Myers Discussion Questions (Chapters 1-3)

Miles Myers: Changing our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy (1996)
Chapter Responses: Chap. 1, 2, & 3
Chapter 1
1) The strict adherence to grammar and standard English usage in the classroom is an indication that society has not (nor is ready to) accept that there is no ‘universal model of literacy.’ I believe that literacy is a social construct that is reflective of those in power. Those that write the textbooks determine what students learn. Similarly, those that teach determine what and how students learn. Most English teachers are middle-class White women, and thus, they have a position of power. Social changes in our culture will not be a part of the classroom environment if it does not agree with what those in power feel are important enough to be learned.
2) I believe that the English classroom has changed drastically over the years. While it may be true that there were certain, underlying agendas found in literacy, today, the English classroom is becoming a forum for diversity and self-exploration. Personal writing, for example, is more popular in classrooms, as is poetry. I personally was required to write a college essay for my senior level English course. While there is much to be said as far as tracking is concerned (another topic altogether), English classrooms are prompting and celebrating cultural diversity, through varying texts and teaching styles.
3) The NUMMI plant demonstrates the dramatic shift that can occur in any one given area. Not only does the exterior of the area change, the interior and inner-workings of that area also change. The workers from the old plant had to be ‘reprogrammed’ to work in the new plant. I believe that there exist different literacies amongst school, society, and the workplace (or for students, school). Unlike the NUMMI workers, individuals are expected to shift literacies back and forth on a daily basis. The NUMMI workers had time to adjust and fit into the new literacy of the workplace. Today, individuals must communicate in different areas of their life, and if two areas do not agree on how that communication takes place, one is lost in translation.
4) The literacy of society has become more welcoming to pluralism due to the increase in the diversity of races, nationalities, religions, and cultures to name a few. You can find signs that have more than one language represented. Bilingualism is becoming a requirement for employment in some areas. Society is beginning to understand that in order to function as a cohesive unit, information must be representative of the people that make up the society. Not everyone speaks, reads, or understands the same language, yet each individual deserves to be acknowledged in society’s definition of literacy.
Chapter 2
1) Myers uses the term oracy as a form of literacy because he wants to show how oracy can conflict with the dominant culture’s literacy. Patterns of oracy are similar to patterns of literacy, each with its own rules and standards. Similar to literacy, oracy undergoes changes with the times and with society’s standards. Thus Myers believes that oracy of society says something about the literacy of the time.
2) Oral language helps to shape thought because oracy must be processed before it can be released. “Think before you speak” is not just an old saying; it is a reality of the process of oral language. We often can commit something to memory that we have heard over and over again (e.g. singing the Alphabet song each morning in school). Oral language can also help establish group identity because one cannot understand the language of a group without consulting that group. In order to translate a text, for example, one must confer with someone who speaks that language in order to understand what the language is saying. One cannot interpret what it means if they do not speak the language.
3) A tension existed in the 1600s between those pushing for print to be used and those who wanted to keep oracy as the primary means of communication. The reason for this tension ultimately lies in the power struggle between those who have it and those who do not. Those that argued for oracy believed that print could easily be erased or altered. They believed that information delivered orally had the authentication of a first hand witness. Yet those who argued for print believed that oracy was only reflective of those in power, and kept those in power because their ‘word’ was to be the true and governing word.
4) The shift from oral language to written language began once the U.S. became a mobile society. Individuals began moving, no longer remaining in one area with people of that same language. Interaction between strangers caused a need of written records and documents in order to authenticate transactions. Signatures began to be used as a binding agreement since no one could prove an oral agreement across city lines.
5) This statement is an example of multiculturalism in the classrooms. As new teachers, it is expected that we incorporate all the cultures of our students into the classroom. When students feel that their culture matters, they feel like an important piece of the classroom environment. A positive classroom environment is a factor in student achievement. One way to put this into action is by having students research a different culture. They can look into foods, customs, dress, and music of that particular culture and present it to the class. The teacher can create a board where students put up there work to remind them that every culture has something valuable to learn about.
6) I learned language in the home. I was said to be a very talkative child, asking a lot of questions. By my parents actively talking with me, I learned to articulate what I wanted and needed. My primary language is English; however, my mother spoke a little Spanish to me when I was very young. I know a little Signed English, which, although not an oral language, is still a means for communication. I would like to bring Signed Language into my classroom. Students would not only enjoy learning some every day signs, they would be exposed to a different method of communication.
Chapter 3
1) A major even in 1776 was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Individuals began moving to different parts of the country and nation took a stand as an individual state. The ideas of Horace Mann became the nation’s first national standards toward a cohesive curriculum. Thus the time span between 1776 and 1864 saw a dramatic increase in individuals who could sign their names due to the common school and the need for signature literacy.
2) These pictures demonstrate that there is a steady progression that occurs in literacy development. Pictures, marks, and letters serve as a means of communicating ideas when words are not yet available for use. Children can understand that the drawing of a house may be a classmate’s home, even if the children do not know what the word ‘home’ looks like or means.
3) During the mid-18th and 19th centuries, signatures were very different from what we see today. There were individuals who could not sign their names at all and those who simple put an X. They understood that an X was a symbol of a written contract. The highest class of individuals, however, could sign their full name. It was these individuals that could also read and write. Thus if you could sign your name, you were a part of the elite class; if you could not sign your name, you were a part of the poor.
4) Early literacy scholars did not view intensive reading of the time as innovative. Intensive reading was thought of more as regurgitation and not a new way of reading a text. Students were not learning or exploring anything new.
5) Instruction in reading and handwriting during the signature and recording literacy era were drill based. Students spent much of their time practicing their signature or copying pages of a book onto a blank page. This method of education ignored meaning or analysis of text. Teachers utilized a handwriting and copying system that drilled students of each stroke for creating letters in the alphabet. Silent drilling made up learning for students, as well as listening to teachers read out loud.