George Mason University s8

George Mason University Graduate School of Education

EDRD 797 Gendered Literacy: Critical, Political, and Practical Perspectives

Summer 2010 East Building 121 T/R 4:30 – 8:30

PROFESSOR: Dr. Bill Brozo Office: Robinson A345 Phone: 703-993-3894 Email: [email protected] Mailing Address: MSN 4B3, Graduate School of Education, George Mason University Fairfax, VA 22030

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course looks at gender-focused education policy and practice through a critical lens. There is a well-documented reading achievement gap in favor of girls, leading to what some refer to as the “boys turn” in literacy education. What role does literacy play in the construction of gendered identities for youth? What is the theoretical and empirical basis for gendered literacy practices? What do these practices look like in authentic school contexts? and How do notions of gender and literacy drive broader educational policy? These and other critical questions will be taken up in this course. Students will be given the opportunity to (a) read from scholars representing a broad range of viewpoints on literacy and gender, and (b) explore ways of employing research practices to further elucidate gendered literacy connections.

STUDENT OUTCOMES

This course will be taught from an inquiry-oriented perspective. Each student will:

A. Write a research proposal paper related to aspects of interest in gender and literacy and present the proposal to the class. Proposals will be negotiated individually with the professor.

1 B. Read and analyze research studies, reports, and reviews related to gender and literacy. C. Maintain a reflective log of course readings D. Lead class discussion over an article

REQUIRED TEXTS

* A list of readings to be found on electronic databases will be supplied in class.

* Students will also need access to the newest edition of the American Psychological Association Manual

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION Points I. Reflections on Course Readings 25

Students will maintain a log of reflections on all required course readings. These readings will include articles and reports assigned by the professor as well as those readings article discussion leaders assign. (See assignment details in syllabus.)

II. Article Discussion Leadership 15 Each student will be responsible for interpreting and engaging her/his peers in discussion around an article from the one of the required articles. (See assignment details in syllabus.)

III. Research Proposal 50 Each student will write a proposal for research focusing on some aspect of gender and literacy. All students will present a brief oral summary of their proposed study on the final class session. (See format and expectations in syllabus).

IV. Class Participation 10 Students are expected to attend all classes and participate actively. If an emergency prevents attendance, please discuss the situation with the professor.

TOTAL 100

100 – 90 = A; 89 – 80 = B; 79 – 70 = C

2 *All written assignments will be submitted electronically GENERAL INFORMATION

Email Access Students must have access to email and the internet, either at home, work or GMU campus. GMU provides students with free email accounts which must be accessed for information sent from the university or the Graduate School of Education. Go to http://mason.gmu.edu/ for information on accessing.

Honor Code To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of George Mason University and with the desire for greater academic and personal achievement, we, the members of George Mason University, have set forth the following code of honor. Any individual who is caught in the act of cheating, attempting to cheat, plagiarizing, or stealing will be brought forth before a council of their peers. In the event that the individual is found guilty, he or she will be punished accordingly. For further information, please refer to the University Catalog or Website at www.gmu.edu. Code in the University catalog can be found online at http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html.

George Mason University Policy on Disabilities This syllabus is subject to change based on the needs of the class. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the series, programs, or activities of all State and local Governments. Under ADA a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity such as: learning, working, walking, speaking, hearing, breathing, and/or taking care of oneself. If a student has a disability and needs course adaptations or accommodations because of that disability, it must be established with the faculty, in writing, at the beginning of the semester so arrangements can be made. Please call the Disability Resource Center for required documentation (703-993-2474). The Disability Resource Center website is at http://www.gmu.edu/student/drc/.

3 TENTATIVE AGENDA

Date Topic/Assignments

Session 1, May 25 Course Introduction & Requirements The Gender-Literacy Connection: An Overview

Session 2, May 27 The Trouble with Boys ADL demonstration Lietz, P. (2006) Why boys don’t like to read: Gender differences in reading achievement. Are there differences in achievement between boys and girls?

