UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY

Biglang Awa St., Corner Catleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES

ACROSS CURRICULUM
Course Module

SUBJECT CODE: MS 116

TOPIC OR LESSON: 5: Social Literacy
WEEK: 10
SUB-TOPIC/S: Social Literacy
The Role of Parents and Teachers Social Skills to Children
Issues in Teaching Social Literacy

OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC

Today’s students have grown up with the internet, with cellphones becoming something
of an extra appendage. Many can’t make it through lunch (much less a whole day)
without checking their phones or otherwise interacting with technology. Always-on
culture has been a challenge for recent graduates who entered the workforce without
the social intelligence that came naturally to their older co-workers. This situation
underscores the importance of educating students in what could be called social literacy
to ensure their academic and career success.

Social Literacy is a student’s successful performance and understanding of social

Skills, organizational skills, and communication skills. It is the student’s ability to connect
effectively with those around them. Social literacy spans across interacting with peers,
family, coworkers, teachers, and even people we may not have met face to face.

Social literacy is so crucial in a person’s success. The ability to communicate and

voice opinions and thoughts, as well as listening to opinions and thoughts of others, is
essential in learning. Firmly grasping social cues and norms is extremely beneficial. In
literally every single setting of our lives school, home, work, clubs and activities, interacting
with people (whether face to face or behind technology), we use our social literacy. We
play so many roles every day and we socially need to understand how to play those roles
appropriately. For example: I would speak differently with my friends than I would my
mother, or I would chat on Facebook differently than I would while emailing a professor.
Without an understanding of this communication, one cannot function with success in
society.

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 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the week, the students are expected to:

1. Define social literacy
2. Identify and formulate solutions to the different issues in teaching social literacy
3. Create a vlog that discusses different topics on social literacy

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define and explain social literacy
2. explain important concepts about social literacy
3. identify the different issues in teaching social literacy
4. enumerate the importance of parents and teachers in teaching social skills to
children
5. incorporate Social Literacy into the classroom

ENGAGE

Brainstorming:
Amidst the pandemic, there is one important measure that we implemented to avoid
being infected by the virus and it is Social Distancing. How did you do it? Did you think it
helped us? in what way?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

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 EXPLORE

Song Guessing Game!

Guess the title of the song that discusses different social issues, give a sentence or two
about its social relevance.

EXPLAIN

SOCIAL LITERACY

Social Literacy concerns itself with the development of social skills, knowledge,
and positive human values that enable human beings to act positively and responsively
in a range of complex social settings. It is the knowledge of how to behave and treat
people in a way that is morally upright, just, and equitable, with a view of promoting
positive and productive relations that are free from unfair prejudice, hate, and
discrimination.

There are several types of social skills that must be mastered for a child to be
socially adept. These range from the ability to initiate, maintain and end a conversation
to reading social signals to more complex skills such as solving problems and resolving
conflicts. (Lawson 2003).

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 1. Greeting – Children develop relationships with peers by interacting with them. The
first step in social interaction is greeting someone. The nonverbal art of greeting
someone is just as important as the words. It is not so much what one says but how
he/she says it that lets people know he/she is glad to see them.
2. Initiating Conversation – In order to carry on a conversation, a child must be able
to initiate, maintain and close conversation appropriately. This requires good
listening and attention skills as well as the ability to take turns and probe for missing
information.
3. Understanding the Listener – Once a conversation is initiated, it has to be
maintained. In order to do that, it is important to understand the audience one is
talking to. A socially adept child quickly and unconsciously identifies and
categorizes his listener, measures what he/she has planned to say against the
anticipated response of the listener. A misread of the listener often leads to a
misunderstood message and potential social rejection.
4. Empathizing – Empathy is more than perspective-taking; it means that one is able
to feel what the other person feels. Empathy allows one to really connect with
other people.
5. Reading Social Cues – Cues are hints and signals that guide us to the next thing to
say or do. Social cues can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal cues are the words that
the other person is saying. The tone of voice is an important part of verbal cues.
Good detectives pay very close attention to nonverbal cues.
6. Previewing or Planning – Conversations also require that one preview or think
about what effect the words or actions may have on the listener before she says
or does them. If the impact will be negative, one can adjust what she might say
or do.
7. Problem Solving – Problems and conflicts are often a part of social interactions.
Someone may not agree, get angry, insulted, or become aggressive at something
that one says. How one reacts to these conflicts depends on how good her
problem-solving skills are.
8. Apologizing – Everyone makes social mistakes at timers. A person with good social
skills is confident enough to make a sincere apology for his/her error. This is a
courageous act and is the quickest and easiest way to correct a social blunder.

