Scott's+Literacy++Event

__Threads, Epiphanies, and Inspirations: A Literacy Event Analysis __

__By: Scott Kowalewski __

__Introduction __

 Inspiration often strikes me when I least expect it. As I began this literacy event analysis, the last thing I expected to get out of it was a jolt of inspiration. But that is exactly what happened—in the form of an epiphany. And throughout this literacy event analysis, there seemed to be no shortage of epiphanies. This paper will chronicle two epiphanies, the aforementioned one I had and one by the student I consulted with on this project. Both prove to be inspirational, and both lead to thoughts and ideas about literacy on a personal and societal level.

 On a personal level, I noticed my thoughts about the writing process morph as I proceeded through this project. The morphing isn’t necessarily a change, but my foundation was strengthened, and I noticed a new level of building blocks applied to it.

 On a societal level, I noticed several connections between the experiences of the student I worked with and some of the work by Sylvia Scribner and Brian Street. Both authors demonstrate a level of societal literacy issues that the student I worked with brought real-world experience with. In order to elaborate on epiphanies and connections further, it is necessary to provide the details of my event—beginning with the context.

__Background Context __

 As a requirement of Eastern Michigan University’s First-year Writing Program, all English 121 students must create a multi-genre essay as the culminating project of the semester. The multi-genre essay (MGE) is an opportunity for students to present the research they have done throughout the semester in challenging, unique, and fun ways. The MGE affords students the opportunity to consider audience expectations, purpose, tone, voice, and so many more of the decisions writers must face. In my colleague Evelynn Benn’s English 121 class, the MGE challenges students to consider all of these writer choices as they create their multi-genre essays.

 In working towards the development of the multi-genre unit, Miss Benn has worked diligently in creating a classroom community where students feel comfortable with her and each other. For example, while observing her classroom for the first time, I noticed a wall collage containing pieces from all the individuals of the class. Each piece of the collage was created by an individual student of the class, and they contained their names, interests, and other interesting things. The collage serves as a great reference and resource for the class. In fact, working with communities is a focus of ENGL 121, and Miss Benn’s assignments reflect this.

 Previous units that have helped to create this sense of community have included an ethnography and a peop. The ethnography required students to find a University-based community, which they would focus their research on. The peop, which is a persona-based essay, required her students to really think critically about audiences that would directly benefit from, or otherwise be interested in, the research done in the ethnography essay. These previous units lay the foundation for the MGE and the real focus for my literacy event analysis

 Miss Benn’s MGE assignment requires her students to create six genres that will effectively present their research to their desired target audience. All genres must contain a thread that ties the genres together. Individually, each genre must properly and appropriately follow the conventions of the genre. Therefore, if a student is creating a newspaper article they must follow all the conventions of a newspaper article, including: title, interview quotes, columns, etc. The students that I have worked with thus far do not seem to have any difficulty understanding these conventions or difficulty in the actual creation of genres. The difficulties appear to be in the thread. Many students are struggling with how to connect the genres together in a way that will appeal to their target audience in a clear and effective manner. This is where I began to be helpful. And this is where my literacy event analysis will begin to really focus on a specific set of events and a specific individual.

 The focus of my literacy event is on a student in Miss Benn’s ENGL 121 class named Mathew (psuedonym). Mathew is a junior Sociology major. His research for this semester focuses on the community of African American social workers, and their influence on youth and young adults in urban and poor communities. In working with Mathew, not only were we focused on his multi-genre project but we began to discover a host of literacy issues.

__The Literacy Event __

 Upon first meeting with Mathew, I noticed that he was really excited about doing this project. For many students, the thought of an English class will require writing boring essays about topics they care little about. In fact, this is the experience Mathew has had in previous English courses. Although he likes English courses, Mathew stated, “I didn’t like being told what to write about.” Mathew, however, realizes and understands the benefits of the multi-genre essay. Upon our initial visit he expressed this interest as he noted the assignments creative flexibility. Mathew stated, “That’s why this project is so good. I can take it where I want to take it.” He felt he had ideas about the genres he wanted to incorporate into his project, and he enjoyed the creative flexibility.

