Language in the classroom: How to support the development of functional literacy

Abstract

In modern society, there is a pressing need for education to focus on developing functional literacy of future citizens. To be successful in the 21st century, citizens need to excel in all domains of functional literacy, including the scientific, mathematical, digital, media, IT, and other domains. All of them rely upon language literacy (Antić & Stevanović, 2022, in press). On the other hand, school learning is predominantly literacy practice, that is, verbal content learning that is realized according to specific routines in specific institutions – schools. Learning by reading, writing, listening, and communicating about the contents of various scientific disciplines within the school curriculum are basic activities in school learning, which constitutes a process of gradual acculturation into science and its discourses (Antić, 2018a; Danielson, 2010).