Many people in "literate" societies, when asked to define literacy, almost always do so in terms of reading
and writing abilities This narrow interpretation of literacy, an
offspring of reductionist psychology, has reigned supreme in many academic and educational contexts for decades, greatly shaping literacy theories and classroom practices Within the past ten years, however, a large body of multidisciplinary
research has begun to undermine the authority of this
perspective by situating literacy in larger social practices

Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourses.

In this extended essay our first professor of lifelong learning, John Field,2 brings to his subject what the subject has long been crying out for: a comprehensive knowledge of the literature, old and new, primary and secondary, national and international;3 an understanding of the terrain that takes in both the larger structural features characteristic of the subject as a whole, together with the multitude of facts attaching to its many parts; and a measured judgement which manages to remain free of the cynicism which finds in lifelong learning nothing but an empty catch phrase, and free also of the insouciance found in those who see in lifelong learning a revolution set to usher in if it hasn't already a land of educational plenty.

Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order

Prologue vi 1 What's Wrong with Consumption? 1 2 A Consumer Society 39 3 Why We Shop 64 4 Why Denim? 90 5 It's the Stupid Economy 108 6 How Not to Save a Planet 139 Postscript 182 Notes 186 Index 202

Consumption and Its Consequences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how mentors can act as change agents for social justice. It examines mentors’ roles in initial teacher education in the lifelong learning sector (LLS) and how critical spaces can be opened up to promote a flow of mentor, trainee teacher, learner and community empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – Two thematic literature reviews were undertaken: one of UK LLS ITE mentoring and the other an international review of social justice in relation to mentoring in ITE and the first year of teaching. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, field and habitus (Bourdieu, 1986) are used as sensitising tools to explore LLS mentors’ practices and the possibilities for increasing the flow of “pedagogical capital” between mentors, trainee teachers, learners and communities, in such a way that would enable mentors to become agents for social justice. Findings – LLS mentors and trainee teachers are uncertain about their roles. In the UK and several countries, mentoring is dominat...

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Extending the mentor role in initial teacher education: embracing social justice

Extending the mentor role in initial teacher education: Embracing social justice

In the UK, further education (FE) colleges play a key role in providing literacy programmes. This article draws upon our research in FE, with a focus on literacy, learning and identity, to explore how different learners are positioned differently depending on the value of the literacy practices they bring with them from home. Indeed, it is generally considered that recognising the literacies that learners bring into the classroom is an effective strategy to teaching and learning because purposeful and meaningful learning builds and expands on learners’ prior knowledge and experience to shape and construct new knowledge rather than seeing the learner as an empty vessel ready to be filled by the tutor. Learning is seen as a social activity embedded in particular cultures and contexts where assessment is based on the learners demonstrating competence in achieving specific learning outcomes. The achievement of these learning outcomes is situated in the learners’ real life and everyday practices. The paper con...

Angela Brzeski

Papers

Literacy, learning and identity: challenging the neo-liberal agenda through literacies, everyday practices and empowerment