Social Worlds of Children Learning to Write in an Urban Primary School.

Social Worlds of Children Learning to Write in an Urban Primary School. As human beings we seem to be driven to categorizing aspects ofthe world into neat boxes -- the popular, the literary, the folk, theoral, and the literate -- developmental lines Developmental lines is a metaphor of Anna Freud from her developmental theory to stress the continuous and cumulative character of childhood development. It emphasises the interactions and interdependencies between maturational and environmental determinants in developmental steps. and sociocultural so��ci��o��cul��tur��al?adj.Of or involving both social and cultural factors.soci��o��cul boxes.But these neat boxes keep an of US, children and adults, trapped. Withinsuch linguistic and social containers, it is hard to imagine singingscientists, literary comedians, storytelling StorytellingAesopsemi-legendary fabulist of ancient Greece. [Gk. Lit.: Harvey, 10]MünchäusenBaron traveler grossly embellishes his experiences. [Ger. Lit. biologists and historians,and preaching lawyers ... (p.230) Anne Dyson takes us to meet with just such a group of characters,as we join her in a study of some urban American primary school childrennegotiating the social world of classroom and community. Social Worldsprovides an illuminating il��lu��mi��nate?v. il��lu��mi��nat��ed, il��lu��mi��nat��ing, il��lu��mi��natesv.tr.1. To provide or brighten with light.2. To decorate or hang with lights.3. and detailed analysis of the textual work ofthe children, in `neighbourhood comers and alley ways, off the beatenpath of the curricular road, where the social action is'. The bookis a powerful examination of the richness of diversity -- and a clearchallenge to many conventional preconceptions of what constitutesappropriate home preparation for successful school literacy performance. Based as they are on close observation of the classroom sociallives of a small group of African-American community children,kindergarteners through to third graders, the chapters examining thelanguage worlds of `Jameel', `Lamar', 'Eugenie,`Ayesha' and `William' provide resources for understanding thecomplexity of school-based literacy learning. However the book alsocontains a very compelling theoretical rationale for studying language,literacy and diversity, and it is this aspect of the study which is ofparticular value for many Australian educators. Dyson claims to offer three particular contributions to debatesand discussions about literacy and schooling. She initially challengesthe assumption that literacy only takes root comfortably for children`with middle-class backgrounds who speak Standard English Stan��dard English?n.The variety of English that is generally acknowledged as the model for the speech and writing of educated speakers.Usage Note: People who invoke the term Standard English and respond toschool-like tasks in conventional ways' (p. 6). Dyson goes on toprovide eloquent testimony to the richness of the literacy reserves thather non-standard group of children brought with them from theircommunities, reserves that drew strongly upon popular and folktraditions. Secondly, the author makes a case for us to reassess reassessVerbto reconsider the value or importance ofreassessment nVerb 1. reassess - revise or renew one's assessmentreevaluate and revaluethe socio-cultural intelligence of young child composers. Her sensitiveand perceptive per��cep��tiveadj.1. Of or relating to perception.2. Having the ability to perceive.3. Keenly discerning.per readings of the children's oral and written textsenable us to recognise the skills and knowledges the children possess,and her detailed case-study chapters provide compelling evidence of theways in which school practices -- and the complex worlds of urbanschools -- might support or hinder this socio-cultural competence. Finally, Dyson aims as well `to allow insight into the successesand the challenges confronted by teachers and children as they work toconstruct a shared universe A shared universe is a literary technique in which several different authors create works of fiction that share aspects such as settings or characters and that are intended to be read as taking place in a single universe. in school'. (p. 7) She argues thatsuccessful schools for diverse learners manage to construct a sense ofidentification and connection among teachers and children: a sense ofcommon purpose and neighbourhood. By sharing with us close and detailedobservations of the worlds these children inhabit in��hab��it?v. in��hab��it��ed, in��hab��it��ing, in��hab��itsv.tr.1. To live or reside in.2. To be present in; fill: Old childhood memories inhabit the attic. , she provides us withdocumentation as to how such feelings of identification and connectionhave been produced, and how particular teaching practices contributetowards a sense of common purpose between school and neighbourhood. This book is a must for educators committed to issues of literacyand diversity. Dyson's work is always rewarding in terms of itsthorough and careful analysis of the micro-worlds of children aslearners, and this volume is no exception. Social Worlds of ChildrenLearning to Write in an Urban Primary School is both a theoreticallyinteresting approach to the social work involved in learning to write,and a politically sensitive analysis of the dynamics of urbanclassrooms. Although the children's stories are not always`successful' accounts of literacy performance at school, they arenevertheless optimistic op��ti��mist?n.1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome.2. A believer in philosophical optimism.op in that they centre on the strengths younglanguage users possess, and on their active involvement in reading andmaking sense of the varied and challenging discourse sites of classroomand community. They are also stories that are rewarding for us asteachers. As Dyson reminds us:In their plurality The opinion of an appellate court in which more justices join than in any concurring opinion.The excess of votes cast for one candidate over those votes cast for any other candidate.Appellate panels are made up of three or more justices. , in their diversity, our children offer us theopportunity to widen our own worldview world��view?n. In both senses also called Weltanschauung.1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group. , to see aspects of experiencethat might otherwise remain invisible to us, to understand betterourselves as situated in a complex world of multiple perspectives (p.230).