ANALYSIS OF CREATIVITY AND LITERACY PRACTICES

ALL MEANING-MAKING PROCESSES HAVE A CREATIVE ELEMENT: ANALYSIS OF CREATIVITY AND LITERACY PRACTICES

 
Table of Contents

 

Introduction.. 3

Literacy Practices and Creativity.. 4

Literacy Practices as Indicated in Literature. 4

Level of Creativity in Practicing Literacy. 5

Implications of the Environment in a the Creativity of Literacy Practice   6

Effects of Technology. 7

Contributions of Mass Media. 7

Interaction with the Community. 8

Analysis.. 9

Conclusion.. 10

References.. 10

 

 

 

Introduction

In the realm of literacy learning, the context of literacy learning is incontrovertibly connected to the actual process. It weighs as much as the actual learning of literacy processes given the fact that this is how the learners apply what they learned in the practical setting. Nonetheless, there have been accounts that in employing literacy practices, the learner is given the chance to show an expression on how they feel or react on something using the literacy skill they have acquired in classrooms. At some point, this expression indubitably establishes the existence of a creative initiative on the part of the learner. As indicated in the primary question of this paper, “all meaning-making processes have a creative element.” This study will be looking in to the range of possible creativity that the learners exude in their literacy practices. These practices could include anything as mundane as reading the newspaper or interacting with a colleague. In the same account, the discussions will also cover implications of the environment in the creativity used in literacy practices. Specifically, an account on the implications of technology, mass media, and community interaction to the capability of the learner to employ creativity in his/her literacy practices. Moreover, the study will refer to scholarly and academic journals that directly deal with the examination of literacy practices.   

 

Literacy Practices and Creativity

The relationship of literacy and creativity tends to focus on the actual elements that exist in the literacy practices sanctioned by any learning institution. This part of the study will look into the regard on literacy practices in literature and its connection with creativity. Basically, this part will serve as an introduction to the claims that will be given much later in analysis and conclusion of the paper.

Literacy Practices as Indicated in Literature

As mentioned in the introduction of this paper, the existence of literacy practices is an indispensable element in literacy processes. In the study of  and  (1998, ) they described literacy practices as “complex socio-cultural interaction between teacher/parent and student/child.” This means that these involve more communication and expression on the part of the learner. For those who has been immersed in a setting where they have to readily employ the recently acquired skill of literacy, particularly among adult learners, literacy practices tends to involve actual activities necessary for their profession or trade. This makes it rather complicated as the learner have to simultaneously consider the “sociological, linguistic, philosophical and pedagogical perspectives” present in their environment, be it with the one at the other end of the communication or even the context of what the learner is reading. This study suggests that it is this consideration of the “context” that creates meaning and thus creativity on the part of the practice of literacy among the learners.  

Level of Creativity in Practicing Literacy

Literacy practices are implemented by the learner generally in two areas, the classroom and the community. In the classroom, the literacy practices are bound by the limitations held by the curriculum.  (2006, ) indicated that the classroom setting has been traditionally limited to the “traditional print modes of the novel and the poetry anthology.” This show how educational systems previously regard the way literacy practices are supposed to be done. To some extent, this limits the learner’s practical literacy learning to reading the text. In this process, there is the risk of running the possibility for the learners to read without understanding the contents and context of the traditional print modes. Fortunately, recent innovations in technology and pedagogy opened up doors for multimedia devices which  (2006, ) characterised as “multimodal forms of communication such as documentaries, feature films, websites, cartoons and hypertext literature.” At this end, the learners are able to recognise the context of a particular literacy tool more quickly which essentially indicates a faster rate of understanding.

In other recent studies, they have mentioned the use of entertainment sports, like professional wrestling, as a means of literacy practice among the younger generations of literacy learners. Specifically, , , and  (2004, ) mentioned that the process involved in professional wrestling matches often requires literacy skills to interpret and appreciate the event. In more technical terms, wrestling was paralleled with Shakespearean theatre with the ring as its stage and the individual wrestlers as the main actors. (, , and  2004, ) They even mentioned that the presence of “rising action, climax, and denouement” reflects what is implicated in such traditional literacy practice of interpreting plays. To a certain extent, the presence of such improvements in entertainment or any other developments in technology that requires the literacy skills of an individual, elevates the level of understanding of the learner and in the same time lifts the standards on which the creativity is required in the process of carrying out literacy practices.

