Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Summer 2011)

Reading the first chapter of Hicks' book about working class children and literacy opened my eyes to how many different discourses our students must manage in their lives. They are raised with a certain identity based on their social and cultural practices that shape their literacy before their school discourse even begins. Early socialization affecting their cultural literacy based on gender and class often conflict with school literacy practices. As educators, helping students become successful shifters of their various discourses would create more engaged learners in literacy practices at school. In Heath's research, she advocates for "teachers to create more culturally responsive pedagogies" (chapter 2, p.25). Creating classroom environments where students are able to shift between their discourses with ease, solidifies identities and feelings of belonging. The two American Indian students in Noll’s study, Daniel and Zonnie, would have been able to shift with greater ease between their home culture and school culture if their school discourse had integrated some of the literacy practices they both excelled in outside of school. Their power and identity was not recognized at school and their home culture was stronger and deeper thus separating the two discourses rather than bridging them. I believe by working through our own cultural discourses as Dr. Jackson described on the Podcast, shifting from academic researcher to a small town southern woman when visiting family, we can help students bridge the gap between home culture and school culture. Although with the example of the preschoolers, Terry and Sean, in Walkerdine’s study mentioned on page 27, some discourses cannot transfer easily into the school environment. I was astonished that the teacher did not discourage the young boys’ sense of power over her. Is there not a time when the line must be drawn to define what is acceptable and what is not?
Although we have a multicultural school community where I work, a large majority of the students come from working-class families or low income households. I think it would be beneficial to understand the three main ethnic class cultures found in our classrooms; White working- class, African-American working-class, and Hispanic working- class, to better understand their literacy practices outside of school and how that affects their learning in class. I grew up in a White middle-class family living in a predominately white middle-class neighborhood where the shift between discourses was easily attained. Even though my parents were only high school graduates, they both held respectable government jobs that required effective reading, writing, and verbal literacy skills. These literacy practices were instilled in our home environment through communication and support throughout my schooling. As an educator, I need to recognize that not all home cultures provide that continuance and many of our young students are learning how to become culturally hybrid in a global world.

Michelle Carlson