Intended for teachers, this monograph encourages readers to consider the notion that thinking critically is a matter of reading signs, that it is the function of signs that makes reflective thinking possible. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Beyond a Literal Reading"; (2) "Current Thinking on Critical Thinking";…

This book seeks to introduce readers to the concept of multicultural education. The book explains the inevitability of multicultural education in today's world, looks for its possibilities, and shows its advantages and limitations. Its text is first of all aimed at university students, but it should also be of general interest. The book is the…

Explores how transmediation extends the new literacies found in multimedia classrooms. Defines "transmediation" as responding to cultural texts in a range of sign systems -- art, movement, sculpture, dance, music, and so on -- as well as in words. Contends that transmediation has the potential to capture the postmodern reality of multiple texts,…

This book is designed to provide a foundation for independent research in the phonetic study of speech. Eight sections address the following: (1) introductory ideas, semiotics, the relationship between phonetics and phonology, and the concepts of accent, dialect, and language; (2) the phonetic analysis of speech and the architecture of phonetic…

The controversial field of semiotics has been criticized for its "unwillingness to respect boundaries" and its "conviction that everything is a sign." The central concerns of this wide-ranging field, however, can be defined, and its implications for teaching can be outlined. Semiotics is the study of signs (symbols, icons, and…

Building on the author's groundbreaking work in "Building Superheroes," this book traces the influence of a wide-ranging set of "textual toys" from children's lives--church and hip-hop songs, rap music, movies, TV, traditional jump-rope rhymes, the words of professional sports announcers and radio deejays--upon school learning…

This paper examines how semiotic analysis may be useful in teaching media literacy to nonnative speakers of English (NNSs), including both immigrants and international students who plan to return to their countries. It focuses on two television shows. The first show, "Friends," covers issues and problems of contemporary urban life for…