The Role of Parents and Teachers in Teaching Social Skills to Children

Parents typically play a major role in teaching children social skills. Parents can directly
teach social skills by modeling, role-playing, and providing opportunities for their children
to rehearse and practice new skills. Professionals intervene only when children are having
substantial social difficulty with peers. These individuals can implement structured, guided,
and effective programs that often involve group work with peers.

A school is a place where children spend the majority of their time with peers. It is
therefore a natural and perfect setting for children to learn and practice social skills.
Teachers do not have to teach a class in social skills, they can take advantage of every
opportunity to help children improve their social skills. They should work cooperatively
with the children’s parents to prevent the humiliation, embarrassment, and distress that
befall these children.

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Issues in Teaching Social Literacy

How children develop their social literacy is intrinsically a contextual matter and is not
something that can be easily traced in a linear or developmental fashion. The acquisition
of social literacy is a complex process that is historically and culturally conditioned and
context-specific. Children learn through social practice, both explicit and implicit, and
become human through social interactions. Nevertheless, it is also the case that children
engage in school activity before they are taught; in other words, children are disposed
to be social before they learn what sociability is all about.

There are two distinct ways of answering the question of how children learn to live socially
with each other and with adults. The first view is normative and communal. From their
culture, children learn customs that provide them with a guide to act in ways that
minimize conflict. The second view is pragmatic and individualistic. The social order of
children is created by explicit and implicit agreements entered into by self-seeking
individuals to avert the worst consequences of their selfish instincts (Arthur, Davison, and
Stow, 2000). In the last view, social order is dependent on sanctions and formal
agreements.

Teaching social literacy in schools is not as easy as it appears to be due to subjective

standards of morality and the inherent human capacity to judge and make excuses.

Subjective Standards of Morality

The natural outcome of post modem philosophies is that truth and morality are
considered subjective and open to individual interpretation. This can be seen in the
current culture, where actions and behavioral patterns that were once considered bad
have now become acceptable- so much so that many now consider them to be even
good. When the standard of measure between good and bad changes, this gives us the
license to change as well and opens the gates to all kinds of abuse. Interestingly, many
of those who insist on a subjective moral standard will be the first to demand a fixed moral
standard when they themselves fall victim to a subjective morality’s inevitable outcome.

Human Nature

While we would all like to believe that people are inherently good, experience has taught
us that the inherent goodness of humanity is at best, unreliable. Sometimes it is there,
often it is not. We are quick to champion the cause of mora; uprightness, justice, and
equity but balk when our words and actions come under their scrutiny. In other words,
we insist that others be judged according to a fixed moral standard, but invoke a
subjective one when our own behavior is questioned. We demand justice when we
perceive ourselves as victims of wrongdoings but we surround ourselves with excuses
when we do wrong. We insist that others treat us equitably but are reluctant when
treating others with equity costs more than what we expect.

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Today’s students have grown up with the internet that they have become inseparable
from their gadgets. Blake (2017) offers helpful reminders to young professionals in terms
of social skills in the modern age. This situation underscores the importance of educating
students in what could be called social literacy to ensure their academic and career
success.

Situational Awareness in the Workplace

While casual office attire has become the norm in many offices, job interviews
typically require more formal dress and behavior to demonstrate a level of respect.
Stories prevail of young adults showing up to interviews in casual clothing, texting or using
phones during job interviews, or even bringing their parents with them. Such behavior
demonstrates a lack of situational awareness about what is appropriate to do in different
social circumstances. An ability to read social situations demonstrates strength to
employers- quickly picking up on a clients’ mood or expectations in various business or
cross-cultural situations can be the difference between success and failure.

