A Vocationally Focused Approach to Teaching Literacy in the 21st Century: A Vygotskian perspective

Abstract

The overriding concern with economic crisis following Covid-19 pandemic meant that literacy education became narrowly defined as skills-for-employment. There have been attempted shifts towards a much more vocationally focused agenda, focusing on what is considered to be the key cognitive and workplace skills required for successful participation in the national economic development after the pandemic. Functional literacy links literacy with economic development, individual prosperity and vocational achievement. “The term ‘functional’ should be considered in the broad sense of providing learners with the skills and abilities they need to take an active and responsible role in their communities, everyday life, the workplace and educational settings. Functional English requires learners to communicate in ways that make them effective and involved as citizens, to operate confidently and to convey their ideas and opinions clearly (QCDA 2007). However, many young professionals with college degrees suffer an inability to use functional illiteracy, and this poses a threat to the country’s development. This paper suggests a model for teaching 21st century literacies in which new knowledge and skills necessary for successful adaptation to changing world are continuously acquired throughout life. It proposes a functional, vocationally-focused approach to education based on Vygotsky’s perspective on literacy in the 21st century in order to promote educational reform. This approach attempts to bridge the gap between disciplinary and practical knowledge integrating language and content within a CLIL methodology.