Session 3, June 1 Raising Boys Reading Achievement Booth, D., Elliot-Johns, S., & Bruce, F. (2009) Hall, C., & Coles, M. (1997) Lenters, K. (2007) ADL

Session 4, June 3 Problematizing Boys’ Literacy Individual Conferences White, B. (2007) Dutro, E. (2003) ADL

Session 5, June 8 Problematizing Boys’ Literacy Martino W. and Kehler, M. (2007) Weaver-Hightower, M. (2003) ADL

Session 6, June 10 What about the Girls? Wissman, K.K. (2007) Chandler-Olcott, K., & Mahar, D. (2003) ADL

Session 7, June 15 What about the Girls? Graff, J.M. (2009) Lalik, R., & Oliver, K.L. (2007) Cherland, M. (2008/2009) ADL

Session 8, June 17 Disrupting the Normative Blackburn, M. (2002/2003)

4 Gilbert, P. (1992) Bean, T., & Harper, H. (2007) Kehler, M., & Martino, W. (2007) ADL

Session 9, June 22 Research Proposal Presentations Reflective Logs Due Course Evaluations

Session 10, June 24 TBA Research Proposals Due

FORMAT FOR WRITING A REFLECTION ON COURSE READINGS

For each course reading, either required by the professor or that serves as the focus of an ADL, use the following format and subheadings to type a one page reflection:

 Article Title & Author in APA format

 Author’s Most Significant Points 1 paragraph summary of the author’s points you found to be most significant

 Text to Self Connections 1-2 paragraphs about how the article contributes to your own expanding knowledge of gender and literacy and your professionalism

 Questions and Criticisms 1 paragraph of doubts, challenges, and lingering questions

5 ARTICLE DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP

Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to provide you the opportunity to read, analyze, and interpret the research articles and readings in the course pack for your peers.

Completion Procedures

1. Identify one article over which to lead discussion. The article should be taken from the course readings. There will be no overlap.

2. Read, analyze, and format its presentation around the following aspects of the article:

 purpose  main points  type of research and methodology, if relevant  conclusions  implications for research and practice  personal responses and reactions

3. Discussants should also devise ways of engaging the class in critical conversation and reflection on the article. Demonstrations, simulations, role-plays, and debates are recommended.

4. PowerPoint slides, and handouts (if relevant) should accompany the article presentations and discussions.

6. Article discussion leaders should plan 30 minutes for their article discussions.

Evaluation

Article discussant will be given a grade based on (a) the level of planning and coordination evident in the presentation and discussion of the article; (b) how succinctly and understandably key information from the article was presented; and (c) the extent to which the discussants used engaging techniques for bringing all students into critical conversation about the article.

6 RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND PRESENTATION

Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to provide you the opportunity to propose a scholarly exploration of an area of interest in gender and literacy. A report will be written as a result of your exploration that will take the form of either a research proposal or a report of a mini-research project. A short oral report on the proposal will be given to the class.

Completion Procedures for the Research Proposal

1. Identify an issue/aspect of gender and literacy to research

This should be something that concerns/interests you at the present time. It may be related to something that has evolved out of your teaching experience, or it may be something that has piqued your interest from the course readings.

2. Seek Knowledge

There are many sources for acquiring information about your research concern. First and foremost, review the related literature. Consult journals, books, year- books, etc. Course readings from the class may be used as source material for the review

3. Plan Research

Based on your research concern, plan specific steps to carry out with groups of students, individuals, or extant data sets. To refine your plan, it’s helpful to pose questions that the research might answer or form hypotheses to be confirmed or disconfirmed.

Your research might involve running statistics on existing data, trying out strategies, administering criterion tasks, meeting with students, teachers, administrators for interviews, gathering verbal reports, administering interest and attitude scales, and/or observing students within genuine learning contexts.

4. Reflect on Research Results

In this phase you should speculate on the findings of your proposed study based on your research questions/hypotheses.

Another important aspect of the reflection phase of research is to consider the implications of the findings. You should focus your attention on how the research results might affect your teaching, your interactions with students, or future research you may conduct.

