What Actually is Literacy?
As a speech-language pathologist working with children, I’ve long understood literacy as a set of cognitive skills—decoding, comprehension, fluency. However Baron (2021), Coiro (2021), and others have challenged me to rethink literacy not as a set of skills, but as an evolving, and deeply contextual set of practices that include reader motivation. It is not confined to books or tests but embedded in the ways we interpret our surroundings, share information with others, and make meaning of the world around us. As Hammerberg (2004) reminds us, “the interesting question in terms of literacy is not about what the text said, it’s about what we do with the big and large ideas once we glean them” (p. 653). While the concept of digital literacy has brought this to the forefront by forcing educators to look at the impact navigating hyperlinks, interpreting multimodal texts, and engaging with digital platforms has on meaning, I have come to think that literacy was truly never about just reading print on a page and has always encompassed the sociocultural lens of individualized meaning making–it has just become magnified through digital media.
Expanding the Definition
In moving forward with these thoughts, I think about Coiro’s (2021) heuristic, expanding the RAND Reading Study Group’s framework to help provide a more accurate definition of literacy in the digital realm. Coiro made a clear distinction between digital reading which includes the cognitive process involved and digital literacy which encompasses the tools, platforms, and contexts that shape those processes. This has implications for how we teach our young readers to be literate. The heuristic clearly demonstrates the individualized nature of digital engagement. Utilizing Troy Hick’s assertion that, “no two readers experience [digital texts] in the exact same way,” (p. 12), shows the impact hyperlinks, multimedia, and user-driven navigation make in creating unique reading journeys, unlike the linear path of print.
Literacy: A Personal Lens
In thinking about the outer layers of Coiro’s heuristic, I again think about how reading is so much more than just simply reading words on a screen. Coiro (2003, 2021) and Baron (2021) point to the idea of multiple literacies which provides value and validation of the lived experiences of children who engage with texts in varied ways, whether through recipes, stories, games, or social media. One of the most powerful examples of literacy beyond the traditional space for me comes from a personal experience with my mother. My mother who was homebound due to illness used a speech-to-text app to create a recipe book filled with Armenian dishes alongside stories behind them. For others, the digital text might be a collection of unfamiliar words and flavors. For me, however, it was a portal to my childhood, my culture, and my mother’s voice. As I digitally read her words, I could visualize the stories–my friend and I eating choreg (Armenian sweet bread) every day after school, my mom making basdegh (a homemade fruit rollup) with my children, and the laughter that ensued after the family ate surem (bread soaked in yogurt and garlic) before my cousin’s hockey game only to watch everyone move away from them because they reeked of garlic.
Educommunication and Social Literacy
This experience underscores the idea that educommunication–the exchange of ideas through listening, speaking, and understanding–is widespread and provides the ultimate purpose of a literate society. These skills shape how we connect with others and are in constant use as we interpret and determine the meaning of text. As Lankshear and Knobel (2008) argue, literacy is no longer just about reading and writing–it’s about participating in social practices that involve meaning-making across diverse contexts. What if we paused to notice these intricate pieces of literacy? What if we taught our students to recognize and value the literacies they already possess? Could this small change provide the underlying motivation that supports the purpose of reading?
Call To Action: Building Digital Literacy in Early Childhood
Reflecting on these ideas reshapes how I view my role—not only as a speech-language pathologist but as an educator collaborating with teachers. If literacy is a dynamic, context-driven practice, then teaching it must go beyond vocabulary and phonics. For young children, this means reimagining our teaching practices. Digital literacy should be playful, interactive, and rooted in storytelling and identity. Mirra et al. (2021) state that, “an individual’s community connection determines how they interpret the world” (p. 345). Thus, educators should focus on fostering creativity, collaboration and critical thinking by creating opportunities to experience multiple literacies early, including print, digital, oral, and cultural aspects, so children learn that reading and writing are tools for meaning-making, not just tasks for assessment.
I have learned that as an SLP it’s important to incorporate the following elements into therapy with young children.
- Model curiosity and critical thinking when navigating both print and digital texts.
- Integrate multimodal experiences—combining images, audio, and interactive elements—to reflect the way children encounter texts in real life.
- Validate home literacies by inviting families to share stories, recipes, or traditions, bridging cultural and classroom practices.
- Teach foundational digital skills such as navigating hyperlinks, evaluating sources, and using simple creation tools (e.g., drawing apps, voice recording).
- Foster collaboration through group projects that encourage discussion, problem-solving, and shared meaning-making.
Early intervention in literacy should not only address isolated skills but also equip children with strategies for comprehension and engagement across contexts. By embedding digital literacy alongside traditional reading instruction, we prepare students for a world where texts are fluid, interactive, and deeply connected to identity and community.
Closing Reflection
The example in the image to the right illustrates a reflective activity designed to activate multiple literacies when working with young children.
From this example, I continue to think about what literacy truly is. I find myself returning to the idea that it is not a fixed skill set, but an ever-changing element—one that evolves with technology, culture, and context. Whether through a child navigating hyperlinks in a digital story or a mother preserving family memories through speech-to-text recipes, literacy is about connection, interpretation, and meaning-making. As educators and clinicians, we can help children by broadening our definitions and approaches to literacy to honor the diverse ways our students engage with texts. By recognizing and nurturing these multiple literacies—both digital and traditional—we empower learners not just to read, but motivate them to understand, to create, and to belong.
References
Baron, N. S. (2021). How we read now: Strategic choices for print, screen, & audio, Chapters 4-5
Castek, Coiro, Henry, Leu, & Hartman (2015). Research on Instruction and Assessment in the New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension
Coiro, J. (2021). Toward a multifaceted heuristic of digital reading to inform assessment, research, practice, and policy
Coiro (2013). Video of online reading comprehension challenges
Coiro (2003). Expanding our understanding of reading comprehension to encompass new literacies
Hammerberg, D. (2004). Comprehension instruction for sociocultural diverse classrooms: A review of what we know.
Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2008). From ‘reading’ to ‘new literacy studies.
Mirra N, Morrell, E. & Filipiak, D. (2018). Digital Consumption to Digital Invention: Toward a New Critical Theory and Practice of Multiliteracies
Mirra, N., Kelly, L. L., & Garcia, A. (2021) Beyond fake news: Culturally relevant media literacies for a fractured civic landscape