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Introduction:

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			In this section, you will learn about the teaching of reading and writing and literacy, covering both theory and practice. In Brazilian Portuguese the word &ldquo;letramento&rdquo; is also used, and has the same meaning as &ldquo;literacia&rdquo; or literacy. &nbsp;Thus, you will encounter this word when you read texts written by Brazilian authors.<br />
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			Have you already asked yourself about the difference between the teaching of reading and writing and literacy? According to professor Magda Becker Soares, the teaching of reading and writing is when a child is taught to use written language, and literacy is when the child is motivated to participate in the social practices of reading and writing. &nbsp;A child learning how to read and write is only the first step. Literacy, then, is developing the habit, the ability, and even the pleasure of reading and writing different genres of texts from different sources (for example, on the Internet or in a magazine), in different contexts and circumstances.<br />
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			Currently, reading and writing skills and literacy are developed simultaneously by children when they learn to read and write in their native language. &nbsp;The teaching of written language is based on a holistic conception of its acquisition, from which the principle follows that learning to read and write is learning to construct meaning through written texts, using prior experiences and knowledge. &nbsp;In order to train people who are competent in reading and writing, it is important to have interaction with different textual genres, based on various contexts for communication.<br />
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			The school must provide this interaction, creating activities in which the students are asked to read and produce different texts. &nbsp;On the other hand, it is essential that the students develop autonomy for reading and writing their own texts. Thus, the school must ensure early on that the children learn the alphabetic system of writing, and this learning is achieved through contact with various texts.<br />
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			Nevertheless, in the past schools were primarily concerned with learning to read and write, and only later considered literacy. &nbsp;The first years of school were spent at repetitive, monotonous tasks, and this did not develop literacy skills.<br />
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			According to Cook-Gumperz, the creation of formal schools to teach people to read and write had two causes: pressure from the common people, who defended the teaching of reading and writing and the achievement of schooling as part of their personal and social development, and the growing need for a workforce with a sense of discipline and academic skills. At the end of the 18<sup>th</sup> and the beginning of the 19<sup>th</sup> centuries, some political and religious leaders believed that educating the entire population would lead to a loss of control over them. For others, the value of institutionalized instruction lay in the ability to take the teaching of reading and writing out of the hands of popular groups, thus promoting education that would be under the control of the public system, as mentioned by Graff (1984):<br />
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			<div style="margin-left: 40px;">&ldquo;[...] increasingly, they (political and religious leaders) came to conclude that the teaching of reading and writing, if provided in carefully controlled formal institutions which were created for the purpose of education and strictly supervised, could be a powerful and useful force in achieving a variety of important goals. Thus, the establishment of a public system of instruction in the 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> centuries does not appear to have occurred for the purpose of teaching the people to read and write, but rather in order to subjugate them by controlling &ldquo;both the forms of expression and of thought.&rdquo;</div>
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			One of the objectives of this control was undoubtedly the need for a workforce which was capable of adapting to the discipline of factory work. In the case of developing countries, institutionalized instruction constitutes an exercise in &ldquo;being trained&rdquo;. A person who is subjected to processes of conscious discipline and learning at an early age has a greater probability of responding to additional training, whether in an army of recruits or in a factory, for example.<br />
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			With formal schooling, learning the written language took on the character of scholarly reading and writing, so that only a person who had gone through school was considered to be literate.<br />
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			This scholarly domination of the teaching of reading and writing to the people had serious consequences for the learning of reading and writing. &nbsp;One of the first consequences was the establishment of a process for teaching reading and writing which was very distant from the uses of reading and writing materials which are present in the daily lives of the people. What happened was that being taught did not make one part of a local culture of literacy, as education that sought to be universal required a standardized and systematized body of knowledge. The process of teaching reading and writing then came to use written material which was specifically created for use in schools. Another consequence was the division and distribution of knowledge into school programs which determined what should be learned, at what time, in what manner, and how this should be assessed.<br />
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			In capitalist regimes, education was adapted to naturalize this system, that is, the children are familiarized with the ideas and values of capitalism, and later many do not question these, as they have become normal for them. The teaching of reading and writing and literacy are related to an uncertain and competitive job market. The students have to develop the skills which are necessary for their future work, but they do not acquire a comprehensive view of life, nor are they motivated to have a critical sense, a sense of initiative, nor imagination. Often times, the children learn what the political and economic system of their country wants them to learn, and other important knowledge is left out. This also applies to the teaching of reading and writing and literacy. The materials used and the way in which they are used influence the learning and opinions of the students.<br />
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			In this task, you will think about the teaching of reading and writing and literacy, taking several aspects into consideration. After reading the DMM materials and thinking about your own experiences and their context, you will make a plan to study this topic.<br />
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Directive:

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				<li>Read file F1, if you wish to know more about the concepts of the teaching of reading and writing and literacy.</li>
				<li>Read file F2.</li>
				<li>For each of the following tasks, write some ideas that you have on the topic before studying this subject. Think of concrete examples that you know, about what does and does not result from learning to read and write.</li>
				<li>Also write a plan for studying this subject. Include everything that you think is important.</li>
				<li>Keep what you have written in order to be able to consult it later.</li>
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			Files:
			<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><br />
			F1.&nbsp;&nbsp;What is literacy,, from Journal of Education,&nbsp;Volumen 171 numver 1, 1989, page 18&nbsp; Boston University.<br />
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			F2.&nbsp;&nbsp;Literacy DMM Fields.&nbsp;OWU - Degree in Portuguese Teaching - Literacy and Literacy -</div>
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