This book asks researchers what uncertainty means for literacy research, and for how literacy plays through uncertain lives. While the book is not focused only on COVID-19, it is significant that it was written in 2020-2021, when our authors' and readers' working and personal lives were thrown into disarray by stay-at-home orders. The book opens up new spaces for examining ways that literacy has come to matter in the world. Drawing on the reflections of international literacy researchers and important new voices, this book presents re-imagined methods and theoretical imperatives. These difficult times have surfaced new communicative practices and opened out spaces for exploration and activism, prompting re-examination of relationships between research, literacy and social justice. The book considers varied and consequential events to explore new ways to think and research literacy and to unsettle what we know and accept as fundamental to literacy research, opening ourselves up for change. It provides direction to the field of literacy studies as pressing global concerns are prompting literacy researchers to re-examine what and how they research in times of precarity.

A volume in Critical Constructions: Studies on Education and Society Series Editor: Curry Stephenson Malott, Queens College/CUNY Students in public schools serving poor and working-class students are inundated by the effects of high-stakes examinations. Teachers are demoralized and students suffer substandard curricular and pedagogical experiences. These effects are articulated by students and teachers in the high school that provided the setting for the critical ethnography on which this text is based. Teachers resent being judged on the basis of students' performance on standardized assessments. They are deprofessionalized as their roles are oriented toward working-class norms. Students feel alienated by content that is meaningless and test-based pedagogies that are disempowering. While these findings are disturbing, critical theory provides a foundation for seeking hope. By incorporating inquiry and dialogue, this theoretical framework opens a space where resistance can be revealed and examined. In this case, the study exposed glimmers of resistance, spaces in the structure of schooling where students and teachers critique the system and suggest ways of subverting the negative effects of the neoliberal reforms through dialogic, empowering, culturally responsive pedagogies. Collective resistance, achieved through dialogic pedagogies that build on understandings of resistance and power, can cultivate theoretical and material spaces where a cycle of praxis can enhance possibilities for social justice. To that end, the conclusion is devoted to the implementation of critical, dialogic approaches to literacies, approaches intended to interrupt the hegemonic influences that perpetuate social reproduction by capitalizing on the potential for solidarity and collective agency among the students and teachers who populate and educate the working classes. This book would interest teacher educators, teachers, and school administrators.

This book examines how religion operates as an institution of governance and discipline in society. The authors unravel the ways in which adolescents are socialized into adhering to the dictates of their religious identities, which often translates into practices of micro-aggression enacted in and through their interaction with the 'religious other' in schools and classrooms. Through ethnographic immersion in villages in the Gujarat, the authors identify media as a powerful source through which the dominant ideology of religious discrimination is perpetuated among adolescents. Subsequently, a critical media education framework was developed in order to equip these young people with the critical skills needed to challenge power relations, with the goal being to identify resources for resistance within themselves and their immediate media environments. Using pedagogic techniques such as spatial and cultural mapping, content creation and applied theatre practices to create a reflective yet practical guide, the findings of this book can be applied to a wide range of socio-cultural contexts.

This book encourages readers to think about reading not only as an encounter with written language, but as a lifelong habit of engagement with ideas. We look at reading in four different ways: as linguistic process, personal experience, collective experience, and as classroom practice. We think about how reading influences a life, how it changes over time, how we might return at different stages of life to the same reading, how we might respond differently to ideas read in an L1 and L2. There are 44 teaching activities, all founded on research that explores the nature, value and impact of reading as an authentic activity rather than for language or study purposes alone. We consider what this means for schools and classrooms, and for different kinds of learners. The final part of the book provides practical stepping stones for the teacher to become a researcher of their own classes and learners. The four parts of the book offer a virtuous join between reading, teaching and researching. It will be useful for any teacher or reader who wishes to refresh their view of how reading fits in to the development of language and the development of a reading life.