Social Intelligence in Technological Communication

Text–speak and technology use have affected many young people’s ability to
communicate. While email has deformalized much of the communication process,
students still need to ensure their writing denotes respect and provides enough context
for professors (or future employers) to readily respond. In addition, Text speak has
reduced students’ ability to communicate using correct grammar. Through studying
particular communication genres and what they demand, students can learn more
about what individual situations demands in terms of the formality of communication.

Social Intelligence in Traditional Communication

While emails have taken over as the primary method of communication,

traditional modes of discourse still exist. For example, many employers still expect cover
letters in addition to resumes, and the lack of a thank you note for a gift is often perceived
as more than a simple social oversight. An ability to craft these types of documents
illustrates an understanding of social expectations and denotes a level of respect or
appreciation.

Social literacy, from the perspective of the social-cultural theory, is more than the
ability to read and write, and more than mastering literacy skills. Children can learn
literacy through social interaction between themselves and children and/or adults in or
outside school. Adults can use books, games, toys, conversations, field trips, and stories
to develop literacy practices through fun.

Collaborative learning between schools, family, and community can help

develop a child's literacy. In addition, given today's technical knowledge, adults can
take into consideration how to use technology in the learning process and employ it in
teaching children how to read and write in a social context.

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 "Literacy practices and events are always situated in social, cultural, historical, and
political relationships and embedded in structures of power. Furthermore, literacy
practices involve social regulation of text, i.e. who has access to it and who can produce
it, and such practices are purposeful and embedded in broader social goals and cultural
practices. Moreover, these practices change and new ones are frequently acquired
through processes of informal learning and sense-making" (p. 23). For that reasons,
teachers can design multiple levels of literacy activities and practices to fit different
students' abilities and way of learning and "provide a pedagogical approach which
fosters communities of learners, plan classroom activities that embed meaningful
opportunities to engage in the analysis and construction of multimodal texts, and utilize
teaching approaches that move beyond the false tension between abstracting the
codes of language and learning their application for meaningful purposes."

ELABORATE

Google Classroom Recitation:

How can we incorporate social literacy on online platforms and in the classroom?

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 EVALUATE

Vlog-Making:
Make a 3-5-minute Vlog about Social Literacy.

RUBRIC FOR VLOG-MAKING

Lifted from: https://bit.ly/3hZ3QWW

4 3 2 1 COMMENTS

Excellent
communication skills. Good Communication skills
The student speaks communication skills. and interaction with Communication
COMMUNICATION
clearly and is The student speaks the camera are skills are poor.
pleasant to listen to somewhat clearly. weak.
and watch.

The footage is Most footage is Some footage is of

The production
VISUAL CONTENT consistent with high above average in high quality
is of low quality
quality. quality. and some are not.

The post does

The post is missing
The post includes not include the
The post includes the either the URL
either the URL URL address
URL address and title address or title of the
address or title of the and the title.
FORMAT of the Vlog. Post is Vlog. Format or label
Vlog, but not both. The format of
formatted and is not included.
Post is formatted but the reflection
labeled correctly.
not labeled. was not
followed.

The outline is The outline is fair,

The outline is
somewhat with needed
organized and easy The outline is
organized. Most of improvement. Some
to read. Each of the poor and in
OUTLINE the of the
ideas/reflections/ev need of great
ideas/reflections/ev ideas/reflections/ev
ents is included in improvement.
ents are included in ents are included in
the Vlog.
the Vlog. the Vlog.

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 REFERENCES

Alata, E. (2019) Building and Enhancing New Literacies Across Curriculum. Rex
Bookstore. Manila, Philippines.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

• “Social Literacy” Accessed from https://360430028271334326.weebly.com/how-can-

social-literacy-be-taught-in-a-classroom.html
• “Social Literacy Explained” Accessed from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3AD2O0ehPg
• “What is SOCIAL LITERACY? What does SOCIAL LITERACY mean? SOCIAL LITERACY
meaning & explanation” Accessed from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlV-
Bd0URKs

Prepared by:

MARGARET A. BAELLO

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