self-employment and financial literacy scores. To investigate the impact of financial literacy on being self-employed, we apply instrumental variable techniques based on information on economic education before entering the labour market and education of ...
Sharing Health Information and Influencing Behavioral Intentions: The Role of Health Literacy, Information Overload, and the Internet in the Diffusion of Healthy Heart Information.
Crook, Brittani; Stephens, Keri K; Pastorek, Angie E; Mackert, Michael; Donovan, Erin E
Low health literacy remains an extremely common and problematic issue, given that individuals with lower health literacy are more likely to experience health challenges and negative health outcomes. In this study, we use the first three stages of the innovation-decision process found in the theory of diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 2003). We incorporate health literacy into a model explaining how perceived health knowledge, information sharing, attitudes, and behavior are related. Results show that health information sharing explains 33% of the variance in behavioral intentions, indicating that the communicative practice of sharing information can positively impact health outcomes. Further, individuals with high health literacy tend to share less information about heart health than those with lower health literacy. Findings also reveal that perceived heart-health knowledge operates differently than health literacy to predict health outcomes.
"So we would all help pitch in:" The family literacy practices of low-income African American mothers of preschoolers.
Jarrett, Robin L; Hamilton, Megan-Brette; Coba-Rodriguez, Sarai
The development of emergent literacy skills are important for the development of later literacy competencies and affect school readiness. Quantitative researchers document race- and social class-based disparities in emergent literacy competence between low-income African American and middle-income White children. Some researchers suggest that deficits in parenting practices account for limited literacy skills among low-income African American children. A small body of qualitative research on low-income African American families finds that despite economic challenges, some African American families were actively engaged in promoting child literacy development. Using qualitative interviews that emphasize family strengths, we add to this small body of research to highlight positive family practices obscured in many quantitative analyses that concentrate on family shortcomings. Specifically, we examine in-home literacy practices and child literacy development with a sample of low-income African American mothers (families) of preschoolers. Key findings include identification of various literacy activities promoting child literacy development and inclusion of multiple family members assisting in literacy activities. These findings add to substantive discussions of emergent literacy and resilience. Insights from the qualitative interviews also provide culturally-sensitive recommendations to childhood educators and speech-language pathologists (SLP) who work with low-income African American families and children. Reader should recognize that (1) there is not a 'right' phenotype and therefore not a right form of environmental input and (2) that context matters (at both the level of the cell and the individual organism). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Virtual and Virtuous Realities of Workplace Literacy.
Castleton, Geraldine
Workplace literacy has been a recent addition to the field of literacy education and research, achieving a level of "commonsense" acceptability so that its meaning(s) or constructions have largely gone unchallenged. A study, therefore, explored the concepts of "work,""workers," and "literacy," not so much to…
8 CFR 312.1 - Literacy requirements.
... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Literacy requirements. 312.1 Section 312.1... FOR NATURALIZATION § 312.1 Literacy requirements. (a) General. Except as otherwise provided in... determining English proficiency, as outlined in paragraph(c) of this section. (c) Literacy examination—(1...
Mainstreaming academic literacy teaching: Implications for how ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
This article draws on research into the role of academic literacies within a range of disciplines and its implications for academic literacy teaching in Higher Education. The study explored ways of transforming current academic literacy teaching practices with a view to developing better synergy between the academic ...
Hanson, Liz
A literacy coach describes the various components of her work and how they combine to help teachers provide more effective literacy instruction. Walk-throughs, literacy team meetings, formal coaching, professional learning communities, and regular meetings with the principal enable her to understand what teachers need and then assist teachers in…
Language Assessment Literacy: Implications for Language Teachers
Giraldo, Frank
Recently, the applied linguistics field has examined the knowledge, skills, and principles needed for assessment, defined as language assessment literacy. Two major issues in language assessment literacy have been addressed but not fully resolved--what exactly language assessment literacy is and how it differs among stakeholders (e.g., students…
Blue Listerine, Parochialism, and ASL Literacy
Czubek, Todd A.
There are not many elements of human life that have had as significant an impact on our development as literacy. Literacy has certainly been, and remains, a crucial issue especially in Deaf Education and in the Deaf World. The traditional definition of literacy has been exclusively understood as reading and writing. However, this article is…
Information Literacy for the Skeptical Library Director.
Breivik, Patricia S.
This paper begins by providing background on the information literacy movement, including the educational reform efforts of the 1980s, a higher education summit conference, and the 1989 American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Final Report. Other highlights include: the information literacy triangle;…
Promoting Learning in Libraries through Information Literacy.
Breivik, Patricia Senn; Ford, Barbara J.
Discusses information literacy and describes activities under the sponsorship of the National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL) that promotes information literacy in schools and libraries. Activities of member organizations of the NFIL are described, including policy formation, publications, and programs; and the role of the American Library…
Guide to Resources for ESL Literacy Facilitators.
Gaber-Katz, Elaine; Zettel, Kathryn
This resource guide, for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy facilitators, reviews a variety of resources for ESL literacy. The guide contains three sections. The first section cites four books that provide a theoretical context for literacy work: "Ah-Hah! A New Approach to Popular Education" (Gatt-Fly); "Approaches and Methods in Language…
literacy.ca EXPRESS. April 2010
Movement for Canadian Literacy, 2010
This issue of "literacy.ca EXPRESS" focuses on poverty. The articles included in this issue are: (1) Poverty Overview; (2) Tony's Story; (3) LAN (Learner Advisory Network) Member's Story (Dianne Smith); (4) Linking Adult Literacy to Poverty Reduction; (5) MCL (Movement for Canadian Literacy) Update; (6) Highlights from the LAN; (7) Good…
Why Free Software Matters for Literacy Educators.
Brunelle, Michael D.; Bruce, Bertram C.
Notes that understanding what "free software" means and its implications for access and use of new technologies is an important component of the new literacies. Concludes that if free speech and free press are essential to the development of a general literacy, then free software can promote the development of computer literacy. (SG)
Teaching Financial Literacy with Max and Ruby
Brown, Natalya; Ferguson, Kristen
Teaching financial literacy is important at all stages of life, but is often neglected with elementary students. In this article, the authors describe a strategy for teaching financial literacy using the books about Max and Ruby by Rosemary Wells. These books can help introduce the five key concepts of financial literacy: scarcity, exchange,…
Bootlegging Literacy Sponsorship, Brewing up Institutional Change
Carrick, Tracey Hammler
This paper considers how community literacy programs factor into broader economies of literacy development. The author analyzes two Appalachian community literacy projects, Shirley Brice Heath's ethnographic project in the Carolina Piedmont and Highlander Research and Education Center's organizing efforts with the Appalachian People's Movement, to…
Financial Literacy, Financial Education, and Economic Outcomes
Hastings, Justine S.; Madrian, Brigitte C.; Skimmyhorn, William L.
In this article, we review the literature on financial literacy, financial education, and consumer financial outcomes. We consider how financial literacy is measured in the current literature and examine how well the existing literature addresses whether financial education improves financial literacy or personal financial outcomes. We discuss the…
Why History Matters for Media Literacy Education
RobbGrieco, Michael
The ways people have publicly discussed and written about media literacy in the past have great bearing on how citizens, educators and learners are able to think about and practice their own media literacy. Our concepts of media literacy have evolved over time in response to changing contexts of media studies and educational discourses as well as…
Regional Inequality in Literacy in India.
Tilak, Jandhyala B. G.
Although India's literacy rate has increased, the faster population growth has increased the nation's total illiteracy. The paper reviews differences in literacy rates among various regions and examines factors to explain this inequality, concluding that compulsory education for children is not enough and that adult literacy campaigns are vital.…
Developing a News Media Literacy Scale
Ashley, Seth; Maksl, Adam; Craft, Stephanie
Using a framework previously applied to other areas of media literacy, this study developed and assessed a measurement scale focused specifically on critical news media literacy. Our scale appears to successfully measure news media literacy as we have conceptualized it based on previous research, demonstrated through assessments of content,…
Empowering Primary School Pupils through Literacy Remediation ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Empowering Primary School Pupils through Literacy Remediation Project in Uyo ... and retraining in the hope that this will impact on the pupils' literacy development. ... process and often fail to engage the pupils in activities that promote literacy ... In other to empower such children for meaningful learning, reading needs to ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
André Turcotte
Full Text Available Energy plays an important role in everyday activities, whether at a personal, institutional, corporate or social level. In this context, an informed or literate public is critical for the longterm conservation, management, pricing and use of increasingly scarce energy resources. A series of surveys were used to probe the literacy of Canadians with regard to energy issues ranging from relative ranking and importance of energy compared to other national issues, preference for various fuel types and willingness to pay for offsetting environmental impacts from energy generation. In addition, they were asked how Canada's government should prioritize national energy independence over trade, even if ultimately reducing imports might impact national economic health. The survey revealed that Canadians have a good general knowledge of energy use and relative cost but lack detailed knowledge about sources of energy fuels, as well as sources and linkages with environmental impacts. However, an overwhelming majority of respondents indicated they were concerned about environmental issues; most seemed to direct that concern towards fuels such as coal and nuclear power where support was low compared to a relatively unconcerned view about the often substantial environmental effects of hydro dams or wind farms. Canadians say they have been willing to make adjustments to their own energy-consumption habits, to save money and conserve energy. Further, respondents generally expressed a willingness to pay a surcharge on monthly utility bills, if it would help mitigate the environmental impact of energy generation. There were limits to this view. Support for extra charges falls off rapidly as the costs go up; drivers showed themselves highly resistant to switching their commute to transit, even despite rising gas prices; and respondents were less enthusiastic to the idea of installing home solar panels or switching to electric cars, even when offered a subsidy to do
Using Local Data To Advance Quantitative Literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stephen Sweet
Full Text Available In this article we consider the application of local data as a means of advancing quantitative literacy. We illustrate the use of three different sources of local data: institutional data, Census data, and the National College Health Assessment survey. Our learning modules are applied in courses in sociology and communication, but the strategy of using local data can be integrated beyond these disciplinary boundaries. We demonstrate how these data can be used to stimulate student interests in class discussion, advance analytic skills, as well as develop capacities in written and verbal communication. We conclude by considering concerns that may influence the types of local data used and the challenges of integrating these data in a course in which quantitative analysis is not typically part of the curriculum.
Integration of Information and Scientific Literacy: Promoting Literacy in Undergraduates
Wolbach, Kevin C.; Purzycki, Catherine B.; Bowman, Leslie A.; Agbada, Eva; Mostrom, Alison M.
The Association of College and Research Libraries recommends incorporating information literacy (IL) skills across university and college curricula, for the goal of developing information literate graduates. Congruent with this goal, the Departments of Biological Sciences and Information Science developed an integrated IL and scientific literacy (SL) exercise for use in a first-year biology course. Students were provided the opportunity to access, retrieve, analyze, and evaluate primary scientific literature. By the completion of this project, student responses improved concerning knowledge and relevance of IL and SL skills. This project exposes students to IL and SL early in their undergraduate experience, preparing them for future academic advancement. PMID:21123700
Update on Health Literacy and Diabetes
Bailey, Stacy Cooper; Brega, Angela G.; Crutchfield, Trisha M.; Elasy, Tom; Herr, Haley; Kaphingst, Kimberly; Karter, Andrew J.; Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Osborn, Chandra Y.; Pignone, Michael; Rothman, Russell; Schillinger, Dean
Purpose Inadequate literacy is common among patients with diabetes and may lead to adverse outcomes. We reviewed the relationship between literacy and health outcomes in patients with diabetes and potential interventions to improve such outcomes. Methods We reviewed 79 articles covering three key domains: 1) evaluation of screening tools to identify inadequate literacy and numeracy; 2) the relationships of a range of diabetes-related health outcomes with literacy and numeracy; and 3) interventions to reduce literacy-related differences in health outcomes. Results Several screening tools are available to assess patients' print literacy and numeracy skills, some of which specifically address diabetes. Literacy and numeracy are consistently associated with diabetes-related knowledge. Some studies suggest literacy and numeracy are associated with intermediate outcomes, including self-efficacy, communication, and self-care (including adherence), but the relationship between literacy and glycemic control is mixed. Few studies have assessed more distal health outcomes, including diabetes-related complications, health care utilization, safety, or quality of life, but available studies suggest low literacy may be associated with an increased risk of complications, including hypoglycemia. Several interventions appear effective in improving diabetes-related outcomes regardless of literacy status, but it is unclear if these interventions can reduce literacy-related differences in outcomes. Conclusions Low literacy is associated with less diabetes-related knowledge and may be related to other important health outcomes. Further studies are needed to better elucidate pathways by which literacy skills affect health outcomes. Promising interventions are available to improve diabetes outcomes for patients with low literacy, but more research is needed to determine their effectiveness outside of research settings. PMID:24947871
Neuropsychological diagnostics in Ethiopia - challenges and ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Results The administration of tests developed in Western-European settings to the African culture presents enormous challenge. Among these are especially the influence of low level of literacy, familiarity with the testing material, cultural aspects regarding social behavior and sense of time, cultural differences regarding ...
