Final paper is in and yet I struggle still with Walter J. Ong, S.J. His language calls to mind the opening lines of the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1:1, RSV)
We were assigned to read two essays or book chapters written by him: "The Orality of Language" contained in his book, Orality and Literacy, published in 1982 and "Writing is a Technology that Restructures Thought" published in Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook in 2001. I read them first as assigned, as educational theory. Especially in his later writing, "Writing is a Technology that Restructures Thought" Ong was considered taking up the battle on behalf of literacy in the Great Cognitive Divide debate.
And yet, Ong spoke to me on a spiritual level as well. And speaks still. It is no wonder, for he was a Jesuit priest. The language of the Gospel of John was as much a part of his inner being as it is mine.
It is my sense from these two articles that Ong is writing through his own personal great divide. Torn between writing, which he equates with literacy, and orality he almost demonizes literacy while reserving warm approving language for orality. (See quotes in Words for the Journey in this blog.) Writing separates and distances us and yet writing, literacy, allows humans to think abstractly and objectively. Due to the technology of writing we have science, philosophy, history and so on. And yet, I feel him longing for a time before all writing, for the spoken world "oral, mobile, warm, personally interactive (you needed people to produce spoken words)" ("Writing" 22).
In the Bible God does not write, God speaks. God speaks to humankind through words or the Word, and through actions. God loves, protects, punishes, pardons, shelters, cares for but God does not write. Writing separates and distances our emotions from our intellect so that we can think abstractly and objectively, yes. But also distances us from those qualities that make us human and make us God like.
This is stuff of the spirit and much to ponder upon. I must read more of Ong.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Final Essay for: ENGL B6400 Theories & Models of Literacy
Final Essay: Reflections on Selected Theories and Models of Literacy
On the first evening that we met, our class was asked to define literacy. We came up with many and varied answers but all of our definitions contained the basic three: ability to read, write and comprehend what was read or written. I am not sure that this basic understanding has changed, or should change. Yet I hope my work this semester has broadened my thinking and expanded the borders of my concept of literacy.
Through the semester we have read, discussed and written about literacy in its many aspects and definitions. I have selected three of the many approaches to literacy to explore in this paper. They each in their own way challenged me to expand my concept of literacy and hopefully supported my growth as a graduate student and a teacher.
[View the rest of my final essay through the link below.]
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AejvYXPv3HOaZGY5N2RucXBfMWNwamg4aGRt&hl=en
On the first evening that we met, our class was asked to define literacy. We came up with many and varied answers but all of our definitions contained the basic three: ability to read, write and comprehend what was read or written. I am not sure that this basic understanding has changed, or should change. Yet I hope my work this semester has broadened my thinking and expanded the borders of my concept of literacy.
Through the semester we have read, discussed and written about literacy in its many aspects and definitions. I have selected three of the many approaches to literacy to explore in this paper. They each in their own way challenged me to expand my concept of literacy and hopefully supported my growth as a graduate student and a teacher.
[View the rest of my final essay through the link below.]
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AejvYXPv3HOaZGY5N2RucXBfMWNwamg4aGRt&hl=en
Saturday, December 12, 2009
"Everyone Gets a Say"- Discussion Flyer for Nov 18
Discussion Flyer for Nov 18, by Jane Parkerton
Williams, Bronwyn T. “Everyone Gets a Say: Changes in Audience.” Shimmering Literacies: Popular Culture & Reading & Writing Online. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. 29-61. Print.
In Chapter Two of his book, “Everyone Gets a Say: Changes in Audience,” Bronwyn Williams argues that online technologies have changed the definition of audience to a more interactive and participatory model which “changes both the experience of watching the show and the act of making meaning” (37). Popular culture, at least as practiced through online technologies, is no longer an isolating and passive event.
In this chapter Williams explores the literacy practices of young adult college students as they read and write in online technologies. He focuses primarily on fan forums as he explores the students’ changing concepts of audience through their online technology practices. Fan forums, he says, are “online spaces where individuals can discuss a program, film, band, computer game, or any other element of popular culture such as a particular celebrity” (37). Some examples are Television Without Pity, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Williams describes the students’ growing awareness of and competence in their literacy practices as they negotiate online audiences and develop a sense of ownership of text and authority, and a regard for credibility. Through reading and posting (writing) students become adept at writing for different audiences, “real” audiences with the potential and the expectation that readers will write back. He quotes student Ashley as she talks about analyzing fellow fan comments, “Everybody gets a say and you expect everyone to get a say” (40).
For discussion:
1. Williams argues that the students’ participation in fan forums produces communal making of meaning through collective intelligence. Collective intelligence is made possible through the ability to share knowledge and ideas online and make meaning through community effort.
