Policing the text : structuralism's stranglehold on Australian language and literacy pedagogy

Megan Watkins

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

    Abstract

    Language and literacy pedagogy is a hotly contested site. Various theoretical perspectives jostle for dominance with the needs of teachers and students very often given little consideration within the debate. In Australia, ‘structuralist’ approaches to text, in particular those based on systemic functional theory, are clearly in the ascendancy. Their dominance is evident in syllabus documents and curriculum material across Australia. While this move has led to a more explicit teaching of literacy than was the case during the 1970s and 1980s when more naturalistic methodologies prevailed, the structuralist notion of text which frames these approaches is having a marked effect on classroom practice. Text is generally understood as type, a taxonomic conglomerate of formulaic stages. In teaching text as such teachers problematically assume the role of ‘textual police’ ensuring students understand and reproduce these textual ‘rules’. This paper is based upon a recent study of the implementation of such an approach to text in primary school classrooms. It examines the pedagogic practice of one teacher, highlighting the impact of a restrictive and reductive approach to text on her teaching methodology.
    Original languageEnglish
    Number of pages15
    JournalLanguage and Education
    Publication statusPublished - 1999

    Keywords

    • critical pedagogy
    • english language
    • literacy
    • structuralism

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