The theme for this week's reading was on literacy as a social practice. In Barton's article he frames literacy as a social activity and is a way of "representing the world to ourselves." In our everyday lives we experience a wide range of literacy events. Examples in my own life would be: texting a friend, writing a Thank You note, and reading a storybook to my granddaughter. The content and purposes vary depending the social experiences. It is clear that social literacy is rooted in historical culture practices as well. I thought it was interesting that he referenced Heath's study in referring to literacy events, "when talk revolves around a piece of writing." Overall, Barton's reading was difficult to follow but was informational.
Heath's article held my interest because she takes an indepth look at three different communities: Maintown, Roadville, and Trackton. (I remember reading this article in my Foundations class, so maybe that's why I had an easier time reading it). The first community, Maintown, is described as "typical middle class" community. The second community is Roadville, a white mill community located in the Appalachian mountains. The last community described is Trackton which is a blackmill community. Both Roadville and Trackton are underprivileged compared to Maintown. Heath breaks down into the smallest of details everything from the hospital room where the baby is born, the types of literacy found in the home, to school age reading and writing performance. This article helped me understand the importance of understanding how language is an integral part of social interactions and cultural patterns.
Berkenhotter 's article examined speech genres in a variety of learning environments. There were a lot of citations which took away from some of the content. However, I appreciated how her theory and conclusions was well-grounded in research. I liked the pictures depicting learning spaces and shared social practices during the school day. One picture showed children at a Montessori school sitting at a table and participating in "table talk." I appreciated Berknehotter's insights, especially in regards to understanding speech genres.
Moje's article was by far my favorite. I like how she challenges the status quo by redefining, or maybe I should say broadening what literacy looks like. Her study into the practices of "Gangsta" adolescents enlightened me to new ways of seeing and appreciating literacy that is not mainstream. Instead of a deficit model, Moje challenges us to view graffiti, body art, rapping, as valuable types of literacy that allow adolescent youth to express who they are. Her article also reminds me of Katherine Bomer's book on Hidden Gems and learning to see the value in every child's writing. As I reflect back to my own experiences with students from both a very poor school and then in a wealthy school, I have a better understanding of how they learn and why they learn the way they do.
As I read Berkenhotter's article, I envisioned many of my school's practices that have been implemented throughout the years. Starting in Prekindergarten, students are taught how and when to demonstrate socially acceptable speech and genre behaviors that are aligned to the appropriate school setting.
ReplyDeleteBerkenhotter's article gave insight as to how children are prepared for socially acceptable practices within the educational institution. The pre-school children were learning how to "do school" or school expected and appropriate behaviors. This was very interesting to me because as former kindergarten teacher I wanted my students to have attended pre-school because then they would've been taught how to "do school" and I would not have to begin from scratch so to speak. As a pre-k teacher it is also beneficial if the children have been in some sort of day care setting because they would have some knowledge of how to "do school".
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