Critical Moment

Issues and Research

Marie Biggs

The ConflictThe power struggle in literacy theory and practiceThe conflict between ideological stancesIssues and research on gender, race and class.Definition of literacy practices/ whose definition is it ?

The Power Struggle The large hand of the federal government good practice vs. teach to the test.No Child Left Behind- National Reading Panel Report www.ed.gov.Power of a Voice – Struggle with the mandates.Resisting Reading MandatesHow to Triumph with the TruthElaine M. Garan, Ph. D. Foreword by Richard Allington

…The Struggle continuesAbstract of Literacy & IdentityStandardized Students: The Problems With Writing for Tests Instead of People Bronwyn T. Williams   The author questions whether literacy assessment is best undertaken in the form of standardized tests given to huge groups of students in high-stakes situations. There is a growing sense that the point of literacy education—of all education—is to administer standardized assessments and provide rankings rather than learning. However, concerns about increasing reliance on standardized testing in literacy education are about more than questionable methods of assessment and measurement: What effect does the unrelenting emphasis on standardized literacy testing have on students' perception of the purposes and possibilities of literacy? By extension, what effect does such testing have on their perception of the possibilities for themselves as readers and writers?Abstract from Williams, B.T. (2005, October). Standardized Students: The Problems With Writing for Tests Instead of People. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(2), 152–158. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.49.2.7

Issues in the Struggle: Gender, Race,and Class- One Size Fits All …Gender

Abstract of First PersonTuned Out but Turned On: Boys' (Dis)engaged Reading In and Out of School Sean Cavazos-Kottke   The author reflects on contexts of language arts instruction that alienate boys from active engagement with academic literacy practices. He considers the impermeability of the language arts curriculum to students' vernacular literacy practices as a key factor in many boys' rejection of reading for academic purposes. Informed by experiences as a classroom teacher and a literacy researcher, the author shares the story of his own evolution from literature zealot to literacy consultant. He notes that as his classroom role changed to teacher as facilitator of individual students' literacy development, he observed many boys' re-engagement with reading as they saw increasing convergence between reading for academic and for recreational purposes in their literacy lives.Abstract from Cavazos-Kottke, S. (2005, November). Tuned Out but Turned On: Boys' (Dis)engaged Reading In and Out of School. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(3), 180–184. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.49.3.1

Issues continued.. Race

Abstract of Multicultural Literature and Discussion as Mirror and Window? Jocelyn Glazier Jung-A Seo Abstract from Glazier, J., & Seo, J. (2005, May). Multicultural Literature and Discussion as Mirror and Window?. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(8), 686–700. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.48.8.6 In recent years, multicultural literature has made its way into language arts education reform documents, onto classrooms shelves, and ultimately into the hands of the diverse student body in the United States. This article documents the experiences of a ninth-grade class as students read and responded to N. Scott Momaday's The Way to Rainy Mountain and related texts. By including multicultural texts in her curriculum, the teacher helped her students respect and understand their own culture and that of others. While the experience enabled minority students to find their voices in the classroom, in some respects it simultaneously stifled the voices of majority students. Although the use of multicultural literature sheds light on the cultures of others and holds up a mirror to students' own culture, it can also reinforce notions of “culturelessness” among white, European American student populations. If multicultural literature is to act as mirror and window for all students, thus leading to a more culturally affirming reality in schools, it is imperative for teachers and students to include “whiteness” in conversations about culture.

Issues continued…ClassResilient Children Stories of Poverty, Drug Exposure, and Literacy Development Diane M. Barone   Are children who are prenatally exposed to crack and cocaine doomed to academic failure? What role does the poverty into which these children are often born play in their achievement? Diane Barone explores these questions through case studies that challenge readers to examine their assumptions about these children at risk. She calls on us to celebrate all children’s growth in reading and writing, and leaves us with a powerful message of hope. © 1999 | 256 pp. | ISBN 0-87207-199-5

How we define literary practice: Multilitercies of Our Students

Cartwheels on the Keyboard —Abstract of Chapter 1Everyday Explorations and Lifelong Learners: Introducing Computer Technology in the Classroom

Maureen Carroll     Technology has introduced intriguing new possibilities for literacy learning into the curriculum. This book shares the literacy journey of 20 elementary school students and their teacher as they use computers in classroom literacy activities. In this chapter, the author describes the framework of her research study—the focus, setting, research process, and underpinning theory. She then explains that the organization of the book is based on the three themes that helped her gain insight into classroom technology and literacy: collaboration, exploration, and play. Carroll, M. (2004). Everyday Explorations and Lifelong Learners: Introducing Computer Technology in the Classroom. In Cartwheels on the Keyboard (pp. 1-16). Newark, DE:

International Reading Association.

Multiliteracies continued..Abstract of Instant Messaging, Literacies, and Social Identities Cynthia Lewis, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Bettina Fabos, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio         This study examined the functions of Instant Messaging (IM) among seven youths who regularly used this digital technology in their daily lives. Grounded in theories of literacy as a social and semiotic practice, this research asked what functions IM served in participants' lives and how their social identities shaped and were shaped by this form of digital literacy. To answer these questions, we conducted interviews and videotaped IM sessions, adapting a verbal reporting procedure to document the IM strategies used. Data analysis involved using qualitative coding procedures informed by grounded theory (Strauss, 1987; Strauss & Corbin, 1990), which led to three patterns related to the functions of IM: language use, social networks, and surveillance. On the level of language use, participants manipulated the tone, voice, word choice, and subject matter of their messages to fit their communication needs, negotiating multiple narratives in the process. On the level of social networks, they designed their practice to enhance social relationships and statuses across contexts. And on the level of surveillance, they circulated texts across buddies, combated unwanted messages, assumed alternative identities, and overcame restrictions to their online communication. These functions revealed that the technological and social affordances of IM, particularly related to patterns of circulation and the hybrid nature of textuality, give rise to a performative and multivoiced social subject. Based on our findings, we discuss new conceptual directions for envisioning the teaching and learning of literacy in digitally mediated times.Abstract from Lewis, C., & Fabos, B. (2005, October/November/December). Instant Messaging, Literacies, and Social Identities. Reading Research Quarterly, 40(4), 470–501. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.40.4.5