Literacy, Schooling and Revolution, by Colin Lankshear

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Recommended: Philosophy of teaching literacy

Let us attempt to understand Lankshear's argument. My interpretation

of Lankshear's position is that he supports the idea of literacy as

being best understood as a concept which comes into affect by its

application in day to day life. I further assess his statement as

literacy being also considered as the formation of ideas which forms

the uses of literacy as well as creating an image to convey its use

(Lankshear, 1987, p.50). The uses of literacy may be to communicate

with one another or to participate in society by working, or to help

others in need. Without the idea one can not put literacy into use.

Such ideas must make known their use, they do so by reflecting this

use to the recipient. To understand the implicatioins of this

argument I will explore the misconceptions which he refers to with

comments and gradually progress to his argument in the context of

children's literacy. Lankshear bases his arguments against certain

misconceptions of literacy which he refers to as the autonomous

model. He supports his arguments with authors Brian Street (he

contrasts his ideological model with that of the autonomous model) and

Harvey Graff who refers to the misconceptions as the literacy myth.

Lankshear explains the views upon which misconceptions are based as

follows: Both educationists and ordinary, lay people are mostly

inclined to think that they either have or do not have literacy

skills, those without it not only have a need for it but that they

should also acquire it. Upon attaining literacy they can make use of

it and choose to apply it whenever and for whatever purpose they

need. According to this view the world...

... middle of paper ...

...

Marsh, Jackie, (2000) contemporary Issues in Early childhood, volume

1, Number 2, Tellytubbies Tales: Popular Culture in the Early Years

Language and literacy curriculum.

Millard, E, (1997) Differently literate, boys, girls and the schooling

of literacy, Routledge, London cited in Pahl Kate, (1999)

Transformations: meaning making in nursery education, Trentham Books

Ltd, Staffordshire, U.K.

Pahl Kate, (1999) Transformations: meaning making in nursery

education, Trentham Books Ltd, Staffordshire, U.K.

Street, B.V, (1984) Literacy in theory and practice, Cambridge

University Press, Cambridge, U.K.

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/pub/marsh.html

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