What will you take from the text?

Since the end of the semester is nearing and several people have mentioned this book being less practioner or teaching oriented and super theoretical, I was wondering if we might talk about what every things (if anything) that they might take from Gee's work in this book. If you don't like this topic that I'm starting, please feel free to post a new topic (it's in the upper right hand corner of this main page of the blog- "new post").

For me personally, I take from Gee's work a critical perspective on how 'we' define literacy- teachers, policy makers, colleges of ed, the GACE::), etc. While I actually have read several chapters/articles by Gee that I would consider to be more connected to classroom practices, this is definitely a theory heavy book. It's the kind of reading that I have appreciated engaging in at this point in my studies, because, as we've discussed in this class, you start to realize how everyone writes from a theoretical perspective...even if they are not clear about it. I know that some people have written that he sounds kind of 'arrogant' in what he says, but I take it as his passion for what he believes and I personally appreciate that....we need more passion in what we do if you ask me! I am also going to take away a deeper understanding of Critical Discourse Analysis, which I hope to use in research in the future.

The New London Group has been a major voice in critical literacy and the multiliteracies movement. I think I said this before, but Gee has really influenced a lot of educators to re-think the literacy practices they offer to students. Again, I feel that these are still supposed to be rigorous, high quality learning, but they incorporate students' own experiences, cultures, and knowledge.

If you are interested in reading more by Gee:) especially something more teaching- oriented, check out this book about using video games - What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. I've only read part of it, but it's very interesting and timely for this generation of students and steps into the multiliteracies realm, which I am becoming more and more interested in.

So, what will you take from this book?

What is literacy?

I thought I'd start a new post, since they last one has been so popular with comments.

To me, one of the themes of this book is the question- what is literacy? Similarly, how exactly is a theory built and more importantly to me, who decides what is valued and meaningful? This comes back to paradigms of what research is and should be (I think it was too long into my phd program until I understood what a 'paradigm' is, but it's really a set of beliefs of ideas about something). One's epistemology of what learning is (what is knowledge? who decides?) guides a paradigm, and every research endeavor is influenced by this. Gee has a very different world view than more quantitative or pragmatic researchers and so it's necessary to put on his 'lens' to be able to see and appreciate what he is saying....at least that's my opinion.

What I really wanted to say to begin discussion hopefully...
Gee talks about the ideas of who decides what is literacy but also about this "Literacy Crisis" that he sees as manufactured. What do you all think about this? Many of us work in schools currently or prepare teachers and this is a concern for many in the field. Gee critiques the authors of reports and research by taking to task the problem that they write about; that even when young children receive interventions they continue to be behind. He says that if this is true, why is there so much put into the push for teaching phonics to help struggling readers? We have a “Culture of Inequality”, that will continue to keep a certain group of students back from others no matter what.

Thoughts....?

Welcome to Gee!!!

OK guys here we go......