Street and Lefstein claim “[U]nderstanding and defining literacy lies at the heart of ‘doing’ literacy” (47). Prior to my starting the studies for my BA in English, I would likely have answered the question, “what is literacy?” with a surface response such as, “the ability to read and write.” I now have been exposed to other definitions of literacy and theoretical ways of looking at literacy and literacies, what they mean in today’s world, what we can do as educators to facilitate the acquisition of literacies, etc. In addition to my newfound knowledge I bring to this academic conundrum my own ideas about literacy gleaned from personal experience and observations. This conversation about literacy and literacy practices is, while necessary and intriguing, also frustrating. It is frustrating because, ultimately, while the conversation goes on, children and adults need to be taught. As Street and Lefstein put it, “in the light of this academic challenge, what are literacy policy makers and practitioners to do?” (41).
I know that this part of the book is an introduction and “mapping of the field” of literacy studies so the main objective is to give an overview of the conflicting schools on these studies. One of the things I am hoping to see addressed is the difference in literacy for children and literacy for adults. That is, the difference in introducing or teaching each group. As someone who took Spanish for the first time as a 40-something year old, I can attest to the fact that language acquisition for an adult is much different and, I would argue, much more difficult than that for a child. How closely linked are literacy acquisition and language acquisition? I can’t wait to dig deeper into these questions.
Street, Brian V. and Adam Lefstein. Literacy: An Advanced Resource Book. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.
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