Researching literacy practices in transition
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Holm, Lars
Researching literacy practices in transition Postmodern societies are characterized by constant, fast and unpredictable mobility of people, goods, ideas and values. These mobilities are often visualized as a movement from one place to another, as a temporary interference of the stability of fixed...... places. An alternative take on mobilty sees movement as the default and change as the normal way of being rather than the exception (Barton, 2012). This understanding of change is central to the framing concept of this symposium: transition. Transitional processes around literacy are significant because...... literacy is something that is taught and learned, that is adopted, transformed and appropriated and that is used to categorize and classify people (Holm & Pitkänen-Huhta, 2012). Based on detailed empirical studies in the Nordic countries, the aim of this symposium is to discuss how to explore and research...
Literacy competence based on fiction
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Broström, Stig
tool towards children's general Bildung and more specific development of literacy competence in the first years of school, in 2007 we carried out an investigation about fiction as a part of mother-tongue teaching and the process of children's learning to read. Via the investigation and general studies...... we want to get more knowledge ablout following questions: How to define fiction which holds a personal and language "Bildung"? How to define the importance of fiction related to children's literacy competence? What kind of fiction do teachers use? How do teachers mediate fiction, how and in what...... extend do teachers make use of drawing and play activities? How to find a balance between to maintain the aesthetical and narrative methods and expressions AND gaining a literacy competence? This paper has focus on the fourth question....
Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning in Australia
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Julie R. Agnew
Full Text Available Financial literacy and numeracy are closely tied. Furthermore, financial literacy has been shown to relate to important financial behaviors. This study examines the relationship between financial literacy and retirement planning using a measure that includes questions requiring numeracy. We implement a customized survey to a representative sample of 1,024 Australians. Overall, we find aggregate levels of financial literacy similar to comparable countries with the young, least educated, those not employed, and those not in the labor force most at risk. Our financial literacy measure is positively related to retirement planning in our sample.
How Financial Literacy Affects Household Wealth Accumulation.
Behrman, Jere R; Mitchell, Olivia S; Soo, Cindy K; Bravo, David
This study isolates the causal effects of financial literacy and schooling on wealth accumulation using a new household dataset and an instrumental variables (IV) approach. Financial literacy and schooling attainment are both strongly positively associated with wealth outcomes in linear regression models, whereas the IV estimates reveal even more potent effects of financial literacy. They also indicate that the schooling effect only becomes positive when interacted with financial literacy. Estimated impacts are substantial enough to imply that investments in financial literacy could have large wealth payoffs.
Forskerklummen: Figured Worlds of literacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Møller, Hanne
"Figured worlds", altså forestillede verdener, er et teoretisk begreb, som i øjeblikket dukker op i flere og flere forskningssammenhænge. Det bliver anvendt på mange forskellige måder både inden for uddannelsesforskning og i forskning i literacy......."Figured worlds", altså forestillede verdener, er et teoretisk begreb, som i øjeblikket dukker op i flere og flere forskningssammenhænge. Det bliver anvendt på mange forskellige måder både inden for uddannelsesforskning og i forskning i literacy....
Advocating for Patient Care Literacy.
Poirier, Therese I
The value of the arts and humanities in becoming an "educated" pharmacist is reviewed in this commentary. The term "patient care literacy" is defined as becoming a more humane pharmacist. This implies not only using heads but HARTSS (humanities, arts and social sciences) for developing the necessary skills. A conceptual framework for curricular reform that focuses on using the arts and humanities is proposed for advancing patient care literacy. Methods for enhancing use of arts and humanities for developing pharmacy graduates is specifically proposed. The need for more empiric research to demonstrate the value of the arts and humanities in developing a patient care literate professional is highlighted.
Does intelligence account for the link between maternal literacy and child survival?
Sandiford, P; Cassel, J; Sanchez, G; Coldham, C
The strong and consistent correlation between maternal education and child health is now well known, and numerous studies have shown that wealth and income cannot explain the link. Policy-makers have therefore assumed that the relationship is causal and explicitly advocate schooling as a child health intervention. However, there are other factors which could account for the apparent effect of maternal education on child morbidity and mortality, one of which is intelligence. This paper examines the effect of maternal intelligence on child health and looks at the degree to which it can explain the literacy associations with child survival and risk of malnutrition. The data are from a retrospective cohort study of 1294 mothers and their 7475 offspring, of whom 454 were women who had learned to read and write as adults in Nicaragua's literacy programme, 457 were illiterate, and 383 had become literate as young girls attending school. The women's intelligence was tested using Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. Acquisition of literacy was strongly related to intelligence. Statistically significant associations with maternal literacy were found for under five mortality, infant mortality, and the risk of low mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) for age, before and after controlling for a wide range of socio-economic factors. Under five, child (one to four years), infant and post-neonatal mortality plus the risk of low height for age were significantly correlated with intelligence, but only with infant and under mortality rates did the association remain significant after controlling for socio-economic factors. A significant interaction between intelligence and literacy for under five mortality was due to literacy having a strong effect in the women of low intelligence, and a negligible effect among those of high intelligence. This study provides evidence that intelligence is an important determinant of child health among the illiterate, and that education may have the
Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning in Switzerland
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Martin Brown
Full Text Available We use a representative survey covering 1,500 households to document the level of financial literacy in Switzerland and to examine how financial literacy is related to retirement planning. We measure financial literacy with standardized questions that capture knowledge about three basic financial concepts: Compound interest, inflation, and risk diversification. We measure retirement planning by the incidence of a voluntary retirement savings account. Our results show that financial literacy in Switzerland is high by international standards--a result which is compatible with the high ranking of Switzerland on the PISA mathematical scales. Financial literacy is lower among low-income, less-educated, and immigrant, non-native-speaking households as well as among women. We find that financial literacy is strongly correlated with voluntary retirement saving. Our results also show that financial literacy is correlated with financial market participation and mortgage borrowing.
Central Banks' Involvement in Encouraging Economic Education and Literacy
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Marius Constantin APOSTOAIE
Full Text Available Currently, economic education plays a vital role in the future health of world economy and enables citizens to efficiently participate in the society in which they live. The economic literacy of citizens is not only the problem of state authorities, but it is also a common challenge and responsibility for many public institutions and non-profit organizations. Key players among these institutions are central banks that invest significant resources in educating the public to achieve economic efficiency, a good conduct of monetary policy and welfare. The aim of the paper is to emphasize the involvement of more-and-more central banks in fostering economic education and literacy, not before clarifying some key concepts and highlighting the importance of the subject in our society.
The impact of media literacy education on teenagers' news literacy
Kleemans, M.; Eggink, G.
Media literacy education is presented as an answer to the increasing demand for active citizenship in democratic societies. Consequently, educational programmes that empower teenagers to deal with the opportunities and risks that media pose are developing fast. Against this background, a number of
Disciplinary Literacy in Science: Developing Science Literacy through Trade Books
Fang, Zhihui
Developing science literacy requires not only firsthand explorations of the material world but also secondhand investigations with text. A potentially powerful kind of text in science is trade books. This column describes four classroom ploys for using science trade books to enhance students' secondhand experiences.
Financial Literacy: An Essential Component of Mathematics Literacy and Numeracy
Sole, Marla A.
With rising personal and public debt, public and private employers increasingly shifting financial responsibility to individuals, and an increase in both the number of financial investment options and predatory lending practices, today's students need to be financially literate. This paper defines financial literacy and justifies its place in the…
Refreshing Information Literacy: Learning from Recent British Information Literacy Models
Martin, Justine
Models play an important role in helping practitioners implement and promote information literacy. Over time models can lose relevance with the advances in technology, society, and learning theory. Practitioners and scholars often call for adaptations or transformations of these frameworks to articulate the learning needs in information literacy…
Literacy in a Non-Literacy Milieu: The Indian Scenario.
Saraf, S. N.
Section 1 of this report develops the thesis that while illiteracy is deeply entrenched in certain areas of India, it is also confined to specific pockets of the population. Recognition of this fact should be the basis, according to the author, of literacy strategy. Section 2 provides a history of the levels of priority given to adult education…
The "Ofcourseness" of Functional Literacy: Ideologies in Adult Literacy
Perry, Kristen H.; Shaw, Donita M.; Ivanyuk, Lyudmyla; Tham, Yuen San Sarah
We used metastudy and metasynthesis techniques to conduct a discursive review of 101 recent publications on the topic of adult functional literacy (FL). Our purpose was to understand the ideologies shaping current definitions and conceptualizations of FL, as well as how and why FL is researched and assessed as it is. Using discursive review…
Modeling Instruction of David Hestenes: a proposal of thematic modeling cycle and discussion of scientific literacy
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Ednilson Sergio Ramalho de Souza
Full Text Available The pedagogical work with mathematical modeling assumes investigate situations of reality. However, mental models formed from the contact with the experiential world are generally incompatible with the conceptual models. So David Hestenes supports the view that one of the biggest challenges of teaching and learning in science and mathematics is to coordinate conceptual models with mental models, which led to the elaboration of a didactic in mathematical modeling: Modeling Instruction. Our goal is to present a proposal for thematic modeling cycle drawn up in hestenesianos assumptions and discuss possibilities for scientific literacy. The main question was to know how to emerge indicators for scientific literacy for the proposed cycle. This is a bibliographic research in order to identify the available literature contributions on the subject and raise the possibility and challenges for the brazilian teaching science and mathematics. Preliminary results indicate that the proposed modeling cycle can develop indicators for scientific literacy of different natures.
Increasing Literacy in Quantitative Methods: The Key to the Future of Canadian Psychology
Counsell, Alyssa; Cribbie, Robert A.; Harlow, Lisa. L.
Quantitative methods (QM) dominate empirical research in psychology. Unfortunately most researchers in psychology receive inadequate training in QM. This creates a challenge for researchers who require advanced statistical methods to appropriately analyze their data. Many of the recent concerns about research quality, replicability, and reporting practices are directly tied to the problematic use of QM. As such, improving quantitative literacy in psychology is an important step towards eliminating these concerns. The current paper will include two main sections that discuss quantitative challenges and opportunities. The first section discusses training and resources for students and presents descriptive results on the number of quantitative courses required and available to graduate students in Canadian psychology departments. In the second section, we discuss ways of improving quantitative literacy for faculty, researchers, and clinicians. This includes a strong focus on the importance of collaboration. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for improving quantitative skills and literacy for students and researchers in Canada. PMID:28042199
Fact-checking vs. Fake news: Confirmation journalism as a tool of media literacy against misinformation
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Gabriel Lotero-Echeverri
Full Text Available The article analyzes the relationship between media literacy and fake news, as one of the challenges that misinformation represents in the Internet age, for its risks for the political system, decision making and also for the reputation of companies and citizens. A theoretical review on the topic by media literacy and misinformation is presented, as a challenge for digital journalism. The case of colombiacheck.com is analyzed, which is an association journalist platform, that is a pioneer in Colombia in fact-checking journalism, to highlight the contribution that this methodology represent in the fight against fake and malicious news, on the one hand and to highlight that its represents a simple and replicable technique through which reinforce the media literacy of citizens and journalists.
Increasing Literacy in Quantitative Methods: The Key to the Future of Canadian Psychology.
Counsell, Alyssa; Cribbie, Robert A; Harlow, Lisa L
Quantitative methods (QM) dominate empirical research in psychology. Unfortunately most researchers in psychology receive inadequate training in QM. This creates a challenge for researchers who require advanced statistical methods to appropriately analyze their data. Many of the recent concerns about research quality, replicability, and reporting practices are directly tied to the problematic use of QM. As such, improving quantitative literacy in psychology is an important step towards eliminating these concerns. The current paper will include two main sections that discuss quantitative challenges and opportunities. The first section discusses training and resources for students and presents descriptive results on the number of quantitative courses required and available to graduate students in Canadian psychology departments. In the second section, we discuss ways of improving quantitative literacy for faculty, researchers, and clinicians. This includes a strong focus on the importance of collaboration. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for improving quantitative skills and literacy for students and researchers in Canada.
Social Networking Sites, Literacy, and the Authentic Identity Problem
Kimmons, Royce
Current interest in social media for educational purposes has led many to consider the importance of literacy development in online spaces (e.g., new media literacies, digital literacies, etc.). Relying heavily upon New Literacy Studies (NLS) as a base, these approaches treat literacy expansively to include socio-cultural factors beyond mere skill…
The Continuum of Literacy in American Indian Communities.
Zepeda, Ofelia
Describes the O'odham language and oral tradition of the Tohono O'odham Indians of southern Arizona, relating it to the development of O'odham children's English literacy. Oral tradition and school literacy constitute opposite ends of a literacy continuum, in which English literacy is often isolated from and in conflict with O'odham literacy. (10…
Reading in Middle School: Bumps in the Literacy Crossroads
Hall, Katrina Willard
Certainly a major bump in the literacy road today is the apparent conflict between school literacies and the preferred literacy activities of students outside of school. After family conversation about a nephew who was getting poor grades in language arts, Hall shares her thinking on the dilemmas of what constitutes literacy, how literacies kids…
Addressing health literacy in patient decision aids
Background Effective use of a patient decision aid (PtDA) can be affected by the user's health literacy and the PtDA's characteristics. Systematic reviews of the relevant literature can guide PtDA developers to attend to the health literacy needs of patients. The reviews reported here aimed to assess: 1. a) the effects of health literacy / numeracy on selected decision-making outcomes, and b) the effects of interventions designed to mitigate the influence of lower health literacy on decision-making outcomes, and 2. the extent to which existing PtDAs a) account for health literacy, and b) are tested in lower health literacy populations. Methods We reviewed literature for evidence relevant to these two aims. When high-quality systematic reviews existed, we summarized their evidence. When reviews were unavailable, we conducted our own systematic reviews. Results Aim 1: In an existing systematic review of PtDA trials, lower health literacy was associated with lower patient health knowledge (14 of 16 eligible studies). Fourteen studies reported practical design strategies to improve knowledge for lower health literacy patients. In our own systematic review, no studies reported on values clarity per se, but in 2 lower health literacy was related to higher decisional uncertainty and regret. Lower health literacy was associated with less desire for involvement in 3 studies, less question-asking in 2, and less patient-centered communication in 4 studies; its effects on other measures of patient involvement were mixed. Only one study assessed the effects of a health literacy intervention on outcomes; it showed that using video to improve the salience of health states reduced decisional uncertainty. Aim 2: In our review of 97 trials, only 3 PtDAs overtly addressed the needs of lower health literacy users. In 90% of trials, user health literacy and readability of the PtDA were not reported. However, increases in knowledge and informed choice were reported in those studies
Integrating Participatory Design and Health Literacy to Improve Research and Interventions.