This volume examines the unique characteristics of akshara orthography and how they may affect literacy development and problems along with the implications for assessment and instruction. Even though akshara orthography is used by more than a billion people, there is an urgent need for a systematic attempt to bring the features, research findings, and future directions of akshara together in a coherent volume. We hope that this volume will bridge that gap. Akshara is used in several Indic languages, each calling it by a slightly different name, for example 'aksharamu', in Telugu, 'akshara' in Kannada, and 'akshar' in Hindi. It is the Bhrami-derived orthography used across much of the Indian subcontinent. There is a growing body of research on the psycholinguistic underpinnings of learning to read akshara, and the emerging perspective is that akshara, even though classified as alphasyllabaries, abugida, and semi-syllabic writing systems, is neither alphabetic nor syllabic. Rather, akshara orthography is unique and deserves to be a separate classification and needs further investigation relating to literacy acquisition in akshara. The chapters in this volume, written by leading authors in the field, will inform the reader of the current research on akshara in a coherent and systematic way.

This book explores the impact of the Lesson Books of the National Board of Education in Ireland in the nineteenth century. The author contextualizes the books used in national schools as well as across the wider British Empire: in doing so, he highlights the influence of the religious, social, political and cultural realms of the time. Firmly grounding the volume in its historical context, the author goes on to explore the contemporary moral climate and social influences, including imperialism, morality, rote-learning and socialization. Through meticulous analysis of each Lesson Book, the author traces the evolution of education in Ireland as a reflection of contemporary society, as it changes and transforms in line with cultural, religious and social changes. This pioneering and comprehensive volume will be of interest and value to students and scholars of education in Ireland as well as education in the British Empire more widely.

This open access volume reveals the hidden power of the script we read in and how it shapes and drives our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures. Expanding on the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (i.e., the idea that language affects the way we think), this volume proposes the "Script Relativity Hypothesis" (i.e., the idea that the script in which we read affects the way we think) by offering a unique perspective on the effect of script (alphabets, morphosyllabaries, or multi-scripts) on our attention, perception, and problem-solving. Once we become literate, fundamental changes occur in our brain circuitry to accommodate the new demand for resources. The powerful effects of literacy have been demonstrated by research on literate versus illiterate individuals, as well as cross-scriptal transfer, indicating that literate brain networks function differently, depending on the script being read. This book identifies the locus of differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, and between the East and the West, as the neural underpinnings of literacy. To support the "Script Relativity Hypothesis", it reviews a vast corpus of empirical studies, including anthropological accounts of human civilization, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, applied linguistics, second language studies, and cross-cultural communication. It also discusses the impact of reading from screens in the digital age, as well as the impact of bi-script or multi-script use, which is a growing trend around the globe. As a result, our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures are now growing closer together, not farther apart.

This volume offers a comprehensive account of language development from a Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) perspective, integrating theory and data from a wide range of research studies. The book begins by taking an in-depth look at SFL theory and its focus on texts, highlighting the metafunctional nature of language and the ways in which individuals' repertoires of meaning-making resources develop as they interact with the world and with others. Grounded in an SFL approach, the successive chapters consider in turn the key stages of language development, from infancy to school settings to additional, second, and foreign language learning contexts. Each chapter incorporates a range of SFL studies to demonstrate shifts in language development across these stages, but also the discussion of other functional perspectives to examine the ways in which these different approaches inform one another. A concluding chapter considers the implications of these studies for future research as well as for pedagogical practices in literacy teaching. In its consideration of the relationship between SFL theory and its application to language development, this book will be key reading for students and scholars in Systemic Functional Linguistics, language and education, and literacy studies.

