“Literacy with an Attitude” Finn Quotes

 

   The first two chapters of "Literacy with an Attitude" by Patrick Finn introduce how language, power dynamics, and social justice are connected. Readers are encouraged to question power structures in texts and think critically about language and literacy. Finn emphasizes developing critical thinking skills, empowering people to challenge dominant narratives, and promoting equity and social change through literacy.

"When rich children get an empowering education, nothing changes. But when working-class children get empowering education, you get literacy with an attitude. (Finn Preface)"

The quote shows how empowering education transforms working-class children. It contrasts education for wealthy kids, which often keeps things as they are, with schooling for working-class kids, which encourages questioning norms and inequalities. This "literacy with an attitude" includes literacy skills and actively engaging with social issues, leading to advocacy and positive change in their communities. It highlights education's role in empowering marginalized groups and creating a better society.

"While the same arithmetic book was used in all five schools, the teacher in one working-class school commented that she skipped pages dealing with mathematical reasoning and inference because they were too hard. The teacher in the second working-class school said, "These pages are for creativity-they're extras." She often skipped them as well.(Finn Chap2)"

This quote highlights the differences in teaching approaches within working-class schools, even though they used the same arithmetic book. One teacher skipped challenging pages, doubting students' abilities, while another saw these pages as unimportant, missing a chance to boost critical thinking. It shows the need for inclusive teaching that challenges students and fosters growth, stressing the importance of giving every student meaningful learning opportunities, no matter their background.

"In the affluent professional school, work was a creative activity carried out independently. It involved individual thought and expression, expansion and illustration of ideas, and choice of appropriate methods and materials. Products were often stories, essays, or representations of ideas in murals, craft projects, and graphs.(Finn Chap2)"

This quote compares education in an affluent professional school to working-class schools. In the affluent school, work is described as creative, independent, and focused on individual expression and thought. Students do activities that help them expand ideas, choose methods and materials, and create stories, essays, art, and graphs. This approach values creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression, letting students apply their knowledge differently. It's different from the limited, rote methods often seen in working-class schools, showing the importance of fostering creativity and independence in education.