James GeeThe New Literacy Studies and the Social Turn

Kelly Sharpe

Well, Hello Gee

Click here to read Gee’s profile

Widely Published James Gee is known for his work in

linguistics and phycology, and their connection with education and society.

Most recently, Gee has lectured and written on the educational models used by video games.

In Gee’s own words: Why we need to talk about the ways we talk. “’Why is there any need to talk about

‘critical literacy’, rather than just ‘literacy’ itself? The reason is this: The forms of literacy learned in school usually do not lead to the urge or ability to think ‘critically’ in the sense of understanding how systems and institutions inter-relate to help and harm people. Therefore, it is worth thinking about what would constitute a ‘critical literacy’.”

A Critical LiteracyA few Questions to Consider: Do we give students language and opportunities to examine their own schooling? Can they ask the core question of this class “To what end, Education?”Or- are students encouraged to stay blind to the processes that shape them into who they are?

New vs. Old Capitalism Gee says that “The old capitalism was

interested in the most efficient organization of individuals as individuals” (p.4)

Meanwhile, “Workers in the new capitalism are meant to continuously gain and apply new knowledge by understanding the whole work process in which they are involved.” (p. 5)

Ideo Shopping Cart Take a look at this article. Especially the following quote:

“Capitalism is not solely a market phenomenon; it exists within a social context. Capitalism is a social movement. Social networks are the basic building blocks of the economy.Markets will continue to play a critical role in Indie Capitalism, but the blurring of distinction between creators, curators, funders, and consumers will make it less transactional.”

Now, watch this video.

How does Ideo’s work on the shopping cart exhibit Gee’s observations about the New Capitalism?

What qualities of the New Capitalism are highlighted in the Wired article?

Economy and SchoolsOld Capitalism

Workers kept separate to maintain control over them.

New Capitalism

Must work in teams and share ideas in order to compete in a fast-paced market.

Watch this video to see why.

Economy and SchoolsOld Capitalism New Capitalism

The Three Paradoxes Gee identifies 3 paradoxes in the New Capitalism. Why don’t NC workers

-Use their knowledge to critique the system?

-Walk off and sell their knowledge to the highest bidder?

And how will knowledge be translated to future generations when in changes so fast?

The Solution! Communities of PracticeIn communities of practice, knowledge is distributed across multiple people, newcomers are apprenticed, and the entire community is trained in the accepted norms and values of the group. In what ways does a modern classroom take part in each of these things?

Distributed knowledge

Newcomers apprenticed

Norms and Values

Understanding the Whole Process “Newcomers (‘apprentices’) are trained by being

scaffolded in ‘joint practice’ with those already adapt at the practice…everyone.. Gains knowledge through immersion in the collaborative practice.” (p. 5)

Look at the video on KIPP schools. How has this school taken part in the New Capitalism’s practice of communicating values, norms, and culture to its staff and students?

Niche work in Education

In the New Capitalism, workers are competing for highly-specialized niche markets. In NYC, schools often are centered around specific learning goals. Is this the same thing? What might we lose if we specialize too much? What will we gain from specializing schools?

New Capitalism: The Haves and the Have-nots What’s wrong with the New Capitalism?“The new capitalism … leads to good, if risky, rewards for those who have sophisticated sociotechnical knowledge to sell…. Large numbers of less fortunate souls must be exploited.”

Is this true in our schools? Are the smart getting smarter and the disadvantaged getting further behind? Read this

Literacy: Why some kids can read …until they can’t Watch Gee’s talk here.

How can our schools equip students with the kind of language and technological tools they need to succeed?

Video games and learning “We really have two school systems” Gee talks here about the growing divide

between our schools and other forms of learning. He points out that video games don’t need to give a test at the end to know you have mastered the content.

What would it look like? If a school were more like a video game,

how would it assess learning? What might “embodied learning” in this type of school look like?

Works Cited

(2009). Abc nightline. (2009). [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM

Gee, J. P. (2008). Special report by james paul gee. [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwouueYlwGo

James Gee. (1999). The new literacy studies and the social turn. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED442118&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED442118

Gee, J. P. (2001). Critical literacy as critical discourse analysis. Retrieved from http://www.jamespaulgee.com/node/12

Gee, J. (Performer). (2011). James paul gee. [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/15732568

Gee, J. (2011, May 2). Why the black-white gap was closing when it was Huff Post, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-gee/why-the-blackwhite-gap-wa_b_855591.html

James Gee. (2011, May 05). james gee james gee mary lou fulton presidential professor of literacy studies at arizona state university get updates from james gee digital natives, digital brains? Huff Post, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-gee/digital-natives-digital-b_b_865263.html

Johnson, S. (2010, September 17). youtube. [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU

Nussbaum, B. (2013, March 05). How ‘indie’ capitalism will replace our stagnant economic system. Wired, Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/03/how-to-put-the-indie-in-capitalism/

The story of kipp. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kipp.org/about/

Cited Pages: Images Used www.zocalopublicsquare.org www.stepbystep.com www.barnesandnoble.com www.wickapedia.org