Pathways to Literacy

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Bloomsbury Publishing, Nov 2, 1995 - Education - 226 pages
This text recognizes that there is no simple way to develop literacy. It begins with the central premise that literacy is not simply a cognitive process, but a set of social practices used in socio-cultural contexts, and argues that literacy learners come to school with unique social histories that need to be recognised in the programmes devised to facilitate learning. Cairney claims that literacy is not a unitary social practice and suggests that there are many forms of literacy, each with specific purposes and contexts in which they are used. The author provides a look at the many practical classroom strategies and practices that are necessary to recognize multiple pathways to literacy.
 

Contents

1 Towards a Sociocultural Understanding of Literacy
1
The Importance of Community to Literacy Learning
17
3 The Teacher the Student the Text
30
4 Creating Literacy Environments
50
5 Developing Readers Who Read
74
6 Developing Writers Who Write
95
7 Assessing Literacy Learning
132
8 Programming for Literacy Instruction
160
9 Tackling the Tough Questions
179
References
193
Name Index
207
Subject Index
210
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Page ix - Literacy is the ability to read and use written information and to write appropriately, in a range of contexts. It is used to develop knowledge and understanding, to achieve personal growth and to function effectively in our society. Literacy also includes the recognition of numbers and basic mathematical signs and symbols within text.

About the author (1995)

Trevor Cairney is an Honorary Professor of Education at the University of Sydney, Head of the Moore Theological College Foundation, and University Life Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He has written ten books and over 200 refereed articles and book chapters across the fields of education, teaching, pedagogy, early learning and theology.

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