Knowledge is one thing, but being able to apply what you know to everyday life challenges is a better definition of being literate in a subject. This is why standardized testing is such a poor indicator of how well our educational system is working. More than knowing how to read a book or complete a math worksheet, being literate in reading and math could mean being able to understand a technical manual, or adjust a recipe to feed the whole scout troop. This definition of literacy goes beyond just giving feedback on acquired knowledge.
In the early grades, young children (should) learn to read. As they get older, they use that skill by reading to learn. That’s what reading literacy is all about. Literacy in adults can be better defined as using written information to gain knowledge, achieve goals, and function in society. This is a critical skill to succeed in higher paying jobs, fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship, and to educate the next generation. Reading comprehension is a core skill that is still lacking in many of the entry level job applicants in my department.
Similarly, mathematical literacy involves much more than repetitive numerical processing on a worksheet that focuses on one type of problem at a time (often one function per day or week). Tomorrow’s workers must be able to 1) extract the mathematical problems from real life situations, and 2) apply the appropriate techniques to solve the problem. Almost all occupations, from farming to auto repair to food service, as well as more technical professions, require true mathematical literacy. While we now depend almost entirely on automation to crunch the numbers, most mid-level and higher jobs require an understanding of the processes to build the appropriate formulas into the spreadsheets, algorithms, etc. This ability will continue to grow in importance as more of our jobs become business and technology focused.
We must find ways to refocus our educational system from training our youth to regurgitate facts or knowledge to being able to 1) Discover the facts on their own, and 2) interpret the facts to solve problems. Knowledge is not going to cut it in the future. We must have abilities. If our society cannot make this critical change, we will find ourselves left behind in the technology and innovation that is our future.
Abstractions 