LETTERS: To understand the challenges faced by the youth of the 21st century, we have to start with a fundamental question on education — what is literacy?
It simply means to read and write. But there is also a need to incorporate the languages, knowledge and competencies that the younger generation must have in various subject areas and skills as well.
There are those who are great at video games, building model cars or fashion design, each with a language of its own.
While one's literacy may be average, and some are not able to understand Shakespeare or a textbook, the same person may be a master in the language of medicine or photography.
The level of literacy is different for a citizen reading a newspaper, or a life-long learner using Google search, or a global citizen connecting with people from other parts of the world through email.
They all require certain skills to navigate the system, including in understanding the use of hashtags, retweets and mentioning someone on social media, or the phrases "LOL" and "OMG".
Therefore, educators have to pay attention to how our youth interact with literacy. What are they reading? What are their hobbies?
Also, what technologies are they using and what do they encounter on a daily basis that require special navigational tools that we call literacy?
We have to recognise that our youth do not always look at these things as skills that they can bring to the table.
If we can get them to see their hobbies and talent as skills and tools, we can improve their appreciation and literacy across multiple areas.
For example, a student can write and perform a song in class to demonstrate his understanding. Other students can create a video or a play to show what they have learnt in a mathematics class.
This is normal. We are dealing with a generation of digital natives, who have used technology since they were born.
But we still need to teach them how to use these tools safely and effectively. There is a new set of rules that we need to teach them, such as Internet safety, plagiarism and how to find credible information.
As we recently celebrated the United Nations English Language Day, the question is, what does this mean for the nation's language and literacy education?
It is through language and how our students use that language to interact with others that lead to learning.
Learning is rarely an independent activity. Living in a global community makes it remarkably simpler to acquire knowledge and interact with others who share similar passions.
It is, therefore, no longer acceptable for educators to regurgitate information. We are on the sidelines as the coach now.
We also need to recognise the rich and diverse languages that work well with the English language and learn what our students are bringing to the classroom.
We need to reignite the flame and connect with the right places to lead our students to success.
No matter the content area, we need to invite students to absorb and use the appropriate discourse and take home an identity related to that discourse.
We are preparing future scientists, writers, engineers, artists, musicians, doctors and sportsmen. Therefore, if we do not give them the tools that they need today, we are failing our team, our Keluarga Malaysia.
We need to really think about what literacy means in the 21st century.
How do we ensure that our youth are literate? We need to harness their strengths and give them the tools to succeed and overcome their weaknesses.
Is it important to learn to read and write? Of course. But in this digital age, we need to learn (or re-learn) to communicate in the updated language of the people, like what poet and writer William Butler Yeats said: "Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people."
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DR ADELINA ASMAWI
Head, Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times