Exploring Literacies Theory, Research and Practice

Exploring Literacies: Theory, Research and Practice is a guide to research and debate in the field of literacies education. The book traces three possible pathways through the vast terrain of research and practice. Section 1 introduces five orientations to the teaching of literacy and explores the role of literacy in human societies over time, including the development and teaching of specialised fields of knowledge. Section 2 examines the teaching and learning of literacies across the human lifespan, including the foundations of literacy in early childhood, the link between literacy and learning of educational knowledge during the school years, and the literacy demands of adult life. Section 3 reviews a range of methods used to research literacy in social contexts in general and in education in particular. This section concludes with the voices of literacy researchers describing first-hand their literacy research experiences. With a detailed overview of the research field of literacy teaching, development and professional research, this book will be invaluable for teacher educators and students of Education, TESOL, Literacy or Applied Linguistics.

Helen de Silva Joyce is Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Education, University of New England, Australia, and was previously Director of Community and Migrant in the NSW Department of Education and Training for over ten years. Her expertise is in the area of language research and education. She is the author and editor of many language education resources for all sectors of education, including four recent books on visual literacy and multimodality.

Susan Feez is Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, University of New England, Australia. After many years working as a classroom teacher, Susan now teaches and researches in the field of English, languages and literacies education, and in Montessori education. In collaboration with colleagues she also develops resources for classroom teachers.

Author Preface
Series Preface
PART I: LITERACIES EDUCATION: THE LANDSCAPES OF LITERACY STUDIES
Introduction
1. Literacy: A Field of Evolving Terms, Definitions and Educational Approaches
2. Studies of Literacy across Time and across Disciplines
PART II: LIFESPAN LITERACIES
Introduction
3. Literacy from Home to School
4. Literacy at School
5. Literacy in Adult Life: Community, Further Education and Work
PART III: LITERACY - A CONTINUING PROJECT
Introduction
6. Researching Literacy  - A Methodological Map
7. Researcher Voices