Constructions of Illiteracy in Twentieth-Century Ireland: Contesting the Narrative of Full Literacy offers new insights into literacy and illiteracy in the context of twentieth-century Ireland. Through a close analysis of archived documentation from educational, military, and parliamentary sources, the book reveals a potent narrative of full literacy that promoted literacy proficiency as a facet of the Irish national identity and suppressed any formal acknowledgment of illiteracy within the adult population. Tobin applies a sociological approach and uses Foucauldian concepts of knowledge, power, discourse, and silence to examine how constructions of "illiteracy" and the "illiterate person" varied over time, while also being entwined with activities of nation-building in the twentieth century. Though focused on Irish society from 1900 to 1980, this volume also offers a resonant lens through which to approach the "Decade of Centenaries", an Irish Government initiative spanning 2012-2023 that commemorates significant events in the history of the Irish state. Relevant to any readers with an interest in the Irish experience of independence, decolonisation, and postcolonialism, this book will be a useful companion for scholars and postgraduate students of literacy and Irish studies more broadly.

*Combines the author's own cutting edge research in writing development with a 'how to' guidebook approach, making it the complete package for students starting out in this area of research. *Cross-disciplinary market of students of both Education and Applied Linguistics in areas of Language Acquisition and Language and Literacy. Requires no background in Corpus Linguistics as it walks students through the basics. *The first book to combine research in this area with an activity-based approach- none of the competition demonstrates how to put theories and methods into practice like ours does.

In this interdisciplinary volume, sociolinguists and sociologists explore the intersections of language, culture, and identity for rural populations around the world. Challenging stereotypical views of rural backwardness and urban progress, the contributors reveal how language is a key mechanism for constructing the meaning of places and the people who identify with them. With research that spans numerous countries and several continents, the chapters in this volume add broadly to knowledge about status and prestige, authenticity and belonging, rural-urban relations, and innovation and change among rural peoples and in rural communities across the globe.

This open access book discusses how cultural literacy can be taught and learned through creative practices. It approaches cultural literacy as a dialogic social process based on learning and gaining knowledge through emphatic, tolerant, and inclusive interaction. The book focuses on meaning-making in children and young people's visual and multimodal artefacts created by students aged 5-15 as an outcome of the Cultural Literacy Learning Programme implemented in schools in Cyprus, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, and the UK. The lessons in the program address different social and cultural themes, ranging from one's cultural attachments to being part of a community and engaging more broadly in society. The artefacts are explored through data-driven content analysis and self-reflexive and collaborative interpretation and discussed through multimodality and a sociocultural approach to children's visual expression. This interdisciplinary volume draws on cultural studies, communication studies, art education, and educational sciences.

This innovative text draws on theories and methodologies from the fields of multimodality, ethnography, and literacy studies to explore the sociocultural significance of book ownership and book inscriptions in Edwardian Britain. The Sociocultural Functions of Edwardian Book Inscriptions examines evidence gathered from historical records, archival documents, and the inscriptive practices of individuals from the Edwardian era to foreground the social, communicative, and performative functions of inscriptive practices and illustrate how material, lexical, and semiotic means were used to perform identity, contest social status, and forge relationships with others. The text adopts a unique ethnohistorical approach to multimodality, supporting the development of a typography of book inscriptions which will serve as a unique interpretive framework for analysis of literary artifacts in the context of broader sociopolitical forces. This text will benefit doctoral students, researchers, and academics in the fields of literacy studies, English language arts, and research methods in education more broadly. Those interested in British book history, anthropology, and 20th-century literature will also enjoy this volume.

This book unpacks recent changes in the landscape of literature and language teaching, and aims to find new explanations for the altered relationships between readers and writers, the democratisation of authorship, and the emergence of new ways of using language. By examining topics as various as literature and technology, multimodality, and new Englishes, the authors take a fresh look at the use of literature as a tool in the teaching of English to second-language speakers. More than simply a way of teaching aesthetic and ethical values and rhetorical skills, they argue that literature can also be used to help students to critically evaluate assumptions about society, culture and power which underpin the production and reception of texts. The book relates theories of language acquisition and literary criticism to examples of literary texts from a wide range of global literature in English, and discusses new ways of engaging with it, such as transmedia story telling, book blogs and slam poetry. It will be of interest to language teachers and teacher trainers, and to students and scholars of applied linguistics, TESOL, and digital literacies.