 Multi-genre essays, however, also require a fair amount of conceptualizing before beginning. This is due to the necessary thread that must tie the essay together. In addition to the thread, Miss Benn’s assignment required that the MGE target a specific audience. I asked Mathew about who his target audience is. Mathew’s topic focuses on the research he did on African American social workers, specifically his focus is high school drop-out rates and their effects on young people, particularly people from urban and poor communities. He provides several alternatives to dropping out, and it is these solutions that Marvin wishes to focus his MGE on. Therefore, Mathew is targeting high school- and college-aged individuals.

 Because Mathew wants to offer his audience alternatives to dropping out, we discussed some appropriate ways to do this. We discussed that simply picking six genres may not be the most effective way to target his audience. Instead, we discussed what the most effective way to reach his audience and which genres will be most appropriate for that cause. Therefore, we considered presenting his genres in a magazine, media kit, or some other marketing tool appropriate for his target audience. Mathew left the meeting feeling really rejuvenated about this project. I was motivated too. I decided that my goal for this event would be too help Mathew develop the thread to his project. I looked forward to our next meeting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Future meetings proved to be productive as Mathew began to develop and adapt genres to fit his purpose and audience. As a writer, these are the struggles we are constantly faced with. It’s an internal struggle—a real balancing act. But Mathew was choosing genres that he felt would really speak to his audience; a great strategy. For example, one of Mathew’s genres is a letter from a father in jail to his son. The father is pleading to his son to not drop out of school and make the same mistakes he had—head down a path to jail. This, I thought, was an excellent genre to target his intended audience. But I was still concerned about the thread.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> When I asked Mathew again about his thread, he mentioned, “I wish I would have thought about the thread earlier.” He was having difficulty conceptualizing how to put everything together. Then, it was almost as if he had an epiphany. I received an E-mail from Mathew stating it had just come to him. The following is an excerpt from that E-mail (exactly as it appeared):

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What i think i am going to do is a game but not a game with many options my game is going to be titled the game of life "with no education" (not many chances, lack of opportunity, a game no one should be eager to finnish) just to kind of emphasize the importance of education. it wont be like a real game but will have a board and cards and i was thinking of putting on the card like statistical information like the percentage of kids that drop out of school each year, the percentage of earnings from jobs of kids with no education high school education and a college degree so on... and have big spaces they can land on that will let the player someone from my audience read a genre and i think i want my genres to be based on someone who didnt finnish school or got cought up in activities that led them down the wrong path like i have a resume of someone who dosent have much of an education, i have a sports story, on a kid who was good at sports in high school and went straight to the pros but got injured or something the title is from rags to riches, back to rags, because he has found it difficult to find a job without education after playing pro ball for a short period of time before his injury, i have a letter from a guy who is in prison between him and his son and he is telling his son of the importance of education and the paths he chose and how those paths arent the right ones to take... just some ideas let me know what u think it just came to me today i was having trouble thinking of how i could tie everything together and what genres i wanted to do. (personal communication, April 1, 2008 )

