Literacy/Acquisition

Prior to starting this semester, the concept of "literacy" was not something I had much considered.  I really only thought about it in terms of ability to read language.  However, my definition has developed through the course of this class into something that has much more meaning.  I currently define literacy as the ability to competently read or speak (and comprehend) at a specific level.  This broadens my previous perception quite a bit by implementing levels of literacy.  A person who can read and speak at a basic level is literate in the most basic sense of the word, but may still be illiterate at different levels of comprehension.  That is to say, a student who has the capability to read English in children's books may still be illiterate in terms of his/her ability to read and comprehend texts within the classroom.  This can relate to the analogy used by Gee of the acquisition of a second language: a student of a language, e.g. Spanish, may well be able to use or read the language at a basic level, but would be illiterate within the setting of native speakers because the ability to use the language in context would be missing.

My basic understanding of literacy acquisition is that in order to fully and successfully acquire literacy at a certain level, a student must be immersed in the use of the discourse, rather than being taught specifics in the classroom.  I am experiencing this myself as I explore the world of academic discourse for the first time in a concerted fashion.  I have found that my ability to effectively and correctly use the discourse is improving as I read articles and respond to classmates - something that I wasn't able to master when I was simply given the tools to use the language.