Neuhauser, Linda
Health communication is an essential health promotion strategy to convert scientific findings into actionable, empowering information for the public. Health communication interventions have shown positive outcomes, but many efforts have been disappointing. A key weakness is that expert-designed health communication is often overly generic and not adequately aligned with the abilities, preferences and life situations of specific audiences. The emergence of the field of health literacy is providing powerful theoretical guidance and practice strategies. Health literacy, in concert with other determinants of health, has greatly advanced understanding of factors that facilitate or hinder health promotion at individual, organizational and community settings. However, health literacy models are incomplete and interventions have shown only modest success to date. A challenge is to move beyond the current focus on individual comprehension and address deeper factors of motivation, self-efficacy and empowerment, as well as socio-environmental influences, and their impact to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities. Integrating participatory design theory and methods drawn from social sciences and design sciences can significantly improve health literacy models and interventions. Likewise, researchers and practitioners using participatory design can greatly benefit from incorporating health literacy principles into their efforts. Such interventions at multiple levels are showing positive health outcomes and reduction of health disparities, but this approach is complex and not yet widespread. This chapter focuses on research findings about health literacy and participatory design to improve health promotion, and practical guidance and case examples for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.
Using Mobile Technology to Enhance Undergraduate Student Digital Information Literacy Skills: A Canadian Case Study
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Alice Schmidt Hanbidge
Full Text Available Learning essential information literacy skills through the use of mobile phones is an innovative mlearning pilot project that was collaboratively undertaken in a Canadian university college over the course of two academic terms by faculty and the library staff. The research pilot project involved ninety one undergraduate students in five different classes majoring in psychology, social work, education or social development studies in an attempt to determine the effectiveness of using mobile technology to enhance students' information literacy skills and learning experiences. Pre and post-test measures, and survey questionnaires generated quantitative and qualitative data that was analyzed to determine the degree of changes in frequency of mobile device information literacy access and fluency in digital literacy skills. The article highlights the Mobile Information Literacy innovation and includes the development and design of the mobile lessons, interactive exercises, and its applications. The study's main results and conclusions are also discussed. Additionally, the successes and challenges of the pilot to support anytime, anywhere student mobile information literacy eLearning training that engages mobile learners and enhances their learning experience are identified and critically reflected upon to improve the innovation for stage two of the project.
Family science: An ethnographic case study of the ordinary science and literacy experiences of one family
McCarty, Glenda M.
Despite the copious research available on science learning, little is known about ways in which the public engages in free-choice science learning and even fewer studies have focused on how families engage in science to learn about the world around them. The same was true about studies of literacy development in the home until the 1980s when researchers (e.g. Bissex, 1980; Heath, 1983; Taylor, 1983) began documenting the literacy happenings and practices of young children in natural settings. Findings from intensive emergent literacy research studies have challenged traditional approaches to the teaching and learning of literacy, especially drawing attention to the active role children take in their own learning. Drawing upon those early literacy studies, this research project uses ethnographic case study methods along with a naturalistic inquiry approach, to document the daily explorations of one science-oriented family. Over a three year span, I have followed my own family, in our natural setting, through our day-to-day experiences with science and literacy as we seek to mediate and understand the world around us. In doing so, I have explored the ways we have shared knowledge and constructed learning through science books and read alouds, self-initiated inquiry learning, and communication. Throughout the three year research period, I have collected data and documented my own young children's understanding of the nature of science by observing their engagement with world around them.
A ICT "Literacy" Revisited: or What the Literate Citizen Really Needs to Know
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Dan Fleming
Full Text Available Use of the term 'literacy' to describe various sorts of competence in information and communication technologies (ICTs has been widespread (e.g. digital literacy, media literacy but this is usually little more than a vaguely defined metaphorical usage. The paper revisits the notion of literacy and uses British educational sociologist BasilBernstein's analysis of codes and of classification and framing practices in order to suggest that there is a desirable form of ICT literacy that is more than a metaphor for a general level of competence. This ICT literacy is characterized as an ability to graspboth the objects of ICT and their conditions of possibility (e.g. with reference to Open Source as a specific configuration of such conditions. Spinosa, Flores and Dreyfus's concepts of articulation, reconfiguration and cross-appropriation are re-defined as framing practices and their strategic importance is argued for within the field of 'conditions of possibility' defining today's ICTs. In making this case, the paper addresses the nature of the genuinely 'elaborated code' that, it is argued, must replace the pseudoelaborated code of general technical competence at the core of ICT literacy if the ICTliterate citizen is to be capable of meeting contemporary challenges.
Stereotypes in media and media literacy among young people
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Đerić Ivana
Full Text Available Young people, the most common consumers of media content, bear out the view that media shapes people's lives. Therefore we must not underestimate the effect media exerts on young people's values and behavioral patterns. Television is the medium which draws children and young people for the greatest part of their free time. Regardless whether television programs are described as positive or negative, whether they abound with stereotypes or not, it is important that young people develop a critical attitude towards them so that they may resist different forms of media manipulation. The paper discusses how stereotypes are generated and used by media and the manners in which stereotypical concepts affect young people's attitudes. It highlights the importance of the development of media literacy which implies a critical attitude towards media images and discourses, the development of criteria for the selection and evaluation of information broadcast by media, the development of skills in interpreting and understanding stereotypical concepts and familiarity with alternative forms of media culture. The paper draws special attention to the issue of media education. The conclusion is that schools should offer media literacy as part of their curriculum and in it possible solutions to the problems discussed. .
Comparing Health Literacy in High School Female Students and Their Mothers Regarding Women's Health
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Marzieh Saeedi Koupai
Full Text Available Methods: the present study is descriptive-analytical with comparative type and the statistical population included 200 secondary female school students and their mothers who were randomly selected. The tool to collect data was a two-part researcher-made questionnaire the first part whereof involved demographic information and the second part includes 41 questions of health literacy about women's health in 5 aspects of menstruation hygiene, nutrition, breast self-examination, body activity, iron deficiency anemia. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were confirmed and the data were analyzed via SPSS22 software. Results: there was not observed any significant difference in three aspects of menstruation hygiene, nutrition and breast self-examination between mean scores of two female groups and their mothers according to Mann-Whitney instability test (p>0.05; however, there was a significant difference in the aspects of body activities and iron deficiency anomia (p<0.05. Conclusion: taking the results of the study, high school female students under study and their mothers have average healthy literacy level regarding women's health. Therefore, considering the fact that the girls receive greatest education in the field of women's hygiene from their mothers in the adolescence, the necessity of diagnosing limiters of health literacy in the society and specific attention to the mothers' teaching and including curriculum of health literacy for female students are advised to promote health. Paper Type: Research Article.
Global Health Systems and Policy Development: Implications for Health Literacy Research, Theory and Practice.
Rowlands, Gillian; Dodson, Sarity; Leung, Angela; Levin-Zamir, Diane
Accessible and responsive health systems are critical to population health and human development. While progress has been made toward global health and development targets, significant inequities remain within and between countries. Expanding health inequities suggest a widespread and systemic neglect of vulnerable citizens, and a failure to enshrine within policies a responsibility to tailor care to the variable capabilities of citizens. Implementation of health and social policies that drive the design of accessible health systems, services, products and infrastructure represents the next frontier for health reform. Within this chapter we argue the need to consider health and health literacy across policy domains, to operationalize the intent to address inequities in health in meaningful and pragmatic ways, and to actively monitor progress and impact within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We contend that viewing and developing policies and systems within a health literacy framework will assist in placing citizens and equity considerations at the center of development efforts. In this chapter, we explore the relationship between health literacy and equitable access to health care, and the role of health system and policy reform. We first explore international policies, health literacy, and the SDGs. We then explore national policies and the role that national and local services and systems play in building health literacy, and responding to the health literacy challenges of citizens. We discuss the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework for Integrated People-Centered Health Services and the way in which health services are being encouraged to understand and respond to citizen health literacy needs. Each section of the chapter ends with a summary and a review of health literacy research and practice. Throughout, we illustrate our points through 'vignettes' from around the world.
A translational bioengineering course provides substantial gains in civic scientific literacy.
Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Buckley, Deanna; Schwarz, Richard A; Atkinson, E Neely; Follen, Michele
A growing number of essential consumer choices and public policy issues require a basic level of scientific literacy. Recent studies suggest as many as three-quarters of adults are unable to read and understand news accounts of scientific advances and controversies. In response to this challenge, a new course for non-science majors, Bioengineering and World Health, was designed to improve biomedical literacy. The goal of this study was to compare scientific literacy of students enrolled in the course to that of two groups of students who had not taken the course; the first control group included students majoring in Biomedical Engineering (BME), the second included those majoring in Liberal Arts or Natural Sciences. Small group interviews in which students discussed science news accounts from the popular press were used to assess scientific literacy. Students in Bioengineering and World Health showed increasing scientific literacy throughout the course. At the conclusion of Bioengineering and World Health, the mean scientific literacy of students in the course was significantly higher than that in both control groups. Students were stratified by the number of semester credit hours completed in science, math, engineering and technology (SME&T) courses. Regardless of number of SME&T hours completed, the mean scientific literacy of students completing Bioengineering and World Health was equivalent to that of BME majors who had completed more than 60 semester credit hours of SME&T coursework, suggesting that a single introductory course can significantly influence scientific literacy as measured by participant's ability to discuss medical innovations from a common news source.
Nocturia is the Lower Urinary Tract Symptom With Greatest Impact on Quality of Life of Men From a Community Setting
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Eduardo de Paula Miranda
Full Text Available PurposeLower urinary tract symptoms are numerous, but the specific impact of each of these symptoms on the quality of life (QoL has not been evaluated in community-dwelling men. An assessment of these symptoms and their effects on QoL was the focus of this study.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study with 373 men aged >50 years from a community setting. Patients completed the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire, which includes questions on each of the specific urinary symptoms and a question addressing health-related QoL that are graded from 0 to 5. We used the Pearson correlation test to assess the impact of each symptom on QoL.ResultsNocturia (58.9% was the most prevalent urinary symptom. The mean score was 0.9±1.4 for incomplete emptying, 1.0±1.5 for frequency, 0.9±1.3 for intermittency, 0.8±1.3 for urgency, 1.0±1.5 for weak stream, 0.5±1.0 for straining, and 2.0±1.6 for nocturia. Nocturia and frequency were the only symptoms associated with poorer QoL, with nocturia showing a stronger association.ConclusionsNocturia affects 50% of community dwelling men aged >50 years, and is the lower urinary tract symptom with the greatest negative impact on QoL.
Improving access to important recovery information for heart patients with low health literacy: reflections on practice-based initiatives.
Naccarella, Lucio; Biuso, Catuscia; Jennings, Amanda; Patsamanis, Harry
Evidence exists for the association between health literacy and heart health outcomes. Cardiac rehabilitation is critical for recovery from heart attack and reducing hospital readmissions. Despite this, literacy. This brief case study reflects and documents practice-based initiatives by Heart Foundation Victoria to improve access to recovery information for patients with low literacy levels. Three key initiatives, namely the Six Steps To Cardiac Recovery resource, the Love Your Heart book and the nurse ambassador program, were implemented informed by mixed methods that assessed need and capacity at the individual, organisational and systems levels. Key outcomes included increased access to recovery information for patients with low health literacy, nurse knowledge and confidence to engage with patients on recovery information, improved education of patients and improved availability and accessibility of information for patients in diverse formats. Given the challenges involved in addressing heart health literacy, multifaceted practice-based approaches are essential to improve access to recovery information for patients with low literacy levels. What is known about the topic? Significant challenges exist for patients with lower health literacy receiving recovery information after a heart attack in hospitals. What does this paper add? This case study provides insights into a practice-based initiative by Heart Foundation Victoria to improve access to recovery information for patients with low literacy levels. What are the implications for practitioners? Strategies to improve recovery through increased heart health literacy must address the needs of patients, nursing staff and the health system within hospitals. Such strategies need to be multifaceted and designed to build the capacity of nurses, heart patients and their carers, as well as support from hospital management.
