Reading Notes 1/23/2007

Accumulating Literacy: Writing and Learning to Write in the Twentieth Century
-Deborah Brandt Oct. '95

• Story of Genna May (born 1898) and her great-grandson, Michael May, (born 1981) and their differences in accumulating literacy in a changing world (650)
• As Lauren Resnick puts it, today, "everyone now has to develop reading and writing skills that used to be used to belong only to an elite" (650).
• "Challenges faced by all literacy learners in a society whose rapid changes are themselves tied up so centrally with literacy and its enterprise" (651).
• Seems Brandt is saying, what used to be one or even two dimensional learning is now more like three dimension learning or even higher. "Literacy learners...find themselves having to piece together reading and writing experiences form more and more spheres" (651).
• "Diversification of literacy" (651)
• Amalgamate-to combine into an integrated whole (651)
• Brandt collected accounts of 65 Americans in regards to their literacy development (651)
• Trying to identify "major effects of 'accumulating literacy' that are especially pertinent to teachers of writing and reading" (651)
• Literacy aside, in the "real world," now "documentary practices" play a role (652).
• "One's world is almost totally organized by a system in which one can have no real say" (652). Hmmm, interesting point
• A notion called "'piling up' quality of literacy...sets up interpretive problems for people learning to write" (653).
• Based upon two personal examples, we see how "ruling institutions control literacy and use literacy to control the population in different historical periods" (654).
• Transformation=explains dynamic literary shifts (however, Brandt sees continuity in these changes) (654)
• 1. Transformations in literacy are complex 2. There will be resistant strains of literate practice (655)
• For Sam May (born 1925), "literacy learning was about acquiring manners" (655).
• Arrival of radio at first inspired and enhanced writing; however, it also brought in new abstract genres (657).
• Intensified writing after enlisting
• Old literacy forms don't disappear, they shape "future interpretations of reading and writing" (659).
• From her interviews, Brandt believes what she is seeing is that "literacy in an advanced literate period requires an ability to work the borders between tradition and change" (660).
• Charles Randolph (born 1948), African American, growing up in Tenn (660).
• Watched his dad and won various writing competitions (661)
• Charles also did well in school and learned essay and topic sentence writing (661).
• Writing was "a vent" for Charles (663).
• Went on to teach at a public school and then became the first affirmative action officer, while working toward his PhD
• "He said his fascination with writing throughout his life has resided 'in the power of it'" (663-4).
• Both Sam and Charles "memories exhibit residual influences of the educational experiences of previous generations" (664).
• How could accumulating literacy be better accommodated in school? Brandt answers, "simply by beginning to recognize the historical conditions of literacy" (665).
• It should not so much be anymore about "disseminating literacy" (665).
• From Brandt's perspective, we see how "school-based" and "home-based" literacy function together, "within larger historical currents" (666).
• Important: how literacy materials come into people's lives (666).
• "Literacy is always in flux" (666)
• Layers of literacy=past,present,future (666).
• "Being literate...has to do with being able to negotiate the burgeoning surplus" (666).
• (In layman's terms, succeed in managing the rapidly growing surplus)
• In summary, what themes about literacy accumulation does she identify?
• A: learning manners, upward mobility, imitating a higher class, father to son, books collected at home (manuscripts, Life of Poems, etc.), grads from excellent colleges as teachers, focus in school on essay writing and topic sentences.

Literacy in Three Metaphors -Sylvia Scribner Nov. '84

• How do we define literacy? "We have yet to discover or set its boundaries" (6).
• "Literacy...is a social achievement...an outcome of culture" (7).
• Literacy described in terms of individual abilities (7)
• Boundary problems in all metaphors (8)
• Certain assumptions apply to each metaphor: "social motivations for...this country, the nature of existing literacy practices, and judgements about which practices are critical for individual and social enhancement" (8).
• Literacy as adaptation-"the necessity for literacy skill in daily life" (9)
• Problem 1: it is not logical "to define this universe of behaviors...which compose functional competence" (10)
• Problem 2: there is really very little uniformity in these skills (9)
• "Today's standards...need to be considered in the light of tomorrow's requirements. But not all are agreed" (10)
• Are technologies new systems of literacy? (11)
• Literacy as power-"relationship between literacy and group or community advancement" (11)
• "For the poor and politically powerless groups to claim their place in the world" (11)
• Problems arise in developing countries; rapid changes seen in mobilized countries (12)
• Problem: possibilities and limits are not clear with this metaphor (12)
• "How are communities best mobilized for literacy?" (13)
• Literacy as a state of grace-endows the "literate person with special virtues" (13)
• This metaphor deals with people who are "cultured," knowing the "sciences, arts, and humanities" (13).
• (Literacy) not bounded by politics or economics but by the individual (14)
• "A great divide" b/t those who have and "who have not mastered written language" (14)
• Problem: "how widely dispersed is book knowledge...in our society?" (14)
• There is a boundary of "value of literateness...across social classes and ethnic and religious groups" (14).
• "book cultures" (14)
• "What implications does it pose for our educational objectives?" (14)
• All three metaphors have "validity" (15).
• Case Study: Vai people of West Africa
• For Vai peoples, "Literacy is not a necessity for personal survival" (15).
• Based upon Vai lifestyle and core values, we would need to use all three metaphors to develop a worthy education program. (and that's not even totally worthy)
• What is literacy? 1. "skepticism for 'one best answer' approach" 2. "urges the need for understanding the great variety of beliefs and aspirations" (17)
• implications analysis has for literacy policy (18)
• ***"minimal literacy standards would serve a useful function" (18) (could we compare this to Indiana State Standards?)
• ***"diversity of educational approaches" (18)

-AAK