More effectively meet the diverse literacy needs of the growing Latino population by learning how to evaluate and select quality Latino children's literature. Latinos are the fastest growing and largest ethnic minority in the United States. The number of Latino children is at a historic high. As a result, librarians and teachers in the United States must know how to meet the informational, cultural, and traditional literacy needs of this student demographic group. An ideal way to overcome this challenge is by providing culturally accurate and authentic children's literature that represents the diversity of the Latino cultures. Much more than simply a topical bibliography, this book details both historical and current practices in educating Latino children; explains why having quality Latino children's literature in classrooms and libraries is necessary for the ethnic identity development of Latino children; and offers a historical overview of Latino children's literature in America. Web resources of interest to educators working with Latino children are also included. Figures relating to Latino population growth, home language of Latinos, and stressors of recently arrived Latinos Extensive bibliography of print and web resources for developing collections of quality materials about Latino cultures, professional publications related relating to evaluating Latino children's literature and integrating the literature into classrooms and libraries, and recommended English, Spanish, and bilingual children's and young adult books about Latinos Contains useful resources such as reproducible bookmarks of recommended Latino children's books, evaluation sheets for analyzing Latino children's books for stereotypes, and a bingo sheet for professional development related to library services for Latinos and Latino children

Transliteracy in Complex Information Environments considers this relatively new concept, which has attracted a great deal of interest in the library and information field, particularly among practitioners. The notion of transliteracy arises in the context of increasingly complex information and communication environments characterised by multimodality and new roles of creators and consumers. Transliteracy concerns the ability to apply and transfer a range of skills and contextual insights to a variety of settings. Rather than focusing on any one skillset or technology, transliteracy is about fluidity of movement across a range of contexts. This book is concerned with processes of learning and knowledge creation. An understanding of transliteracy emergesfrom research data gathered in university and high school settings. Transliteracy is considered in relation to other literacies as an overarching framework. Applications in education and lifelong learning are discussed. Social aspects of transliteracy are considered in relation to academic cultures and broader social trends, particularly hybrid cultures

This is the first hands-on methods guide for second-language (L2) reading research. The authors expertly and critically situate L2 reading and literacy as a multivariate, interactive process and define terms, concepts, and research tools in connection with theory and a rich body of past empirical work, with lessons to learn and pitfalls to avoid. They concretely detail how to design empirical studies, collect data, and analyze findings in this important area. Authored by world experts on first-language (L1) and L2 reading, this book provides a comprehensive, critical, theory-driven review of methods in L2 reading research, offering a step-by-step guide from research design to study execution and data analysis. With useful pedagogical features and a unique database of L2 reading studies from around the world over three decades, this will be an invaluable resource to students and researchers of second-language acquisition, applied linguistics, education, and related areas.

This is the first hands-on methods guide for second-language (L2) reading research. The authors expertly and critically situate L2 reading and literacy as a multivariate, interactive process and define terms, concepts, and research tools in connection with theory and a rich body of past empirical work, with lessons to learn and pitfalls to avoid. They concretely detail how to design empirical studies, collect data, and analyze findings in this important area. Authored by world experts on first-language (L1) and L2 reading, this book provides a comprehensive, critical, theory-driven review of methods in L2 reading research, offering a step-by-step guide from research design to study execution and data analysis. With useful pedagogical features and a unique database of L2 reading studies from around the world over three decades, this will be an invaluable resource to students and researchers of second-language acquisition, applied linguistics, education, and related areas.

Elijah Muhammad and the Supreme of Literacy explores how Elijah Muhammad framed the term literacy as contrasted with its generally known definitions and applications. The text frames a construct for understanding why Elijah Muhammad considered the science of literacy essential to the success of the Blackman and woman in America specifically, and people in general. It outlines the scriptural foundations of Muhammad's teachings, drawn from both Bible and Qur'an. A detailed review of the course of study prescribed for his followers supplies Elijah Muhammad's the unique perspective on both literacy and language. Examples of his study curricula are offered. A brief history of Muhammad's own educational process is presented, with an emphasis on the pedagogy of literacy as practiced by Muhammad's teacher, W.D. Fard. Material on the early educational focus of The Nation of Islam is introduced. And finally, general commentary on the teachings is made known through the lenses of three men in their role as teachers: W. D. Fard, teacher of Elijah Muhammad, Muhammad himself, and Minister Louis Farrakhan, student of Elijah Muhammad.

