[Reading-hall-of-fame] Multiliteracies:Making Connections in Adult Literacy Education

[Thomas Sticht]

June 24, 2023

Multiliteracies: Making Connections in Adult Literacy Education

Tom Sticht, International Consultant in Adult Education (Ret.)

In 1974 I spent the spring semester at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education as a visiting associate professor teaching courses in adult
literacy education and the development of readable, usable materials for
adults. I was assigned to work in the office of Professor Courtney Cazden
who was on sabbatical leave that year. Also in that year colleagues and I
published a book entitled Auding and Reading: A Developmental Model that
cited research by Cazden (1972) on oral language and children’s education
so the assignment of me to her office was an interesting event for me.

Some 20 years later, in 1994, both Courtney and I were inducted into the
international Reading Hall of Fame and then, just two years later, in 1996,
Courtney joined with several others to form the New London Group which
published a seminal article entitled “A pedagogy of multiliteracies:
Designing social futures” emphasizing “the multiple linguistic and cultural
differences in our society”

Another member of the New London Group was Allan Luke, who was inducted
into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2021 Luke was serving as a member
of the board for the Oxford Research  Encyclopedia of Education (OREE) and
recommended to the publishers that I be invited to write an article on
Adult Literacy and Basic Education in the United States for the OREE. I was
indeed contacted and I agreed to write the article (Sticht, 2022)..

In the article I discussed various topics that are today often discussed in
terms of “multiliteracies” as formulated by the New London Group with both
Courtney Cazden and Allan Luke as members. This includes topics such as
academic literacy, health literacy, family literacy, workplace literacies,
civics literacy, and digital literacy.

Now, bringing this all up to date, Cacicio, Cote, & Bigger (2023) have
prepared a report for “ALL IN: The Adult Literacy and Learning Impact
Network”, a coalition of organizations formed by the Barbara Bush
Foundation to advance adult literacy education in the United States.
Entitled “Investing in Multiple Literacies for Individual and Collective
Empowerment” the report’s authors “,,,acknowledge the seminal work of the
New London group in establishing the concept of multiliteracies which
captures the multiplicity of communications channels and increasing
cultural and linguistic diversity in the world today; multiple literacies
shares a focus on the impact of technology and distributed digital
information on literacy”..





The Cacicio et al (2023) report maintains that “In the age of information,
the types of literacies needed to participate in society have increased
dramatically. These literacies include civic, digital, financial, health,
information, and oral literacy, among others, all of which correlate to
strong foundational literacy skills. Foundational adult literacy skills are
clearly linked to sustained income growth,2 better healthcare access,3
improved job prospects for justice-involved and returning citizens,4 and
stronger language and literacy skills among children.5”



Reference number 5 at the end of the above paragraph refers to a paper I
wrote (Sticht, 2011) that discusses the relationships between oral language
and written language learning, which relates to the works by Cazden (1972)
and Sticht et al. (1974) mentioned earlier, and how this helps in the
intergenerational transfer of oracy and literacy from parents to their
children. In the Cacicio et al (2023) report oral language and literacy are
discussed in a section on Storytelling and Oral Literacy and notes
that, “Historically,
oral culture and communication has served as a powerful tool of resistance
to oppression, particularly among Black and Indigenous communities.
Storytelling and public speaking in general, is a leadership
skill–embodying empathy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to
motivate others.”



Cacicio et al (2023) report that the purpose of their paper “. .. is to
clarify how promoting access and integrated support of multiple literacies
at the individual level can enable our country’s shared social, economic,
and civic well-being. It aims to demonstrate how educators, employers,
nonprofit, and government leaders can drive collective investment in
multiple literacies and create thriving communities nationwide.”



Hopefully, this message will provide additional advocacy leverage for
getting increased funding for and participation in the Adult Education and
Literacy System of the United States.



References

*“As our world becomes increasingly the written word becomes the baseline
for communication*       Cacicio, S., Cote, P., & Bigger, K. (2023).
Investing in Multiple Literacies for Individual and

Collective Empowerment. [White Paper]. The Adult Literacy and Learning
Impact Network.

https://allinliteracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Investing-in-Multiple-Literacies-for-

Individual-and-Collective-Empowerment.pdf

Cazden, C. (1972). Child Language and Education. New York: Holt, Rinehart
and Winston.

New London Group.(1996). A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social
Futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66, 60–92.



Sticht, T. et al. (1974). Auding and Reading: A Developmental Model. Online
at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED097641.pdf



Sticht, T. (2011) Getting it Right From the Start. American Educator. Fall
2011. Online at: https://www.aft.

org/sites/default/files/Sticht.pdf

Sticht, T. (2022). Adult Literacy and Basic Education in the United States.
Online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1744
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