Jim Parsons

Silent Schools? On the Re-emergence of Oral Language and Culture in Education

This chapter addresses the question: ‘What does the predominance of written literacy mean for those who live in schools?’ The author approached the study of the impact of written literacy tradition on schools in a hermeneutic manner, beginning by asking, ‘Why do we attempt to make schools quiet places?’ This question led to an exploration of written and oral traditions and then attempted to better understand how the experience of a curriculum of written literacy might impact those who experience schools. The exploration led through a broad reading, focused on topics of written literacy, written and oral cultures and traditions, and culminating with a general attempt to consider how schools might become better places for those who live there.