Languaging the Joys of Literacy

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Classroom Practices for Social and Environmental Change

Abstract

Within neoliberal educational contexts, it has been argued that discourses of indifference and individualism can make students, especially students of color, feel alienated. This paper examines the languaging of literacy events within one 5th grade classroom. Discourse analytic methods and the theorization of relational-key are used to examine how literacy was defined and how a relational key of playfulness was interactionally negotiated. Findings suggest that teachers can propose relational orientations to students that value their knowledge and their humanity, even amongst accountability testing pressures

Authors

• Michiko Hikida, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Tracy Johnson, University of Indianapolis