Literacy in Theory and PracticeThis book challenges conventional theories about literacy, and the practices which often arise from them. It attempts to provide a new perspective through which the variety of literacy practices across different cultures can be viewed and from which the practical issues that arise in specific literacy campaigns and programmes can be approached. Dr Street first examines the explicit theories developed about literacy within different academic disciplines, on the premise that these underlie statements about literacy within development campaigns and in everyday usage. He analyses in detail arguments about the 'technical' and 'neutral' nature of literacy and its supposed 'cognitive' consequences in the work of some psychologists, linguists and social anthropologists. He claims that these amount to a coherent but flawed model that he terms the 'autonomous' model of literacy. Against this he poses an 'ideological' model, one which pays greater attention to the social structure. He attempts to bring together recent shifts in this direction in writings on literacy and to construct a coherent model for further work. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 43
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... assumptions concerning the intellectual and developmental consequences of students learning to acquire the ' technology ' of reading and writing . I intend to question these assumptions , to open up what is taken for granted about ...
... assumptions concerning the intellectual and developmental consequences of students learning to acquire the ' technology ' of reading and writing . I intend to question these assumptions , to open up what is taken for granted about ...
Page 1
... assumptions , whether implicit or explicit , that currently dominate the field of literacy studies . I shall contend ... assumption that it is a neutral technology that can be detached from specific social contexts . I shall argue that ...
... assumptions , whether implicit or explicit , that currently dominate the field of literacy studies . I shall contend ... assumption that it is a neutral technology that can be detached from specific social contexts . I shall argue that ...
Page 2
... assumptions I shall pose an ' ideological ' model of literacy . Those who subscribe to this model concentrate on the specific social practices of reading and writing . They recognise the ideological and therefore culturally embedded ...
... assumptions I shall pose an ' ideological ' model of literacy . Those who subscribe to this model concentrate on the specific social practices of reading and writing . They recognise the ideological and therefore culturally embedded ...
Page 6
... assumptions about the nature of ' primitive ' thought which have generally been rejected in the discipline . Although anthropologists have in other contexts helped to clarify to some extent the theoretical foundations for descriptions ...
... assumptions about the nature of ' primitive ' thought which have generally been rejected in the discipline . Although anthropologists have in other contexts helped to clarify to some extent the theoretical foundations for descriptions ...
Page 7
... assumption that speech and writing were fulfilling the same functions and the inability to recognise their separate character ... assumptions regarding literacy and its relationship to ' objectivity ' ( 1982 ) . I cite recent work in ...
... assumption that speech and writing were fulfilling the same functions and the inability to recognise their separate character ... assumptions regarding literacy and its relationship to ' objectivity ' ( 1982 ) . I cite recent work in ...
Contents
The Autonomous Model I Literacy and Rationality | 19 |
The Autonomous Model II Goody | 44 |
Literacy and Linguistics | 66 |
The Ideological Model | 95 |
Introduction | 129 |
Maktab Literacy | 132 |
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Common terms and phrases
abstract academic adult literacy ALBSU anthropologists appear argue argument associated assumptions attempt autonomous challenge Cheshmeh claims Clanchy classical Greece cognitive commercial communication concepts consequences of literacy context conventions culture described Dinka language economic English establish ethnocentric explicit fact forms of literacy framework functions Goody Goody's Graff Greenfield groups Hadith Hildyard and Olson ibid illiterate individual instance institutions intellectual involved Iran Iranian Islamic kind knowledge Koran learning linguistic literacy campaigns literacy practices literacy programmes literacy skills literate modes logic Lyons maktab Mashad meaning model of literacy mullah neutral Nicaragua non-literate objectivity oral and literate orchards organisation paralinguistic Parry particular political and ideological problems recognise relation represented scientific significant simply social society speech structure suggests tajers Tanzania teachers teaching theory tion tradition Unesco unschooled Vai script village western Wolof words written forms written language