Customer Reviews

Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourses (Taylor & Francis Series in Pharmaceutical Sciences)

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It is difficult to get a hold of James Paul Gee's works-- they seem to always be out of stock. Although looking for The Social Mind, I ended up ordering Social Linguistics and Literacies, and would recommend it to anyone, but especially for the educator interested in scientific bases for critical pedagogy. Gee writes in a very approachable manner, and has much to say. He delves into his favorite subject, Discourses, from a linguistics perspective, but his audience is geared to the layman as well as to the scientist, the mark of a writer hoping to reach a wide audience. I certainly would be pleased if more people read what Gee had to say. We'd all know a lot more about why certain groups in our society are geared toward school success, and be able to discuss educational issues from a more informed and less superstitious perspective.

Gee does what he does in this book what he always does in all of his books: dropping wisdom from every stroke of his pen with sensorial examples. If you do not undestand critical literacy: please consider beginning with this one.

Chapter Two represents my favorite because he does a historical overview (i.e. a literature review for Ph.D. language/literacy students) on critical theory. Going from the ancient philosopher Plato to Critical theory icon Freire will amaze you. He shows all the connections among everyone inbetween those two giants and shows how the theory evolves into how it works today. Just genius...that's the only descriptor.

He uses a fine, academic style which reads well but does not junktify the reader's mind. He uses sub-headings that help, rather than distract, from the entire ideological framework of his book. He expects the reader to pay attention; this book will confuse you if you fall asleep or get bored.

I can use this in my early childhood classroom because it helps even when interpreting my children's writings, drawings, and ideas. Once you've read this one, please check out Margarte Donaldson, Cambourne, Frank Smith, Regie Routman, and Ralph Fletcher. That will give you a good basis as an early childhood teacher to tackle literacy problems for young children with a "full-court press"