My first question is, how might this collective intelligence and communal participatory nature of the students’ online literacy practices be compared to the reading and literacy practices of the people of Trackton? Remember the letter read on the porch by Lillie Mae (see page 197 of Heath's Ways With Words). Heath says, "The question 'What does this mean?' was answered not only from the information in print, but from the group's joint bringing of experience to the text" (197).
2. Williams says, “What young people learn about audience from writing about popular culture online has a number of implications for literary research and teaching. Whether on fan forums or lists or personal WebPages, it is clear that students are gaining real understandings of the role of audience awareness in writing and the consequences of misjudging an audience” (61).
My second question is, after reading this article, have you gained a new understanding and respect for young adults’ literacy practices and abilities. I am remembering our discussion in class last week on cultural literacy. Many of us were bemoaning the lack of cultural knowledge of young adults. Does it now seem possible that we have misjudged these young people?
Williams, Bronwyn T. “Everyone Gets a Say: Changes in Audience.” Shimmering Literacies: Popular Culture & Reading & Writing Online. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. 29-61. Print.
In Chapter Two of his book, “Everyone Gets a Say: Changes in Audience,” Bronwyn Williams argues that online technologies have changed the definition of audience to a more interactive and participatory model which “changes both the experience of watching the show and the act of making meaning” (37). Popular culture, at least as practiced through online technologies, is no longer an isolating and passive event.
In this chapter Williams explores the literacy practices of young adult college students as they read and write in online technologies. He focuses primarily on fan forums as he explores the students’ changing concepts of audience through their online technology practices. Fan forums, he says, are “online spaces where individuals can discuss a program, film, band, computer game, or any other element of popular culture such as a particular celebrity” (37). Some examples are Television Without Pity, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Williams describes the students’ growing awareness of and competence in their literacy practices as they negotiate online audiences and develop a sense of ownership of text and authority, and a regard for credibility. Through reading and posting (writing) students become adept at writing for different audiences, “real” audiences with the potential and the expectation that readers will write back. He quotes student Ashley as she talks about analyzing fellow fan comments, “Everybody gets a say and you expect everyone to get a say” (40).
For discussion:
1. Williams argues that the students’ participation in fan forums produces communal making of meaning through collective intelligence. Collective intelligence is made possible through the ability to share knowledge and ideas online and make meaning through community effort.
My first question is, how might this collective intelligence and communal participatory nature of the students’ online literacy practices be compared to the reading and literacy practices of the people of Trackton? Remember the letter read on the porch by Lillie Mae (see page 197 of Heath's Ways With Words). Heath says, "The question 'What does this mean?' was answered not only from the information in print, but from the group's joint bringing of experience to the text" (197).
2. Williams says, “What young people learn about audience from writing about popular culture online has a number of implications for literary research and teaching. Whether on fan forums or lists or personal WebPages, it is clear that students are gaining real understandings of the role of audience awareness in writing and the consequences of misjudging an audience” (61).
My second question is, after reading this article, have you gained a new understanding and respect for young adults’ literacy practices and abilities. I am remembering our discussion in class last week on cultural literacy. Many of us were bemoaning the lack of cultural knowledge of young adults. Does it now seem possible that we have misjudged these young people?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
This I Believe: My Teaching Philosophy
Although still evolving, my teaching philosophy is beginning to crystalize. Here is something I recently wrote in a class at LAC (Literacy Assistance Center).
My ABE students have very practical goals, getting a job, becoming a citizen, securing their piece of the "American Dream." So I do suscribe to a certain extent to the Vocational perspective as a teaching philosophy. I do feel it is one of my roles as teacher of adult learners to help them acquire literacy for job preparation and financial independence. I also as an INFP(J) am a humanist and actively seek to support my students in their personal growth and build self esteem. And I must admit and confess that Cultural Literacy has taken a fall in my teaching arsenal since my recent encounter with JD Hersh. His list of things every American should know smacks too much of elitism.
However, I think I fall most completely in the "Liberatory" camp in terms of my teaching philosophy. I am strongly drawn to Paulo Freire and his teaching philosophy. I believe that education has the power to transform us as individuals and as a society but only if we become a more informed, thinking, critically questioning people. Thus I feel challenged to challenge my students to THINK, to QUESTION, to POSE PROBLEMS. Then, and only then, does education become truly transformative in their lives, in my life, and in our society as a whole.
My ABE students have very practical goals, getting a job, becoming a citizen, securing their piece of the "American Dream." So I do suscribe to a certain extent to the Vocational perspective as a teaching philosophy. I do feel it is one of my roles as teacher of adult learners to help them acquire literacy for job preparation and financial independence. I also as an INFP(J) am a humanist and actively seek to support my students in their personal growth and build self esteem. And I must admit and confess that Cultural Literacy has taken a fall in my teaching arsenal since my recent encounter with JD Hersh. His list of things every American should know smacks too much of elitism.