7 WRITING THE REPORT

The research report should contain and be written according to the following sections:

 Introduction and Literature Review

This section should include a clear description of your research concern, research questions or hypotheses, and a brief discussion of the professional literature related to your concern. Be sure to discuss why an answer to your research questions or information about your hypotheses is worth seeking; in other words, what would it mean in terms of the advancement of our knowledge of literacy and gender. (3-4 pages)

 Description of Methods

In this section describe how you intend to conduct your research. Include a description of subjects (i.e., students, teachers, administrators), if appropriate, the context of the research, the strategies and materials, the substance of each research session, and as complete a description of the methodologies as possible in a proposal of this nature. (3-4 pages)

 Discussion/Reflection

In this section speculate on the findings of your study, and discuss what it would mean if your data pointed in one direction versus another. Focus your discussion on implications relative to the advancement of knowledge about literacy and gender. (2-3 pages)

 References

Include a complete list of references in correct APA format.

Length

Your research proposal should be no more than 10 double-spaced pages in length, excluding references.

Presentation

Summarize your proposal in a 15 minute presentation to the class. Highlight salient aspects of each of the sections of the proposal. Invite and respond to colleagues’ questions.

8 READINGS

Reports

Alloway, N., Freebody, P., Gilbert, P., & Muspratt, S. (2002). Boys, literacy and schooling: Expanding the repertoires of practice. Sidney, AU: Department of Education, Science and Teaching.

Booth, D., Elliot-Johns, S., & Bruce, F. (2009). Boys’ literacy attainment: Research and practice. Ontario Ministry of Education. Available at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/research/boys_literacy.pdf

Canadian Council on Learning. (2009). Why boys don’t like to read: Gender differences in reading achievement. Available at http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/LessonsInLearning/02_18_09-E.pdf

Clark, C., & Foster, A. (2005). Children's and young people's reading preferences: The who, what, why, where and when. National Literacy Trust. Available at www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/readsurvey.html

Chudowsky, N. & Chudowsky, V. (2010). Are there differences in achievement between boys and girls? Washington, DC: Center on Education Policy. http://www.cepdc.org/document/docWindow.cfm? fuseaction=document.viewDocument&documentid=304&documentFormatId=4643

Greene, J.P., & Winters, M. (2006). Leaving boys behind: Public high school graduation rates. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from http://www.manhattaninstitute.org/html/cr_48.htm#05

Mok, J. & Cheung, S. (2004). Book reading culture of youth in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups.

Peter, K., & Horn, L. (2005). Gender Differences in Participation and Completion of Undergraduate Education and How They Have Changed Over Time. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005169.

The Education Alliance. (2007). Gender differences in reading achievement: Policy implications and best practices. Charleston, WV: author. http://www.educationalliance.org/Downloads/Research/GenderDifferences.pdf

Department of Education, Training, and Youth Affairs. (2000). The education of boys. Australia. http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/Eofb/subs/sub117.pdf

9 Younger, M., & Warrington, M. (2005). Raising boys' achievement. National Literacy Trust. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from, www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR636.pdf

Brozo, W. (2010). To be a Boy, to be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy (2nd ed). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Cherland, M. R. (1994). Private practices: Girls reading fiction and constructing reality. London: Taylor and Francis.

Driver, S. (2007). Queer girls and popular culture: Reading, resisting, and creating media. New York: Peter Lang.

Fashola, O. (2005). Educating African American males. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Finders, M. (1997). Just girls: Hidden literacies and life in junior high. New York: Teachers College Press.

Fletcher, R. (2006). Boy Writers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Gilbert, R., bv nb& Gilbert, P. (1998). Masculinity goes to school. London: Routlege.

Jones, S. (2006). Girls, social class, and literacy: What teachers can do to make a difference. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Martino, W., & Meyenn, B. (2001). What about the boys? Issues of masculinity in schools. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. Available at http://eec.edc.org/cwis_docs/Miscellaneous/issues%20of%20masculinities %20and%20school.pdf

Newkirk, T. (2002). Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy, and Popular Culture. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Rowan, L., Knobel, M., Bigum, C, & Lankshear, C. (2002). Boys, literacies and schooling: The dangerous territories of gender-based literacy reform. London: Open University Press.

