more on literacies and place

Barbara Comber played with the phrase 'know your place' when she began the special focus day on literacy and social class at the UK Literacy Association conference last Thursday. She argues for a hopeful take on critical literacies with place pedagogies, suggesting that the notion of 'knowing one's place' can be an inclusive educational resource, getting away from the implication of 'accepting' one's (lowly) position.

This urban renewal project brought together primary and preschool children with architecture trainees to transform their setting. It was so clear how the project, being so real, engaged the children in authentic processes of planning, consultation, design and so on, in which their literacy skills flourished. Above is a photo of Ridley Grove school grounds early in the project.

I'm currently reading 'A mobile century? changes in everyday mobility in Britain in the twentieth century' by Colin Pooley, Jean Turnbull and Mags Adams. It turns out that the question mark is fundamental to their argument. Although the opportunities for long distance travel are far greater now than they were a century ago most people only do this once or twice a year and many never have - or take - the opportunity. '...for many, everyday mobility consists mainly of local travel connected to essential everyday tasks and ... this aspect of mobility has changed little over time.' (p. 1) The book includes some fascinating interviews with older people who reflect on their changing travel patterns over their lifespan; many move around more in their 60s than every before.

I take from this a strengthening of Barbara Comber's argument; that relating literacy pedagogies to the locality can be fruitful and empowering in many ways. Here is another gorgeous image from her Centre for Studies in Literacy, Policy and Learning Cultures

UK Literacy Association conference

I've just returned from the UKLA conference at Liverpool Hope University. One theme that came across very vividly to me was the experience of place in people's formative experiences of literacy. David Almond, the author of Skellig, was convinced - and really very convincing! - that his lifelong love of literature and determination to write that lasted over several decades before he attained any success - began with his first encounter with his uncle's small printworks. OK sounds reasonable - but he was 9 months old at the time! (I also loved the way he talked about using word processor software - how he occasionally turns the view down very small so that just the shapes of the paragraphs are visible, not the words themselves). In this interview he explains how he uses a sense of place in his writing. Steve Martin, a historian who works with children and recently published his first children's novel (Jupiter Martin) explains how he uses visits to local archives and walks around their locality to stimulate children's imaginations and writing work through revealing some occluded aspects of history including the presence of black people in British cities even centuries ago.

Julia