However, I think I fall most completely in the "Liberatory" camp in terms of my teaching philosophy. I am strongly drawn to Paulo Freire and his teaching philosophy. I believe that education has the power to transform us as individuals and as a society but only if we become a more informed, thinking, critically questioning people. Thus I feel challenged to challenge my students to THINK, to QUESTION, to POSE PROBLEMS. Then, and only then, does education become truly transformative in their lives, in my life, and in our society as a whole.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Functional Literacy
Jane J. Parkerton
ENGL B6400
October 21, 2009
FUNCTIONAL LITERACY
The term “functional literacy” was first used in the 1930s. The U.S. military described individuals who had three years of schooling or less as functionally literate (Ntiri, 102). During the same decade, the Civilian Conservation Corps also used this definition of “functional literacy” (Rose, 6).
In 1973 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) published a small booklet entitled Practical Guide to Functional Literacy: A Method of Training for Development. UNESCO’s use of the term “functional literacy” was in its most practically applicable sense, “the intellectual and civic training of workers” (Bellahsene, 11). Their concern was with the economic development of third world countries, which naturally involves training workers for a more complex and increasingly technological marketplace. The booklet outlines an integrated program that includes reading, writing, vocational training and instruction to develop the “professional conscience” of workers (11).
In their book, Literacy Primer, B. Blake and R. Blake say that “functional literacy” has “at least two meanings: (1) a minimal level at which an individual exhibits the ability to read and write a simple prose paragraph; and (2) the ability to use literacy for practical purposes, to get something done” (14). Regarding a minimal level of ability to read and write, B. Blake and R. Blake point us to other qualifying terms that are often attached to “functional literacy” such as “survival literacy” and “marginal literacy” (14). As for the second meaning of “functional literacy,” the authors include four “broad categories” of literacy skills, “reading, writing, numeracy and document processing” (17).
It is important to note that “functional literacy” is more frequently used in connection with adult literacy. About this B. Blake and R. Blake say, “A crucial element in an adequate definition of functional literacy is one’s performance in society” (15). Adults who are functionally literate would be expected to “function in society, at work, for home management, and for voting intelligently” (16). (Note: When I ran a Google search of “functional literacy,” well over three-quarters of the results that popped up were about adult literacy.)
Possessing a basic ability to read and write may still leave an individual functionally non-literate, that is, unprepared to fully participate in society and the workplace. If the individual lacks the ability to manipulate data and technology, employment opportunities may be very limited, allowing access only to low paying jobs. Ntiri says, “modern demands of literacy include far more than decoding and producing text. They have expanded to include information-processing and critical-thinking skills that adults use to navigate the marketplace” (98). In today’s society and workplace, labeling someone as literate or non-literate raises questions, such as what type of literacy is needed and how that literacy is to be employed.
This leads the discussion back to the second part of B. Blake and R. Blake’s definition of functional literacy, that is “the ability to use literacy for practical purposes, to get something done” (14). The authors refer to Venezky’s use of “procedural knowledge” to describe an individual’s ability to “do” something as opposed to his “declarative knowledge” which is knowing about something (15). In other words “functional literacy” can be used to describe all manner of types of literacy in which an individual must be competent in order to participate in society and compete in the marketplace: computer literacy, health literacy, numerate literacy, and media literacy are some examples, with reading and writing a vital component of each.
Looking more closely at the four “broad categories” of “functional literacy,” B. Blake and R. Blake focus their discussion on how to define and measure the attainment of each category. For the category of “reading,” they comment that “there continues to be widespread disagreement on the levels or types of reading necessary for functional literacy;” as for “writing,” “there is not yet enough empirical evidence about the skills for writing to set criteria for writing literacy” (17). “Numerate literacy,” the third category, is defined and measured generally as “The ability to think and express oneself with numbers, or the skills critical for ordinary meaning in print, such as basic addition, comparison (greater than, less than), dates, and times” (17). With “document literacy,” the fourth category, the authors quote Venezky’s definition as “the ability to make sense of documents such as these: tax schedules (which are becoming more and more complex), television schedules, advertisements, and labels on products” (18). The authors also suggest that computer literacy should be added to this list.
Becoming a literate person in our complex society increasingly calls for more than just a single set of skills such as reading and writing, which is a traditional definition of literacy. To be literate today requires an ability to function in society, in the community, and most especially in the workplace. Ntiri quotes the National Literacy Act of 1991’s definition of literacy as “the ability to read, write and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function [emphasis mine] on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” (97). Ntiri emphasizes the social context of “functional literacy” when she says, “The functional aspects of literacy now take precedence over basic reading and writing skills to the extent that both the scope and content have been enlarged to challenge the strengths of people to develop themselves and their societies” (99).
In Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose describes himself as educationally marginalized. In public grade school in south Los Angeles he was mistakenly put in the vocational track when a teacher confused his record and standardized scores with another, less able, Rose in his class. He remained in the vocational track becoming one of the kids who was “scuttling along the bottom of the pond” (26) until high school and sophomore biology. His teacher was impressed with his A-student performance, checked his record, discovered the mistake and moved him promptly into the College Prep track. “A mixed blessing” (30), Rose says, because he was so ill equipped to read, write and perform at the College Prep level. It was only through the intervention of this teacher and other dedicated, caring and competent teachers along the way that Rose was able to move up through the “latticework” of the university system (8). The point that is germane to this article is that Rose not only had to catch up on declarative knowledge but he had to learn the “doing” or craft skills of academics. He had to learn how to read closely and critically, learn and practice constantly the craft of writing and to think critically, to summarize, analyze and synthesize his thinking.
In summary, this paper has explored the various definitions of “functional literacy” and the roles it has played in educating adults for a fuller participation in society and the workplace. Although “functional literacy” was and still is sometimes regarded as education for those at a minimal or remedial level of literacy, the term has also expanded to include vital and necessary educational opportunities for all.
Works Cited
1. Bellahsene, C. Practical Guide to Functional Literacy: A Method of Training for Development. Paris: UNESCO, 1973. Print.
2. Bizzell, Patricia. “Literacy in Culture and Cognition.” A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers. Ed. Theresa Enos. New York: Random House, 1987. 125-137. Print.
3. Blake, Brett Elizabeth and Robert W. Blake. Literacy Primer. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2005. Print.
4. Ntiri, Daphne W. “Toward a Functional and Culturally Salient Definition of Literacy.” Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal 3.2 (Summer 2009): 97-104. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.
5. Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary: The Struggles and Achievements of America’s Underprepared. New York: The Free Press, 1989. Print.
ENGL B6400
October 21, 2009
FUNCTIONAL LITERACY
The term “functional literacy” was first used in the 1930s. The U.S. military described individuals who had three years of schooling or less as functionally literate (Ntiri, 102). During the same decade, the Civilian Conservation Corps also used this definition of “functional literacy” (Rose, 6).
In 1973 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) published a small booklet entitled Practical Guide to Functional Literacy: A Method of Training for Development. UNESCO’s use of the term “functional literacy” was in its most practically applicable sense, “the intellectual and civic training of workers” (Bellahsene, 11). Their concern was with the economic development of third world countries, which naturally involves training workers for a more complex and increasingly technological marketplace. The booklet outlines an integrated program that includes reading, writing, vocational training and instruction to develop the “professional conscience” of workers (11).
In their book, Literacy Primer, B. Blake and R. Blake say that “functional literacy” has “at least two meanings: (1) a minimal level at which an individual exhibits the ability to read and write a simple prose paragraph; and (2) the ability to use literacy for practical purposes, to get something done” (14). Regarding a minimal level of ability to read and write, B. Blake and R. Blake point us to other qualifying terms that are often attached to “functional literacy” such as “survival literacy” and “marginal literacy” (14). As for the second meaning of “functional literacy,” the authors include four “broad categories” of literacy skills, “reading, writing, numeracy and document processing” (17).
It is important to note that “functional literacy” is more frequently used in connection with adult literacy. About this B. Blake and R. Blake say, “A crucial element in an adequate definition of functional literacy is one’s performance in society” (15). Adults who are functionally literate would be expected to “function in society, at work, for home management, and for voting intelligently” (16). (Note: When I ran a Google search of “functional literacy,” well over three-quarters of the results that popped up were about adult literacy.)
Possessing a basic ability to read and write may still leave an individual functionally non-literate, that is, unprepared to fully participate in society and the workplace. If the individual lacks the ability to manipulate data and technology, employment opportunities may be very limited, allowing access only to low paying jobs. Ntiri says, “modern demands of literacy include far more than decoding and producing text. They have expanded to include information-processing and critical-thinking skills that adults use to navigate the marketplace” (98). In today’s society and workplace, labeling someone as literate or non-literate raises questions, such as what type of literacy is needed and how that literacy is to be employed.
This leads the discussion back to the second part of B. Blake and R. Blake’s definition of functional literacy, that is “the ability to use literacy for practical purposes, to get something done” (14). The authors refer to Venezky’s use of “procedural knowledge” to describe an individual’s ability to “do” something as opposed to his “declarative knowledge” which is knowing about something (15). In other words “functional literacy” can be used to describe all manner of types of literacy in which an individual must be competent in order to participate in society and compete in the marketplace: computer literacy, health literacy, numerate literacy, and media literacy are some examples, with reading and writing a vital component of each.
