Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to work toward more fully conceptualizing literacy practices as social by theorizing the combined relational and intellectual context for learning. This context is created through students' and their teachers' uses of language. In particular, the quality of language that creates this intellectual relational…

In literacy education, neuroscience research has been alluded to increasingly in work meant to substantiate cognitive models of the reading process related to text decoding and its instruction. As a result, this material tends to focus on early reading or reading disability and dyslexia (e.g., Hudson, High, & Al Otaiba, 2007; Shaywitz, 2003). It…

Discusses problems that educators face in attempting to emphasize high-level cognitive skills in their curriculum. Identifies four elements of informal learning that guide the creation of these skills, through a comparison of the characteristics of formal and informal learning environments. Notes benefits for development of students' conceptual…

Forty sub-literate adults were given reading and comprehension skill training. Twenty of the subjects were taught using a multimedia, multimodal and multilevel communication skill system (Experimental Group). The other twenty were taught in a traditional manner using standard reading texts (Control Group). Both Groups received an average of 265…

Considers the expanding definition of literacy from traditional reading and writing skills to include technological, visual, information, and networking literacy. Discusses the impact of media on social interactions and intellectual development; linking technology to educational goals; influences of new media symbol systems on communication;…