A study of literacy and teaching practices. Educational sholar and former schoolteacher Rebecca Powell argues that the decisions we make about literacy in a pluralistic society are fundamentally moral ones, either supporting inequitable power relationships, or seeking to transform them. Powell explores the underlying ideological assumptions of "schooled literacy" and examines the ways teaching practices create tensions in the lives of students - tensions that often result in alienation and educational failure, particularly among those with cultural knowledge and language tends to be marginalized in schools. While primarily ground in critical theory, this volume also draws from multicultural and holistic perspectives in the teaching of written and oral language and addresses the link between whole language and critical pedagogy. Thus, the text is both theoretical and practical. Powell argues that literacy instruction should encourage social responsibility and civic action, should enable students and teachers to understand the transformative potential of language, and should nurture a culture of compassion and care.

Author Biography

Rebecca Powell is professor of education Georgetown College and Marjorie Bauer Stafford Endowed Chair in Education.