Friday, February 11, 2011

Heath, Shirley Brice. "Literacy and Social Practice." D.A. Wagner, R.L.Venezky & B.V.Street(Eds.) Literacy: Intl Hndbk(102-106) Boulder,CO:Wview 1999

Heath tells us that the definition of literacy has changed over the years. The old view of literacy embraces the development and reception of writing and reading of literal texts. In 1970 the perception changed to the decoding and encoding of symbols for meaning being conveyed by oral language. The article discusses how ... 1-scholars believe activities, values, patterns of time and space shape responses to written texts in societies and institutions ... 2-research reveals how literacy practices and formal instruction clash with literacy that is fostered in the home and local communities ... and 3-social position and orientation to community values are not the results of formal education. Instead it is influenced by ethnicity, geographic location, social and political factors.

Reflection: The definition of literacy has changed with time and between cultures. There cannot be one definition for "literacy" unless it is so general as to fit generic meaning into that of industrialized U.S. and China as well as aborigine Australian bush-country and west Africa. Each culture has its own way of making meaning of those symbols valued in its society.

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