Different conceptions of literacy and its relationship with oral communication are examined, and a new approach that separates literacy and orality rather than representing them on a continuum is criticized. The methodological and theoretical assumptions underlying the work of proponents of the new approach are questioned, including: (1) a narrow…

Addresses problems that arise when literacy education is brought from national and international centers to people whose identity is with local languages and literacies. Local literacies are defined with respect to different languages and writing systems, invented local literacies, and vernacular literacies. (Contains 33 references.) (Author)

It has long been orthodoxy among adult educators that those who teach adults need to take into account the existing knowledge, practices, perceptions and expectations of the learners. This is true at both central level where curricula and teaching-learning materials are developed and at local level where adult teacher/facilitator meets adult…

Close to 1,100 people attended the 55th Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, Florida from November 30-December 3, 2005. A record number of proposals were submitted this year (548), with 392 papers, symposia, and round tables accepted. This year's conference theme was inclusiveness and synthesis…

In this commentary, the authors debate a number of issues associated with literacy and numeracy and with developing a "social" perspective on numeracy, particularly in relation to four points arising from Barwell's intervention: (1) the use of terms mathematics and numeracy; (2) the notion of text as it is applied to these domains; (3)…

These 15 papers share a common theme: seeking to promote literacy as a powerful tool for challenging existing inequalities and dependencies. "Powerful Literacies" (Jim Crowther et al.) is an introduction. Section 1 establishes the theoretical and policy frameworks that underpin the book and shows how literacy is situated in different…

Literacy is a cultural construct, and the dominant view of literacy reflects only dominant values and assumptions. There are many kinds of "literacies," and the Great Divide theory that illiterate people are fundamentally separate from literate people is being rejected in current policy debates. (SK)

This article offers a way of viewing mathematics as social, drawing upon research on numeracy practices at home and at school carried out by the School and Community numeracies team in the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Programme, a five-year research programme (1997-2002) at King's College London. Within the school and community focus of the…

The preceding set of papers has explored various aspects of the role of language in mathematics education. The papers reflect the work of individual contributors. An important part of our collaboration, however, has been the conversation between us. This paper reflects on aspects of that conversation, as we draw together some of the themes that…

Explores how to develop children's understanding of mathematical vocabulary. Presents a lesson in which the class works on the concept of dimension, and issues raised by a discussion of applied linguistics and mathematics education. Discussion was stimulated by advice from the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) vocabulary book. (KHR)

A principal aim of the National Curriculum in England was to ensure equality of opportunity for all children, regardless of race or social class. This aim was strengthened through the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy 10 years later which set out to standardize not just the literacy curriculum itself but also the materials and methods…

This book describes a new approach to teaching and learning cultural studies. Borrowing the idea of ethnography from anthropologists, it argues that language students can be taught methods for investigating the cultural and social patterns of interaction and the values and beliefs that account for them. Doing an ethnographic study while living…

With germinal texts, new writings, and related art, "Sexualities in Education: A Reader" illuminates a broad scope of analysis and organization. Composed of a framing essay and nine sections edited by established and emerging scholars and addressing critical topics for researchers and students of sexualities and education, the text…

Several articles of interest to teachers of English as a second language (ESL) are included. The Institute of Languages at the University of New South Wales describes "Projects for a 'Survival' English Course for Overseas Students." Howard Tucker and Barbara Harley discuss an educational series of 24 television programs for immigrant…

In response to increased violence, bullying, and anti-social behavior among young people in our schools and on our streets (Akiba, M., LeTendre, G., Baker, D., & Goesling, B., 2002; Leming, 1996; Males, 2001; Pellegrini & Bartini, 2000; Smagorinsky, 2002; Tendero, 2000), advocates of character education have proposed and instituted a…