Variety

Canada 2007 010
This morning I went to a session on teachers’ conceptions of literacy. The research seems to point to the idea that personal reading histories are a particularly potent force. Even though digital literacies were acknowledged by teachers in the study, they weren’t significant in their thinking. Teachers are probably quite immune to changes in practice because of this. Traditional forms of professional development are unlikely to provoke change. We concluded that more immersive experiences for teachers (and trainee teachers) are more likely to succeed. That’s what seems to come across in the virtual world project - here, attitudes towards literacy seem to be shifting because of teacher involvement. Anyway I ended the day with a treat – a fascinating exploration of how the theorising of Ricouer and Arendt could be used to deconstruct the representation of female urban poverty. I also learnt about this indigenous studies portal.