| Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page.
Gee, James. “What Is Literacy?”. Journal of Education. Volume 171. Issue 1. 1989, 18-23. |
| Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words
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. |
| Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.
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. |
| How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?
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. |
| Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.
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? |