Last week, I began to investigate how 21st-century learning looks in other parts of the world. I have always had an interest in international affairs, and my specialization in the Professional Master of Education program is in education abroad. My conclusion in my last post was that 21st-century learning largely entails the same skills proposed at the beginning of this blog, but these are given different levels of priority based on each country's values and belief systems. However, I also noticed that, by and large, there was a large correlation between poverty and the ability to even read, which would be a necessary first-step before any 21st-century learning skills could be focused on. Personally, I could understand why this would have been the case prior to the internet's widespread adoption, when information came at a premium, but with all of the free content available, I am baffled that this continues to be the case. Since 1960, the global literacy rate has increased about 4% every five years, and we have now reached a point where over 85% of the world's population has developed the ability to read to some degree. However, "The poorest countries in the world, where basic education is most likely to be a binding constraint for development, still have very large segments of the population who are illiterate. In Niger, for example, the literacy rate of the youth (15-24 years) is only 36.5%" (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2016). Therefore, even though 85% sounds like a successful amount, it's important to understand that, just like the world's financial wealth, this 85% is not evenly distributed. Ortiz-Ospina & Roser (2016) present their findings on the map below, where there is a clear lack of literacy ability on the African continent: On a list of the top 25 most illiterate countries (Cago, 2017), 17 out of the 25 (68%) of these countries are found on the African continent. Why is this disparity thus large? One reason is that in many African nations, education is traditionally done orally. "The background is that African societies traditionally rely on oral learning, with listening and speaking as crucial skills. Schools, in contrast, are associated with reading and writing. This cultural orientation persists, and people have a tendency to equate going to school with literacy" (Shiundu, 2018). This would challenge many ideas that we have about education, and even calls into question 21st-century learning's proposed top spot of the pedagogical hierarchy. From this perspective, wanting to "save" the African continent by introducing new learning ideas and technologies would put me in the position of a colonialist wanting to assimilate their culture into my own which is, of course, uncomfortable to put it lightly. Of course, others take on a more utilitarian stance as to why this might be the case. James Tasamba writes that "...the development of reading culture in Africa was not taken seriously enough" and that it is the lack of libraries and reading materials in many African nations that has been a barrier to the widespread adoption of literacy throughout (2019). And, quite on the contrary to the point of view mentioned in the previous paragraph, he mentions that "Promoting reading and writing is an important step in promoting national culture, according to experts" (Tasamba, 2019). Essentially, in order to both preserve and spread individual national identity and culture, it is essential for proponents of said culture to solidify it into a written form. In my own teaching experience, I can definitely speak to the fact that learning about specific cultures in Africa, outside of popular ones like Egypt, is an extremely difficult and even impossible task. I try to explain to my students that "Africa" is not just one place, but a diverse region comprised of many nations. However, during my social studies unit where we try to "experience" different cultures, the most difficult ones for me to research were Botswana and South Africa. When cultural activities and ideas are put forward about these places, they tend to be "African" activities, perpetuating the underlying assumption that all African nations have the same ideas and perspectives. Therefore, improving the reading and writing skills of these nations might be the only way to fully preserve these unique cultures through their own lens rather than a Western interpretation of said culture. What I am getting at is that even though literacy can be seen as a Western invention (even though it could much more easily be attributed to much older Eastern cultures), in a world where Western ideals still seem to dominate the conversation, reading and writing might be a necessary evil towards finding a place in that conversation, which is perhaps an unfortunate note to end this post on. However, as I mentioned, it is indeed an uncomfortable topic, but that does not mean it shouldn't be discussed altogether. Works CitedCago, L. (2017, April 25). 25 most illiterate countries. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-lowest-literacy-rates-in-the-world.html
Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2016, August 13). Literacy. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://ourworldindata.org/literacy Shiundu, A. (2018, February 09). More must happen. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/literacy-rates-have-risen-sub-saharan-africa-reality-probably-worse-official-numbers-suggest Tasamba, J. (2019, October 18). African countries push for higher literacy. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-countries-push-for-higher-literacy/1618099
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AuthorTim Raposo is a teacher of grades 3 & 4 at Cawston Primary School in BC. With a firm grasp of burgeoning technologies. he seeks to introduce students to new ideas and skills to produce a passion for 21st century learning as early as possible in their educational careers. ArchivesCategories |