Abramson, T. (2002). From the Desk of the Executive Editor: Essential Literacies for Successful Living. Journal of Instruction Delivery System, 16(1), 4-5.

From the Desk of the Executive Editor

Essential Literacies for Successful Living

Gertrude (Trudy) Abramson

The need for basic or essential literacies has grown greater with the proliferation of computer and communication technologies. Everyone can learn has become the mantra of education. If learning is defined as a change in behavior or growth in knowledge or skill or concept, we can all agree that everyone can learn. Even if everyone can do so, the fact remains that not everyone does learn basic necessities to a usable level.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Gardner (1985) published a theory of multiple intelligences (MI). An intelligence may be thought of as an aptitude or an inborn disposition to learning. The original seven are:

· verbal/linguistic - use language (words) for expression and understanding;

· logical/mathematical – manipulate numbers, understand systems, reason;

· visual/spatial – see pictures and images in your mind;

· bodily/kinesthetic – use the body to perform or create;

· musical/rhythmic – think in music, hear and manipulate sound patterns;

· interpersonal – understanding other people, social interactions;

· intrapersonal – understanding yourself, your strengths and limitations.

About a decade later, he added an eighth:

· naturalist – understanding of living things and natural world.

What Gardner did was to provide us with a taxonomy or classification. Everyone who went to school or lived in a family or worked in a group workplace knows that not everyone masters all things at the same pace or to the same degree. The best part of MI is general acceptance that it is unreasonable to measure a person’s intelligence with a single test. Here is a personal anecdote that illustrates different intelligences in action:

In the seventh grade, we had mental arithmetic quizzes on Friday mornings. Mrs. J. would ask a question and the first one to come up with the answer could call it out. I just loved mental arithmetic; sometimes my chest would burst with enthusiasm. One morning, before beginning the quiz, Mrs. J. turned to me and said, “Trudy, from now on, you will sit quietly through the quiz.” On Wednesday afternoons, we had music. Our teacher escorted us to a small auditorium where several classes learned to sing patriotic songs. I just loved communal singing; sometimes my chest would burst with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, my music intelligence fell somewhat short of my mathematical one. According to Mrs. J., my loud, clear singing threw the entire assembly off key. One afternoon, before the we entered the auditorium, Mrs. J. said, “Trudy, you will sit quietly in the hall during music.” In the first instance, punishment was accrued for having too much aptitude and in the second, for having too little. My parents never knew about either incident nor was Mrs. J. able to dampen my enthusiasm for learning. However, in my teacher-soul, I know that teachers like Mrs. J. cause irreparable damage to learners of all ages.

Information Literacy

Sometimes a mundane remark becomes truly sublime upon reflection. Last year, JIDS published a theme issue in information literacy. Winkler (2001) wrote

Technology or computers do not of themselves confer literacy; nor does their absence inhibit literacy. No one is illiterate because he does not own a computer. A computer is not a requirement to achieve information literacy, although it helps.

In the same issue, we (Abramson, 2001) presented a comprehensive list of attributes. Although no attempt was made at that time to correlate the attributes with MI, it is reasonable to conclude that many intelligences come into play in mastery of the literacies enumerated. Conceding that information literacy is at a higher level of cognition than what is required of the general population, the list has been shortened and modified to include only minimal qualifications. The essentially literate person:

· Reads, writes, speaks and listens at a level required for completion of twelfth grade;

· Retrieves rapidly multiplication and division facts;

· Selects the appropriate operation when using a calculator;

· Estimates computer-based results as a first measure of accuracy;

· Pictures the geography of the globe in his mind;

· Follows north-east-south-west instructions;

· Uses state-of-the-art computer technology with ease:

o Sends and receives e-mail;

o Writes, saves and retrieves word processed documents;

o Creates and uses simple spreadsheets;

o Surfs the Internet for specific information.

Observations from Real Life

From time to time, the opportunity affords itself to see and read about bad things that happen when essential literacies are missing. Here are some everyday occurrences.

· A patient’s right leg is gangrene. The left one is surgically removed.

· A patron’s hair is to be dyed with color #51. Color #15 is used.

· Purchases are rung up at the register using bar codes. The electricity goes out and purchases cannot be consummated.

· A home health care aide is required to administer medication. She cannot read the labels on the bottles.

· Many buses stop at the same corner. The routes are numbered and posted at the stop. The perspective passenger cannot interpret the maps.

· A shopper hands a clerk a $20 bill, receives change as if it were a $10 bill and walks away in ignorance.

· A man tries to pat a lovely red cat. The fox bites him on the hand.

· A parent cannot read or calculate well enough to help his fourth grader.

· A student aide misfiles alphabetized documents.

· A delivery person keeps getting lost.

When people lived in small towns, when it was not necessary to drive, when everyone was on a first name basis with everyone else and many jobs were menial in nature, essential literacies were fewer and simpler. Technology may have simplified certain tasks but it has greatly raised the bar of a necessary knowledge base for all people.

References

Abramson, G. (2001). Information Literacy Initiatives by Business, Government, and Colleges. Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 15(2), 23-24.

Gardner, H. (1985). Frames of Mind: A Theory of Multiple Intelligences. NY: Basic Books.

Winkler, S. (2001). The Whys and Wherefores of Information Literacy. Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 15(2), 25-30.