Literacy Matters

Literacy can empower students, but it may also limit their understanding if taught without regard for the context of their lives. Using his encounters with students, in high school, college, and state prison classrooms, as well as his own experience, Robert Yagelski looks at the sometimes ambiguous role of literacy in our lives and examines the mismatch between conventional approaches to teaching literacy and the literacy needs of students in a rapidly changing, increasingly technological world. He asserts that ultimately, the most important job of the English teacher is to reveal to students ways they can participate in the discourse that shapes their lives, and he offers a timely look at how technology has influenced the way we write and read. The scope of this fascinating book reaches beyond the classroom and offers insight about what it means to be "literate" in an economically driven, dynamic society. Addressing earlier works on the subject of literacy, as well as the ideas of theorists such as Foucault, this perceptive work has much to offer educators and anyone seeking to understand the nature of literacy itself.

The versatile and practical handbook to promote students′ literacy and learning! Scores of children across the country do not read with comprehension, and literacy has become a national priority. In Literacy Matters, internationally recognized author, educational coach, and consultant Robin Fogarty defines and reviews 15 practical literacy approaches that teachers can use across all content areas and grade levels to help students develop essential literacy skills. This user-friendly resource provides strategies for immediate implementation with an overview of the research and best practices associated with each strategy. With an easy-to-use menu that enables teachers to select the specific strategies they want to use to boost content-area literacy and comprehension, this valuable guide explores proven instructional methods such as Teaching metacognitive student thinking Creating literature circles Involving parents and community Tapping into prior knowledge Using technology to impact literacy acquisition Put these strategies to use in your classroom, and watch as your students improve their reading and comprehension, and apply these tools for success across content areas and in their lives!

Exploration of the ways in which literacy and its teaching has changed to reflect a new diversity of racial, social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Contributors explore the emergence of 'multiliteracies': from the more broad perspectives of policy implications to specific case studies in classroom and home settings. Simultaneously published in paperback and downloadable PDF format. Includes notes on contributors and references.

Early Literacy Matters is an innovative action guide for elementary school leaders and instructional coaches dedicated to accelerating literacy performance in the early grades, when prevention of reading difficulties matters most. As a unique father-daughter team with combined expertise in literacy education and instructional leadership, the authors share best practices for literacy success. Readers will learn how to... establish and lead a literacy team, implement embedded professional development, utilize key assessments to frame daily instruction, and illustrate specific organizational and scheduling models needed to support systemic change based on the science of reading. Each chapter features reflection questions and explicit strategies and tools leaders can implement immediately in today’s classrooms.

Literacy research has focused increasingly on the social, cultural, and material remaking of human communication. Such research has generated new knowledge about the diverse and interconnected modes and media through which people can and do make meaning and opened up definitions of literacy to include image, gaze, gesture, print, speech, and music. And yet, despite all of the attention to multimodality, questions remain that are fundamental to why multimodal literacy might matter to people and their communities. How, for instance, might multimodal literacy be implicated in wellbeing? And what of the little-researched sonic in multimodal ensembles? For centuries singing, as a basic form of human communication and tool for teaching and learning, has been used to share knowledge and pass on understandings of the world from one generation to another. What, however, are the implications of singing and its effects on people’s prospects for learning and making meaning together? In this thought-provoking book, the authors explore notions of wellbeing and what is created when skipped generations are brought together through singing-infused multimodal, intergenerational curricula. They argue for the import of singing as a multimodal literacy practice and unite theoretical ideas, practical tools, and empirical research findings from a ground-breaking seven-year study of intergenerational singing in multimodal curricula. Educators and researchers alike will find in the pages of this interdisciplinary book responses to the question of why multimodal literacy might matter and a sample curriculum designed to foster the expansion of people’s literacy and identity options across the lifespan. /div

In an era when many in the science community feel that science is under attack, In Defense of Science explains why ordinary citizens need to have an understanding of science, its methods, and its groundbreaking discoveries. The authors debunk several misconceptions of science and scientists, and advocate that science is an integral part of society and everyday life. This book begins with an introduction to science and its basic concepts, including a brief and entertaining history of science and scientific discoveries, before taking on current views of science in society. It surveys the many sources of our ideas of science, including pop culture, classics of literature, news media, and political discourse. Much of the information from these sources tends to mislead, and the only way to guard against such misinformation is to become scientifically literate, and promote scientific literacy in society. The book therefore delves into the reasons that so many people do not understand basic scientific principles and do not keep up with scientific breakthroughs, and finishes by examining the current state of science education. It includes many resources for further reading, and is presented in an engaging and entertaining way.

This book explains how and why information literacy can help to foster critical thinking and discerning attitudes, enabling citizens to play an informed role in society and its democratic processes. In early 21st century societies, individuals and organisations are deluged with information, particularly online information. Much of this is useful, valuable or enriching. But a lot of it is of dubious quality and provenance, if not downright dangerous. Misinformation forms part of the mix. The ability to get the most out of the information flow, finding, interpreting and using it, and particularly developing a critical mindset towards it, requires skills, know-how, judgement and confidence – such is the premise of information literacy. This is true for many aspects of human endeavour, including education, work, health and self-enrichment. It is notably true also for acquiring an understanding of the wider world, for reaching informed views, for recognising bias and misinformation, and thereby for playing a part as active citizens, in democratic life and society. This ground-breaking and uniquely multi-disciplinary book explores how information literacy can contribute to fostering attitudes, habits and practices that underpin an informed citizenry. The 13 chapters each come from a particular perspective and are authored by international experts representing a range of disciplines: information literacy itself, but also political science, pedagogy, information science, psychology. Informed Societies: Why Information literacy matters for citizenship, participation and democracy covers: - why information literacy and informed citizens matter for healthy, democratic societies - information literacy’s relationship with political science - information literacy’s relationship with human rights - how information literacy can help foster citizenship, participation, empowerment and civic engagement in different contexts: school students, refugees, older people and in wider society - information literacy as a means to counter misinformation and fake news - the challenges of addressing information literacy as part of national public policy. The book will be essential reading for librarians and information professionals working in public libraries, schools, higher education institutions and public bodies; knowledge and information managers in all sectors and student of library and information science students, especially those at postgraduate/Masters level who are planning dissertations. Because of the topicality and political urgency of the issues covered, the book will also be of interest to students of political science, psychology, education and media studies/journalism; policy-makers in the public, commercial and not-for-profit sectors and politicians implications of information use and information/digital literacy.