There are multiple aspects of literacy. This includes functional, cultural, personal and critical literacies. The Literacy Learning Triptych is a model that demonstrates ways in which these aspects can be taught in the classroom. The triptych states that students need to learn of, through and about semiotic systems and literacies. The triptych also states that these three approaches are of equal value (Anstey & Bull, 2004). The ‘learning of’ side of the triptych represents functional literacies. This exemplifies the operation or the ‘how to’ of literacy. Through this section of the triptych, students learn semiotic systems and literacies. Language is a semiotic system; a set of signs and symbols. Language is mainly associated with conveying meaning through words, both printed and oral. Other semiotic systems include music, images, dance, gesture, mathematical symbols and computer language (Anstey & Bull, 2005). This section of the triptych provides teachers with the opportunity to teach students literacy specific to their key learning area. For example, in Visual Arts class students could learn the techniques of visual analysis, such as colour and composition. A downfall of this section is that it doesn't allow for understanding of literacy as a social practice (Anstey & Bull, 2004). It also doesn't allow for the use of literacy in authentic contexts. Furthermore, functional literacies and the 'learning of' section of the triptych tend to focus predominantly on written and oral language, which leads to the exclusion of other semiotic systems.
The ‘learning through’ section of the triptych demonstrates that students can use semiotic systems and literacies to learn about other things. This represents the world of the student and acknowledges the role of culture and history in literacy. Therefore, this side of the triptych represents cultural literacies. This section provides students with the opportunity to explore the context of a text. This exemplifies the use of semiotic systems and literacies to learn about further matters. This side of the triptych also allows students to explore the social and cultural histories of the discipline (Anstey & Bull, 2004). This focus places knowledge about and use of semiotic systems and literacies in the centre of the learning process (Anstey & Bull, 2004). This highlights the importance of this focus. However, this section doesn't provide opportunities for students to explore how semiotic systems and literacies actually work and engage in discussions about this.
The ‘learning about’ section of the triptych focuses on how semiotic systems and literacies operate and function in our society. This includes exploring how texts interact with the wider world as well as acknowledging the power of literacy. This section also suggests that learning the metalanguage to discuss how semiotic systems and literacies operate is important in order to “investigate the social, cultural, economic, ideological and political aspects of various semiotic systems and literacies and learn how to use or operate them” (Anstey & Bull, 2004, p.15). Therefore, this section of the triptych represents critical literacies.
The teaching of literacy should be balanced between all semiotic systems (Anstey & Bull, 2005). Each key learning area has subject specific literacies that students must learn to master. This highlights the fact that every teacher is a teacher of literacy, not just the English teachers.Santoro (2004) states that teachers of students of all ages are also literacy teachers, not just the early-years teachers.