Development and evaluation of a specialized task taxonomy for spatial planning - A map literacy experiment with topographic maps
Rautenbach, Victoria; Coetzee, Serena; Çöltekin, Arzu
Topographic maps are among the most commonly used map types, however, their complex and information-rich designs depicting natural, human-made and cultural features make them difficult to read. Regardless of their complexity, spatial planners make extensive use of topographic maps in their work. On the other hand, various studies suggest that map literacy among the development planning professionals in South Africa is not very high. The widespread use of topographic maps combined with the low levels of map literacy presents challenges for effective development planning. In this paper we address some of these challenges by developing a specialized task taxonomy based on systematically assessed map literacy levels; and conducting an empirical experiment with topographic maps to evaluate our task taxonomy. In such empirical studies if non-realistic tasks are used, the results of map literacy tests may be skewed. Furthermore, experience and familiarity with the studied map type play a role in map literacy. There is thus a need to develop map literacy tests aimed at planners specifically. We developed a taxonomy of realistic map reading tasks typically executed during the planning process. The taxonomy defines six levels tasks of increasing difficulty and complexity, ranging from recognising symbols to extracting knowledge. We hypothesized that competence in the first four levels indicates functional map literacy. In this paper, we present results from an empirical experiment with 49 map literate participants solving a subset of tasks from the first four levels of the taxonomy with a topographic map. Our findings suggest that the proposed taxonomy is a good reference for evaluating topographic map literacy. Participants solved the tasks on all four levels as expected and we therefore conclude that the experiment based on the first four levels of the taxonomy successfully determined the functional map literacy of the participants. We plan to continue the study for the
Glocalization, Representation and Literacy Education
Lotherington, Heather
This article uses a comic program to graphically summarize a collaborative action research project that brings together York University researchers and elementary school teachers at Joyce Public School in northwest Toronto to experimentally develop multiliteracies pedagogies in a context of emergent literacy education. The project, which has been…
Coding as literacy metalithikum IV
Bühlmann, Vera; Moosavi, Vahid
Recent developments in computer science, particularly "data-driven procedures" have opened a new level of design and engineering. This has also affected architecture. The publication collects contributions on Coding as Literacy by computer scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, cultural theorists, and architects. "Self-Organizing Maps" (SOM) will serve as the concrete reference point for all further discussions.
Layering Literacies and Contemporary Learning
Abrams, Sandra Schamroth; Russo, Michael P.
This article explores how adolescents layer literacies in and outside school. Findings from a longitudinal study of gaming in a public library, as well as data related to the use of Portal 2 in a New York City middle school classroom, reveal how the students created, showcased, analyzed, and experimented with online and offline artifacts and…
Technologcal Literacy in welfare professions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Busch-Jensen, Peter; Kondrup, Sissel
to be 'welfare technological literate' – both generally as well as within specific welfare professions. Secondly to support the development of a helpful educational framework that enables students to develop welfare technological literacy. This paper discusses some difficulties and preliminary findings...
Visual Literacy and Visual Thinking.
Hortin, John A.
It is proposed that visual literacy be defined as the ability to understand (read) and use (write) images and to think and learn in terms of images. This definition includes three basic principles: (1) visuals are a language and thus analogous to verbal language; (2) a visually literate person should be able to understand (read) images and use…
Approaches to Assessing Technological Literacy
Pearson, Greg
It is the conclusion of the Committee on Assessing Technological Literacy, a study panel appointed by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council, that very little is known about what children or adults know, can do, and believe about technology. This is because the state of assessment related to technology--or, …
Robotics Literacy Captivates Elementary Students.
Friedman, Madeleine
Describes a robotics literacy course offered for elementary age children at Broward Community College (Florida) and discusses the motivation for offering such a course, the course philosophy and objectives, and participant reactions. A sampling of robots and robotics devices and some of their teaching applications are included. (MBR)
New Teachers as Literacy Leaders
Turner, Jennifer D.; Applegate, Anthony J.; Applegate, Mary DeKonty
In this article, the authors speak directly to new teachers in order to encourage them to be literacy leaders in their classrooms and schools. They offer the following suggestions in the hope of inspiring these new teachers: (1) Develop your vision of teaching and be true to it; (2) Be creative in using instruction that works; (3) Team with…
Literacy and the Mother Tongue
Literacy Work, 1974
Reviewing the situation of literacy in the mother tongue, the article reports on projects in: (1) Africa--Mali and Nigeria, (2) the Amazonian jungle of Peru in Latin America, and (3) Papua, New Guinea. Psychological, sociological, and educational advantages of the mother tongue are discussed. (MW)
Media Literacy Is the Message.
Trampiets, Frances
Highlights the importance of using music, multimedia, video, and computers to enrich and enhance religious education, and of integrating media education into faith formation. Suggests that media literacy plays an important role in increasing awareness of the influence of mass media on society. (DJM)
New Literacies for Digital Citizenship
Simsek, Eylem; Simsek, Ali
The meaning of citizenship has usually been associated with the power of individuals in the process of social decision-making. Throughout the history, effective citizenship has required functional literacy skills as the fundamental factor for attending societal life. In the past, the 3Rs (writing, reading, and arithmetic) were considered to be…
READ – developing literacy together
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Christensen, Mette Vedsgaard
-home literacy-intervention throughout a school year. The children in the intervention group (1500 children in year 2 and 3) received reading materials and their parents were informed about how to talk about texts, language and knowledge with their children through specially developed tools such as "reading...
Balancing Responsibilities – Financial Literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gail Pearson
Full Text Available In Australia there is an obligation to promote the informed participation of financial consumers while in South Africa there is an obligation to educate consumers. The Australian obligation is concerned with the financial system as a whole while the South African obligation has generally been focused on general financial education as a tool to promote financial inclusion. There is no obligation for consumers to attain a minimum standard of literacy in credit or finance generally. Financial literacy is one among a number of strategies directed towards inducing changes in consumer behaviour. It sits between the old regulatory model which relies on disclosure of information for effective and rational decision-making and a newer regulatory model which takes into account individuals' perceptions and behavioural biases and may seek to accommodate for these by imposing obligations on financial services providers beyond the mere disclosure of information. Financial literacy is generally the ability to understand how money works, how a person can earn money or make it more. It specifically refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows people to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources. This article discusses Australian and South African legal obligations and social responsibilities aimed at promoting the financial literacy of consumers.
Genre: Language, Context, and Literacy.
Hyland, Ken
Focuses on genre and its application in language teaching and learning. Suggests genre approaches have had an impact on how we understand discourse and transform literacy education in different contexts around the world. Describes studies on generic integrity and variation, and the ways that genres are seen as similar and different in terms of…
Literacy in Somali: Linguistic Consequences.
Biber, Douglas; Hared, Mohamed
Linguistic consequences of literacy in Somalia are examined in a review of the literature and through a study of five dimensions of variation among Somali registers and the expansion of linguistic variation in Somali resulting from the introduction of written registers. (36 references) (LB)
Health Literacy in Older Adults
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts
In this podcast, Dr. Lynda Anderson, former Director of CDCâs Healthy Aging Program, discusses the importance of improving health literacy among older adults. Created: 9/20/2011 by Office of the Associate Director for Communication (OADC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Date Released: 9/20/2011.
Emotional Literacy Training for Educators.
Morris, Elizabeth
A psychotherapist recounts her personal and professional development in concepts of self-esteem. The article considers core conditions for development of healthy self-esteem, the powerful effects wrought by teachers who create healthy emotional environments, emotional intelligence and emotional literacy, current initiatives to develop emotional…
Literacy Campaigns in Developing Countries.
Odunuga, Segun
Discusses the problem of eradicating illiteracy in developing countries, where the illiteracy rate may average about 70 percent. Looks at the Arab countries, Latin America, Africa, and India and the factors that thwart attempts to increase literacy in those countries. These include religious habits and the problem of language in multilingual…
Multiplied Environmental Literacy. Final Report.
Buethe, Chris
This booklet presents a pupil-oriented program designed to increase the environmental literacy of teachers and students in Indiana schools through a programmed multiplier effect. Junior and senior high school science teachers were prepared to teach students the meanings of 44 selected environmental terms and related concepts. Those teachers then…
76 FR 72623 - Literacy Program
... the private sector, of $100,000,000 or more in any one year, and it will not significantly or uniquely... on the literacy program in order to include a definition of ``satisfactory progress''. This definition is one determinant which is statutorily required for the awarding and/or vesting of good conduct...
Houck, Bonnie; Novak, Sandi
Schools and districts are required to have improvement plans that specify instructional and curricular ideas to enhance teachers' ongoing practice and assist students in performing at higher levels. Yet little has been done to examine the specific knowledge that principals need regarding literacy teaching and learning or how districts can build…
Literacy Cafe: Making Writing Authentic
Daniels, Erika
The "Literacy Cafe," a celebration of genre study and student writing, offers students (and visitors!) a positive environment in which to engage in reading and discussion of writing without self-consciousness or fear of criticism. It works because students learn to recognize writing as a learning tool and a relevant, authentic skill in the real…
Micmac Literacy and Cognitive Assimilation.
Battiste, Marie
Literacy is a social concept more reflective of culture and context than of formal instruction and can be used for cultural transmission within a society or for cultural imperialism when imposed from outside. The Algonquian-speaking Micmac Indians used pictographs, petroglyphs, notched sticks, and wampum as written communication to serve early…
Critical Literacy and Social Justice
Comber, Barbara
Given the global escalation of gaps between rich and poor, contemporary work in critical literacy needs to overtly question the politics of poverty. How and where is poverty produced, by what means, by whom and for whom and how are educational systems stratified to provide different kinds of education to the rich and the poor? Yet rather than…
Review of Calculation vs. Context: Quantitative Literacy and Its Implications for Teacher Education by Bernard L. Madison and Lynn Arthur Steen (Editors
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maura B. Mast
Full Text Available Madison, Bernard L. and Steen, Lynn Arthur (Eds.. Calculation vs. Context: Quantitative Literacy and Its Implications for Teacher Education. (Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America, 2009. 197 pp. Softcover. ISBN 978-0-88385-908-7. Available free on the MAA website at http://www.maa.org/ql/calcvscontext.htmlThe papers in Calculation vs. Context discuss the role of quantitative literacy in the K-12 curriculum and in teacher education. The papers present a varied set of perspectives and address three themes: the changing environment of education in American society; the challenges, and the necessity, of preparing teachers to teach quantitative literacy and of including quantitative literacy in the K-12 education; and cross-disciplinary approaches to quantitative literacy. While the conclusion reached by several of the authors is that the best place to teach quantitative literacy is at the college level, the book offers serious considerations of how quantitative literacy can and should inform the K-12 curriculum. The book also marks a turning point in the quantitative literacy movement as "QL explorers," as Lynn Steen calls them, move beyond issues of definitions and content to a discussion of how to bring quantitative literacy into a broader setting.
Energy Literacy in Canada: A summary
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dale Eisler
Full Text Available Surveys among the general population, business and policy leaders, and aboriginal Canadians reveal that, among all three groups, there is ample general knowledge about the way Canadians use energy and the costs related to it. But when they think about economic and social policy issues of importance, Canadians tend to consider energy a low priority. While this may be the consequence of living in an energysecure country, given that the economy's strength, growth and resilience are so intimately linked to secure and sustainable sources of energy, that lack of engagement can only be problematic for policymakers dealing with energy-related issues. It can lead to important choices being made without widespread public awareness, input and agreement. But, even more worrisome is that these surveys found that all three Canadian cohorts surveyed severely lack trust in the key voices that speak on energy issues. They hold negative views of energy company executives, mistrust information from industry associations, and lack trust in their provincial and federal governments. Aboriginal Canadians were the least likely to trust all these sources. The importance of trust cannot be overstated. The absence of trust can lead to negative consequences for investment in the energy system, and can undermine public confidence in leadership, making the challenge of improving energy literacy that much more difficult. An early step towards remedying that credibility gap could include creating independent, credible, centralized institutions that serve as clearing houses for non-politicized energy information, such as the Energy Information Administration in the United States. In addition, it is clear that Canada can only benefit from measures that nurture robust yet sober debate about energy issues, that will help stimulate public engagement. To that end, the creation of a national advisory coalition, comprised of aboriginal Canadians, academics, opinion leaders and
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Michaela Krechovská
Full Text Available The paper aims to highlight the important role of financial literacy as one of the factors that ensures sustainable development in society. First, the paper deals with the definition of financial literacy and the importance of financial literacy for society. It analyses various symptoms associated with the level of financial literacy in the form of household debt and the number of ordered property repossessions. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the measurement of financial literacy and, in this context, presents selected results of the survey of financial literacy from a selected group of respondents (university students in the Czech Republic that were acquired as part of the "V4 Scientific Centers for the Enhancement of Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Education" project focused on research in the field of entrepreneurship education and financial literacy in Visegrad Group countries. Financial literacy is seen as one of the most important characteristics that can determine the behaviour of individuals in the world of finance, their approaches to payment discipline, debt and thinking for the future. In this regard, it is important to put emphasis on financial education as a tool for heightening and developing practical financial literacy.
