Four Literacies, Not One.

For nearly 170 years, mainstream Western education has prioritized three basic skills: reading, writing and arithmetic (known as the “Three R’s”).

In recent decades, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have garnered increased attention and funding. While these are all valuable subjects and skills, they fall well short of an education for whole humans reckoning with a changing planet.

Where mainstream education leaves off, Watershed Schoolhouse picks up with the integration of four literacies (Four L’s). In addition to the standard subjects, or Academic Literacy, the curriculum prioritizes the development of Ecological Literacy, Communal Literacy and Inner Literacy. Together, they comprise the four cornerstones of the curricular content.

Four Literacies: A Closer Look

  • Academic Literacy

    Academic Literacy includes, but is not limited to, reading, writing and world languages. It also includes the study of symbols and logic through mathematics alongside the story creation and interpretation techniques found in science, social studies and the arts. These powerful tools are potent currency for our modern world. The emphasis is on core competencies and depth, rather than breadth and mere content coverage.

  • Ecological Literacy

    Ecological Literacy is an understanding of place and one’s place in the world. Through the purposeful imparting and cultivation of eco-cultural knowledge and wisdom, the focus is shifted from the world we have created, to the world that created us. “Nature” is not a backdrop, or even a subject in the traditional sense, but an inseparable part of ourselves. The emphasis on this literacy is designed to foster intimacy with the wild, and inspiration from the beauty and patterns all around us. This includes traditional ecological knowledge and healthy relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

  • Communal Literacy

    Communal Literacy is the foundation for our communal lives as the social creatures we human beings are. Students develop quality relationships through healthy communication built on self-knowledge. This kind of literacy gives birth to teamwork and collaboration, empathy, clarity, honesty, truth, compassion, and ultimately, love, of self and others. As a means and an end, it is the heart of justice and equity work in Watershed Schoolhouse.

  • Inner Literacy

    Inner Literacy is a resilient foundation for life’s trials and graces, including a knowledge of one’s own gifts, and an integration of one’s shadow. It is an acknowledgment of that which we cannot see, but can still perceive. Two major threads weave through the fabric of this study: mindfulness and ceremony, connecting us to that which has come before, the present moment, and that which lies ahead. A cornerstone of this literacy is found in rites-of-passage and initiatory practices.