Historical, Philosophical, and Cultural Perspectives on Religion in Literacy Curriculum Theorizing, Inquiry, and Practice

• In Event: 35.082 - Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: 35.082-16 - Warding Off Curricular Rigidities

Abstract

This paper explores the possibilities and constraints that obtained for a teacher and her diverse students in teaching and learning a literacy curriculum informed by students’ religious knowledge and literacy practices. The paper illustrates and argues that teachers and students can draw upon students’ religious knowledge and literacy practices for teaching and learning in the same way they recruit students’ cultural, linguistic, and other repertoires for academic purposes. The paper further demonstrates and posits that teachers and students can generate, learn, and employ strategies for productively addressing tensions that can emerge from religious content in the curriculum. This analysis thus establishes, and calls for additional inquiry into, relationships among religion, culture, and academic learning.

Author

• Allison Skerrett, The University of Texas - Austin