Endemic Illiteracy
Summary
TLDRThe video script addresses the startling reality of functional illiteracy among adults in the US, UK, and Germany, affecting millions and hindering societal progress. It explores the evolving definition of literacy, emphasizing 'functional literacy' as a key to modern life. The script delves into the economic and health implications of illiteracy, linking it to poverty and suggesting that improving literacy could boost economies. It also touches on the challenges faced by low-income families in fostering literacy, highlighting the need for systemic change to break the cycle of illiteracy.
Takeaways
- 📊 In the US, 21% of adults are functionally illiterate, equating to 43 million people.
- 📚 In the UK, 16% of adults are functionally illiterate, while in Germany, the figure is 14%.
- 🔍 The definition of literacy has evolved over time and varies by country, influenced by cultural contexts.
- 🏫 Historically, literacy was defined by basic letter and word recognition, but now it includes the ability to understand and use complex texts.
- 🌐 Functional literacy is a term used to describe the ability to read and write at a level sufficient to participate in society.
- 📈 The OECD's PIAAC assessment measures adult literacy across 40 countries, classifying it into five levels.
- 📉 Low literacy levels are linked to difficulties in understanding health information, which can lead to higher healthcare costs.
- 💼 Higher literacy rates are associated with better employment opportunities, reduced poverty, improved health, and lower crime rates.
- 🔗 Illiteracy and poverty are closely linked, with children from low-income families often starting school with lower literacy skills.
- 🏛️ Political incentives may not align with long-term educational improvements, as politicians may not see immediate benefits.
- 📖 The script concludes with a reminder that individuals with reading or writing difficulties should not feel ashamed, and resources are available to help.
Q & A
What percentage of American adults are functionally illiterate according to the script?
-21% of American adults are functionally illiterate.
How many people does this percentage represent in the United States?
-This represents 43 million people.
What is the percentage of functionally illiterate adults in the UK?
-16% of adults in the UK are functionally illiterate.
What does the term 'functional literacy' mean?
-Functional literacy refers to the ability to read and write at a level sufficient to perform basic tasks in modern society.
How has the definition of literacy evolved over time?
-The definition of literacy has evolved from simply recognizing letters and words to understanding the context and being able to read and write within specific cultural contexts.
What is the OECD's PIAAC assessment and how does it measure adult literacy?
-The OECD's PIAAC (Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) is an assessment that gathers data about adult cognitive skills, like literacy, in 40 different countries and classifies adult literacy into five different levels.
What are the five levels of literacy as defined by the PIAAC and adapted by the US Department of Education?
-Adults who score at level 3 are considered fully literate, those who score below level 3 are considered at least partially illiterate, and those who score a level 1 are considered functionally illiterate.
How does low literacy impact health care costs according to the American Journal of Public Health?
-Low literacy is linked to difficulty understanding health information and instructions, which can lead to complications in diagnosis or treatment, resulting in an additional $232 billion in health care costs each year.
What is the connection between literacy and poverty as discussed in the script?
-Illiteracy and poverty are inextricably linked, with a higher percentage of adults living in poverty having low literacy levels, and children in low-income families having reduced access to reading materials and being read to.
Why does the problem of illiteracy persist despite its negative impact on society?
-The problem persists because improving literacy is a long-term effort with benefits that may not be realized for decades, which does not align with the short-term focus of political cycles and immediate gains.
What is the role of parent involvement in children's literacy development as mentioned in the script?
-Parent involvement, such as reading to children and providing access to books at home, plays a crucial role in children's future literacy skills, which can be challenging for families struggling with poverty and limited literacy skills.
Outlines
📚 Functional Illiteracy: A Global Issue
This paragraph introduces the startling statistic that millions of adults in countries like the USA, UK, and Germany are functionally illiterate. The video aims to clarify what functional illiteracy means and why it's a concern. It discusses the evolution of literacy definitions over time, emphasizing that literacy is not just about basic reading and writing but also about understanding and applying information in a cultural context. The paragraph also touches on the concept of 'functional literacy' and how it varies across different societies and the implications it has for an individual's ability to thrive in modern society.
