This volume brings together researchers and participants from diverse groups, allowing voices that portray varied dimensions of multicultural literacy to be heard. A common theme across the chapters is attention to the ways in which elements of difference - race, ethnicity, gender, class and language - create dynamic tensions that influence students' literacy experiences and achievement. Chapters 1-3 explore the complex relationship among culture, language, literacy and identity. Chapters 4-7 describe and evaluate the development and implementation of curricula, assessments and materials for students from diverse linguistic, cultural and racial backgrounds. Chapters 8-12 focus on pre-service and in-service teachers and teacher education issues related to the implementation of multicultural literacies. The chapters reflect the different ways in which the field of multicultural literacies has been interpreted. The contributors are scholars who have actively examined, and continue to examine, the intersection of difference and literacy as praxis. As many of the authors indicate, there is still much work to be done in the field of multicultural literacies.
The hope of the editors is that readers will build on the experiences and findings presented so that the field of multicultural literacies will have a greater impact on literacy research, policy and practice.
Table of Contents:
Contents: Preface. G.E. Garcia, Introduction: Giving Voice to Multicultural Literacy Research and Practice. E.B. Bauer, Finding Esmerelda's Shoes: A Case Study of a Young Bilingual Child's Response to Literature. J. Dworin, Examining Children's Biliteracy in the Classroom. S.J. Meacham, Headwoman's Blues: Small Group Reading and the Interactions of Culture, Gender, and Ability. R. Lalik, L. Dellinger, R. Druggish, Fostering Collaboration Between Home and School Through Curriculum Development: Perspectives of Three Appalachian Children. T.L. McCarty, G.S. Dick, Telling the People's Stories: Literacy Practices and Processes in a Navajo Community School. L. Gunderson, J. Anderson, Multicultural Views of Literacy Learning and Teaching. R. Barrera, R.E. Quiroa, R. Valdivia, Spanish in Latino Picture Storybooks in English: Its Use and Textual Effects. S.M. Oran, From the Mountain to the Mesa: Scaffolding Preservice Teachers' Knowledge About the Cultural Contexts of Literacy. D.M. Truscott, S. Watts-Taffe, English as a Second Language, Literacy Development in Mainstream Classrooms: Application of a Model for Effective Practice. R. Rueda, E. Garcia, Assessing and Assisting Performance of Diverse Learners: A View of Responsive Teaching in Action. M.A. Moore-Hart, B.J. Diamond, J.R. Knapp, The Implementation of a Multicultural Literacy Program in Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Classrooms. F.A. Levin, M.W. Smith, D.S. Strickland, Pitfalls and Potential: Multicultural Literature and Teacher Study Groups. A.I. Willis, V.J. Harris, Afterword.
About the Author :
Arlette Ingram Willis, Georgia Earnest Garcia, Rosalinda B. Barrera, Violet J. Harris
Review :
"The book is well organized exploring in depth the complex relation among culture, language, literacy, and identity through presenting different aspects such as reader response, genre, gender, and so forth from different researchers' views in each chapter....All details of the studies are well described so that readers can apply easily these methods that facilitate learners' literacy. This book can be very beneficial to a wide audience which includes literacy researchers, teacher educators, pre-service and in-service teachers, and policymakers."
—TESL-EJ
"The editors are well respected as literacy researchers with expertise in the topic of this book....The choice of contributors is good....This is a strong book reflecting some cutting-edge thinking."
—Kathryn Au
University of Hawai'i
