Hi Emily,
The idea of literacy in multiple sign systems is very relevant to projects in which I'm currently involved -- what has come to be known as "Intercultural bilingual education" (educacion intercultural bilingue or EIB in Spanish). Just as you began to post references about multiple sign systems in education, I was reading about something very related in Luis Enrique Lopez' book, "De Resquicios a Boquerones", 2006 La Paz PLURAL which is a detailed history and analysis of EIB in Bolivia and other Andean countries. Contrary to the common belief that the Andean civilizations possessed no writing systems there were two forms of recording information -- one was a system of knotted cords, known as quipu, and the other was a system of non-phonological graphemes that were woven into various types of textiles, etched into or painted onto ceramics, or carved into wood. These ancient systems survived in various ways. In his discussion of "Other Forms of Textuality", Lopez
indicates that although EIB has not heretofor explored the integration of these autochthonous forms of textuality into the curriculum, it is an important dimension for a number of reasons, not the least of which are: the validation of cultures of origin of the populations towards which EIB is directed; an immunization of sorts against the implicit cultural hegemony of the alphabet bearing culture into which the graphemically recorded native texts are converted in the process of alphabet based literacy training; and, the preservation of oral dimensions of cultural transmission which the autochthonous graphemic systems support, a cultural dimension which would be destroyed through the process of textual conversion into phonological systems. As you can see the significance of any kind of work done on this would have great importance for people involved in EIB.
But I don't think the work you mentioned has percolated into the EIB field. None of the authors you mention is cited in the recent EIB literature I have seen and EIB specialists with whom I have spoken are likewise unaware of it.
Would you be kind enough to provide a little more bibliography for the names you mentioned: Tom Romano, Camille Allen, Simon (1992), and Eisner as well as any others you consider important. I will do internet searches but you might be able to direct me to key references from whose bibliography I can move more rapidly. Your mention of Eisner in relation to the ideological significance of different systems of textuality seems like it could be particularly relevant insofar as one of EIB's central aims is cultural and linguistic revalidation and revival.
Finally, I checked the Wikipedia entry on "intermediation" and it could benefit a lot from your input if you feel so inclined.
Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.
Paul Dillon
E Duvall <duvalleg@comcast.net> wrote:
Hi Martin,
In the text "Beyond Reading and Writing: Inquiry, Curriculum, and Multiple Ways of Knowing" (2000) Beth Berghoff emphasizes literacy as including multiple signs systems (akin to Luke in some ways); according to Jerome Harste, transmediation is a recasting from one sign system to another. Berghoff mentions Simon (1992) in relating to using multiple sign systems, as creating education practice that is a 'project of possibility"... 'whose fundamental purpose is to expand what it means to be human and to contribute to the establishment of a just and compassionate community' by giving learners 'control of their inquiries and more choices'. That said the work does not focus on critical aspects. Berghoff does address signs as mediations and connects the whole to Vygotsky and sign systems as 'psychological tools that allow humans to think, communicate, and learn'. She also mentions specialized knowledge communities.... which is what really connected your work, I thought, with the
ory, b
ut also to this form of engaging people in different sign systems as perhaps 'safe places', but also as ways of seeing the world differently. Eisner is brought in for some critical thought on cultural ways of thinking and the ideological character of sign systems.
I use this as a foundation for an assignment I have my pre-service students engage in: writing multigenre/multimodal l'Zines.
Based on the work of Tom Romano, Camille Allen etc, the multigenre paper is a way for students to write on a topic of personal passion/interest from different genres that more aptly express what they wish to convey. I have added Beth Berghoff and Jerome Harste's work to this by having my students engage in writing Zines that include various other ways of expressing to the reader what it is they wish to get across. In some cases this might mean sculpture, drawing, painting or other classic art forms, music (I had one student compile a musical autobiography - a cd of her accapella singing she had done or arranged over the last 10 years), videos and i-movies, and performance.
