Socially Responsible Literacy: Teaching Adolescents for Purpose and Power

by Selvester, Paula M.; Summers, Deborah G.; Heath, Shirley Brice

• ISBN13: 9780807753729
• ISBN10: 0807753726
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780807772393
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-02
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr
• More Book Details

Summary

This book offers a new vision for teaching adolescent literacy that moves beyond teaching reading for its own sake and toward seeing reading as a way to motivate students to engage with their world. The authors share adolescent readers' experiences to discover how teachers encourage their students to explore their identities, face injustices, and contribute to their communities. Readers learn how to incorporate core issues of a socially responsible pedagogy into their own curricula to support strong literacy skills across the content areas. Each chapter includes reflection questions that move the reader toward personal and professional development, along with classroom applications that provide specific strategies and ideas for socially responsible literacy projects.

Author Biography

Paula M. Selvester is a professor of teacher education and teaching international languages in the School of Education at California State University, Chico. Deborah G. Summers is a professor of secondary adolescent literacy and the director of the School of Education at California State University, Chico.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Foreword	p. xiii
Toward a Socially Responsible Pedagogy
Adolescent Voices on Literacy and Power	p. 3
Contextualizing the Role of Literacy	p. 4
The History of Literacy: Positioning and Purpose	p. 5
Goals of Literacy and Schooling in Society Today	p. 6
The Impetus for Change: Socially Responsible Pedagogy	p. 7
The Intersection of Literacy, Power, and Identity	p. 8
Listening to Adolescent Voices	p. 11
Adolescents' Perception of Power in the School Context	p. 16
Toward a Socially Responsible Pedagogy	p. 19
Some Necessary Definitions	p. 21
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 23
A Socially Responsible Pedagogy of Adolescent Literacy	p. 25
Toward a Definition	p. 26
Theory	p. 28
Framework	p. 29
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 34
The Spirit of a Socially Responsible Pedagogy
Necessary Conditions, Rights, and Responsibilities	p. 37
The Role of Adolescent Identity Development in Socially Responsible Learning	p. 39
Developmental Approaches to Adolescent Identity	p. 40
Using Developmental Theory to Inform the Socially Responsible Pedagogy	p. 43
Issues in Constructing Identities	p. 45
Rights and Responsibilities in the Socially Responsible Classroom	p. 50
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 54
Capacities for Nurturing Social Responsibility	p. 56
Purpose of Public Schooling: Creating Socially Responsible Citizens	p. 57
Workers and Citizens	p. 59
Capacities for Sustaining a Socially Responsible Pedagogy	p. 62
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 68
The Science and Art of a Socially Responsible Pedagogy
Testing and Assessment: What Are the Stakes?	p. 73
High-Stakes Testing and Its Impact	p. 74
The Historical Context of the Accountability Movement	p. 76
Social, Economic, and Political Forces Affecting the Accountability Movement	p. 78
Socially Responsible Literacy as Communities of Inquiry	p. 81
Socially Responsible Assessments	p. 82
Questions to Ask	p. 87
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 88
Taking Responsibility Through Learning Strategies	p. 89
Defining Self-Regulated Learning in the Socially Responsible Setting	p. 90
Understanding the Role of Self-regulated Learning for Social Responsibility	p. 91
The Self-Regulated Learning Process	p. 93
The Role of Goal Orientation and Self-Efficacy in Self-Regulated Learning	p. 95
The Critical Need for Self-Regulated Learners	p. 99
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 100
Academic Language and the Discourses of Power	p. 102
Sources of Capital that Shape Discourses of Power	p. 103
Academic Literacy, Disciplinary Literacy, and Academic Language	p. 104
Academic Language and Vocabulary	p. 107
Finding Positive Academic Identity	p. 109
Oral Discourse and Academic Identity Development	p. 111
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 114
Reading Powerfully	p. 116
Becoming a Critical Reader	p. 117
The Adolescent Literacy "Crisis" in Context	p. 117
Changing Our Orientations to Literacy	p. 120
Critical Literacy in the Socially Responsible Classroom	p. 124
Planning and Teaching the Socially Responsible Reading Curriculum	p. 126
Close Up or Far Away: Things to Consider in Selecting Between Approaches	p. 130
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 132
Writing to Create Change	p. 134
A Critical Look at Contemporary Writing Instruction	p. 135
Beyond Drill and Kill: Constructive Approaches to Writing	p. 139
A Critical Literacy Orientation to Writing	p. 144
Reflection, Application, and Resources	p. 146
Conclusion	p. 148
References	p. 151
Index	p. 177
About the Authors	p. 194
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