Looking more closely at the four “broad categories” of “functional literacy,” B. Blake and R. Blake focus their discussion on how to define and measure the attainment of each category. For the category of “reading,” they comment that “there continues to be widespread disagreement on the levels or types of reading necessary for functional literacy;” as for “writing,” “there is not yet enough empirical evidence about the skills for writing to set criteria for writing literacy” (17). “Numerate literacy,” the third category, is defined and measured generally as “The ability to think and express oneself with numbers, or the skills critical for ordinary meaning in print, such as basic addition, comparison (greater than, less than), dates, and times” (17). With “document literacy,” the fourth category, the authors quote Venezky’s definition as “the ability to make sense of documents such as these: tax schedules (which are becoming more and more complex), television schedules, advertisements, and labels on products” (18). The authors also suggest that computer literacy should be added to this list.
Becoming a literate person in our complex society increasingly calls for more than just a single set of skills such as reading and writing, which is a traditional definition of literacy. To be literate today requires an ability to function in society, in the community, and most especially in the workplace. Ntiri quotes the National Literacy Act of 1991’s definition of literacy as “the ability to read, write and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function [emphasis mine] on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” (97). Ntiri emphasizes the social context of “functional literacy” when she says, “The functional aspects of literacy now take precedence over basic reading and writing skills to the extent that both the scope and content have been enlarged to challenge the strengths of people to develop themselves and their societies” (99).
In Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose describes himself as educationally marginalized. In public grade school in south Los Angeles he was mistakenly put in the vocational track when a teacher confused his record and standardized scores with another, less able, Rose in his class. He remained in the vocational track becoming one of the kids who was “scuttling along the bottom of the pond” (26) until high school and sophomore biology. His teacher was impressed with his A-student performance, checked his record, discovered the mistake and moved him promptly into the College Prep track. “A mixed blessing” (30), Rose says, because he was so ill equipped to read, write and perform at the College Prep level. It was only through the intervention of this teacher and other dedicated, caring and competent teachers along the way that Rose was able to move up through the “latticework” of the university system (8). The point that is germane to this article is that Rose not only had to catch up on declarative knowledge but he had to learn the “doing” or craft skills of academics. He had to learn how to read closely and critically, learn and practice constantly the craft of writing and to think critically, to summarize, analyze and synthesize his thinking.
Patricia Bizzell addresses this higher level of looking at “functional literacy.” Moving the discussion out of the minimal or basic reading and writing requirements to survive, past the purely functional competencies in skills, she says that metalinguistic awareness is the principal component of “functional literacy.” Metalinguistic is, she says, “an awareness of how thought and language interact” (135). "Functional literacy in America—literacy that confers a reasonable degree of educational and economic success and political participation—is that literacy which enables critical reflection not only on the different relations between thought and language that obtain among our various social groups, but also on the educational, economic, and political uses to which these differences may be put" (136).
Bearing these various conceptions of “functional literacy” in mind, it might prove useful to briefly look at the way “functional literacy” is played out in our society, particularly in New York City where this writer resides. A multitude of programs are now available in this country for adults, families and children. These programs fall generally into two categories: those federally or government funded and those that spring from national volunteer organizations. Through the Adult Basic Education Act of 1966, individual states receive funds to support locally driven, community-based literacy organizations. The Adult Learning Centers of the Brooklyn Public Library are excellent examples. Through these centers programs are offered in ABE (Adult Basic Education), pre-GED and GED as well as computer classes, health literacy, and visa and immigration issues. The Consortium for Worker Education and the Literacy Assistance Center, both in New York City, are excellent examples of locally based literacy efforts. These centers, and others like them throughout the city and country offer classes in ABE and GED as well as English, citizenship and civics for immigrants, employment and workforce preparation, homeowner and small business seminars, family literacy programs and education and training for volunteers and professionals in the field of adult and functional literacy.In summary, this paper has explored the various definitions of “functional literacy” and the roles it has played in educating adults for a fuller participation in society and the workplace. Although “functional literacy” was and still is sometimes regarded as education for those at a minimal or remedial level of literacy, the term has also expanded to include vital and necessary educational opportunities for all.
Works Cited
1. Bellahsene, C. Practical Guide to Functional Literacy: A Method of Training for Development. Paris: UNESCO, 1973. Print.
2. Bizzell, Patricia. “Literacy in Culture and Cognition.” A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers. Ed. Theresa Enos. New York: Random House, 1987. 125-137. Print.
3. Blake, Brett Elizabeth and Robert W. Blake. Literacy Primer. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2005. Print.
4. Ntiri, Daphne W. “Toward a Functional and Culturally Salient Definition of Literacy.” Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal 3.2 (Summer 2009): 97-104. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.
5. Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary: The Struggles and Achievements of America’s Underprepared. New York: The Free Press, 1989. Print.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
"Everyone speaks a dialect."