The Solution to the Financial Literacy Problem: What is the Answer?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sharon M. Taylor
Full Text Available Over the last two decades the need for a financially literate population has grown in importance. Hence in Australia, it is imperative that individuals possess both the financial knowledge and capability to make sound financial decisions. In contrast, the results of the Australian & New Zealand Bank (ANZ surveys from 2003 to 2010 have demonstrated that there is a substantial deficiency in the level of financial literacy amongst many of the Australian population. Both the government and the private sector have encouraged the development of financial education programs as an important tool in remedying the detected low levels of financial literacy as reported in the ANZ research. The Australian Security and Investment Commission (ASIC, the government regulator, has strongly promoted the need to develop confident and informed consumers and investors through the provision of quality financial education. ASIC's focus was reiterated in its Report 229, the National Financial Literacy Strategy. This report which was announced in March 2011 set out the strategy for the development and delivery of initiatives to improve financial literacy levels in Australia (ASIC 2011. In particular, the National Strategy has been developed to improve the level of financial literacy among Australian students. The focus is on incorporating financial education through the existing school curriculum, beginning in kindergarten through to year 12 students. The aim of this research paper is to challenge and ask questions relating to the Australian Government's financial literacy strategy directed at schools. This direction would appear to have limited support of success, given the evidence published in the USA, and to a limited extent in the United Kingdom and Europe. This study reviews the current evidence available in both Australia and the USA in relation to financial literacy projects in schools. In respect of the international experience this paper explores the
Pacific CRYSTAL Project: Explicit Literacy Instruction Embedded in Middle School Science Classrooms
Anthony, Robert J.; Tippett, Christine D.; Yore, Larry D.
Science literacy leading to fuller and informed participation in the public debate about science, technology, society, and environmental (STSE) issues that produce justified decisions and sustainable actions is the shared and central goal of the Pacific CRYSTAL Project. There is broad agreement by science education researchers that learners need to be able to construct and interpret specific scientific discourses and texts to be literate in science. We view these capabilities as components in the fundamental sense of science literacy and as interactive and synergetic to the derived sense of science literacy, which refers to having general knowledge about concepts, principles, and methods of science. This article reports on preliminary findings from Years 1, 2, and 3 of the 5-year Pacific CRYSTAL project that aims to identify, develop, and embed explicit literacy instruction in science programs to achieve both senses of science literacy. A community-based, opportunistic, engineering research and development approach has been utilized to identify problems and concerns and to design instructional solutions for teaching middle school (Grades 6, 7, and 8) science. Initial data indicate (a) opportunities in programs for embedding literacy instruction and tasks; (b) difficulties generalist teachers have with new science curricula; (c) difficulties specialist science teachers have with literacy activities, strategies, genre, and writing-to-learn science tasks; and (d) potential literacy activities (vocabulary, reading comprehension, visual literacy, genre, and writing tasks) for middle school science. Preinstruction student assessments indicate a range of challenges in achieving effective learning in science and the need for extensive teacher support to achieve the project's goals. Postinstructional assessments indicate positive changes in students' ability to perform target reading and writing tasks. Qualitative data indicate teachers' desire for external direction
Science education as a pathway to teaching language literacy: a critical book review
Tolbert, Sara
In this paper, I present a critical review of the recent book, Science Education as a Pathway to Teaching Language Literacy, edited by Alberto J. Rodriguez. This volume is a timely collection of essays in which the authors bring to attention both the successes and challenges of integrating science instruction with literacy instruction (and vice versa). Although several themes in the book merit further attention, a central unifying issue throughout all of the chapters is the task of designing instruction which (1) gives students access to the dominant Discourses in science and literacy, (2) builds on students' lived experiences, and (3) connects new material to socially and culturally relevant contexts in both science and literacy instruction— all within the high stakes testing realities of teachers and students in public schools. In this review, I illustrate how the authors of these essays effectively address this formidable challenge through research that `ascends to the concrete'. I also discuss where we could build on the work of the authors to integrate literacy and science instruction with the purpose of `humanizing and democratizing' science education in K-12 classrooms.
Conceptualisation and development of the Conversational Health Literacy Assessment Tool (CHAT).
O'Hara, Jonathan; Hawkins, Melanie; Batterham, Roy; Dodson, Sarity; Osborne, Richard H; Beauchamp, Alison
The aim of this study was to develop a tool to support health workers' ability to identify patients' multidimensional health literacy strengths and challenges. The tool was intended to be suitable for administration in healthcare settings where health workers must identify health literacy priorities as the basis for person-centred care. Development was based on a qualitative co-design process that used the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) as a framework to generate questions. Health workers were recruited to participate in an online consultation, a workshop, and two rounds of pilot testing. Participating health workers identified and refined ten questions that target five areas of assessment: supportive professional relationships, supportive personal relationships, health information access and comprehension, current health behaviours, and health promotion barriers and support. Preliminary evidence suggests that application of the Conversational Health Literacy Assessment Tool (CHAT) can support health workers to better understand the health literacy challenges and supportive resources of their patients. As an integrated clinical process, the CHAT can supplement existing intake and assessment procedures across healthcare settings to give insight into patients' circumstances so that decisions about care can be tailored to be more appropriate and effective.
Adapting to Teach Climate Literacy
Wilkening, B.; Schwartz, K. L.
Adaptation is a key strategy to deal with the effects of climate change, and it can also be a key strategy in teaching climate literacy. Adapting curriculum to include utilizing new instructional practices, modifying existing lessons, evaluating evidence and engaging students in real-world projects are strategies employed in Recharge the Rain. Arizona Project WET and Watershed Management Group developed the Recharge the Rain project, through a NOAA Environmental Literacy Grant, to build community resiliency to hazards associated with increased temperatures, drought and flooding in Arizona. Sixth through twelfth grade teachers, students and the public will move through a continuum from awareness, to knowledge gain, to conceptual understanding, to action. During the first year of the project, through professional development and ongoing guidance, teachers developed a climate literacy curriculum to use in their classrooms. Using systems thinking language and structure from the Cabrera Research Labs, teachers and students gain the thinking tools necessary to increase understanding of Earth's climate system. Lessons and resources for teaching about climate change are abundant and many, such as those on the Climate Literacy Education Awareness Network (CLEAN), have gone through an extensive review process. By cataloguing online resources and sharing these with teachers through a social bookmarking tool, wakelet.com, teachers are easily able to find appropriate teaching material. Engaging students in evaluating evidence requires the data to be relevant to their everyday lives. Online data resources are readily available from NOAA and other sources at both the global and local levels. When teachers, students and the public contribute to the data collection process in citizen science projects such as CoCoRaHS, iSeeChange, and USA National Phenology Network, the data empowers them to act in ways to mitigate the climate threats in their community. Adapting to teach climate
African Journals Online (AJOL)
literacy studies can offer language teachers any insights ... 3.2 Literacy development takes place in a single direction. Another ... and cognitive consequences, is based on the assumption that literacy is .... and as influential with regard to other.
Baisunova, G; Turdaliyeva, B; Tulebayev, K; Zagulova, D
Aim of the study was to explore the relationships between health literacy (HL) and financial wellbeing in residents of Almaty oblast (region). The survey was conducted among 826 residents of Almaty region aged 18 y.o. Over 56.5% were female residents. To estimate health literacy, self assessed health, financial wellbeing and attitude towards health /work -questionnaire HLS-EU-Q was used. The results confirmed a significant relationship between financial wellbeing, health literacy and health outcomes residents of Almaty region. Relationships between HL and self- assessed health and attitudes towards health /work balance were observed only in respondents with low financial deprivation index, in respondents with low financial wellbeing (high financial deprivation index) no such relationships were observed. Higher financial deprivation index and lower health literacy were observed in respondents for whom work meant more than health. Lower financial deprivation index and higher health literacy were in those respondents for whom health meant more than work. Improvement of HL and motivation for healthy behavior are important challenges for public health. To answer them population's financial wellbeing improvement alone is not enough, as complex change of consumer behavior in healthcare system is needed. HL enhancing in disadvantaged population groups should inform about possibilities of free healthcare services, medications and about the structure of public healthcare service.
Honoring and Building on the Rich Literacy Practices of Young Bilingual and Multilingual Learners
Souto-Manning, Mariana
In this article, the author invites teachers of children who are bilingual, multilingual, and at promise for bi-/multilingualism to honor and build on their rich literacy practices. To do so, she challenges ideas and labels that continuously disempower bilingual and multilingual learners. Souto-Manning establishes the understanding that education…
On the Way to the Best Strategy in Literacy Education: A Journey of Philosophical Investigations
Lee, Cheu-Jey George
The search for the best strategy in literacy education is a lingering phenomenon. From time to time one strategy is claimed to work best, only to be critically challenged and replaced by another. There is always debate about what the best strategy is. The belief that there is supposed to be only one best strategy is not consistent with the fact…
Reading the Terrain: Environmental Factors Influencing Religious Literacy Initiatives in Educator Preparation.
Waggoner, Michael D.
Environmental conditions that influence the development of religious literacy initiatives in preservice teacher education include parochialism and Christian privilege, the challenge of foreign traditions, the legacy of church-state separation, shifting bases of authority, the ethos of individualism, and the complexity of public education.…
Making Room for the Transformation of Literacy Instruction in the Digital Classroom
Sofkova Hashemi, Sylvana; Cederlund, Katarina
Education is in the process of transforming traditional print-based instruction into digital formats. This multi-case study sheds light on the challenge of coping with the old and new in literacy teaching in the context of technology-mediated instruction in the early years of schooling (7-8 years old children). By investigating the relation…
Health Literacy of Students with and without Individualized Education Programs: A Brief Report
Trout, Alexandra L.; Lambert, Matthew C.; Epstein, Michael H.; Avery, Marybell
While much is known about the educational, behavioral, and social needs of adolescents receiving school-based special education services, one critical domain, health literacy, has been largely unexamined. Given the impact of health and health management on the well-being of all persons, and the likelihood of additional challenges for students…
Beyond Literacy: Non-Formal Education Programmes for Adults in Mozambique
van der Linden, Josje; Manuel, Alzira Munguambe
Thirty-five years after independence the Mozambican illiteracy rate has been reduced from 93% to just over 50% according to official statistics. Although this indicates an enormous achievement in the area of education, the challenge of today still is to design appropriate adult basic education programmes including literacy, numeracy and life…
Hip-Hop, Social Justice, and Environmental Education: Toward a Critical Ecological Literacy
Cermak, Michael J.
This essay describes an educational initiative that used environmentally themed (green) hip-hop to stimulate learning in an environmental science classroom. Students were then challenged to compose their own green hip-hop and their lyrics demonstrated skills that have thematic consistency around what is called a Critical Ecological Literacy (CEL).…
Cultivating Layered Literacies: Developing the Global Child to Become Tomorrow's Global Citizen
Shulsky, Debra D.; Baker, Sheila F.; Chvala, Terry; Willis, Jana M.
Disappearing cultural, political and physical boundaries push humanity beyond a one-community perspective. Global citizenry requires a set of literacies that affect the ability to communicate effectively, think critically and act conscientiously. This challenges educators to consider reframing instructional practices and curricular content. The…
Home Literacy Environment and Its Influence on Singaporean Children's Chinese Oral and Written Language Abilities
Li, Li; Tan, Chee Lay
In a bilingual environment such as Singaporean Chinese community, the challenge of maintaining Chinese language and sustaining Chinese culture lies in promoting the daily use of Chinese language in oral and written forms among children. Ample evidence showed the effect of the home language and literacy environment (HLE), on children's language and…
Teachers' Perspectives of a New Food Literacy Curriculum in Australia
Nanayakkara, Janandani; Margerison, Claire; Worsley, Anthony
Purpose: Implementation of a new food literacy curriculum provides multiple health and social benefits to school students. The success of any new curriculum execution is partly determined by teachers' perceptions about the new curriculum contents, and barriers and challenges for its delivery. The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers' views…
Supporting the Literacy Development of Students Who Are Deaf/Hard of Hearing in Inclusive Classrooms
Dostal, Hannah; Gabriel, Rachael; Weir, Joan
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing present unique opportunities and challenges for literacy instruction in mainstream classrooms. By addressing the specific needs of this diverse student community, teachers are given the chance to sharpen instruction and create learning opportunities for the entire class. The authors discuss two…
Public Libraries in an Age of Financial Complexity: Toward Enhancing Community Financial Literacy
Smith, Catherine Arnott; Eschenfelder, Kristin
This report describes several linked empirical studies that examine the activities of public libraries in increasing the financial literacy of their service population. A qualitative field study examines librarians' perceptions of the challenges in offering information and services in this domain; a second set of interviews centers on the…
Survey of Information Literacy Instructional Practices in U.S. Academic Libraries
Julien, Heidi; Gross, Melissa; Latham, Don
An online survey sent to the community of professional librarians in the United States who provide information literacy instruction in academic libraries provided insights into their practices and the challenges they face. Data include current pedagogical methods, client groups of focus, assessment and evaluation, marketing, instructional…
Developmentally Appropriate New Media Literacies: Supporting Cultural Competencies and Social Skills in Early Childhood Education
Alper, Meryl
Young children explore their world through manipulatives, playing with "technology" that may or may not be digital. To this end, I offer an exploration into how the existing framework of the New Media Literacies (NMLs) paradigm set forth by Henry Jenkins (2006) in "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education…
Conceptual, Pedagogical, Cultural, and Political Dilemmas of Implementing a Constructivist Workshop Approach to Teaching Literacy
Porath, Suzanne L.