Drawing on a multidisciplinary approach integrating insights from conversation analysis, narrative analysis, and narratology, this book theorizes teaching around narrative prose in each level of education, with a focus on a new framework of Pedagogic Literary Narration which emphasizes the practice of shared novel reading and the importance of the role of the teacher in mediating this practice. // With insights taken from a comprehensive set of transcripts taken from actual classrooms, the volume focuses on the convention in native-tongue literary study in which teachers and students read a novel shared over lessons, combining periods of reading aloud with those of questioning and discussion. In so doing, Gordon seeks to extend existing methodologies from literary and social science research toward informing teaching practice in literary pedagogy and address the need for a theorization of literary pedagogy which considers the interrelationship between text-in-print and text-through-talk. Transcripts are supported with comprehensive analyses to help further explicate the research methodology and provide guidance on implementing it in the classroom. // This book is a valuable resource for scholars in language and education, literary studies, narrative inquiry, and education research.

A Poetry Pedagogy for Teachers generates imaginative encounters with poetry and invites educators to practice a range of poetry exercises in order to inform instructional approaches to reading and writing. Guided by pedagogical principles prompted by their readings of Wallace Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," Maya Pindyck and Ruth Vinz provide critical discussion of prominent literacy practices in secondary classrooms and offer alternative approaches to encountering a text. They do this by way of experimental readings of Wallace Stevens' poem toward a set of thirteen pedagogical principles that anchor a pedagogy of poetic practices. The book also offers invitational exercises, the authors' own engagements with poetry practices, as well as student examples, visual modes of theorizing, and a gathering of relevant resources compiled by two classroom teachers. This is a book for secondary English teachers, teaching artists, English educators, college writing professors, readers and writers of poetry - both existing and aspirational - and any educator interested in poetry's capacities to pedagogically inform their subject matter and/or literacy practices.

1998 Winner of the Cyril O. Houle World Award for Literature in Adult Education In this thought-provoking book, Quigley offers a new view of illiteracy that starts with the learner and takes into account a broad array of work, family, and cultural considerations. This guide gives adult educators and trainers working in the field concrete suggestions and alternatives for their work that they can use to shape a new philosophy of adult literacy and improve their practice.

Creating a strong link between up-to-date research findings and classroom practice, this book analyzes, compares, and critiques prevalent classroom strategies in light of expertise available in other countries. The theme of the volume, that form and meaning can be united from an early point in the reading curriculum, is clearly developed and reinforced from different perspectives. The book is a distinctive blend of assimilated research results and cogently argued teaching recommendations. It provides solutions to common problems that have proved successful in other countries, and opens up alternatives that presently are not described in the literature.

The Educational Media and Technology Yearbook has become a standard reference in many libraries and professional collections. It provides a valuable historical record of current ideas and developments in the field. Part one of this updated volume, "Trends and Issues in Learning, Design and Technology," presents an array of chapters that develop some of the current themes listed above, in addition to others. In Part Two, "Leadership Profiles," authors provide biographical sketches of the careers of instructional technology leaders. Part Three, "Organizations and Associations in North America," and Part Four, "Worldwide List of Graduate Programs in Learning, Design, Technology, Information or Libraries," are, respectively, directories of instructional technology-related organizations and institutions of higher learning offering degrees in related fields. Finally, Part Five, the "Mediagraphy," presents an annotated listing of selected current publications related to the field.

Academic literacy - prepare to learn is different from traditional courses in that it is task-based: it requires of language learners who are developing their academic literacy to do authentic academic tasks and to solve real academic problems. It assumes that telling students about how tasks must be done is never enough - they must be allowed to demonstrate that they can actually do real academic work.