Daniels, Harvey A. “Nine Ideas about Language.” Language: Introductory Readings. 7th ed. Ed. Virginia Clark, Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa and Beth Lee Simon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 3-20. Print.
In “Nine Ideas about Language” Daniels asserts that the English language is and “will remain useful and vibrant as long as it is spoken, whether we eagerly try to tend and nurture and prune its growth or if we just leave it alone. (3)” To support this statement, he lists nine fundamental ideas or facts about language and summarizes and synthesizes the research and thinking of linguistic scholars. Included among the “Nine” are discussions on how young children learn language (quickly, effectively and without instruction), the rules of language (all languages operate by rules), dialects (we all speak them) and language changes (it’s normal so relax).
Idea 4, “Everyone speaks a dialect” resonated most with me. Growing up in small farming communities in Kentucky and Tennessee, rural southern and Appalachian dialects were part of the air I breathed. A dialect, Harvey says “designates a variety of a particular language which has a certain set of lexical, phonological, and grammatical rules that distinguish it from other dialects.” Some examples of words and phrases in the dialects that I was exposed to were “over yonder” (over there), “shet of” (get rid of), and “hose pipe” (water hose). My brother recalls a time standing in line at a small grocery store in town. The two men in line ahead of him were “clearly not from ‘round here” my brother said. The young cashier rang up their purchases and asked if they wanted it put in a “poke.” They looked at her uncomprehendingly. Then as she handed them their change, one man asked, rather arrogantly my brother said, “Could you please put that in a paper bag?” After they walked out, my brother and the young clerk had a good chuckle over the “fool” ways of Yankees. Another story: When I was 12 or 13, my best friend’s brother teasingly took a ring from me and refused to give it back. When my friend asked for it, he replied to her, “Hit ain't yourn, hits hern.” After my friend translated, I snatched it back, snarling, “It’s not ‘hisn’ either.” I was not mollified when my friend nudged me and whispered that it was his way of showing he liked me. I wasn’t interested in dating an ignorant hillbilly! These two stories illustrate the confusion in communication and the prejudice that can result when you encounter someone who speaks a different dialect. The young female cashier and my friend’s brother spoke in a dialect different from ours. The cashier followed her rules and her training -- she politely offered a “poke” or a bag. My friend’s brother followed the rules in his dialect: “hit” is it and “hisn,” “hern” and “yourn” are possessive pronouns, his, hers and yours.
I think this is an important article to read particularly in relation to the issue of dialects. I cannot speak for the men involved in the story of the “poke,” but I can for myself. If I had had this article, or an understanding of the information in it when I was growing up, hopefully I would have been less quick to write off those who spoke differently from me as ignorant hillbillies. I could have approached this experience as an opportunity to learn and share information about language, customs and culture. It was only after I moved to New York City that I began to realize the richness of the language and heritage that I had left behind without ever really getting to know. And I also encountered for the first time, prejudice against my own way of speaking, my own southern country dialect.
In “Nine Ideas about Language” Daniels asserts that the English language is and “will remain useful and vibrant as long as it is spoken, whether we eagerly try to tend and nurture and prune its growth or if we just leave it alone. (3)” To support this statement, he lists nine fundamental ideas or facts about language and summarizes and synthesizes the research and thinking of linguistic scholars. Included among the “Nine” are discussions on how young children learn language (quickly, effectively and without instruction), the rules of language (all languages operate by rules), dialects (we all speak them) and language changes (it’s normal so relax).
Idea 4, “Everyone speaks a dialect” resonated most with me. Growing up in small farming communities in Kentucky and Tennessee, rural southern and Appalachian dialects were part of the air I breathed. A dialect, Harvey says “designates a variety of a particular language which has a certain set of lexical, phonological, and grammatical rules that distinguish it from other dialects.” Some examples of words and phrases in the dialects that I was exposed to were “over yonder” (over there), “shet of” (get rid of), and “hose pipe” (water hose). My brother recalls a time standing in line at a small grocery store in town. The two men in line ahead of him were “clearly not from ‘round here” my brother said. The young cashier rang up their purchases and asked if they wanted it put in a “poke.” They looked at her uncomprehendingly. Then as she handed them their change, one man asked, rather arrogantly my brother said, “Could you please put that in a paper bag?” After they walked out, my brother and the young clerk had a good chuckle over the “fool” ways of Yankees. Another story: When I was 12 or 13, my best friend’s brother teasingly took a ring from me and refused to give it back. When my friend asked for it, he replied to her, “Hit ain't yourn, hits hern.” After my friend translated, I snatched it back, snarling, “It’s not ‘hisn’ either.” I was not mollified when my friend nudged me and whispered that it was his way of showing he liked me. I wasn’t interested in dating an ignorant hillbilly! These two stories illustrate the confusion in communication and the prejudice that can result when you encounter someone who speaks a different dialect. The young female cashier and my friend’s brother spoke in a dialect different from ours. The cashier followed her rules and her training -- she politely offered a “poke” or a bag. My friend’s brother followed the rules in his dialect: “hit” is it and “hisn,” “hern” and “yourn” are possessive pronouns, his, hers and yours.