Approached as an epistemology, implementing a constructivist workshop approach to literacy can challenge the traditional paradigm of teacher-focused instruction and transform to one where students construct knowledge together and learn through active engagement in authentic reading and writing. This study illustrated how two third-grade teachers…
Play to Learn: Self-Directed Home Language Literacy Acquisition through Online Games
Eisenchlas, Susana A.; Schalley, Andrea C.; Moyes, Gordon
Home language literacy education in Australia has been pursued predominantly through Community Language Schools. At present, some 1,000 of these, attended by over 100,000 school-age children, cater for 69 of the over 300 languages spoken in Australia. Despite good intentions, these schools face a number of challenges. For instance, children may…
Why EGRA--a Clone of DIBELS--Will Fail to Improve Literacy in Africa
Hoffman, James V.
This essay raises concerns over the future direction for educational aid designed to promote literacy in developing countries. The essay focuses on the EGRA (Early Grade Reading Assessment) initiative in Africa. At one level, this essay challenges the claims for empirical and research-based support for the EGRA. At a broader level, this essay…
Fish species of greatest conservation need in wadeable Iowa streams: current status and effectiveness of Aquatic Gap Program distribution models
Sindt, Anthony R.; Pierce, Clay; Quist, Michael C.
Effective conservation of fish species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) requires an understanding of species–habitat relationships and distributional trends. Thus, modeling the distribution of fish species across large spatial scales may be a valuable tool for conservation planning. Our goals were to evaluate the status of 10 fish SGCN in wadeable Iowa streams and to test the effectiveness of Iowa Aquatic Gap Analysis Project (IAGAP) species distribution models. We sampled fish assemblages from 86 wadeable stream segments in the Mississippi River drainage of Iowa during 2009 and 2010 to provide contemporary, independent fish species presence–absence data. The frequencies of occurrence in stream segments where species were historically documented varied from 0.0% for redfin shiner Lythrurus umbratilis to 100.0% for American brook lampreyLampetra appendix, with a mean of 53.0%, suggesting that the status of Iowa fish SGCN is highly variable. Cohen's kappa values and other model performance measures were calculated by comparing field-collected presence–absence data with IAGAP model–predicted presences and absences for 12 fish SGCN. Kappa values varied from 0.00 to 0.50, with a mean of 0.15. The models only predicted the occurrences of banded darterEtheostoma zonale, southern redbelly dace Phoxinus erythrogaster, and longnose daceRhinichthys cataractae more accurately than would be expected by chance. Overall, the accuracy of the twelve models was low, with a mean correct classification rate of 58.3%. Poor model performance probably reflects the difficulties associated with modeling the distribution of rare species and the inability of the large-scale habitat variables used in IAGAP models to explain the variation in fish species occurrences. Our results highlight the importance of quantifying the confidence in species distribution model predictions with an independent data set and the need for long-term monitoring to better understand the
When the most potent combination of antibiotics selects for the greatest bacterial load: the smile-frown transition.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rafael Pena-Miller
Full Text Available Conventional wisdom holds that the best way to treat infection with antibiotics is to 'hit early and hit hard'. A favoured strategy is to deploy two antibiotics that produce a stronger effect in combination than if either drug were used alone. But are such synergistic combinations necessarily optimal? We combine mathematical modelling, evolution experiments, whole genome sequencing and genetic manipulation of a resistance mechanism to demonstrate that deploying synergistic antibiotics can, in practice, be the worst strategy if bacterial clearance is not achieved after the first treatment phase. As treatment proceeds, it is only to be expected that the strength of antibiotic synergy will diminish as the frequency of drug-resistant bacteria increases. Indeed, antibiotic efficacy decays exponentially in our five-day evolution experiments. However, as the theory of competitive release predicts, drug-resistant bacteria replicate fastest when their drug-susceptible competitors are eliminated by overly-aggressive treatment. Here, synergy exerts such strong selection for resistance that an antagonism consistently emerges by day 1 and the initially most aggressive treatment produces the greatest bacterial load, a fortiori greater than if just one drug were given. Whole genome sequencing reveals that such rapid evolution is the result of the amplification of a genomic region containing four drug-resistance mechanisms, including the acrAB efflux operon. When this operon is deleted in genetically manipulated mutants and the evolution experiment repeated, antagonism fails to emerge in five days and antibiotic synergy is maintained for longer. We therefore conclude that unless super-inhibitory doses are achieved and maintained until the pathogen is successfully cleared, synergistic antibiotics can have the opposite effect to that intended by helping to increase pathogen load where, and when, the drugs are found at sub-inhibitory concentrations.
When the most potent combination of antibiotics selects for the greatest bacterial load: the smile-frown transition.
Pena-Miller, Rafael; Laehnemann, David; Jansen, Gunther; Fuentes-Hernandez, Ayari; Rosenstiel, Philip; Schulenburg, Hinrich; Beardmore, Robert
Conventional wisdom holds that the best way to treat infection with antibiotics is to 'hit early and hit hard'. A favoured strategy is to deploy two antibiotics that produce a stronger effect in combination than if either drug were used alone. But are such synergistic combinations necessarily optimal? We combine mathematical modelling, evolution experiments, whole genome sequencing and genetic manipulation of a resistance mechanism to demonstrate that deploying synergistic antibiotics can, in practice, be the worst strategy if bacterial clearance is not achieved after the first treatment phase. As treatment proceeds, it is only to be expected that the strength of antibiotic synergy will diminish as the frequency of drug-resistant bacteria increases. Indeed, antibiotic efficacy decays exponentially in our five-day evolution experiments. However, as the theory of competitive release predicts, drug-resistant bacteria replicate fastest when their drug-susceptible competitors are eliminated by overly-aggressive treatment. Here, synergy exerts such strong selection for resistance that an antagonism consistently emerges by day 1 and the initially most aggressive treatment produces the greatest bacterial load, a fortiori greater than if just one drug were given. Whole genome sequencing reveals that such rapid evolution is the result of the amplification of a genomic region containing four drug-resistance mechanisms, including the acrAB efflux operon. When this operon is deleted in genetically manipulated mutants and the evolution experiment repeated, antagonism fails to emerge in five days and antibiotic synergy is maintained for longer. We therefore conclude that unless super-inhibitory doses are achieved and maintained until the pathogen is successfully cleared, synergistic antibiotics can have the opposite effect to that intended by helping to increase pathogen load where, and when, the drugs are found at sub-inhibitory concentrations.
Pain is the Greatest Preoperative Concern for Patients and Parents Before Posterior Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.
Chan, Priscella; Skaggs, David L; Sanders, Austin E; Villamor, Gabriela A; Choi, Paul D; Tolo, Vernon T; Andras, Lindsay M
Prospective cross-sectional study. To evaluate patients' and parents' concerns so they can be addressed with appropriate preoperative counseling. Despite much research on outcomes for posterior spinal fusion (PSF) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), little is available about preoperative fears or concerns. Patients with AIS undergoing PSF, their parents, and surgeons were prospectively enrolled and asked to complete a survey on their fears and concerns about surgery at their preoperative appointment. Forty-eight patients and parents completed surveys. Four attending pediatric spine surgeons participated and submitted 48 responses. Mean age of patients was 14.2 years. On a scale of 0 to 10, mean level of concern reported by parents (6.9) was higher than that reported by patients (4.6). Surgeons rated the procedure's complexity on a scale of 0 to 10 and reported a mean of 5.2. Neither patients' nor parents' level of concern correlated with the surgeons' assessment of the procedure's complexity level (R = 0.19 and 0.12, P = 0.20 and P = 0.42, respectively). Top three concerns for patients were pain (25%), ability to return to activities (21%), and neurologic injury (17%). Top three concerns for parents were pain (35%), neurologic injury (21%), and amount of correction (17%). Top three concerns for surgeons were postoperative shoulder balance (44%), neurologic injury (27%), and lowest instrumented vertebrae selection (27%). Patients reported the same concerns 23% of the time as parents, and 17% of the time as surgeons. Parents and surgeons reported the same concerns 21% of the time. Pain was the greatest concern for both patients and parents but was rarely listed as a concern by surgeons. Parent and patient level of concern did not correlate to the surgeon's assessment of the procedure's complexity. Neurologic injury was a top concern for all groups, but otherwise there was little overlap between physician, patient, and parent concerns. 3.
Digital literacies at school. Students' digital profiles
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Valentina Pennazio
Full Text Available L'articolo presenta una ricerca volta a focalizzare le modalità in cui la Digital Literacy si traduce a scuola. Lo studio ha inteso sottolineare le molteplici dimensioni della Digital Literacy: Information Technology Literacy; Information Literacy; Visual Literacy e Media Literacy ed è stato effettuato nelle scuole primarie e secondarie di primo grado in Liguria. Sono state organizzate settimane di attività di ricerca, analisi e rielaborazione di informazioni, in classe e in rete, individualmente e in gruppo. Dalle autovalutazione degli studenti, svolte al termine di ogni attività, sono emersi i profili digitali che gli studenti tendono ad assumere quando utilizzano le tecnologie digitali. Tali profili possono essere utilizzati dagli insegnanti per progettare in maniera più mirata e significativa le attività con le tecnologie a scuola.
Literacy: State of the Nation--A Picture of Literacy in the UK Today
Jama, Deeqa; Dugdale, George
Literacy is the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills we all need to fulfil our potential. These life skills are essential to the happiness, health and wealth of individuals and society. "Literacy: State of the Nation" provides a coherent picture of literacy in the UK today. It reveals that: (1) One in six people…
Health Literacy in Europe: the development and validation of health literacy prediction models
Heide, I. van der; Uiters, E.; Boshuizen, H.; Rademakers, J.
Introduction: Health literacy is considered an important determinant of health disparities. It is therefore important to have insight into health literacy skills of the general population within countries. Little is known on the health literacy skills of the general population in EU member states.
Health literacy in Europe: the development and validation of health literacy prediction models.
Heide, I. van der; Uiters, E.; Sorensen, K.; Rothlin, F.; Pelikan, J.; Rademakers, J.; Boshuizen, H.
Background: Health literacy is an important determinant of health, but national health literacy levels are known for only some European countries. This study aims to examine to what extent national health literacy levels can be estimated based on publicly available census data. Method: Multivariate
Children's Literacy Interest and Its Relation to Parents' Literacy-Promoting Practices
Hume, Laura E.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; McQueen, Jessica D.
This study examined how children's literacy interests related to parent literacy-promoting practices across time. Using a sample of 909 preschool-age children and the newly developed Child Activities Preference Checklist, literacy interest appeared to be a complex construct, not easily captured by a single measure. In a subsample of 230 children…
Literacy Practices and Linguistic Choices: A Sociocultural Study of a Multilingual Adult Literacy Student Group.
Black, Stephen R.; Thorp, Kay
The report describes a study of a multilingual group of six adult literacy students, five women and one man, enrolled in an English literacy class at an Australian college. Subjects' countries of origin include Afghanistan, Indonesia/China, Lebanon, Iran, and China. The study examined factors affecting subjects' daily literacy practices and…
Boys' Literacy Development: Navigating the Intersection of Popular Culture, New Literacies, and High-Stakes Assessments
Yeung, Daniel; Curwood, Jen Scott
Prior scholarship suggests that many boys are disengaged from school-based literacy because they do not see its value or significance in their lives. In response, this study investigates the role of popular culture and new literacies in motivating adolescent boys within secondary English. Drawing on sociocultural approaches to literacy research,…
Can Earlier Literacy Skills Have a Negative Impact on Future Home Literacy Activities? Evidence from Japanese
Inoue, Tomohiro; Georgiou, George K.; Muroya, Naoko; Maekawa, Hisao; Parrila, Rauno
We examined the cross-lagged relations between the home literacy environment and literacy skills in Japanese, and whether child's gender, parents' education and child's level of literacy performance moderate the relations. One hundred forty-two Japanese children were followed from Grades 1 to 2 and assessed on character knowledge, reading fluency…
The Complete Picture: "Standards for Technological Literacy" and "Advancing Excellence in Technological Literacy."
Technology Teacher, 2003
Provides an overview of the "Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology" (STL) and "Advancing Excellence in Technological Literacy: Student Assessment, Professional Development, and Program Standards" (AETL). Shows how the documents work together to advance the technological literacy of technology educators and K-12…
Literacy as a Translocal Practice: Digital Multimodal Literacy Practices among Girls Resettled as Refugees
Omerbašic, Delila
Situated in critical sociocultural theory of literacy with a particular focus on literacy in relation to space and displacement, this qualitative study considers how nine teenage girls who were resettled as refugees from Thailand engage in productions of translocality through multimodal literacy practices in digital spaces. The girls are…
Characteristics of Family Literacy Programmes That Improve Child Literacy, Behaviour and Parenting Skills
Terlitsky, Amy Bowlin; Wilkins, Julia
Children who struggle with reading, a critical component of literacy, may exhibit behavioural problems. Having difficulties in both literacy and behaviour increases children's risk of poor educational outcomes. We reviewed 82 studies of family literacy programmes and identified 15 empirical studies that reported positive child outcomes related to…
Tracing Academic Literacies across Contemporary Literacy Sponsorscapes: Mobilities, Ideologies, Identities, and Technologies
Wargo, Jon M.; De Costa, Peter I.
Locating itself broadly within the "sociolinguistics of mobility" (Blommaert, 2014) and taking heed of Stornaiuolo and Hall's (2014) call to "trace resonance" in writing and literacies research, this article works to trace academic literacies across the emerging "literacy sponsorscapes" (Wargo, 2016a) of contemporary…
Health Literacy and Social Capital: What Role for Adult Literacy Partnerships and Pedagogy?
