Friday, February 19, 2010
Excerpts from Literacy Narratives
You can begin to post excerpts from your narratives on this blog; click on the "Comments" link below this post, and copy your excerpt.
Just Getting Started
Assignment
For our second writing, we’ll compose an original, analytical essay, based on evidence from our autobiographical literacy narratives. After discussing portions of the narratives in class, you will identify a significant pattern in the accounts that says something important about reading, writing, and learning in an ever-changing world. You will use evidence from the accounts (as well as background from our readings whenever relevant) to explain what you see and why it is important.
In some regard, we are still doing “Discourse Analysis,” only we’re focusing on narratives we ourselves have written with an eye toward formulating our own theories of literacy. Consider the advice of literacy researcher, Frank Smith: be aware (beware) of metaphors posing as factual explanations (i.e. literacy skills); create your own metaphors as a way to reorient our conceptions of literacy and learning. A large part of your analysis might be explaining what, exactly, literacy is, perhaps what it is not, perhaps characterizations of literacy learning, education, and sponsorship, and perhaps some attention to the uses to which we put literacy (as they appear in the narratives we read). Look for patterns or themes across the narratives you read that might lead you to some grounded theory.
Method
We will form into smaller groups of five or six. You will be responsible for providing a copy of your literacy narrative for each member of your group. These narratives will be your primary sources. Use the articles from Stuckey, Barton, and Brandt (among others) to help you think about what these narratives say about literacy, literacy development, literacy education, etc. Let’s get started today.
Due Date: Monday, March 22
For our second writing, we’ll compose an original, analytical essay, based on evidence from our autobiographical literacy narratives. After discussing portions of the narratives in class, you will identify a significant pattern in the accounts that says something important about reading, writing, and learning in an ever-changing world. You will use evidence from the accounts (as well as background from our readings whenever relevant) to explain what you see and why it is important.
In some regard, we are still doing “Discourse Analysis,” only we’re focusing on narratives we ourselves have written with an eye toward formulating our own theories of literacy. Consider the advice of literacy researcher, Frank Smith: be aware (beware) of metaphors posing as factual explanations (i.e. literacy skills); create your own metaphors as a way to reorient our conceptions of literacy and learning. A large part of your analysis might be explaining what, exactly, literacy is, perhaps what it is not, perhaps characterizations of literacy learning, education, and sponsorship, and perhaps some attention to the uses to which we put literacy (as they appear in the narratives we read). Look for patterns or themes across the narratives you read that might lead you to some grounded theory.
Method
We will form into smaller groups of five or six. You will be responsible for providing a copy of your literacy narrative for each member of your group. These narratives will be your primary sources. Use the articles from Stuckey, Barton, and Brandt (among others) to help you think about what these narratives say about literacy, literacy development, literacy education, etc. Let’s get started today.
Due Date: Monday, March 22
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