In reading Luke and Freebody's article on the Four Resources Model of literacy education, the first thing that came to my mind is the key role of the learner's environment outside of the formal education setting. Children's academic success, and I think this includes literacy, strongly corrolates with the education level and literacy of the parents. It is interesting to look at literacy as a subjective function of culture and social institutions in a society. In my opinion, literacy represents the medium through which Bourdieu's "social" and "cultural capital" are transmitted from generation to generation, propagating the hierarchy of social classes. One can look at this "social capital" for example, as knowledge of navigating the college preparation and application process. (Taking the correct AP courses in highschool, enrolling in preparatory courses for the SATs and ACTs and obtaining and completing the applications). If a student's parents, did not attend college and have no knowledge of this process, the student in turn will face difficulties navigating applications, testing, etc. Thus, even if the student possesses the academic qualifications they may not be as competitive as others who have a parental support system literate in the institutional norms of higher education. This is just one of many examples where literacy regarding societal institutions is cultivated for the large part outside the classroom, through familial support. Consequently, literacy educators in any situation abroad or domestic, must consider what competencies are crucial for students to have. Not just within a "family of practices" as Luke and Freebody discuss, but in different social, cultural and institutional contexts.
-Erin
3 comments:
I agree with your post concerning the meager number of minorities taking Advanced Placement exams and enrolled in SAT and ACT preparatory courses. I also agree that one of the main reasons African-American and Hispanic students do not have access to these amenities is due to their lack of social and human capital, which many of their White counterparts have. Literacy can be used as a valuable tool for helping all students achieve, but only those who have access to it (via fairly equipped classrooms, texts, veteran teachers)can benefit from it. A Latina student who recently emigrated from another country and an African-American student who lives in a foster home will both have difficulty adapting to the school system because they both have insufficient amount of human and social capital to help them excel in school.
I was convinced that there was no way a student without the cultural or social capital could succeed in a traditional setting. In general students whose parents have been to college, or have value placed on education do better at Banneker. However, I forget that there are the few that overcome the adversity and are on the track to great things. Yesterday, one of my students did not turn in a huge research paper that was due. I asked her why, and out popped a long story about her mother’s drug use and her recent move to a group home with her sister, but without her other sister or brother. The interesting thing is she is one of my best students. One would think that she is from a family that values schooling. She seems to have social capital, but the source is unknown. It is always nice when the students surprise you.l
I agree with what you're saying, by no means is an individual's future pre-determined by their lack of familial support or so-called "social" or "cultural capital".
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