Black, Stephen; Balatti, Jo; Falk, Ian
This paper makes the case for adult literacy (including numeracy) practitioners to play a greater role in health literacy initiatives in Australia. The paper draws on data from a national research project that investigated adult literacy partnerships and pedagogy viewed from a social capital perspective. The primary purpose of the project was to…
Information Literacy in the 21st Century Multicultural Classroom: Using Sociocultural Literacy
Blas, Elise A.
Sociocultural literacy guides an instructor's pedagogy in the multicultural university classroom. By employing sociocultural literacy in the information literacy classroom, the instruction librarian can better teach students from all cultures including international students, first generation students, or students from a wide array of…
Evidence-Based Literacy Support: The "Literacy Octopus" Trial. Evaluation Report and Executive Summary
Lord, Pippa; Rabiasz, Adam; Roy, Palak; Harland, Jennie; Styles, Ben; Fowler, Katherine
The Evidence-based Literacy Support-"Literacy Octopus" Trial tested a range of dissemination interventions and resources, all of which aimed to engage schools in using evidence-based materials to improve teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 literacy. Four delivery partners provided interventions. These included light-touch,…
Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy: Examining the Effects of Paraeducator Implemented Early Literacy Instruction
Bingham, Gary E.; Hall-Kenyon, Kendra M.; Culatta, Barbara
This study examined the effect of explicit and engaging supplemental early literacy instruction on at-risk kindergarten children's literacy development. Sixty-three kindergarten-aged children who had been ranked in the lowest 20th percentile on basic literacy skills participated in this study (38 treatment). Results reveal that children who…
The Language of Literacy: A National Resource Directory of Aboriginal Literacy Programs.
Sabourin, Beverly; Globensky, Peter Andre
This directory presents, in narrative form, core information about the operations of approximately 100 Aboriginal literacy programs throughout Canada. To qualify for inclusion in the directory, each program had to offer basic, functional, or advanced literacy training; offer literacy training in English, French, or an Aboriginal language; be…
Provider and patient perception of psychiatry patient health literacy
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Bacon O
Full Text Available Background: Inadequate health literacy in adults is a nationwide issue that is associated with worse health outcomes. There is a paucity of literacy regarding rates of inadequate health literacy in psychiatric populations. Objective: The aim of the study was to identify an existing tool that would easily identify patients who had inadequate health literacy, so that a targeted intervention could be performed. Secondarily we attempted to compare rates of inadequate health literacy with providers' perception of patients' health literacy. Methods: We assessed health literacy in a psychiatric population by administering the Brief Health Literacy Survey (BHLS. Additionally, all psychiatry residents, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and social workers were surveyed to assess their perception of patient health literacy. Differences between patient health literacy and provider expectations of patient health literacy were compared. Results: Inadequate health literacy was identified in 31 out of 61 patients (50.8% using 2 questions from the BHLS. Only 9 (29% of patients who were identified as having inadequate health literacy were identified by both BHLS questions. In contrast, almost 100% of providers identified their patients, in general, as having inadequate health literacy. Conclusions: These results identify a higher rate of health literacy in a psychiatric inpatient population than in the general population. However, providers at this institution likely over-identify health literacy. This highlights the need for a health literacy tool that can easily target patients with inadequate health literacy for an intervention.
Health Literacy Impact on National Healthcare Utilization and Expenditure.
Rasu, Rafia S; Bawa, Walter Agbor; Suminski, Richard; Snella, Kathleen; Warady, Bradley
Health literacy presents an enormous challenge in the delivery of effective healthcare and quality outcomes. We evaluated the impact of low health literacy (LHL) on healthcare utilization and healthcare expenditure. Database analysis used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) from 2005-2008 which provides nationally representative estimates of healthcare utilization and expenditure. Health literacy scores (HLSs) were calculated based on a validated, predictive model and were scored according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). HLS ranged from 0-500. Health literacy level (HLL) and categorized in 2 groups: Below basic or basic (HLS Healthcare utilization expressed as a physician, nonphysician, or emergency room (ER) visits and healthcare spending. Expenditures were adjusted to 2010 rates using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). A P value of 0.05 or less was the criterion for statistical significance in all analyses. Multivariate regression models assessed the impact of the predicted HLLs on outpatient healthcare utilization and expenditures. All analyses were performed with SAS and STATA® 11.0 statistical software. The study evaluated 22 599 samples representing 503 374 648 weighted individuals nationally from 2005-2008. The cohort had an average age of 49 years and included more females (57%). Caucasian were the predominant racial ethnic group (83%) and 37% of the cohort were from the South region of the United States of America. The proportion of the cohort with basic or below basic health literacy was 22.4%. Annual predicted values of physician visits, nonphysician visits, and ER visits were 6.6, 4.8, and 0.2, respectively, for basic or below basic compared to 4.4, 2.6, and 0.1 for above basic. Predicted values of office and ER visits expenditures were $1284 and $151, respectively, for basic or below basic and $719 and $100 for above basic (P healthcare utilization and expenditure. Individuals with below basic or basic HLL have greater healthcare
Swimming literacy field hockey woman player ground.
Baštová, Miroslava
Title: Swimming literacy field hockey woman player ground. Objectives: To obtain and analyze data on the level ground swimming literacy field hockey woman player. Their perception swimming literacy for life, the use of non-specific regeneration and as a training resource. Methods: Analysis of scientific literature, survey, case study, data analysis and graphical presentation of results. Results of the work: field hockey player as swimming literate, benefits swimming but not used as a means of...
Adult literacy, learning identities and pedagogic practice
Crowther, Jim; Maclachlan, Kathy; Tett, Lyn
This article discusses the relationship between persistence in adult literacy and numeracy\\ud programs, changes in the participants' attitudes to engaging in learning and pedagogic practices\\ud using data from eight Scottish literacy education organizations. It argues that literacy learning can act as a resource that enables vulnerable adults to change their dispositions to learning, achieve their goals and make a transition towards their imagined futures. Pedagogic practices that operate fro...
Maximising the effect of combination HIV prevention through prioritisation of the people and places in greatest need: a modelling study.
Anderson, Sarah-Jane; Cherutich, Peter; Kilonzo, Nduku; Cremin, Ide; Fecht, Daniela; Kimanga, Davies; Harper, Malayah; Masha, Ruth Laibon; Ngongo, Prince Bahati; Maina, William; Dybul, Mark; Hallett, Timothy B
Epidemiological data show substantial variation in the risk of HIV infection between communities within African countries. We hypothesised that focusing appropriate interventions on geographies and key populations at high risk of HIV infection could improve the effect of investments in the HIV response. With use of Kenya as a case study, we developed a mathematical model that described the spatiotemporal evolution of the HIV epidemic and that incorporated the demographic, behavioural, and programmatic differences across subnational units. Modelled interventions (male circumcision, behaviour change communication, early antiretoviral therapy, and pre-exposure prophylaxis) could be provided to different population groups according to their risk behaviours or their location. For a given national budget, we compared the effect of a uniform intervention strategy, in which the same complement of interventions is provided across the country, with a focused strategy that tailors the set of interventions and amount of resources allocated to the local epidemiological conditions. A uniformly distributed combination of HIV prevention interventions could reduce the total number of new HIV infections by 40% during a 15-year period. With no additional spending, this effect could be increased by 14% during the 15 years-almost 100,000 extra infections, and result in 33% fewer new HIV infections occurring every year by the end of the period if the focused approach is used to tailor resource allocation to reflect patterns in local epidemiology. The cumulative difference in new infections during the 15-year projection period depends on total budget and costs of interventions, and could be as great as 150,000 (a cumulative difference as great as 22%) under different assumptions about the unit costs of intervention. The focused approach achieves greater effect than the uniform approach despite exactly the same investment. Through prioritisation of the people and locations at greatest
Posts, pics, or polls? Which post type generates the greatest engagement in a Facebook physical activity intervention?
Edney, Sarah; Looyestyn, Jemma; Ryan, Jillian; Kernot, Jocelyn; Maher, Carol
Social networking websites have attracted considerable attention as a delivery platform for physical activity interventions. Current evidence highlights a need to enhance user engagement with these interventions to actualize their potential. The purpose of this study was to determine which post type generates the most engagement from participants and whether engagement was related to change in physical activity in an intervention delivered via Facebook. Subgroup analysis of the intervention condition of a randomized controlled trial was conducted. The group moderator posted a new message to the private Facebook group each day of the program. The Facebook posts (n = 118) were categorized into the following types: moderator-initiated running program, multimedia, motivational, opinion polls, or discussion question and participant-initiated experience shares, or questions. Four metrics were used to measure volume of engagement with each post type, "likes," "comments," "poll votes," and "photo uploads." One-way ANOVA was used to determine whether engagement differed by post type and an independent samples t-test to determine differences in engagement between moderator and participant-initiated posts. Pearson correlation was used to examine associations between total engagement and change in physical activity. Engagement varied by post type. Polls elicited the greatest engagement (p ≤ .01). The most common form of engagement was "likes," and engagement was higher for moderator-initiated rather than participant-initiated posts (mean = 8.0 [SD 6.8] vs. 5.3 [SD 3.2]; p ≤ .01). Total engagement with the Facebook group was not directly associated with change in physical activity (r = -.13, p = .47). However, engagement was associated with compliance with the running program (r = .37, p = .04) and there was a nonsignificant positive association between compliance and change in physical activity (r = .32, p = .08). Posts requiring a simple response generated the most
Examining Media Literacy Levels of Prospective Teachers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Taskın INAN
Full Text Available As in many other countries, following the 2007-2008 education year when media literacy courses began to be included in the curricula, media literacy has become one of the discussion topics among educators and decision makers in Turkey. Discussion topics related to media literacy have included who is going to give the media literacy courses, what qualifications will be sought out in media literacy education teachers, what will be included in the media literacy curriculum in terms of its content, and at what level the media literacy course will be given. The current study which aims to examine media literacy levels of prospective teachers utilized thesurvey method. The sample of the study included prospective teachers (480 attending Elementary School Education, Social Studies Education and Turkish Language Education departments in the Education Faculty at the Dumlupinar University in the 2008-2009 education year. The results of the study showed that prospective teachers have a low level of reaction to media messages, do not educate people around enough about the effects of media, but make use of different sources of media to gain information, and are cognizant of media literacy.
Examining media literacy levels of prospective teachers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Taşkın İnan
Full Text Available As in many other countries, following the 2007-2008 education year when media literacy courses began to be included in the curricula, media literacy has become one of the discussion topics among educators and decision makers in Turkey. Discussion topics related to media literacy have included who is going to give the media literacy courses, what qualifications will be sought out in media literacy education teachers, what will be included in the media literacy curriculum in terms of its content, and at what level the media literacy course will be given. The current study which aims to examine media literacy levels of prospective teachers utilized the survey method. The sample of the study included prospective teachers (480 attending Elementary School Education, Social Studies Education and Turkish Language Education departments in the Education Faculty at the Dumlupinar University in the 2008-2009 education year. The results of the study showed that prospective teachers have a low level of reaction to media messages, do not educate people around enough about the effects of media, but make use of different sources of media to gain information, and are cognizant of media literacy.
The Nexus Between Health Literacy and Empowerment
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Kristine Crondahl
Full Text Available The aim of this article was to explore what is known about the assumed connection between health literacy and empowerment and how this connection is portrayed in the scientific literature. If empowerment is an outcome of health literacy, what are the mechanisms behind this process? A literature search conducted in 2013 yielded 216 hits, of which five met the inclusion criteria, and thus were read in depth and analyzed through a narrative-review approach. The findings indicate that health literacy might be regarded as a tool for empowerment but does not automatically lead to empowerment. Health literacy might be increased by health education. Crucial for empowerment is to achieve the critical level of health literacy including an ability to question and reflect on the prevailing power relations and societal conditions; increased senses of power, self-esteem, and self-efficacy; and an ability to utilize these resources to engage in social and political action for change. This article suggests that for health literacy to be critical to empowerment, there must be a focus on social health determinants and individuals' subjective perceptions of health and health needs. The article proposes functional and interactive health literacy as a form of capacity building for health and empowerment and critical health literacy as a way to describe empowerment. This scoping review indicates a research gap and a need for future research examining the relationship between health literacy and empowerment.
Views on information literacy / Sichten auf Informationskompetenz
Hapke, Thomas
Poster (in English and German language) illustrating different views on information literacy. Poster in deutscher und englischer Sprache zur Veranschaulichung verschiedener Sichten auf Informationskompetenz.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Meire dos Santos Dangió
Full Text Available The article on screen calls into question the cultural-historical conception of literacy in order to point out the relationship between it and the psychic development process of individuals, arguing - in accordance with the theoretical assumptions of historical-cultural psychology, that literacy takes place within a broader process of cultural development and, consequently, a developmental education from an early age. Thus, we defend the thesis that the teacher literacy needs to know the internal connections between literacy, oral language development and the abstractive leap required for its conversion into written language.
Writing in the literacy era: Scandinavian teachers' notions of writing in mother tongue education
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Krogh, Ellen
Abstract This study is part of a Scandinavian research project, Nordfag.net, that investigates Scandinavian mother tongue teachers' didactic profiles and conceptions of the mother tongue education (MTE) subject through an ethnographic approach. The purpose of the present study is to discuss...... the aims of the teach-ing of writing in MTE in the light of contending MTE paradigms and discourses of education tied to the concepts of Bildung and literacy. 26 teachers' diaries and interviews are examined through two analyti-cal approaches. The first approach is a phenomenological investigation...... are discussed as possible answers to the contemporary educational challenges of MTE. Keywords: MTE, writing, literacy, Bildung, disciplinary didactics....
