So the wiz mixes up social categories and statuses and expectations in
the fifth dimension, and marks it as an OTHER place, where OTHER rules,
which have to be made up, will hold. A place of slippery identities.
I'm beginning to understand the attraction of the fifth dimension.
Is one implication for public schools perhaps that teacher education needs
a wiz? (don't we all).
(If we all need play to get through the day, we all need a wiz)
How transportable IS the wiz? - maybe it's the discourse of/around
the WIZ that should be the object of careful, systematic study?
**
We are doing a lot of work on the transporatability of the Wiz,
Judy. Its a hit in lots of places after school. We know it is
a hit in some school environments, but we do not know the range.
Next quarter we are introducing the wiz into a local elementary
school as part of the computer "literacy" curriculum with
parents as wizard's assistants.
And yes, we study the wiz discourse as seriously as time allows.
If anyone out there in
xMCA-land is interested in entering the conversation, drop
me a note and we'll see what we can come up with. The wiz
and its regional variants exist in several parts of California,
North Carolina, Moscow, and Puebla, Mexico, and rumours of
new appearances appear to be on the rise.
mike
- Judy
Judy Diamondstone
diamonju who-is-at rci.rutgers.edu
Rutgers University
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