Chapter 2: Digital literacy compared to fluency

What is the primary difference between literacy and fluency and why is it important to consider in regard to our children’s educational structuring?

Literacy is knowing how to do something while fluency is being able to do that something automatically. I first encountered this idea in Stephen Krashen’s Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition when he contrasts language learning with language acquisition. Krashen says that “language acquisition occurs when language is used for what it was designed for, communication” (1982, pp. 1). His definition of acquisition is very similar to the definition of fluency in Literacy is Not Enough. Crockett et al. claim fluency is “the level at which these skills have become internalized to the point of transparency, where the skills become part of the unconscious process and do not stand in the way” (2011, pp. 29).

Krashen explains that conscious learning of language rules rarely leads to true language acquisition (1982). Students can benefit from Krashen’s work because teachers can design lessons that allow our students to use the content instead of simply learning rules and theories. Outside of school, using content to improve seems almost laughably basic. The more we drive, the better we get at driving. When was the last time most of us read an instructional book on driving? This doesn’t mean that teachers have no role in acquisition and fluency. Teachers need to know how to structure instruction that leads to efficient acquisition. As a language teacher, I am most familiar with Krashen’s work where he lays out the different theories and hypotheses of language acquisition and how teachers can use this information in their classrooms. Every teacher should be familiar with how acquisition happens in their subjects to promote student achievement and eventual skill fluency.

Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Literacy is not enough: 21^st century fluencies for the digital age. 21^st Century Fluency Project.

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. University of Southern California. http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/ principles_and_practice.pdf