Literacies of Power: What Americans Are not Allowed to Know
Authors:Freire (foreword) and Macedo (author)Book DescriptionIn Boston, twelve-year-old student David Spritzler faced disciplinary action from his school for his vocal questioning of the Pledge of Allegiance, which celebrates liberty and justice for all. The boy's concerns were not taken by the teacher as an opportunity to engage the class in a discussion of the country's problems, such as homelessness, which could be seen just outside on Boston's streets. Across the river at prestigious MIT, a linguist student told her colleague that she could not take time to read literature outside of theoretical linguistics if she wanted to be a top scholar in her field. Even essays that linked linguistics to its historical and social context fell outside her diligent pursuit of theory.
Quote:"MOST AMERICANS WOULD CRINGE at the thought that they have repeatedly fallen victim to big lies told by their government..."
Table of content:1.Literacy for Stupidification: The Pedagogy of Big LiesThe instrumentalist Approach to Literacy
The Barbarism of Specialization, or the Specialization of Barbarism
The Illiteracy of Literacy of the Gulf War
2. Our Common Culture: A Poisonous PedagogyWestern Heritage Versus Multiculturalism
What All Americans Need to Know
3. Our Uncommon Culture: The Politics of Race, Class, Gender, and Language4. English Only: The Tongue-Tying of AmericaThe Role of Language in the Education of Linguistic-Minority Students
A Democratic and Liberatory Education for Linguistic-Minority Students
5. Educational Reform: Literacy and Poverty PimpsEducational Reforms That Deform
The Choiceless Choice
The Method: Fetish of Reform
6. Charitable Racism: Imposing Democracy UndemocraticallyThe Naturalization of Mass Deception
Liberals' Dance of Hypocrisy
Remember Hirsch "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know" (1987)?
Dangerous Reading?
The 25th annual Banned Books Week is Sept. 23-30. The American Library Association says each book below has been pulled from some libraries or schools:
The Adventures of Captain Underpants—causes unruly behavior
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—racist language
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl—sexually explicit
The Catcher in the Rye—offensive language
Garfield: His Nine Lives—banned from kids’ section of library only: offensive language
The Handmaid’s Tale—sexually explicit
Harry Potter (entire series)—occult
Little Red Riding Hood—bottle of wine in basket for Grandma
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary—offensive language
To Kill a Mockingbird—racist language
A number of other books have been removed because of provocative pictures, racist or explicit language, or controversial ideas. Sometimes the books are “challenged”—that is, individuals request to have them removed—but the challenge is overruled, and the books remain.
There have been more than 8,700 reported book challenges since 1990. Among those challenged: Mother Goose, Freakonomics, The Bible and Fahrenheit 451.
“The reason more books aren’t banned is because community residents—with librarians, teachers and journalists —speak out for their freedom to read,” said ALA President Leslie Burger.
To learn more, and for details about Banned Books Week (September 23-30), visit
www.ala.org/bbooks. The American Library Association says this week is a great time to read a classic book.
Technology and Literacy
What's "New Literacy"?There has been talk about the "new literacy" because of the integration of technology into the curriculum, teachers' new techno-pedagogical training, and the incoming "digital generation" into the classroom. But what does "new literacy" means in terms of theory, methodology and applications?
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