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Students need a combination of traditional academic skills and recent competencies to succeed, such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills, digital literacy skills, and technological skills which will better prepare students for the 21st century.
Instructors should continue to teach traditional literacy skills because it requires student to critically analyze information, evaluate evidence and construct their thoughts in a logical way. It also helps student express clearly and aids effective communication, both written and verbal. Using myself as an example, report writing taught me how to research and present information in a clear and concise manner.
Yes, instructors should adopt new forms of literacy into their teaching methods. ‘‘Literacy teaching and learning needs to change because the world changing’’. This change is inevitable, and students need to be prepared for the rapidly demands of the 21st century and not be left behind. Examples of new forms of literacy includes digital literacy which is the ability to use technology effectively and navigate the online world seamlessly and responsibly, visual literacy which involves the ability of students to interpret and create visual information e.g. graphics, videos and images.
Instructors can adapt their assessment by engaging students in online discussions, multimedia presentations, project-based assessment as against traditional exams. This will enable students demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a more practical way. Students should be encouraged to reflect on their own learning and literacy development through reflective journals blogs, videos etc.
Hazard (2019) meant our identities, the way we read and write, and our educational experiences are all influenced by the social and cultural environment around us.
In summary, the concept of multimodality is central to understanding literacy in the 21st century.
References
New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(10, 60-92.