In a new article in the Economist magazine titled ‘from literacy to digiracy‘ the author attempts to explain why reading and writing ability has declined among young adults in recent years. The author helpfully goes through the various reasons given by experts why this is a deplorable condition, but ends up explaining why many believe it doesn’t really matter whether children are as good at reading and writing as their forefathers. As the author puts it, students react with disinterest to traditional modes of learning because “they are skilled in making sense not of a body of known content, but of contexts that are continually changing.”
The author goes on to explain what this means for teachers in the 21st century: “Teachers must recognize that our pedagogical tools are inconsistent with the skills needed to survive in a world where people are always connected to everyone and everything. In such a world, learning to think for oneself could well be more important than simply learning to read and write.”