Introduction

This is my first post for the graduate course at SUNY New Paltz -- Literacy for the Diverse Learner, instructor, Dr. Jessica Tuck.

The purpose of this blog, is first, to respond to Dr. Tuck's prepared questions regarding the readings for the course. Second, I would like to use of the blog posts to discuss my own understanding of the readings and to try to relate them to my own field of teaching, Social Studies. Thirdly, because it is very difficult to keep up with these blogs week to week and despite my best intentions, I am in a situation of doing a number of entries at once, I am going to try to use that to advantage. Rather than these blogs being my first impression of a weeks reading, I would like them to represent a longer term reflection -- my thoughts and questions after some time of living with the ideas in a particular reading. My initial impressions will likely come out in our weekly online and in class discussions -- I would like the blog to be something a bit different.

For example, I am still struggling, after several weeks, with how I should be thinking about E.D. Hirsch's idea of cultural literacy, and how it ties with the ideas from other readings, particularly Lisa Delpit. So in my first blog, I will try to work out for myself some of these lingering issues -- while still attempting to answer Dr. Tuck's original question for the blog.