Smith, M. W., & Wilhelm, J. D. (2002). Reading don't fix no Chevys: Literacy in the lives of young men. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

10 Sprague, M.M., & Keeling, K.K. (2007). Discovering their voices: Engaging adolescent girls with young adult literature. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Tatum, A. (2005). Teaching reading to Black adolescent males. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Weaver-Hightower, M. (2008). The politics of policy in boys’ education: Getting boys “right”. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Zambo, D., & Brozo, W.G. (2009). Bright beginnings for boys: Engaging young boys In active literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Journal Articles

Abraham, J.A. (2008). Back to the future on gender and anti-school boys: A response to Jeffrey Smith. Gender and Education, 20(1), 89-94.

Bean, T., & Harper, H. (2007). Reading men differently: Alternative portrayals of masculinity in contemporary young adult fiction. Reading Psychology, 28(1), 11-30.

Blackburn, M. (2003). Boys and literacies: What difference does gender make? Reading Research Quarterly, 38(2), 276-287.

Blackburn, M. (2002/2003). Disrupting the (hetero)normative: Exploring literacy performances and identity work with queer youth. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 46(4), 312-324.

Blair, H. (2000). Genderlects: Girl talk and boy talk in a middle years classroom. Language Arts, 77, 315-323.

Bugel, K., & Buunk, B. (1995). Sex differences in foreign language text comprehension: The role of interests and prior knowledge. The Modern Language Journal, 80, 15–31.

Chandler-Olcott, K., & Mahar, D. (2003). "Tech-savviness" meets multiliteracies: Exploring adolescent girls' technology-mediated literacy practices. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(3), 356–385.

Cherland, M. (2008/2009). Harry’s girls: Harry Potter and the discourse of gender. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(4), 273–282.

Coles, M. & Hall, C. (2002). Gendered reading: learning from children’s reading choices. Journal of Research in Reading, 25(1), 96-108.

Collins-Standley, T., Gan, S.L., Yu, H.J., & Zillmann, D. (1996). Choice of romantic, Violent, and scary fairy-tale books by preschool girls and boys. Child Study 11 Journal, 26(4), 279-302. Connell, R.W. (1989). Cool guys, swots and wimps: The interplay of masculinity and education. Oxford Review of Education, 15(3), 291–303.

Dance, J.L. (2001). Shadows, mentors, and surrogate fathers: Effective schooling as critical pedagogy for inner-city boys. Sociological Focus, 34(4), 399-415.

Daly, P., Salters, J., & Burns, C. (1998). Gender and task interaction: Instant and delayed recall of three story types. Educational Review, 50, 269–275.

Dutro, E. (2003). “Us boys like to read football and boy stuff.” Reading masculinities, performing boyhood. Journal of Literacy Research, 34, 465–500.

Flynn, J.M., & Hossein Rahbar, M. (1994). Prevalence of reading failure in boys compared with girls. Psychology in the Schools, 31, 66-71.

Gibson, S. (2010, April). Critical readings: African American girls and urban fiction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(7), 565–574.

Gilbert, P. (1992). The story so far: Gender, literacy and social regulation. Gender and Education, 4, 185-199.

Glenn, W. (2008). Gossiping girls, insider boys, A-list achievement: Examining and exposing young adult novels consumed by conspicuous consumption. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 34-42.

Graff, J.M. (2009). Girls as “struggling readers”: Delineating the sociopolitical and sociocultural terrains of books and reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(4), 357-359.

Gunzelmann, B. & Connell, J. (2006). The new gender gap: Social, psychological, neurobiological, and educational perspectives. Educational Horizons, 84(2), 94- 101.

Hall, C., & Coles, M. (1997). Gendered readings: Helping boys develop as critical readers. Gender & Education, 9(1), 61-68.