🔍 Measuring Literacy: The PIAAC Assessment
This section delves into the complexities of measuring literacy, particularly through the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). It explains how adult literacy is categorized into five levels, with level 3 being the threshold for full literacy. The paragraph discusses the implications of low literacy levels, such as difficulties in understanding health information and the associated economic burden. It also highlights the potential economic benefits of improved literacy, suggesting that if all US adults reached at least level 3 literacy, it could add significantly to the economy. The paragraph concludes by addressing the persistent issue of illiteracy and its ties to poverty, suggesting that political and social factors play a role in its endurance.
🌐 Addressing Illiteracy: Challenges and Solutions
The final paragraph addresses the multifaceted challenge of illiteracy, emphasizing the link between poverty and low literacy levels. It discusses how children's literacy skills are influenced by factors such as being read to at home and access to books, which can be limited in low-income families. The paragraph also points out the 'summer slide' phenomenon, where children from low-income households tend to lose reading skills over summer breaks. It suggests that improving literacy is not just about individual effort but also requires addressing systemic issues. The paragraph ends on a hopeful note, encouraging those who struggle with reading not to feel ashamed and providing resources for adult literacy improvement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Functional illiteracy
💡Literacy
💡Cultural contexts
💡Education reform
💡Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
💡Health literacy
💡Economic impact
💡Poverty
💡Summer learning loss
💡Political capital
💡Stigma
Highlights
21% of American adults are functionally illiterate, equating to 43 million people.
In the UK, 16% of adults are functionally illiterate.
In Germany, 14% of adults are functionally illiterate.
The video discusses the meaning and implications of functional illiteracy.
The concept of literacy has evolved over time and varies by culture.
Functional literacy refers to the ability to read and write at a level necessary for everyday life.
Literacy is now seen as an adaptation that can vary in importance based on one's environment.
The OECD's PIAAC assesses adult cognitive skills like literacy across 40 countries.
Adult literacy is classified into five levels, with level 3 being considered fully literate.
Low literacy is linked to difficulties in understanding health information and instructions.
Higher literacy is associated with better employment, reduced poverty, better health, and less crime.
If all US adults had at least level 3 literacy, it could add $2.2 trillion to the economy.
Illiteracy and poverty are deeply connected, with 22% of US children living in poverty.
Children in low-income families hear fewer unique words per day compared to wealthier families.
Children from low-income households often lose reading skills over summer breaks.
Improving literacy is a long-term investment with potential for significant economic benefits.
The persistence of illiteracy is linked to the short-term focus of politics versus the long-term nature of education.
The video encourages those with reading or writing difficulties not to feel ashamed, offering resources for improvement.
Transcripts
here is a little snapshot of the bizarre
times in which we find ourselves
21 of american adults are functionally
illiterate
that means 43 million people
in the uk 16 of adults are functionally
illiterate
in germany it's 14
this video explains what that means and
why that might be
with me
some guy
this is the universal cure this is the
swiss army knife as of this hour
america's schools will be on a new path
of reform
and modernize at least 35 000 schools
yet for too long countless american
children
have been trapped
in failing government schools ask me my
three main priorities for government
and i tell you
education education and education
as i've set out today
[Music]
as ever the definition of literacy and
exactly what it means to be illiterate
has changed through time and depends on
nation
because why would anything be easy
everyone who knows you thinks you're
rude prior to 1950 you were literate if
you were able to recognize letters and
words
then in the 1950s the concept of
literacy began to change as researchers
in various fields like anthropological
linguistics and education studies began
to converge on the conclusion that
literacy cannot be defined outside of
specific cultural contexts
in some cultures drawing a picture could
be understood as writing
ultimately the ability to read and write
is a human adaptation
and that adaptation may be more or less
important in terms of survival depending
on where and when you live
a farmer in a developing nation who can
only read and write a single sentence
might well be considered literate in
their culture
because that is the level of reading and
writing that is needed to survive
this led to the introduction of the term
functional literacy
a sort of common sense term meaning that
sure if you can recognize letters and
some words you're not technically
entirely illiterate
but being unable to understand most
sentences presents the same size of
barrier to prospering in modern society
a b c d e f
today the definition of literacy is
still defined differently in different
countries
