Offers a detailed examination of theories about literacy developed by different academic disciplines and proposes an "ideological" model of literacy. Looks at contemporary literacy practices in the third world and Britain and, in particular, the literacy campaigns conducted by UNESCO.
This comprehensive textbook introduces readers to the most influential theories and models of reading and literacy, ranging from behaviorism and early information-processing theories to social constructionist and critical theories. Focusing on how these theories connect with different curricular approaches to literacy instruction (pre-K to grade 12), the author shows how they both shape and are shaped by everyday literacy practices in classrooms. Readers are invited to explore detailed vignettes that offer a practice-based view of theories as they are brought to life in the classroom. Unlike other books on literacy theories, this one devotes substantial attention to linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms and 21st-century technologies. Book Features: Descriptions of well-known curricular models and assessment approaches. Detailed examples from specific areas of reading and literacy instruction that are prominent in today’s schools. Textbox discussions exploring histories, terminology, and debates relevant to the theories presented. Examination of how theories and practices relate to current policy initiatives, such as the Common Core State Standards.User-friendly text features, such as charts, reference lists, and inset boxes to help clarify complex concepts. “In these times, when teachers are maligned in both the popular press and professional literature, a volume such as this offers the potential to provide intellectual freedom in the complex work of teaching.” —From the Foreword by Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar, University of Michigan “Finally, a text that brings together and honors multiple perspectives and makes clear the power of a good theory for making sense of our worldviews. Handsfield provides elegant demonstrations of the relations of literacy theories to actions, decisions, and practices. A must-read for literacy educators and researchers.” —Victoria Risko, Vanderbilt University
'Joanne Larson and Jackie Marsh's Literacy Learning is easily the most theoretically sophisticated and practically useful discussion of sociocultural and critical approaches to literacy learning that has appeared to date' - James Paul Gee, Tashia Morgidge Professor of Reading, University of Wisconsin-Madison Making Literacy Real is the essential reference text for primary education students at undergraduate and graduate level who want to understand literacy theory and successfully apply it in the classroom. Doctoral students will find this a useful resource in understanding the relationship of theory to practice. The authors explore the breadth of this complex and important field, orientating literacy as a social practice, grounded in social, cultural, historical and political contexts of use. They also present a detailed and accessible discussion of the theory and its application in the primary classroom.
This comprehensive textbook introduces readers to the most influential theories and models of reading and literacy, ranging from behaviorism and early information-processing theories to social constructionist and critical theories. Focusing on how these theories connect with different curricular approaches to literacy instruction (pre-K to grade 12), the author shows how they both shape and are shaped by everyday literacy practices in classrooms. Readers are invited to explore detailed vignettes that offer a practice-based view of theories as they are brought to life in the classroom. Unlike other books on literacy theories, this one devotes substantial attention to linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms and 21st-century technologies. Book Features: Descriptions of well-known curricular models and assessment approaches. Detailed examples from specific areas of reading and literacy instruction that are prominent in today’s schools. Textbox discussions exploring histories, terminology, and debates relevant to the theories presented. Examination of how theories and practices relate to current policy initiatives, such as the Common Core State Standards. User-friendly text features, such as charts, reference lists, and inset boxes to help clarify complex concepts.
Winner of the 2017 Edward Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association. Literacy Theories for the Digital Age insightfully brings together six essential approaches to literacy research and educational practice. The book provides powerful and accessible theories for readers, including Socio-cultural, Critical, Multimodal, Socio-spatial, Socio-material and Sensory Literacies. The brand new Sensory Literacies approach is an original and visionary contribution to the field, coupled with a provocative foreword from leading sensory anthropologist David Howes. This dynamic collection explores a legacy of literacy research while showing the relationships between each paradigm, highlighting their complementarity and distinctions. This highly relevant compendium will inspire researchers and teachers to explore new frontiers of thought and practice in times of diversity and technological change.
'Joanne Larson and Jackie Marsh's Literacy Learning is easily the most theoretically sophisticated and practically useful discussion of sociocultural and critical approaches to literacy learning that has appeared to date' - James Paul Gee, Tashia Morgidge Professor of Reading, University of Wisconsin-Madison Making Literacy Real is the essential reference text for primary education students at undergraduate and graduate level who want to understand literacy theory and successfully apply it in the classroom. Doctoral students will find this a useful resource in understanding the relationship of theory to practice. The authors explore the breadth of this complex and important field, orientating literacy as a social practice, grounded in social, cultural, historical and political contexts of use. They also present a detailed and accessible discussion of the theory and its application in the primary classroom.
Dyslexia and Literacy provides a comprehensive, practical introduction for all professionals seeking an understanding of dyslexia in children. Divided into four parts, the book firstly introduces the various theoretical perspectives and follows this up with identification and assessment techniques with an emphasis on practical, classroom related issues. The third part of the text covers topics related to the school curriculum and a final section covers issues that relate to the learning process.
The authors lucidly explain how we develop our abilities to read and write and offer a unified theory of literacy development that places cognitive development within a sociocultural context of literacy practices.