A Crucial Nexus: Literacy, Endowment and Public Consultation in Energy Decision Making
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bright, Steven
Private and public organizations around the world are grappling with several challenging energy issues. In Canada, a recent poll showed that, despite the country's status as an energy exporter, citizens have mixed views on their energy literacy and influence over energy-related decision making. The energy endowment of Canada's varied regions partially explains these findings, but the overall picture is more complex. This research speaks to broader themes in the global energy dialogue such as the contributions of literacy to energy development, the role of public consultation in energy decision making and the value of money in motivating energy-efficiency behaviour.
A Crucial Nexus: Literacy, Endowment and Public Consultation in Energy Decision Making
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bright, Steven
Private and public organizations around the world are grappling with several challenging energy issues. In Canada, a recent poll showed that, despite the country's status as an energy exporter, citizens have mixed views on their energy literacy and influence over energy-related decision making. The energy endowment of Canada's varied regions partially explains these findings, but the overall picture is more complex. This research speaks to broader themes in the global energy dialogue such as the contributions of literacy to energy development, the role of public consultation in energy decision making and the value of money in motivating energy-efficiency behaviour.
Does Music Training Enhance Literacy Skills? A Meta-Analysis
Gordon, Reyna L.; Fehd, Hilda M.; McCandliss, Bruce D.
Children's engagement in music practice is associated with enhancements in literacy-related language skills, as demonstrated by multiple reports of correlation across these two domains. Training studies have tested whether engaging in music training directly transfers benefit to children's literacy skill development. Results of such studies, however, are mixed. Interpretation of these mixed results is made more complex by the fact that a wide range of literacy-related outcome measures are used across these studies. Here, we address these challenges via a meta-analytic approach. A comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed music training studies was built around key criteria needed to test the direct transfer hypothesis, including: (a) inclusion of music training vs. control groups; (b) inclusion of pre- vs. post-comparison measures, and (c) indication that reading instruction was held constant across groups. Thirteen studies were identified (n = 901). Two classes of outcome measures emerged with sufficient overlap to support meta-analysis: phonological awareness and reading fluency. Hours of training, age, and type of control intervention were examined as potential moderators. Results supported the hypothesis that music training leads to gains in phonological awareness skills. The effect isolated by contrasting gains in music training vs. gains in control was small relative to the large variance in these skills (d = 0.2). Interestingly, analyses revealed that transfer effects for rhyming skills tended to grow stronger with increased hours of training. In contrast, no significant aggregate transfer effect emerged for reading fluency measures, despite some studies reporting large training effects. The potential influence of other study design factors were considered, including intervention design, IQ, and SES. Results are discussed in the context of emerging findings that music training may enhance literacy development via changes in brain mechanisms that
Media Komunitas dan Media Literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pawito .
Full Text Available Abstract:This essay deals with community media in relation to media literacy. After a short discussion on a number of community media characters is made the essay goes further with somewhat detail theoretical presumptions of the roles of media community with respect primarily to the development as Amartya Sen mentioned about. The author suggests that community media may play some significant roles in the development including (a disseminating information (from varieties of perspective, (b facilitating public discussion, (c helping to reach solutions of problems, (d encouraging participations, and (e encouraging the development of media literacy. Regarding the last point the author remarks that media community may have a dual-roles i.e facilitating community's member in media participation and facilitating community's member in media education.
Financial Literacy: Empirical Sociological Approaches
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Henye Livia Kovacsne
Full Text Available The recent financial crises that started in the USA and spread all over Europe highlighted the importance of research in the field of financial culture. A variety of research projects pointed out that the general population's financial literacy is lacking basic knowledge. The ever changing economic climate, demographic changes, tendencies in the financial processing sector and the acceleration in product innovation put considerable pressure on the everyday decision making process of a household. The overview of the international and national research on the subject proves that the improving of the population's, especially the young people's financial literacy is a priority both in leading economic countries and in Hungary, too. The idea of financial culture is as complex as the variety of research into the topic proves it. This article aims to point out the complicated nature of the notion and the variety of research that has been inserted into it.
Health literacy and patient portals.
Gu, Yulong; Orr, Martin; Warren, Jim
Health literacy has been described as the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Improving health literacy may serve to promote concordance with therapy, engage patients in their own health care, and improve health outcomes. Patient portal technology aims at enabling patients and families to have easy access to key information in their own medical records and to communicate with their health care providers electronically. However, there is a gap in our understanding of how portals will improve patient outcome. The authors believe patient portal technology presents an opportunity to improve patient concordance with prescribed therapy, if adequate support is provided to equip patients (and family/carers) with the knowledge needed to utilise the health information available via the portals. Research is needed to understand what a health consumer will use patient portals for and how to support a user to realise the technology's potential.
Education, Technology and Health Literacy.
Lindgren, Kurt; Koldkjær Sølling, Ina; Carøe, Per; Siggaard Mathiesen, Kirsten
The purpose of this study is to develop an interdisciplinary learning environment between education in technology, business, and nursing. This collaboration creates natural interest and motivation for welfare technology. The aim of establishing an interaction between these three areas of expertise is to create an understanding of skills and cultural differences in each area. Futhermore, the aim is to enable future talents to gain knowledge and skills to improve health literacy among senior citizens. Based on a holistic view of welfare technology, a Student Academy was created as a theoretically- and practically-oriented learning center. The mission of the Student Academy is to support and facilitate education in order to maintain and upgrade knowledge and skills in information technology and information management related to e-health and health literacy. The Student Academy inspires students, stakeholders, politicians, DanAge Association members, companies, and professionals to participate in training, projects, workshops, and company visits.
Education, Technology and Health Literacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lindgren, Kurt; Sølling, Ina Koldkjær; Carøe, Per
The purpose of this study is to develop an interdisciplinary learning environment between education in technology, business, and nursing. This collaboration contributes to the creation of a natural interest and motivation for welfare technology. The aim of establishing an interaction between the 3...... as a theoretical and practical learning center. The mission of the Student Academy is to support and facilitate education in order to maintain and upgrade knowledge and skills in information technology and information management in relation to e-health and Health Literacy. The Student Academy inspires students...... areas of expertise is to create an understanding for each other's skills and cultural differences. Futhermore enabling future talents to gain knowledge and skills to improve Health Literacy among senior citizens. Based on a holistic view on welfare technology a Student Academy was created...
Education, Technology and Health Literacy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lindgren, Kurt; Sølling, Ina Koldkjær; Carøe, Per
Abstract The purpose of this study is to develop an interdisciplinary learning environment between education in technology, business, and nursing. This collaboration contributes to the creation of a natural interest and motivation for welfare technology. The aim of establishing an interaction...... as a theoretical and practical learning center. The mission of the Student Academy is to support and facilitate education in order to maintain and upgrade knowledge and skills in information technology and information management in relation to e-health and Health Literacy. The Student Academy inspires students...... between the 3 areas of expertise is to create an understanding for each other's skills and cultural differences. Futhermore enabling future talents to gain knowledge and skills to improve Health Literacy among senior citizens. Based on a holistic view on welfare technology a Student Academy was created...
Friendship and literacy through literature.
Palincsar, A S; Parecki, A D; McPhail, J C
The exploratory research reported in this article was designed to determine the processes and outcomes of planning thematic literacy instruction in a holistic and contextualized manner. The work was conducted in an upper-elementary, self-contained setting for students identified as learning disabled. Specifically, the instructional activities included (a) interactive readings from literature on friendship, (b) personal written responses to the literature, (c) supported retellings of the literature, (d) performance related to the literature, and (e) journal writing on the topic of friendship. The outcomes are reported in terms of the use of intertextuality over the course of the 6-week unit, the emergence of theme as a salient feature in literature, and a change in the children's conceptions of friendship. More specific literacy outcomes are captured in case studies of 3 children.
Phylogenetic studies of transmission dynamics in generalized HIV epidemics: An essential tool where the burden is greatest?
Dennis, Ann M.; Herbeck, Joshua T.; Brown, Andrew Leigh; Kellam, Paul; de Oliveira, Tulio; Pillay, Deenan; Fraser, Christophe; Cohen, Myron S.
Efficient and effective HIV prevention measures for generalized epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa have not yet been validated at the population-level. Design and impact evaluation of such measures requires fine-scale understanding of local HIV transmission dynamics. The novel tools of HIV phylogenetics and molecular epidemiology may elucidate these transmission dynamics. Such methods have been incorporated into studies of concentrated HIV epidemics to identify proximate and determinant traits associated with ongoing transmission. However, applying similar phylogenetic analyses to generalized epidemics, including the design and evaluation of prevention trials, presents additional challenges. Here we review the scope of these methods and present examples of their use in concentrated epidemics in the context of prevention. Next, we describe the current uses for phylogenetics in generalized epidemics, and discuss their promise for elucidating transmission patterns and informing prevention trials. Finally, we review logistic and technical challenges inherent to large-scale molecular epidemiological studies of generalized epidemics, and suggest potential solutions. PMID:24977473
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Lund, Henriette
Begejstringen er bestemt til at få øje på, når Lisbet Kjærgaard, souschef på Skolen på Duevej, taler om Tidlig literacy − tidlig numeracy-projektet. Som ledelsesansvarlig for indskolingen har hun sammen med SFO-lederen det seneste år været dybt involveret i projektet. Noget der både har medført...
Balancing Responsibilities – Financial Literacy
Gail Pearson; Philip N Stoop; Michelle Kelly-Louw
In Australia there is an obligation to promote the informed participation of financial consumers while in South Africa there is an obligation to educate consumers. The Australian obligation is concerned with the financial system as a whole while the South African obligation has generally been focused on general financial education as a tool to promote financial inclusion. There is no obligation for consumers to attain a minimum standard of literacy in credit or finance generally. Financial li...
Financial literacy of university students
Rodrigues, Cristina S.; Vieira, Filipa Dionísio; Amaral, António Manuel Pereira da Silva; Martins, F. Vitorino
The current financial crisis highlights real problems profoundly related to the level of financial knowledge. Some studies suggest that many individuals, including small business owners, do not have adequate financial skills to be able to handle their finances. The term "financial literacy" summarizes the set of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to enable recognition and understanding of the foundations of personal finance. Informed and literate individuals are able to make responsibl...
Empowering Physicians with Financial Literacy.
Bar-Or, Yuval
Most doctors complete their medical training without sufficient knowledge of business and finance. This leads to inefficient financial decisions, avoidable losses, and unnecessary anxiety. A big part of the problem is that the existing options for gaining financial knowledge are flawed. The ideal solution is to provide a simple framework of financial literacy to all students: one that can be adapted to their specific circumstances. That framework must be delivered by an objective expert to young physicians before they complete medical training.
What Does This Story Say about Females? Challenging Gender-Biased Texts in the English-Language Classroom
Hayik, Rawia
Grounded in critical literacy theory, this teacher research in a Middle Eastern EFL classroom addresses the traditional female positioning in literature, media, and pop culture. Adolescent students are encouraged to challenge the traditional Cinderella fairy tale through various critical literacy engagements. A content analysis of sample written…
From Literature to Cultural Literacy
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Naomi Segal
Full Text Available In recent years, the academic field of literary studies has changed radically. Literary scholars are now working on objects other than poems, dramas or fiction. This essay presents an ongoing strategic project, Cultural Literacy in Contemporary Europe, which was founded in 2007 and run in 2009-11 as an European Science Foundation & Cooperation in Science and Technology (ESF-COST synergy. Its aim is to investigate and celebrate the range of research currently being conducted in the field we have renamed "literary-and-cultural studies", or LCS. This research aims to enhance cultural literacy. Cultural literacy is an attitude to the social and cultural phenomena that shape our existence—bodies of knowledge, fields of social action, individuals or groups, and of course cultural artefacts, including texts—which views them as being essentially readable: it is a way of looking at social and cultural issues, especially issues of change and mobility, through the lens of literary thinking. The project focuses on four academic fields—cultural memory, migration and translation, electronic textuality, and biopolitics and the body—and four concepts: textuality, fictionality, rhetoricity and historicity. It stresses multilingualism and is part of the movement of interdisciplinarity within the humanities and between the humanities and other disciplines, but remains a distinctive activity within that larger movement.
'New' literacies: technologies and values
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Colin Lankshear
Full Text Available It is too easy to make light of 'new literacies' by saying things like: "Well, there are always newer ones coming along". Such remarks suggest new literacies have a similar kind of life trajectory to an automobile: new in 2009, semi-new in 2010, and old hat by 2011. Against this kind of "that's so yesterday" perspective, we suggest in this article that 'new literacies' are best understood in terms of an historical period of social, cultural, institutional, economic, and intellectual change that is likely to span many decades – some of which are already behind us. We associate new literacies with an historical conjuncture and an ascending social paradigm. From this perspective we suggest that the kinds of practices we currently identify as new literacies will cease to be 'new' once the social ways characterizing the ascending paradigm have become sufficiently establised and grounded to be regarded as conventional. Furthermore we suggest that at the heart of the idea of new ethos stuff is the idea of technological change aligning with a range of increasingly popular values.