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Literacy in and Out of School CIE, 577 - Fall, 2005 Professor: Dr. Yolanda J. Majors
Course Description In this course we will explore how literacy, learning and problem solving are influenced by the interaction between cultural ways of knowing and social context. Cultural ways of knowing may be viewed through membership in one or more speech communities, through patterns of language socialization within families and communities, and through patterns of social relations that influence routine activities in the home and community. They may also be viewed as historical phenomena. Social contexts may include family settings, community settings, school or workplace settings, as well as the structure and purposes of specific learning tasks in any of these settings. The aim of Literacy In and Out of School is to both illuminate and challenge our notions of a literate context (i.e., classrooms, barbershops, dairy farms, computer screen) and the permeability of such contexts with regards to literacy acquisition and use. In this course we will bring together insights from various research and language communities to address issues in literacy relevant to all who are concerned with leveraging non –“mainstream” skills for academic development. We will examine the ways in which literate practices occur in the real world settings of home, community, classroom and workplace. We will consider the problem solving nature of most everyday literate practices and the extent to which those practices are shaped by social interaction with others. This course represents a movement towards the consideration of learning and teaching outside of the classroom, emphasizing the context and situations in which children learn to become adults. Readings for this class look at how literacy has been defined both historically and contemporarily, how oral languages and written texts are similar and different, and how cultural background influences reading comprehension. Readings and class discussions also explore the implications of these themes for literacy instruction and apprenticing in home, school and work environments in terms of the content of instruction, the structure and sequence of tasks, and the organization of the learning environment. Readings involving application include issues relating to a variety of ethnic groups, including African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. Students are responsible for weekly class discussions on readings, a mid-term paper and a final paper.
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