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last.updated 9.7.09

 

Histories of Literacy Education


Purpose

John Dewey's theories have been quite influential on twentieth-century United States education. Whether practitioners adopt or reject his theories, many policies and pedagogies seem to respond to his principles. Today we will discuss where we have been and the relevancy of Dewey's work.


Discussion – John Dewey

In the early twentieth century John Dewey composed a treatise to propose education reform. We will discuss the following:

  • What questions do you have about this selection?
  • What are his arguments?
  • What did you find most interesting about this article?
  • Graff has developed a secondary text explaining the history of nineteenth century literacy in the US; Dewey's treatise provides a primary text that defines the education at the beginning of the twentieth century. How do you see Dewey discussion responding to the conditions that Graff describes?
  • How does Dewey support his arguments? In other words, what is his epistemology?
  • Dewey defines education as "It is that reconstruction or reorganization of experience which adds to meaning of experience, and which increases ability to direct the course of subsequent experience" (p. 76). What are your opinions about this definition? Does it seem relevant almost one-hundred years later? How might you revise it?
  • How is Dewey's work relevant to English Studies?

Activity: What does it mean to be literate in English Studies?

You all will be divided into four groups–some using IM–and given 25 minutes to discuss the following question: What does it mean to be be literate in English Studies? Another way to think about this question is to ask yourselves: What literacies should students who earn a BA in English Studies have learned by the time they graduate? Also address the question: How does this differ from what it means to be literate after earning one's undergraduate degree?

To answer this question, your group should contextualize your English Department. Your group will want to answer...

  • What type of institution are you at?
  • How does your English Department define English Studies? (You may choose to look at some programs to get an idea, but don't spend a lot of your time doing this).

Take notes on what your group discusses and be prepared to talk about it during the last part of class.