Implications of the Environment in a the Creativity of Literacy Practice

Aside from the classroom, the learner exercises his/her literacy skills within the environment which he/she is subjected. It is in this area where the practical applications of what he/she has been training for in educational institutions relating to improving his/her literacy skills like the use of spoken and written English. ( and  2002, )  The classroom setting, to some extent, provides the learners with the needed equipment in the form of theories and models that will help them once they interact with other people outside the school. In the same account, the classroom setting provides the necessary exercises for them to establish creativity and meaning in the process before literacy practice in the real world commence. However, aside from the classroom, the learners are also subjected to forms of the environment which could sharpen their literary skills. These includes through technological means, mass media, and actual interaction in the community.            

 

Effects of Technology

In the classroom setting, the use of the internet and other computer technologies predominantly to improve the learning skills and hasten the pace of learning that the learners possess. ( and  2002, ) However, the culture of the internet in modern countries has progressively been taking these societies by storm. This means that regardless of the pace of development in any state, society particularly the commercial sector is slowly taking on technologies involving computers and the internet. This thus requires added creativity on the part of the learner as he/she has to place the right context to understand the contents of a website or an e-mail message. The urgency to be creative is further emphasised for learners who are employed as well given that most of the companies require their employees to operate computer technologies and correspond though such medium. ( 2002, ) At some point, learners realise that improving their creativity and ability to decode and interpret in such a medium will essentially provide them the advantage or at least a fighting chance to compete with the other professionals in the company.    

Contributions of Mass Media

In the context of mass media, this means of literacy practice shows the need for creativity on the learner in instances where they have to possess a clear understanding of a particular message. Earlier in the paper, a discussion regarding the interpretation of entertainment sports such as professional wrestling gives young literacy learners the chance to create the understanding of character roles, plots and the need for “tough talk” in such performances. (, , and  2004, ) As the study pointed out, the young viewers of this genre clearly uses their literacy skills in interpreting these elements to have some idea on the progress of a storyline, who will end up victorious in a match, or even if there is the possibility of a controversial ending in  a fight. This amalgamation of skills required in viewing such modern discourses and plays tend to present a different medium and thus demand a different level of creativity on the part of the literacy learner.  

Interaction with the Community

This means of literacy practice may well be the most effective and even the most basic type among the other elements discussed above. In this type of literacy practice, the learner has to communicate with the other members of the area, be it in a store or in a local gathering. In interacting with the community, the learner is subjected to a two-way process of communication where response is required immediately. ( 2001, ) This means that in interacting, the learner has to create responses that will have to provide proper meaning on the recipient of the message. The pressure on the learner is high to make sensible conversation or establish a clear claim; otherwise the receiver or receivers of the information may misconstrue the claims resulting to a failure in communication.

 

Analysis

The discussion manifested that the environment of the learner have a lot to the type of literacy practice a well as the level of creativity used by the individual in the process. Seen in the discussions above, the most basic area on which the learner acquires creativity in literacy practices is in the interaction with the community. This interaction, which includes classroom and peer communications, tends to manifest the need for the learner to recognise the need for context in order to understand the contents of the practice. The added factors like those in the improvements in technology and mass media provides the learner the medium to which he/she could put into practice the skill he/she acquired in the classroom. For instance, these skills are used on a daily basis as checking one’s email or ordering online. At any rate, the use of such skills and creativity tends to become a staple in such activities as writing an email response or following the ordering procedure requires the individual to consider the context and understand the content of the website or the e-mail message. In failing to do so, a collapse in the communication in the electronic correspondence or in the ordering procedure will ensue. This is the same in the case of mass media. Though the communication is rather one-dimensional when compared to face-to-face interaction, the learner is required to interpret the message and decode it in such a way that he/she matches the context on which messages from television or print is conveyed. This increase in the demand on the part of the learner subjects him/her to incessant number of literacy practices which essentially means that the learner could develop his/her literacy skills at a much faster rate.   

Conclusion

The importance of the environment in the context of literacy practices of the learner is highlighted in the discussions above. The study presents a clear discussion of the contribution of the improvements in technology and mass media on the learner to adapt much quicker and employ the skills he/she acquired in the classroom in a much faster rate. Same as the boost in the demand on the part of the learner, the environment also provides the creativity needed by the learner to determine the context and understand the content of a particular message. As indicated in the earlier parts of the paper, from reading an e-mail, to ordering online, to even watching a professional wrestling match, the creativity of the learner is required to decode the message and interpret the content in a more efficient manner. Nevertheless, this improvement in the environment of the learner would be rather worthless unless proper training is given to the individual within the classroom. The proper understanding of the basic theories of the language and skill to communicate serves as the foundation on which every educational institution should reinforce. Striking a balance between the classroom and the environment through effective training allows the learner to facilitate a more outstanding meaning-making process.

References

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