An Unquiet Pedagogy: Transforming Practice in the English Classroom

by Eleanor Kutz, Eleanor Kutz, Hephzib Roskelly

An Unquiet Pedagogy argues for a new approach to teaching English in the high school and college classroom, one that reconceives the relationship of literacy and the learner. The title is taken from an essay by Paulo Freire in his book with Donaldo Macedo entitled Literacy: Reading the Word and the World . Like Freire, the authors believe that pedagogy must be critical -- that it must examine the assumptions that teachers and students bring to any educational enterprise, that it must take into account the contexts of learners' lives, and that it must question, rather than quietly accept, existing practices. Voices of beginning and experienced teachers are heard often in the book, exploring how such an unquiet pedagogy might come to be. The authors examine the experiences of these teachers, as well as their own, showing how the classroom can become a place of inquiry for both teachers and students and how theory and research that provide an integrated perspective on language, literacy, and culture must inform teaching practice. Their aim is to transform the English classroom into a place where the imagination becomes central and where learners construct knowledge in the development of real literacy.

Genres: Grad School

357 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 1991

Reviews

[Kipriadi prawira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice blend of theory and practice book. Organized into three units, the book begins by discussing the relationships between language, thought, and culture, drawing on research by people
such as Shirley Brice Heath, Vygotsky, Basil Bernstein, and William Labov. Next follows "Literacy and the Learner," in which the authors turn more specifically to the traditional components of the English curriculum: grammar, reading, writing, and literature. The final unit, "Theory into Practice," turns specifically to addressing how to implement the theories and practices described earlier. In addition, the book contains a twenty-two-page section called "Strategies for the Teacher and Learner," a series of activities integrally related to the discussions in each unit.These include ethnographic observations as well as classroom activities

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year I took a fantastic class called Foundations of Education which was basically a semester-long exploration of what public school education is for, what problems exist with its current implementation, and what can we do to fix it. This book was kind of like that course except specifically aimed at language arts teachers. It was a nice blend of theory and practice--it's got some heavy, dense parts but lots of firsthand journal accounts from student teachers. Definitely enjoyable and thought-provoking--I think there's probably not a single page in my copy that doesn't have a scribbled note or question or two in the margins.

[Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's another teaching book that says the same things. I like it's views and tracking of literacy as a concept but having read all of the authors whose works were compiled in this book to make the arguments, I found it boring. Blame my professor for that one though.