I think this is an important article to read particularly in relation to the issue of dialects. I cannot speak for the men involved in the story of the “poke,” but I can for myself. If I had had this article, or an understanding of the information in it when I was growing up, hopefully I would have been less quick to write off those who spoke differently from me as ignorant hillbillies. I could have approached this experience as an opportunity to learn and share information about language, customs and culture. It was only after I moved to New York City that I began to realize the richness of the language and heritage that I had left behind without ever really getting to know. And I also encountered for the first time, prejudice against my own way of speaking, my own southern country dialect.
Further on the subject of "Phantonyms"
Confession: It seems I have not been a careful researcher and user of language. "Phantonym" is a word invented by Rosenthal. Unlike synonym and antonym, "phantonym" cannot be found in a dictionary. A web search, however, does bring up many responses to Rosenthal's piece and further discussion of tricky words with shades of meaning that stump us.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Language: Phantonyms
Rosenthal, Jack. "On Language: Phantonyms." New York Times 27 Sept. 2009. natl. ed. Magazine 24. Print.
Phantonyms are the subject of Jack Rosenthal's regular column "On Language." Phantonyms are, he says, "words that look as if they mean one thing but mean another."
Synonyms have a similar meaning as another word; antonyms are words that mean the opposite of another word. Phantonyms, however, are tricky and deceptive and can trip up students taking SAT exams as well as politicians and journalists, and the average Jane or Joe. Even careful users of language such as President Obama are caught in a mis-speak by a phantonym.
Some phantonyms I know on a deep cellular level, having encountered them many times in my life. Examples of these would be enervated which means not energetic but weakened. Also, fortuitous is a familiar of mine. It means "happening by chance" rather than what seems obvious, "lucky." Other antonyms I would have, and probably have already done so, tripped up on: noisome, fulsome (which President used incorrectly), enormity and penultimate among others.
The subject interests me first because I enjoy exploring language and particularly the development of words from the original Greek or Roman or Old English to present day. It is also appeals to me presently because of a mis-speak of my own. I named my blog "Encounters with Language and Literacy." Encounter I thought a dear word that signified a chance meeting that in some way proved enriching or delightful. Imagine my dismay when on checking my American Heritage I discovered that yes I had the chance meeting correct but had not taken into account the possibility of a hostile confrontation. Oh my!
Technically I think encounter is not phantonym as I suspect most language students, my classmates included, know of this hostile element that lurks in encounter. Now that I am enlightened, and my blog already named, I may find this a fortuitous encounter that might lead to confrontation or friendship.
Phantonyms are the subject of Jack Rosenthal's regular column "On Language." Phantonyms are, he says, "words that look as if they mean one thing but mean another."
Synonyms have a similar meaning as another word; antonyms are words that mean the opposite of another word. Phantonyms, however, are tricky and deceptive and can trip up students taking SAT exams as well as politicians and journalists, and the average Jane or Joe. Even careful users of language such as President Obama are caught in a mis-speak by a phantonym.
Some phantonyms I know on a deep cellular level, having encountered them many times in my life. Examples of these would be enervated which means not energetic but weakened. Also, fortuitous is a familiar of mine. It means "happening by chance" rather than what seems obvious, "lucky." Other antonyms I would have, and probably have already done so, tripped up on: noisome, fulsome (which President used incorrectly), enormity and penultimate among others.
The subject interests me first because I enjoy exploring language and particularly the development of words from the original Greek or Roman or Old English to present day. It is also appeals to me presently because of a mis-speak of my own. I named my blog "Encounters with Language and Literacy." Encounter I thought a dear word that signified a chance meeting that in some way proved enriching or delightful. Imagine my dismay when on checking my American Heritage I discovered that yes I had the chance meeting correct but had not taken into account the possibility of a hostile confrontation. Oh my!
Technically I think encounter is not phantonym as I suspect most language students, my classmates included, know of this hostile element that lurks in encounter. Now that I am enlightened, and my blog already named, I may find this a fortuitous encounter that might lead to confrontation or friendship.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Literacy Primer by Blake and Blake
Blake, Brett Elizabeth and Robert W. Blake. Literacy Primer. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 2005. Print.
Literacy Primer discusses literacy its many aspects. It introduces and defines types of literacy (autonomous, multiple, basis, functional, numerate, etc.), examines issue of literate vs. illiterate and explores the history of the development of literacy from Ancient Greeks to present.