for example in greece literacy is
defined as having completed six years of
primary education
but research shows that measuring
literacy in terms of the number of
school years completed isn't an accurate
tool for a variety of reasons
if you want a good example of this
a study found that in germany 12 of
those who had completed a higher level
of education
are functionally illiterate
owning a car doesn't mean you know how
to drive a car
i quipped in 2021
no doubt exasperated by the conflict of
sneezy woozy brevi hardy
it was estimated 200 000 children in the
uk would leave primary school unable to
read
but that's nothing new
in 2015 it was estimated that 20 percent
of primary school leavers were
functionally illiterate and innumerate
something like a hundred and sixty
thousand in 2012 the organization for
economic cooperation and development the
oecd
developed an assessment called the
program for the international assessment
of adult competencies
or the piaac
which gathers data about adult cognitive
skills
like literacy in 40 different countries
the assessment classifies adult literacy
into five different levels
these levels were then adapted by the us
department of education as a tool for
measuring literacy
a very similar tool but not the same
interestingly the department of
education measures overall literacy in
five levels but in 2013 the agency
combined level four and five for the
first time because there were so few
people about two percent who were at
level five of course just when you
thought are you literate is a simple
question synonymous with can you read
it gets more complicated
i'm half expecting bill clinton to pop
up and say it depends what the
definition of wanking is
adults who score at level 3 are
considered fully literate adults who
score below level 3 are considered at
least partially illiterate
those who score a level 1 are considered
functionally illiterate
if you were to conjure an individual
embodiment of the national average
perhaps using some sort of enormous
industrial mincing machine that
individual whether they are from the usa
germany the uk
korea or many other places
would not have the reading skills to
draw low-level inferences
they may have trouble identifying
pertinent information or discerning what
is and what is not relevant
you can see here the averages of the
piaac scale
that doesn't mean the spread of reading
skills is the same for these similarly
scoring countries but the mean is
there are many adults with both reading
and numeracy skills below this
japan comes out on top in the piaac
tables for both literacy and numeracy
less than ten percent of japanese adults
score level one or below in literacy
but still
that seems like quite a lot
this doesn't just matter because people
are missing out on the poetry of william
mcgonagall
studies have linked low literacy with
difficulty understanding health
information and instructions
which can complicate a patient's
diagnosis or treatment
the american journal of public health
says that the inability to read and
understand health information
accounts for 232 billion dollars in
extra health care costs each year
higher literacy is linked to better
employment reduced poverty better health
and reduced crime
according to the barbara bush foundation
if the adult population of the u.s all
had at least level 3 literacy skills
2.2 trillion dollars would be added to
the economy
so why is it like this
it doesn't seem especially shocking
that illiteracy and poverty
are inextricably linked
22 percent of children in the us live in
poverty
43 percent of adults living in poverty
have low literacy levels
one of the most important factors to
children's future literacy skills is
being read to by a parent or having
access to books at home
that's not easy if parents are spending
their waking hours working and
recovering from working
or if they can't really read themselves
research has shown that children in
low-income families hear fewer unique
words per day compared to children from
wealthy families
the most famous study on this
from the early nineties
found that by age three poor children
hear on average thirty million fewer
words than wealthier children
researchers say that about eighty
percent of children in low-income
households lose reading skills over
summer break
while children in high-income households
make gains in reading skills over the
same period
you can see how this can become a
multi-generational cycle
not least because problems reading can
be deeply embarrassing
as can the feeling of being behind and
unable to catch up
so if improving the reading and writing
skills of a huge number of people would
both make their lives better
and be an economic benefit
why does the problem persist
well
in my opinion to answer that you have to
think like a politician
sure you could spend time and money and
political capital making education
better
but even if that works out you're not
going to reap the rewards for 20 years
you probably won't be in politics by
then probably not here at least
why bother then
education is a long game
politics is not
magic magic e i'd like to end by saying
that if you have problems reading or
writing you shouldn't feel ashamed it's
not your fault
there are links to adult literacy
resources in the description
and to get you really excited about
reading
because i know you've all been wanting
this
i will now read a poem
hark the wind blows darkly from the
eastern window
a poem by george rocco schmidt
hi
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