Bridging Literacy and Equity: The Essential Guide to Social Equity Teaching

by Lazar, Althier M.; Edwards, Patricia A.; McMillon, Gwendolyn Thompson; Gay, Geneva

• ISBN13: 9780807753477
• ISBN10: 0807753475
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-29
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

Extraordinary K12 teachers show us what social equity literacy teaching looks like and how it advances children's achievement. Chapters identify six key dimensions of social equity teaching that can help teachers see their students' potential and create conditions that will support their literacy development. Serving students well depends on understanding relationships between race, class, culture, and literacy; the complexity and significance of culture; and the culturally situated nature of literacy. It also requires knowledge of culturally responsive practices, such as collaborating with and learning from caregivers, using cultural referents, enacting critical and transformative literacy practices, and seeing the capacities of English Language Learners and children who speak African American Language.

Author Biography

Althier M. Lazar is professor of teacher education at Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Patricia A. Edwards is Distinguished Professor of Language and Literacy in the Department of Teaching Education, a principal investigator, Literacy Achievements Research center, and a Senior University Outreach Fellow at Michigan State University. Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon is associate professor of literacy in the Department of Reading and Language Arts at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Preface	p. xi
Social Equity Literacy Teaching Matters	p. 1
Social Equity Literacy Teaching: What Teachers Need	p. 3
Teachers-A Major Factor in Literacy Achievement	p. 5
Teacher Commitment	p. 7
Seeing the Responsibility to Teach	p. 8
Empowering Disempowered Teachers	p. 10
Using This Book to Guide Social Equity Literacy Teaching	p. 13
Conclusion	p. 15
Different Doesn't Mean Deficit	p. 17
Poverty: Statistics Don't Tell the Whole Story	p. 18
The Nuances of How Poverty and Literacy Relate	p. 19
What Race and Racism Have to Do with It	p. 21
Rethinking Racism: Brown v. Board of Education	p. 22
Response to Disenfranchisement	p. 25
Understanding Capital	p. 26
Offsetting Negative Conditions	p. 27
Conclusion	p. 29
Beyond Heroes and Holidays: The Complexity and Relevance of Culture	p. 30
The Complexity of Culture	p. 31
Understanding How Culture Is Reflected in School	p. 37
Addressing Culture Makes a Difference	p. 40
Conclusion	p. 44
Variation Is Normal: Recognizing Many Literacies and Languages	p. 46
Many Literacies	p. 47
Standardized Forms of English	p. 55
Conclusion	p. 63
From Spirituals to Hip-Hop: Teaching in the Third Space	p. 64
Making Connections with Students in the Third Space	p. 66
Conditions That Foster Learning	p. 67
Exploring Third-Space Teaching Through African American Churches	p. 69
Implementing Components of Third-Space Teaching	p. 75
Using Unofficial Literacies to Inform Classroom Instruction	p. 75
Conclusion	p. 79
Students Taking Action: Critical Approaches to Teaching	p. 80
Using Literacy as an Instrument for Social Change	p. 81
Critical Pedagogy Aligns with Culturally Relevant Teaching	p. 84
Using Critical Literacy to Read and Interpret Texts	p. 90
Becoming Critical Isn't Easy	p. 91
Complicating Students' Understandings About Power and Race	p. 94
Conclusion	p. 97
Transforming Teachers	p. 99
Teachers Have Biases, But They Can Change	p. 100
Exploring Racial Identity	p. 103
Racial Identity Development and Literacy Teaching	p. 106
Examining Privilege and Subordination	p. 108
Accessing School-Valued Discourses	p. 115
Conclusion	p. 118
References	p. 121
Index	p. 135
About the Authors	p. 145
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