RR&D Session 10
Date: Wed Nov 3, 2004 4:45
pm
Author: Christie, Reba
<[email protected]>
Subject: Performative
Literacy
Performative Literacy: The
Habits of Mind of Highly Literate Readers
Sheridan Blau
Summary
Mr. Blau calls for a
literacy for all students that enables them to exercise critical and
disciplined ideas.....a willingness to accept paradox and to accept several or
no “right answers” are other values of this literacy. Finally, a willingness to
question and to be aware of your own ways of learning are valued in this
literacy.
Connection
I had some English classes
that seemed to be set up in an imatition of this literacy style, but actually
did not support individual thinking (it only looked like it did). For example,
one of my English teachers had the class read Heart of Darkness. He was very
careful to guide us to come to his ideas of how to “read” the book. So,
although students offered up their ideas, they were very much directed in how
to approach the book from the instructor’s point of view. I came away with a
very different reading than my class (which was not looked upon very well) and
I have yet to find a literary review or critique that upheld the ideas of my
teacher.
Although I’ve had that bad
experience, I believe that most of the ideas Mr. Blau upholds are not only
beneficial for students, but also support American ideas- willingness to be
unique, take risks, question authority, accept temporary failure but persevere.
Of course, these ideas should probably be tempered with respect for authors and
others’ ideas, and with a knowledge of high literary thought (an appreciation
for classical readings, rather then discarding old, educated academic readings
for the student’s own, newly-educated reading). I would also not support the
idea of multiple or no right answers- while in practical terms there may be
more than one way to skin a cat, in philosophical terms there is a definite
distinction between right and wrong, and I worry that the line may be blurred
through the final applications of the attributes of this literacy.
Discussion
What do you think? How would
you practically use this literacy in an elementary setting? Have you used this
philosophy? What kind of books or other texts would lend themselves to this
style of literacy?
Date: Wed Nov 3, 2004 7:49
pm
Author: Gentry, Pamela
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Performative
Literacy
Hi Reba- I read this article
for another Session, even wrote the review, but didn't end up posting it
because it was another one of those articles that is more on the philosophical
side of things. Interesting, though, as you note. I agree with you about the
rather liberal slant ... this guy reminded me of Robin Williams in "Dead
Poet Society". That movie ends with the teacher being a "hero"
because he has convinced his pampered, protected, unfortunate, boys to
"question authority". I'm ALL for critical thinking, as you said. But
it has to be more than just standing against the status quo ... I'm reading
"Wild Swans" right now, about China and have just gotten to the
Cultural Revolution, which, I hadn't realized was largely driven by Mao tapping
into the inherent rebellion of youth ---they went crazy, Mao benefitted, and
many innocent people deeply suffered......OK, now I've disclosed my biases fully.
I'm ready for the cross-fire :-)
Date: Wed Nov 3, 2004 8:34
pm
Author: Barney, Katherine
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Performative
Literacy
Whenever there is politics,
money, and/or power involved in a goal someone will find a way pursuade or
influence people to follow them. All we can do is teach our students to think
for themselves and not get caught up in something that may hurt themselves or
others. kat
Date: Thu Nov 4, 2004 7:55
pm
Author: Gentry, Pamela
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Performative
Literacy
Kat- in support of your
comment there was a great comment in an article I read in Session 1 about the
nature of true literacy as being “textual power” i.e. the “ability to resist
manipulation” and the “capacity to assert influence” via text. I think the
current article talked about this definition a little bit too. I find this to
be a dynamic definition of literacy.
Date: Fri Nov 5, 2004 8:37
pm
Author: Christie, Reba
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Performative
Literacy
Pamela,
Bring on the philosophy!(no
cross-fire here!) You already read this article? I'd be interested to read your
review of it, if you've still got it. There seems to be a disproportionate
number of articles that come from that Liberal slant that are required reading
in education courses.
I'm afraid I'm not too up on
my history of China's Cultural Revolution, but didn't the same kind of thing
happen in Cambodia- they taught children to distrust their parents and put
faith in the government. You're on to something about there being more to
critical thinking than going against the status quo--maybe I'm just on a kick
with the whole right/wrong thing, but I would think that the critical thinking
would be determined by your worldview. Questioning everything would serve no
purpose unless it was done with a purpose in mind- which is likely determined
by your worldview. A person's motivation for questioning authority must come
from somewhere or be driven by something, with a purpose in mind. Therefore, its
not the act of critical thinking that makes the difference, it is the
motivation for doing so--the actual critical thinking would be the application
of the motivation, or worldview. The application of critical thinking would be
very different if one has a background of absolutes than if that person had a
background of multiple "rights" or no absolutes, or a lack of a
notion of right and wrong. How are future teachers being taught? What was the
worldview of this article? It's blatanly biased towards multiple versions of
"right," accepting various readings of a text as equally valid. This
postmodern, Liberal worldview fills most of the textbooks that have been
required in my education courses. If we're being taught in this manner, it's
likely that we'll teach others in the same way that we are taught, unless we
think critically and then apply ourselves.
Reba
Date: Fri Nov 5, 2004 10:10
pm
Author: Gentry, Pamela
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Performative
Literacy
Reba- I think you are right
about Cambodia ... also happened among the Hitler Youth in
Germany....interestingly, I know that in Germany now, high school students all
study Hitler's speeches for the purpose of evaluating rhetoric and applying
critical thinking in a political context.
I agree that post-modern
relativism is rampant. I so wish that more people were just aware of the role
that worldview plays in our lives. Critical thinking is such an essential
skill.
The more that I get into my education studies, I'm seeing that the educational elite in this country are apparently not only holders, but pretty strong promoters of post-modern relativism. (the last Book Club reading was a great example) I'm so surprised sometimes by the things that these "open minded" people say. I, too, reflect on what this will be doing to public education in the country. My guess is that as more and more new teachers are trained this way (and are already perhaps leaning this way in the first place because it is a dominant cultural trend) there will be a further polarization in society....I got almost got in discussion with a fellow student in the research course I'm taking. I was asking for more context in the course structure and the teacher was turning my request into a structure versus freedom discussion. Another student jumped in and said "structure kills creativity"...as if that were an accepted absolute. I couldn't refrain from responding, to what, in my opinion is so blatantly false and unsupported...but no reply, maybe she's busy.