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When I read this E-mail, I was so excited. Mathew had developed a thread to tie his genres together. Not just a thread though, he had created an incredible thread! And this E-mail demonstrates his awareness of audience, purpose, expectations, and so many more of the ‘writerly’ choices necessary to being an incredible writer. There was still the issue of tightening all this together, though.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The very last meeting Mathew and I had addressed the idea of tightening up his MGE. Essentially, we talked about which genres would be appropriate for his game. Mathew felt passionate about displaying his research in a manner that would represent just how dangerous the “game” of life can be. By making the wrong choices, such as dropping out of school, individuals can significantly affect their lives. I thought his ideas about the letter from jail and the résumé were great, and that perhaps his game could have questions that derive specifically from his genres. Mathew thought this was a “doable” scenario, but unfortunately, at the end of the meeting he was still unsure of exactly which genres would hold well with his thread. I felt comfortable, though, that he would be able to figure this out.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Analysis __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Upon reflecting on my literacy event with Mathew, I feel that I have effectively achieved the goal I set out to accomplish. It was obvious from the onset that Mathew was a bright, intelligent student. His potential as a writer was also obvious. But as with anything new, the multi-genre essay tested him as a writer. Initially, it placed Mathew in a situation he did not feel entirely comfortable with. And I think it frightened him slightly. But these feelings of apprehension can be a positive thing. As Mathew’s E-mail proves, this can be a very positive thing.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Since my initial goal was to help Mathew develop a thread for his multi-genre essay, we had to work through a few things first. One of the first things, Mathew and I worked on was getting past his initial feelings of apprehension. We began very simply by brainstorming some ideas. I was kicking stuff around; he was kicking stuff around. As I was getting a sense of him as a writer, he was trying to make sense of this assignment. By the end of our initial brainstorming, his enthusiasm for the assignment proved to me he had worked through his initial fears and concerns about it.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> With the scariness of the assignment behind us, Mathew and I were now concentrating on creating this project. As he discussed his letter from jail, he explained its significance to his community. Mathew asserts, “People in my community…are comfortable where they are. They won’t step out of their comfort zone.” This demonstrated to me a level of audience awareness necessary to complete this project. He recognizes the serious implications his research poses to his intended audience. And through using pathos to reach his audience, he intends to show the alternatives to achieving literacy and education. This is a great rhetorical strategy Marvin employs here. And as his E-mail reveals to me, he begins to employ other rhetorical strategies, as well.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> When I received the above E-mail from Mathew, it was apparent he understood not only the assignment but he also understood the ‘writerly’ decisions he had to make. In our initial conversation about his project, we discussed audience awareness. Demonstrating this awareness, Mathew realizes the importance of not only appealing to his audience using pathos but also using logos. The entire thread of a game is clearly and logically thought out. Mathew is using logic from his research, statistics, facts, etc. to logically present his research to his audience. Again, this is a great rhetorical strategy. And it is these strategies that lead me to believe Marvin will be successful with this project.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Despite the fact—due to deadline constraints—this paper does not represent Mathew’s final project, I feel I have achieved my goals. Perhaps more importantly, though, Mathew will achieve his. Mathew’s E-mail was as inspiring as it was exciting, and it raises a variety of implications.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Implications __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The goal was simple: develop a thread. The E-mail alone proves to me that Mathew has the rhetorical awareness to create a successful thread. But this project wasn’t all about goals. During this literacy event, Mathew was not the only one to have an epiphany. The literacy event helped me to truly conceptualize the processes writers constantly face. This was huge. Certainly, I have been familiar with the writing process for quite some time.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> As a teacher and writing consultant, I am constantly helping students through various aspects of their writing process. But I was never forced to analyze this process. It was always something that came relatively natural to me. I took it for granted. But working with Mathew, helped to bring back the joy of the process.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The process is a struggle. The process can be overwhelming. The process can be frightening. The list goes on-and-on. But as writers, it’s that “Eureka” moment that makes it all worthwhile. That was my epiphany. It’s not all about that final product; it’s about the process. It’s about the “Ah-ha” moment. That’s what makes writing joyous. Mathew also helped me to realize some more societal implications as well.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">More Implications __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Mathew’s insightfulness proved to reveal issues about literacy that go well beyond the context of this assignment or ENGL 121. During our final interview, Mathew began to explain to me his background as a writer. He mentioned that at the high school he attended there are two tracks for students to take. One track is college preparation; while, the other track prepares students for the “real world.” As Mathew began to describe the latter track, I immediately thought about Sylvia Scribner’s article “Literacy in Three Metaphors.