Be a better shot

Most of us would brag how “literate” we are. We would say “Yes, of course I am literate!” , “Hello? I can read and write so therefore I am literate”. But did we ask ourselves if we are really a literate one? What does literate really means? And what is literacy?

According to Alberta Education, literacy is the ability, confidence, and willingness to engage with language to acquire , construct and communicate meaning in all aspects of daily living. 

It means that we are knowledgeable in a certain kind of literacy. But as with all other things, we still have strengths and weaknesses, but at least, somehow we know the basic of some of it. So, being a good reader doesn’t mean that you are literate, being a good reader means you can acquire and construct meaning from a text and think critically and able to communicate to the world. We don’t judge easily and try to understand every expression, people and situation perfectly.

Our first group activity last Friday in our Reading class was to give definition and classify the type of literacy we are assigned to. Ours was Logical-Mathematical Literacy. I honestly had a hard time answering questions with my groupmates, aside from it is not really my expertise but also of time pressured.

Logical-Mathematical Literacy according to Oxford Learning, is the ability to problem-solve, reason, and analyze information. It is also the ability to understand the language of Math.

This type of literacy often avoided by most students, including me, but I realized that practice makes perfect. We should also learn to appreciate this because we are using it in our daily lives, unconsciously. Knowing the basic “language” of Math can be your instrument to pass and understand this kind of literacy.

Reading and writing does not suffice to be literate. Logical-Mathematical Literacy may not be your forte, the same with me, however, it boil down from being literate.

And yes, I consider myself as a literate Filipino. I am doing my best to understand the happenings here in the Philippines critically. I also realized that literacy can also be a tool necessary to break those harsh social cycles. It is a connection to the world. Our words and ideas have the power to outlive us. Whatever the question is, literacy is the answer. Be a better shot!