Making Literacy Real
Theories and Practices for Learning and Teaching
- Joanne Larson - University of Rochester, New York, USA
- Jackie Marsh - University of Sheffield, UK
Offering an overview of the major fields in literacy studies, this book presents a detailed and accessible discussion of key theories and their relevance in the primary classroom.
Each chapter uses a real life case study to explore the application of theory in practice, followed by a detailed discussion of the case study material by a leading name in the field, including contributions from Barbara Comber, Michele Knobel, Colin Lankshear, Gunther Kress, Brian Street, Kevin Leander and Patricia Enciso.
The text also offers reflections on theoretical foundations for research, exploring literacy as a practice grounded in social, cultural, historical and political contexts and in relationships of power.
This second edition includes:
- New chapters covering digital literacy, space and play, and multimodality
- Examples and contributions from a range of international contexts, including US, UK, Canada, Australia and South Africa
- Further reading links.
Essential reading for students at undergraduate and post-graduate level on primary education courses and an invaluable guide for anyone wanting to understand literacy theory and successfully apply this to the classroom.
Larson and Marsh reassemble a polyphonic choir to interpret literacies as critical social practices - with new voices, adding powerful contrapuntal harmonies to contest the logic, theory, and practice of the National Curriculum and Race to the Top. Sing out!
When it was first published, this groundbreaking book brought key contemporary theories of literacy together in a coherent and accessible form. Making Literacy Real quickly established itself as a key resource for educators, students and researchers working in a rapidly changing field. This updated edition incorporates the latest research around play, space and multimodality ensuring that it remains essential reading for those of us interested in literacy theory and literacy education.
This is one of very few books that considers the world of possibilities within literacy pedagogy and challenges the dominant techno-rational approach that reduces literacy to skills teaching. The book is grounded in robust theoretical models that challenge the reader to critically reflect on their practice. The vignettes are extremely helpful in contextualising what the authors say. A must read for all aspiring and current literacy teachers.
Engaging and invitational, this second edition of Making Literacy Real skilfully illuminates the inseparability of theory and practice. It makes accessible a comprehensive range of theoretical frameworks, including new sections on Space and Play, and Multimodalities and Artifactual Literacy and describes their application and realisation in the classroom through authentic examples. A ‘must have’ text for all contemporary literacy professionals.
Making Literacy Real invites readers to move beyond traditional approaches to literacy education which emphasize one-size-fits-all, normalized learning trajectories. Larson and Marsh vividly portray classrooms that have rejected reductionist and constraining models of literacy teaching and, instead, embraced ways of teaching which recognize and build on the many strategies and resources students bring to classrooms. Moving beyond the false theory-practice dichotomy, this new edition, which includes 21st century literacies, is a gem. In a time when literacy is being defined in reductionist terms, Making Literacy Real will be an inspiration to teachers, teacher-researchers, and all who care about the transformative potential and power of education.
Clearly makes links between theory and practice , using relevant case studies to illustrate the discussion. Revised version has updated existing chapters and the new chapters focusing on digital literacies, learning environmnets and multimodality are extremely relevant to education in the 21st century.
Brand new chapters on:
Multimodality and Artifactual Literacies (Ch5)
Literacy, Space and Play (Ch6)
Increased coverage on digital technologies