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Scribner describes her views on functional literacy, which she calls “literacy as adaptation.” Scribner states, “The functional approach has been hailed as a major advance over more traditional concepts of reading and writing because it takes into account the goals and settings of people’s activities with written language” (11). Mathew began to explain to me a situation in which during an English class he took following the “real world” track, he was required to create a résumé. Prior to this description, Mathew explained that up until this point he had participated in the college prep track, but for academic purposes he choose to take the “easier” English track his senior year. Because of his college prep course experience, Mathew recognized the resume assignment was not something students in the college prep track would be participating in. When I asked if he felt slighted, he stated, “I don’t feel I got slighted. But my friends, the other people in the class, I feel for them.” This, I felt, was very insightful, and it bodes well with some of Scribner’s ideals, too.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Following her thoughts on functional literacy Scribner continues, “Yet even tender probing reveals the many questions of fact, value, and purpose that complicate [the functional approach’s] application to educational curricula” (11). Mathew and I both recognized the purpose and implication of résumé writing as part of the curriculum. This particular assignment was designed to maintain a literate status quo. Students were being prepared not to move up in Scribner’s hierarchy of literacy, but they were being prepared to be functional in society—create a résumé and get a job, maintain the status quo. Thus, this example demonstrates the clear dichotomy of the two tracks Mathew described to me. Mathew completed the résumé writing assignment, but he had other literacy aspirations for himself.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Since Mathew had been on the college prep track the majority of his high school career, he was prepared for the level of literacy expected at the college level. What’s more, Mathew strives to achieve other levels of literacy that Scribner describes. Scribner’s third, and perhaps most desired, level of literacy is “literacy as a state of grace.” This is the level of literacy I believe Mathew is striving to achieve. But in doing so, he is alienating himself from peers within his community. Much of Mathew’s research for his multi-genre essay focused on negative connotations urban and poor community members attach to literacy and education. Mathew stated that during his research he discovered that those who go to school and become educated and highly literate are considered to be “acting white.” Scribner offers an explanation as to why this might be; she states, “In the perspective of Western humanism, literateness has come to be considered synonymous with ‘cultured…’ (13). In the culture and social context of Mathew’s environment, education and literacy are seen negatively. Becoming “cultured” requires the loss of one’s own culture. Therefore, literacy has become a social practice.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The purpose of Mathew’s MGE is to provide his audience with an alternative to the negative lifestyles they may be living. Since his audience is individuals from urban or poor communities, the lure of alternative lifestyles and easy money dangle like a juicy carrot over a traditional education-based lifestyle. Mathew wishes to impart through his MGE the importance of education and literacy. Thus, he recognizes the social implications of literacy. Brian Street asserts that often the social implications of literacy carry with them someone else’s ideal or values. Street states, “…the uses and meanings of literacy are always embedded in relations of power; that is, engaging in ‘literary practices’ (Street 1984) involves contests over meanings, definitions, and boundaries and struggles for control of the literacy agenda (Kress 1997; Street 1995)” (37). As traditional societal values privilege education and Standard English, the urban and poor communities often feel the effects of losing this power struggle. Although recent class readings and discussions have demonstrated the high literacy levels of non-standard-English- using individuals, the power struggle still remains. And it is still associated with a loss of personal identity. However, Mathew’s research and message demonstrates that one can achieve high levels of literacy and still maintain true to themselves, their identity, and their value systems.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Conclusions __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> I achieved the goals I set out to accomplish. But I accomplished so much more. Through working with Mathew, my ideals about writing and literacy have matured. I think matured is the right word. The word “change” would imply I had different ideals before I began this project. Before I began this project, I understood what the writing process was, and I understood the dichotomy that sometimes exists in the education system. But my work with Mathew helped to allow those ideas to grow up—to mature. Furthermore, Mathew is a good writer, and I feel he will continue in his literacy development. He is already in Scribner’s “literacy as power,” metaphor, and I believe he is on his way to the “state of grace” metaphor. And his development, at least in the short amount of time that I worked with him was inspirational—on many levels.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Works Cited __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Laughlin, Mathew. Personal Interview. April 2, 2008. (Please note: The name of the student is a pseudonym.)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Scribner, Sylvia. (1984). Literacy in Three Metaphors. //American Journal of Education, v. 93// (1), 6-21.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Street, Brian. (1999). The Meanings of Literacy. In D.A. Wagner, R.L. Venezky & B.V. Street (Eds.) //Literacy: An International Handbook// (34-40). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.