Responsible Reading: Children's Literature and Social Justice
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| Title: | Responsible Reading: Children's Literature and Social Justice |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Simpson, Alyson (ORCID |
| Source: | Education Sciences. 2022 12. |
| Availability: | MDPI AG. Klybeckstrasse 64, 4057 Basel, Switzerland. e-mail: education@mdpi.com; e-mail: indexing@mdpi.com; Web site: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/education |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | Literacy, Primary Education, Social Justice, Equal Education, Teacher Responsibility, Childrens Literature, Teacher Effectiveness, Barriers, Curriculum Development |
| ISSN: | 2227-7102 |
| Abstract: | In high accountability cultures, primary phase literacy education tends to focus on improving children's test scores. Driven by each country's performance in international league tables, this results in narrow, predominantly skills-based programmes designed to address attainment gaps. While scores may have been enhanced in recent years, there is little evidence that policy directives have positioned literacy in the lives of learners in ways that have become meaningful for them or been transferred into ways of thinking that promote social equity. Indeed, teaching practices that exacerbate the challenges for those young people who are already disadvantaged by circumstance have become more prevalent. Teachers, therefore, have an ethical responsibility to redress this through their teaching. This paper argues that literature is core to more equitable literacy development. As not all reading practices are equal, developing literacy education for a more socially just society needs to challenge the dominant pedagogic hegemony. Literature has the potential to spark the kind of mindful disruption necessary to shift standardised paradigms of thought, so literacy education should have children's literature at its heart. By examining the value of literature through a set of complementary lenses, this paper seeks to reveal its affordances in young people's lives. Then, through commentary taken from a pair of vignettes drawn from professional learning contexts, we illuminate shifts in teacher perception gained through scaffolded introduction to reading literary texts. The insights teachers gained reveal reconceptualisation of reading and the role of literature in primary education. This has the potential to redirect their future classroom practice. Consequently, we propose that for teachers to be adept at improving literacy outcomes through productive adoption and use of literary texts, they need: an aesthetic appreciation and knowledge of children's literature; personal experience with reading such literature as social practice; and pedagogic insight into how to use literature to teach literacy and develop volitional readers. We call this knowledge set the additive trio, noting that no 'step' or understanding is sufficient on its own, and that together they can enable the development of Reading Teachers who work with literature to advance the social justice agenda. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1353554 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1353554 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Responsible Reading: Children's Literature and Social Justice – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Simpson%2C+Alyson%22">Simpson, Alyson</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3700-4585">0000-0003-3700-4585</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cremin%2C+Teresa+Mary%22">Cremin, Teresa Mary</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Education+Sciences%22"><i>Education Sciences</i></searchLink>. 2022 12. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: MDPI AG. Klybeckstrasse 64, 4057 Basel, Switzerland. e-mail: education@mdpi.com; e-mail: indexing@mdpi.com; Web site: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/education – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 14 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2022 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Primary+Education%22">Primary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy%22">Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Primary+Education%22">Primary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Justice%22">Social Justice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Equal+Education%22">Equal Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Responsibility%22">Teacher Responsibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Childrens+Literature%22">Childrens Literature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Effectiveness%22">Teacher Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+Development%22">Curriculum Development</searchLink> – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 2227-7102 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: In high accountability cultures, primary phase literacy education tends to focus on improving children's test scores. Driven by each country's performance in international league tables, this results in narrow, predominantly skills-based programmes designed to address attainment gaps. While scores may have been enhanced in recent years, there is little evidence that policy directives have positioned literacy in the lives of learners in ways that have become meaningful for them or been transferred into ways of thinking that promote social equity. Indeed, teaching practices that exacerbate the challenges for those young people who are already disadvantaged by circumstance have become more prevalent. Teachers, therefore, have an ethical responsibility to redress this through their teaching. This paper argues that literature is core to more equitable literacy development. As not all reading practices are equal, developing literacy education for a more socially just society needs to challenge the dominant pedagogic hegemony. Literature has the potential to spark the kind of mindful disruption necessary to shift standardised paradigms of thought, so literacy education should have children's literature at its heart. By examining the value of literature through a set of complementary lenses, this paper seeks to reveal its affordances in young people's lives. Then, through commentary taken from a pair of vignettes drawn from professional learning contexts, we illuminate shifts in teacher perception gained through scaffolded introduction to reading literary texts. The insights teachers gained reveal reconceptualisation of reading and the role of literature in primary education. This has the potential to redirect their future classroom practice. Consequently, we propose that for teachers to be adept at improving literacy outcomes through productive adoption and use of literary texts, they need: an aesthetic appreciation and knowledge of children's literature; personal experience with reading such literature as social practice; and pedagogic insight into how to use literature to teach literacy and develop volitional readers. We call this knowledge set the additive trio, noting that no 'step' or understanding is sufficient on its own, and that together they can enable the development of Reading Teachers who work with literature to advance the social justice agenda. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2022 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1353554 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1353554 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Literacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Primary Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Social Justice Type: general – SubjectFull: Equal Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Responsibility Type: general – SubjectFull: Childrens Literature Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: Barriers Type: general – SubjectFull: Curriculum Development Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Responsible Reading: Children's Literature and Social Justice Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Simpson, Alyson – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cremin, Teresa Mary IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2022 Identifiers: – Type: issn-electronic Value: 2227-7102 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 12 Titles: – TitleFull: Education Sciences Type: main |
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