Pedagogy as Gift/Meetings with Minds

I'll start this blog with some thoughts about Literacy on the left and then move on to report on a good day on Tuesday 12th May

The book Pierre Bourdieu and Literacy Education edited by Albright and Luke (pictured) is 'so right' for my thinking about my book I'm writing called Literacy on the left. I'm very interested by left thinking educationalists', like Allan Luke, views on how to overcome patterns of underachievement amongst the working class whilst operating within a capitalist society that, from a 'left' perspective, has interests in the social reporoduction of inequality. I'm interested to explore to what extend they can be seen to be or not to be part of a 'reformist discourse', as I'm calling it.

Luke's chapter called 'Pedagogy as Gift' is intriguing in Luke's attempt to reconcile the dilemma by drawing on Bourdieu's discussion of pre-capitalist approaches to pedagogy. Pedagogy as gift is decribed thus:

"..a practice normatively expected and reflexively constructed in reciprocal acts and exchanges with elders. I speak not of an ideal literacy event - but rather of a literacy that is insured and assured by contract between elders and youths, families and schools, cultures and civic societies, by a moment of "positive reciprocity" (polanyi, 1944) in the dialectics of cultural gifting" (2009:81)

I am getting the feeling that Luke's views can be associated with post-mordernist perspectives. This chapter is also really interesting, in the way he describes different models of literacy education that attempt to overcome the dilemma faced by all teachers in teaching working class and subordinated groups in the present socio-economic order.

I spoke to Michael Rosen last night before his inaugral lecture as visiting Professor at Birkbeck College. He offered to meet me and talk about my book and the place of his father, Harold, (and Michael) in an analysis of 'literacy on the left' - wonderful!

I was also a judge of the CLPE (formally Signal) poetry prize yesterday afternoon with the poet Jackie Kay. Margeret Meek Spencer was chairing the discussion. Afterwards, on our way to the lecture, I chatted to her about her memories of Basil Bernstein. It was a very good day...