‘NEVER READING AND WRITING’ IN A TEXTUALLY MEDIATED WORLD 

 Roz Ivanič,

Literacy Research Centre,

Lancaster University

Literacies for Learning in Further Education

Project team includes

David Barton

Angela Brzeski

James Carmichael

Richard Edwards

Zoe Fowler

Joyce Gaechter

Roz Ivanič

Tracey Kennedy

Greg Mannion

Kate Miller

Candice Satchwell

June Smith

Sarah Wilcock

Becoming a Further Education student

Literate identity as defined by tests

The Painting and Decorating NVQ Level One Course

Paul

Researching and analysing literacy practices

‘Never reading and writing’

I think it’s the actual, the sitting down and having to concentrate all the time on the piece of paper and the words, that just look so plain on this piece of paper, do you know what I mean? I think it’s the very, just how plain things are when you’re reading and writing.

‘Never reading and writing’

‘Vernacular’ literacies

Social participation

Organising life

Private leisure

Sense making

Documenting life

Personal communication

(Barton and Hamilton p. 248 – 250)

Organising life

1. Shopping2. Money management3. Arranging holidays and

other travel4. Home ownership 5. Food6. TV viewing7. Using public transport8. Health9. Pregnancy and childcare 10.Junk mail

11.Moving house12.Looking after animals13.Employment14.Keeping organised,

appointments and other records

15.Car ownership and driving16.Home improvements17.Career development18.Attending college19. Identity and residency

status

Private leisure

1. Dog breeding2. Sport3. Joining a gym4. Listening to music5. Playing an instrument6. Reading magazines7. Supporting a Football team8. Watching TV9. Reading newspapers10.Reading comic books and

children’s books 11.Reading factual books 12.Playing computer games13.Cars 14.Going out with friends15. Horoscopes

16.Going to the cinema17.Collecting and watching films18.Collecting19.Reading books20.Keeping the computer ‘healthy’21.Searching the web out of

interest (?)22.Playing cards23. ‘Writing stuff’24.Keeping a diary25.Going to dance school26.Maintaining a lifestyle /identity27.Doing puzzles e.g.

Wordsearches)28.BMX biking29.Genealogy

The complexity of students’ everyday literacy practices

Example: From social participation to private leisure:

Researching a Family Tree

• Purposeful

• Situated in times, places and actions

• Participative and interactive

• Talk around texts

• Multiple technologies, modes and text-types

• Drawing on a wide range of micro literacy practices

Literacy practices, identities and literate subjectivities

• The discoursal construction of identity

• Agency

• The (re-) construction of literate subjectivities

• The role of research in awareness-raising

‘NEVER READING AND WRITING’ IN A TEXTUALLY MEDIATED WORLD 

 Roz Ivanič,

Literacy Research Centre,

Lancaster University