Hughes-Hassell, S., & Rodge, P. (2007). The leisure reading habits of urban adolescents. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(1), 22-33.

Hunter, D., & Gambell, T. (2000). Surveying gender differences in Canadian school literacy. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 32(5), 689-719.

Johnson, D.M., & Peer, G.G. (1984). Protagonist preferences among juvenile and adolescent readers. The Journal of Educational Research, 77(3), 147-150.

12 Jordan, E. (1995). Fighting boys and fantasy play: The construction of masculinity in the early years of school. Gender and Education, 7(1), 69-86.

Kehler,M. D., Davison, K. G., & Frank, B. (2005). Contradictions and tensions in the practice of masculinities in school: Interrogating embodiment and “good buddy” talk. JCT, 21(4), 59-72.

Kehler, M., & Martino, W. (2007). Questioning masculinities: Interrogating boys’ capacities for self-problematization in schools. Canadian Journal of Education, 30(1), 90-112.

Knobloch, S., Callison, C., Chen, L., Fritzsche, A., & Zillman, D. (2005). Children’s sex- stereotyped self-socialization through selective exposure to entertainment: Cross- cultural experiments in Germany, China, and the United States. The Journal of Communication, 55(1), 122-138.

Lalik, R., & Oliver, K.L. (2007). Differences and tensions in implementing a pedagogy of critical literacy with adolescent girls. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(1), 46–70.

Lenters, K. (2007). From storybooks to games, comics, bands, and chapter books: A young boy’s appropriation of literacy practices. Canadian Journal of Education, 30(1), 113-136.

Lietz, P. (2006). A meta-analysis of gender differences in reading achievement at the secondary school level. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 32(4), 317-344.

Love, K., & Hamston, J. (2004). Committed and reluctant male teenage readers: Beyond bedtime stories. Journal of Literacy Research. Available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3785/is_200410/ai_n11826114/pg_1

Martin, A.J. (2003). Boys and motivation. The Australian Educational Researcher, 30(3), 43-65.

Martino, W. (2003). Boys, masculinities, and literacy: Addressing the issues. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 26(3), 9-27.

Martino W., & Kehler, M. (2007). Gender-based literacy reform: A question of challenging or recuperating gender binaries. Canadian Journal of Education. 30(2), 406-431.

Millard, E. (1997). Differently literate: Gender identity and the construction of the developing reader. Gender and Education, 9(1), 31-48.

Murphy, P., & Elwood, J. (1998). Gendered experiences, choices and achievement— exploring the links. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2(2), 95–118.

13 Simpson, A. (1996). Fictions and facts: An investigation of the reading practices of girls and boys. English Education, 28(4), 268–279.

Slade, M., & Trent, F. (2000) What the boys are saying: Examining the views of boys about declining rates of achievement and retention, International Education Journal, 1, 201–229.

Sokal, L., Katz, H., Adkins, M., Grills, T., Stewart, C., & Priddle, G. (2005). “Boys will be ‘boys’: variability in boys’ experiences in literacy”, The Alberta Journal of Education Research. 51(3), 216-230.

Sokal, L., Katz, H., Adkins, M., Grills, T., Stewart, C., & Priddle, G. (2005). Factors affecting inner-city boys’ reading: Are male teachers the answer? Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 14, 107-130.

Weaver-Hightower, M. (2003). The "boy turn" in research on gender and education. Review of Educational Research, 73(4), 471-98.

White, B. (2007). Are girls better readers than boys? Which boys? Which girls? Canadian Journal of Education, 30(2), 554-581. Available at http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE30-2/CJE30-2-White.pdf

Wissman, K.K. (2007). “Making a way”: Young women using literacy and language to resist the politics of silencing. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(4), 340–349.

Worthy, J., Moorman, M., & Turner, M. (1999). What Johnny likes to read is hard to find in school. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(1), 12–27.

Young, J. (2000). Boy talk: Critical literacy and masculinities. Reading Research Quarterly, 35(3), 312–337.