Reading Journal
| Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page | Gee, James. “What Is Literacy.” Journal of Education, vol. 171, no. 1, 1989, jamespaulgee.com/pdfs/Gee What is Literacy.pdf. |
| Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words | In “What Is Literacy” James Gee literally defines literacy, as a network of discourses that a person has learned and/or acquired. Out of necessity, Gee also defines discourse, as a set of values and viewpoints common to an association of various sorts. Similar to “Inviting the Mother Tongue” by Peter Elbow, Gee explains to expect different discourses to be found in people of different backgrounds and upbringings. Furthermore, he states that it is because of said concept that peoples’ literacy is not to be judged to the individual, but rather to the discourses which they were exposed to on their journey to literacy. Literacies will vary, as will discourses. |
| Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.
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Discourse (noun) – A socially accepted association among ways of using language, of thinking, and of acting that can be used to identify oneself as a member of a socially meaningful group or social network
Instantiate (verb) – Represent as or by an instance Gestalt (noun) – An organized whole that is perceived as more than just the sum of its parts Acquisition is good for performance. Learning is good for meta-level knowledge. Intransitive (adj) – (of a verb or a sense or use of a verb) Not taking a direct object |
| How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?
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In “What is Literacy?” James Gee explains that different individuals acquire as well as learn control of various discourses not by their own choice, but by exposure. It Is for this reason that people must be looked at for that which they have been exposed to, rather than what it makes them. This can be related to Elbow’s article, because in it he explains how different constructs make for different final products; or more literally, people reach different levels of literacy based on a number of different factors that vary person to person (ie. Income level, residential area, and ethnicity). |
| Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. | Provide an example for a discourse which you have acquired, and another for one which you have learned. |