For example, one student will be presenting her Zine on swimming tomorrow. She and her sister were competitive swimmers- including competing against each other - and this student is presenting a powerpoint that will give both informative and personal information, she is bringing in her sister and we hope to understand how swimming became the only connection between these two women through their discussions and q-a's, and then they are taking us to a pool where we will not only see these swimmers in action, but will participate in learning strokes, etc.
There is no limitation other than that one genre must have, literally, a print component. I get stories - autobiographical or otherwise, children's books authored by students, poems, interviews, brochures, you name it.
I also incorporate lots of metaphorical ways of knowing and learning... including a diorama piece that student partners in the Zine project do. This involves finding a common underlying theme between two Zines and creating a metaphorical representation - in a shoe box. There is A LOT of self-reflective work.
But enough about me.
Does this seem of interest?
~ Emily
-- He only earns his freedom and his life, who takes them every day by storm. -- Johann Wolfgang Goethe Emily Duvall Doctoral Candidate (ABD) / Graduate Assistant-Instructor Language and Literacy Education (LLED) Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education Penn State University 256 Chambers Bldg. University Park , PA 16802 814-861-3315 (home) 814-404-6175 (cell) 814-863-4511 (office) FAX: 814-863-7602 edd130@psu.edu -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: Martin Packer > Emily, > > Can you give us a quick definition of transmediation, and say a bit more > about Berghoff's work? > > Martin > > > On 7/17/07 7:22 AM, "Emily Duvall" wrote: > > > Thanks Mary, > > I went up to http://www.witness.co.za/ and the article is called "Art of > > Darkness" by Sue Segar. It's bout the work of Eric Miller, but also > > connected to a book he helped with, "Reality Bites: An African Decade" > > by Gorrel Espelund, Jesper Strudsholm and Eric Miller, in which there is > > a story about a young woman abducted into the LRA as a child. Our > > subject, Summer Reading, is definitely striking a chord of interest for > > me. There seems to be much that brings together my research and > > humanitarian interests. > > I wanted to add, Martin, that transmediation, in general, might be a > > direction to take with the child soldiers you hope to work with. It fits > > nicely into Vygotskian based work - see Berghoff, for example. > > ~ Em > > > > > > > > Mary van der Riet wrote: > >> Hi Martin > >> if you do an internet search for The Natal Witness (SA based > >> newspaper), and for the edition of July 14 2007, there is an article on > >> an art exhibition related to the LRA child soldiers (the exhibition is > >> either in Cape Town or Durban at the moment) > >> Mary > >> > >> Mary van der Riet; School of Psychology; University of KwaZulu-Natal > >> Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209 > >> > >> email: vanderriet@ukzn.ac.za > >> tel: 033 260 6163; fax: 033 2605809 > >> > >> > >> > >>>>> Martin Packer 2007/07/14 04:22 AM >>> > >>>>> > >> > >> Last year I had the opportunity to talk with staff at the Colombian > >> Ministry > >> of Education in Bogotá, and learned from them about the problems of > >> the > >> Œreinserted¹ children - former child soldiers who were recruited or > >> simply > >> kidnapped by guerilla or paramilitary groups there. As these children > >> are > >> escaping, or as the groups are disbanding, they are becoming the > >> responsibility of the Ministry. We started to think about a possible > >> research project that might benefit all concerned. One possibility we > >> discussed was that we might learn a great deal from these children > >> about the > >> rationality and motivation of the guerilla and paramilitary groups - > >> that > >> interviews with them could throw light on the sources of conflict and > >> possible pathways to peace for these groups, and also on the best way > >> to > >> facilitate the reintegration of the children into mainstream society. > >> > >> If anyone would be interested in collaborating on such a project, or > >> has > >> suggestions on how best to carry it out, or improve it, please let me > >> know. > >> > >> Martin > >> > >> > >> > >> On 7/13/07 8:09 PM, "Cunningham, Donald James" > >> wrote: > >> > >> > >>> Em, I first heard of the book here: > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/videos/celebrity_inter > >> > >> > >>> views/index.jhtml?playVideo=82274 > >>> > >>> An odd source, I know, but Jon Stewart may be our most astute > >>> > >> journalist > >> > >>> today. > >>> > >>> Persevere! > >>> > >>> Don Cunningham > >>> Indiana University > >>> > >>> Ancora Imparo! > >>> > >>> > >>> -----Original Message----- > >>> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu > >>> > >> [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] > >> > >>> On Behalf Of E Duvall > >>> Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 4:58 PM > >>> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity > >>> Subject: Re: [xmca] Summer reading > >>> > >>> Thank you for the recommendation Donald... I went up on line to > >>> http://www.alongwaygone.com/index.html > >>> and read about the book, read an excerpt and watched a video > >>> > >> recording. > >> > >>> This short visit was... that feeling you get when you don't know > >>> > >> what's > >> > >>> around the corner, but you need to look some truth in the eye but > >>> > >> you're > >> > >>> scared to look because you don't know what the looking will do to > >>> > >> you. > >> > >>> I'm a little scared to read the book; I hope to persevere. > >>> ~ Em > >>> > >>> -- > >>> He only earns his freedom and his life, who takes them every day by > >>> storm. > >>> -- Johann Wolfgang Goethe > >>> > >>> Emily Duvall > >>> Doctoral Candidate (ABD) / Graduate Assistant-Instructor > >>> Language and Literacy Education (LLED) > >>> Department of Curriculum and Instruction > >>> College of Education > >>> Penn State University > >>> 256 Chambers Bldg. > >>> University Park , PA 16802 > >>> 814-861-3315 (home) > >>> 814-404-6175 (cell) > >>> 814-863-4511 (office) > >>> FAX: 814-863-7602 > >>> edd130@psu.edu > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> -------------- Original message ---------------------- > >>> From: "Cunningham, Donald James" > >>> > >>>> Tony, > >>>> > >>>> Instead of the Garfinkle book you might read "A Long Way Gone" by > >>>> Ishmael Beah. It has nothing and everything to do with the issues > >>>> > >> we > >> > >>>> have been discussing...........djc > >>>> > >>>> Don Cunningham > >>>> Indiana University > >>>> > >>>> Ancora Imparo! > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu > >>>> > >> [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] > >> > >>>> On Behalf Of Tony Whitson > >>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 9:26 AM > >>>> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >>>> Subject: [xmca] no Garfinkel book, after all > >>>> > >>>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > >>>> Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:13:55 -0700 (PDT) > >>>> From: "order-update@amazon.com" > >>>> To: "twhitson@udel.edu" > >>>> > >>>> Hello from Amazon.com. > >>>> > >>>> We are sorry to report that we will not be able to obtain the > >>>> following item(s) from your order: > >>>> > >>>> Harold Garfinkel, Anne Rawls (Editor) "Sociology of Information" > >>>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594512817 > >>>> > >>>> Though we had expected to be able to send this item to you, we've > >>>> since found that it is not available from any of our sources at > >>>> > >> this > >> > >>>> time. We realize this is disappointing news to hear, and we > >>>> > >> apologize > >> > >>>> for the inconvenience we have caused you. > >>>> > >>>> We must also apologize for the length of time it has taken us to > >>>> > >> reach > >> > >>>> this conclusion. Until recently, we had still hoped to obtain this > >>>> item for you. > >>>> > >>>> We have cancelled this item from your order. > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> xmca mailing list > >>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> xmca mailing list > >>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >>>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> xmca mailing list > >>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> xmca mailing list > >>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >>> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> xmca mailing list > >> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >> > >> Please find our Email Disclaimer here: http://www.ukzn.ac.za/disclaimer/ > >> _______________________________________________ > >> xmca mailing list > >> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >> > >> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > xmca mailing list > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca _______________________________________________ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca --------------------------------- Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. _______________________________________________ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmcaReceived on Tue Jul 17 16:56 PDT 2007
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