Conversation 2 – Sullivan

1. According to Szwed, the 5 elements of literacy are text, participant, motivation, function and context. Among the five elements the one that get to me is motivation. I choose motivation because motivation is the force that leads people to act to achieve their goals and it’s the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation can be used to encourage people to perform to their best, and can be a driving force behind human actions. For example, motivation can help someone get a promotion at work. Motivation comes from the Latin word “movere” which means “to move”, “to drive”, or “to drive forward”. Motivation can be internal or external, and can be classified as extrinsic, identified, intrinsic, or introjected.

2. What method of studying literacy does Szwed recommend and why? John Szwed’s “The Ethnography of Literacy” recommends using ethnography to study literacy. Szwed believes that ethnographies can expand knowledge on literacy. He also stresses the importance of reading and writing as a necessity for education and modernity. Szwed discusses how misconceptions about literacy dictate how literacy is studied. He believes that we cannot properly teach literacy because we do not fully understand what it is. He argues that when literacy is understood, it will reveal the roles of individuals and their places. Szwed believes that using ethnographies will greatly expand knowledge on literacy.

3. What does Szwed mean when he writes, in reference to ethnography, that “we must come to terms with the lives of people without patronizing them”? Ethnography is a branch of anthropology that studies individual cultures. It involves examining the behavior of participants in a social situation, understanding their own interpretation of that behavior, and documenting patterns of social interaction. Ethnographers use qualitative methods, but may also employ quantitative data. They often include a brief history, and an analysis of the terrain, climate, and habitat.

4. Imagine you are a literacy instructor at a high school in the Bronx: if you followed Szwed’s advice, how would you teach literacy? I would not teach anything different because I have learn that I can not change it know matter how I try to teach it to othere student it still going to be the same way and the same understanding.

5. What, according to Perry, are the two models of literacy? How are they different? Which one do you think is better? The two model types of literacy discussed by Perry are, autonomous and ideological. The autonomous model of literacy assumes that literacy has effects on other social and cognitive practices. It involves imposing Western conceptions of literacy on other cultures or within a country. The ideological model of literacy offers a more culturally sensitive view of literacy practices. It examines assumptions about people, context, and literacy. And I think ideological is better because it is better equipped to deal with the ever-changing world. The ideological model offers a more culturally sensitive view of literacy practices as they vary from one context to another.

6. What did you learn from researching the term “orality versus literacy?” Orality is the primary verbal medium used by cultures with little or no exposure to writing. Literacy is the ability to read and write. Orality and literacy are similar but different. Oral cultures use speech to exchange information, while literate cultures use written or printed media. Oral cultures rely on human senses to convey information, while literate cultures use grammatical rules and structured dialogue. Orality is important in all societies because it helps people educate the young and teach important lessons about the past and life.

7. How are our literacy practices shaped by communities of which we are part and in which we are raised? Literacy practices are shaped by the communities we are part of and in which we are raised. These practices include how we behave, talk, do tasks, and relate to others. For example, a child’s home environment can support literacy development. Children learn through social interactions to appropriate the practices of their community, acquire norms and values, and participate in reading and writing activities.

8. How are literacy standards created, who do they serve and how are they assessed for cultural bias? Literacy standards are designed to prepare students for life outside the classroom. They include critical-thinking skills and the ability to read texts attentively. Cultural bias can affect standardized tests by misrepresenting certain cultural groups as being less intelligent or lacking knowledge. For example, if a professor gives a pop quiz where the average score for males is significantly lower than females, that is an indication of the test being culturally biased.