Although relatively small in size (193 pages including 20 pages of references and resources), I find this book to be comprehensive in its coverage of literacy and highly readable. My only reservation is that the authors seem biased in preference for literate over oral societies/cultures and toward the English language. Despite this I feel the book useful in helping a new student like myself become acquainted with the terms, language and issues of literacy.
Stay tuned. I have read my way through to page 121. More in depth comment to follow.
Literacy Primer discusses literacy its many aspects. It introduces and defines types of literacy (autonomous, multiple, basis, functional, numerate, etc.), examines issue of literate vs. illiterate and explores the history of the development of literacy from Ancient Greeks to present.
Although relatively small in size (193 pages including 20 pages of references and resources), I find this book to be comprehensive in its coverage of literacy and highly readable. My only reservation is that the authors seem biased in preference for literate over oral societies/cultures and toward the English language. Despite this I feel the book useful in helping a new student like myself become acquainted with the terms, language and issues of literacy.
Stay tuned. I have read my way through to page 121. More in depth comment to follow.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Whole Language Learning Theory
In our first "Theories and Models of Literacy" class I commented that in teaching reading I ascribed to the Whole Language Learning Theory as opposed to teaching reading using phonetics. I added that I learned to read this way. (I attended first grade in the early fifties.) However, when asked what Whole Language Learning means exactly I was at a loss to explain.
Doing a bit of research I can succinctly define it this way: The Whole Language Learning Theory essentially is a literacy philosophy that emphasizes reading for meaning and strategy instruction rather than teaching methods of decoding and breaking down words as in phoenics.
Wikepedia says, "Whole language is an educational philosophy that is complex to describe, particularly because it is informed by multiple research fields including but not limited to education, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Several strands run through most descriptions of whole language:
focus on making meaning in reading and expressing meaning in writing;
constructivist approaches to knowledge creation, emphasizing students' interpretations of text and free expression of ideas in writing (often through daily journal entries).
emphasis on high-quality and culturally-diverse literature; integrating literacy into other areas of the curriculum, especially math, science, and social studies; frequent reading, (a) with students in small "guided reading" groups, (b) to students with "read alouds," and (c) by students independently; "reading and writing for real purposes; focus on motivational aspects of literacy, emphasizing the love of books and engaging reading materials; meaning-centered whole to part to whole instruction where phonics are taught contextually in "embedded" phonics (different from decontextualized phonics); and emphasis on using and understanding the meaning making role of phonics, grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation in diverse social contexts.
Underlying premises of whole language Learning theory
The idea of "whole" language has its basis in a range of theories of learning related to the epistemologies called "holism." Holism is based upon the belief that it is not possible to understand learning of any kind by analyzing small chunks of the learning system. Holism was very much a response to behaviorism, which emphasized that the world could be understood by experimenting with stimuli and responses. Holists considered this a reductionist perspective that did not recognize that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Analyzing individual behaviors, holists argued, could never tell us how the entire human mind worked. This is—in simplified terms—the theoretical basis for the term "whole language."
This is the teaching philosophy we use in the Adult Learning Center at the Brooklyn Public Library where I tutor.
Doing a bit of research I can succinctly define it this way: The Whole Language Learning Theory essentially is a literacy philosophy that emphasizes reading for meaning and strategy instruction rather than teaching methods of decoding and breaking down words as in phoenics.
Wikepedia says, "Whole language is an educational philosophy that is complex to describe, particularly because it is informed by multiple research fields including but not limited to education, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Several strands run through most descriptions of whole language:
focus on making meaning in reading and expressing meaning in writing;
constructivist approaches to knowledge creation, emphasizing students' interpretations of text and free expression of ideas in writing (often through daily journal entries).
emphasis on high-quality and culturally-diverse literature; integrating literacy into other areas of the curriculum, especially math, science, and social studies; frequent reading, (a) with students in small "guided reading" groups, (b) to students with "read alouds," and (c) by students independently; "reading and writing for real purposes; focus on motivational aspects of literacy, emphasizing the love of books and engaging reading materials; meaning-centered whole to part to whole instruction where phonics are taught contextually in "embedded" phonics (different from decontextualized phonics); and emphasis on using and understanding the meaning making role of phonics, grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation in diverse social contexts.
Underlying premises of whole language Learning theory
The idea of "whole" language has its basis in a range of theories of learning related to the epistemologies called "holism." Holism is based upon the belief that it is not possible to understand learning of any kind by analyzing small chunks of the learning system. Holism was very much a response to behaviorism, which emphasized that the world could be understood by experimenting with stimuli and responses. Holists considered this a reductionist perspective that did not recognize that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Analyzing individual behaviors, holists argued, could never tell us how the entire human mind worked. This is—in simplified terms—the theoretical basis for the term "whole language."
This is the teaching philosophy we use in the Adult Learning Center at the Brooklyn Public Library where I tutor.
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