Multicultural Literacy and Global Awareness: Literacy in the Digital Age / Reflection p. 28-31

Literacy in the Digital Age: p. 28-31 / reflection

The reading identifies characteristics of multicultural literacy and global awareness. Although I had previous considered the terms fairly interchangeably, I see that there are subtle differences.

Being multiculturally literate involves an appreciation of other cultures. It requires sensitivity and an acceptance of similarities and differences. Multicultural literacy, according to the definition in the article is a lot about one’s attitude.

Global awareness is more knowledge based. It’s important to understand the ideologies of other cultures. We must stay current on the news and trends of the rest of the world. We must understand the depth of interconnectedness “historically, politically, economically, technologically, socially, linguistically, and ecologically” (p. 30).  

The bottom line though, is that multicultural literacy and global awareness go hand in hand. We need awareness and knowledge to fully appreciate the diversity which exists among the cultures of the world. We are attempting to integrate global awareness and multicultural literacy in our schools but it’s a monumental task. The new Common Core based curriculum makes it a priority.