Reviews for Text Theory

The average rating for Text Theory based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-23 00:00:00 Linda Phifer William Kist's book New literacies in action chronicles his seven-year journey through a set of classrooms that had adopted a New Literacy curricular model. Kist was interested in nonprint forms of expression in classrooms and devised a model to conduct an empirical study that would add to the academic discussion of redefining literacy. Kist sets out his goal for this study right from the beginning of the text, "My goal has been to share the work of classroom teachers and students (with their permission) who attempt to weave new literacies into everyday life in their classrooms" (13). His straightforward style continues on throughout the book as he shares his observations, the reflections of the teachers and students, and the research that has built the foundation for his study. Each chapter in this book is set up as a profile of the particular school Kist is observing. The chapters are very readable. Kist gives a detailed description of the setting in the classroom, and how the teacher is employing New Literacy theory and some of the actual assignments being turned in. I liked the practical nature of this set up because as a classroom teacher, there were activity ideas I could take away immediately and meld into my own style. At the end of each chapter, Kist interviews students and teachers about their experiences with New Literacies. These interviews are an invaluable piece because it lent validation to what the classrooms were doing. One of the comments that really struck a chord with me came from a teacher-librarian's interview, "I came here and saw that these teachers, they don't teach English. They teach kids. They teach students. And that is the crucial difference" (qtd. in Kist 125). The personal nature of these statements give power to his message and his research, especially for those of us in the trenches. My questions when I picked this book up were, how did these teachers get past the prescribed curriculum and what were the reactions from other teachers and students about the practices of these classrooms. Kist presents the information without subjectivity. He gives both sides of the story which I appreciate. The honest style of his narrative makes the book an easy read. Unfortunately, I was not surprised about the comments from Mr. Fisher's students about their perception of the rigor of the class. Kist points out in the beginning of this chapter that Fisher has been the recipient of many awards, including Outstanding Middle School Educator in Manitoba and the recipient of Innovative Educator classroom grants. The profile of Fisher's classroom is amazing. Fisher's students are not just participating in New Literacy Pedagogy, but they are also working heavily on a social justices education platform. Many of the assignments are tied to learning about and bettering the world outside their classroom. Although Fisher is inspiring, I found the same criticism of his approach that I have seen elsewhere. In the reflection interview with some of Fisher's students this comment surfaced, "We didn't get as much done this year [as they had with previous teachers and that they didn't have as much homework this year as before:]" (qtd. In Kist 58). Kist goes on to highlight some of the comments about how fun the class was, but it did not seem as if they were learning something academic, it seemed more like play. This is an argument, as Kist goes on to point out, that many of the teachers profiled in New literacies in action experience as push back against their classroom practices. There is a common perception, from even the students themselves, that this approach to curriculum is fun but not very substantive. For me, these perceptions point out the importance of this approach. Students are working and they don't even realize it. Kist concludes the book with commentary on current research and some of the issues being faced in re-envisioning literacy. Kist positions himself as an academic and a self-professed investor in print. He presents the question that he feels is still unanswered "With more forms of communication available than ever before, will educators and policymakers be able to keep a kind of catechism, with a curriculum centered around questioning that assesses students on how well they give the right answers? Or will new literacies open the way to true democratization of representational forms, maybe for the first time in history?" (141). For me, this is the ultimate question, how do educators become change makers? New literacies in action is an important piece of the growing puzzle of the definition of literacy and how to express it. Kist admits that in the end he still questions how an educator can practice this pedagogy and also submit to the State mandated forms of assessment. He also points out in the closing remarks that some of the classroom programs he profiled are no longer there due to the extreme budget cuts that education has endured. Kist presents an important conundrum that I will think about long after I put his book down.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-06 00:00:00 Douglas Lalonde I'll probably never look at multiple-choice tests the same way again.