Chapter 5 / Discussion questions



Chapter 9 / Discussion & Exam Questions

1. What does it mean to be a literate person? How do you define literacy?

2. Discuss the basic tenets of cultural or ideological hegemony theory and the extent to which that theory is supported by data in this chapter and your own experience.

3. In your own words, explain cultural or ideological hegemony. How does cultural hegemony affect what happens in public school classrooms? Give examples from your own experiences as appropriate.

4. Discuss whether contemporary society is marked more by hegemonic than by participatory democratic processes, and to what extent schools serve one or the other of those ideals.

5. Explain the differences among functional, cultural, and critical literacy. Which kind of literacy should teachers aim for in public schools? Why? What kinds of factors might work against the achievement of any of these? How might a teacher approach the teaching of critical literacy? What groups might disapprove of such teaching, and how should a teacher respond? (Describe and explain how the different perspectives on literacy—the conventional, the functional, the cultural, and the critical—potentially serve different social groups and different ideological orientations in contrasting ways. Explain how the four different literacy perspectives serve different educational goals.) (ALSO CONSIDER THE QUESTIONS: “What counts as school knowledge?” “Whose knowledge is of most worth?” “Who wins and who loses with a particular conception of school knowledge?”)

6. Discuss how Jefferson’s conception of the connection between literacy and democracy compares with the critical literacy perspective. To what degree are the methods of critical pedagogy necessary to achieve critical literacy?

7. Discuss the relationship between the meaning of hidden curriculum and the role of schools in cultural hegemony.

8. Clearly summarize and then evaluate Walter Karp’s position in “Why Johnny Can’t Think.” To what degree is Karp’s condemnation more true for some segments of our school population than for others?

9. Discuss the notion that literacy has the power to both liberate as well as oppress. Give examples and explain your rationale.

10. Explain the concept of “miseducation.” How do you see this concept playing out in schools and classrooms today? What can you as a teacher do to counteract these forces?

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