September 2020

Andrea R. Fishman. “Literacy and Cultural Context: A Lesson from the Amish.” Vol. 64, 1987, pgs. 842-854. 

Andrea Fishman wrote an article that makes the reader, or audience member, feel like they are experiencing the events told like they were there. This kind of writing really helps me understand concepts in a way that just reading facts can’t do. I have never researched or been exposed to the Amish lifestyle below the surface. Reading this journal piece, I felt like I was there on those nights of reading, singing, etc. I now understand the concepts of different versions and definitions of literacy. Each upbringing or culture can have its own, with small distinguishing marks or quirks. It takes a mature person to respect those differences and build upon them when they need to. 

I had heard the term discourse before, but the way it Gee defined it– “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’”– really stood out to me.
 

After reading and reflecting, I can see similarities between “discourses”- like traditional older grandparents or family members and the Amish community. Tiny details such as the books in the house or the lack of technology or even the way of learning showed me that there are 

How and why do different discourses overlap? 

Gee, James. “What Is Literacy?”. Journal of Education. Volume 171. Issue 1. 1989, 18-23. 

I have always had trouble taking as much away from more classically written articles or journals than more modernly written pieces. This interpretation of literacy took me several times to read before I had a decent understanding of the point that Gee was trying to get across. The section where he broke down the difference between acquisition and learning was the most significant to me because of how it connects to everything else we have gone over so far. His separation of the parts of literacy also helped me have a stronger understanding of what literacy truly means. It is so much more than just an old name for English class. 

I had heard the term discourse before, but the way it Gee defined it– “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’”– really stood out to me.
 

Gee’s description of the different discourses jumped out at me because it reminded me of Peter Elbow’s article about the mother tongue in the deeply rooted idea that all people learn language and behavior in one way, but the “popular” or more respected discourse may be something else entirely. 

What discourses do young people find themselves isolated from or striving to be? Why is there a disconnect from what we are taught and what we must present? 

Brandt, Deborah. “Sponsors of Literacy” College Composition and Communication Vol. 49, No. 2 (May, 1998), pp. 165-172. Published By: National Council of Teachers of English 

The concept that every generation has learned how to read, write, and learn differently is almost too big for me to wrap my head around. In the mid 1900’s, how did my grandmother discover and develop her love of writing? Sponsorship, which was also a new concept to me, is also incredible. The love and drive for reading and writing stems from something different for everyone. Did my grandmother love to read the song books in the piano bench before she learned to play, or maybe she fell in love at the same time she fell in love with my grandfather and his letters from overseas? Sponsorship can be anything- a letter, a song, a person, anything! It just shows how individualistic people are and how unique society really is. 

Rumination, which was a completely unfamiliar word for me, means “obsessive thinking about an idea, situation, or choice especially when it interferes with normal mental functioning” according to Merriam Webster. Sponsorship was also a new concept to me. It means figures or objects that pave ways for literary learning, written by Brandt.
 

This article as well as Elbow’s article revolve around the process of learning how to read, speak, and write. All three of these go hand in hand in the literary world. The concepts created in these works poke the brain to look at all learners individually and as on their own path. 

Is it the secondary education system’s fault for not allowing students to go down their own path to discover their sponsor for their literary journey? Or could it possibly be the student’s fault for not pursuing it on their own?