Traversing the Topical Landscape

Abstract

In light of recent theoretical and empirical developments in the areas of reading, writing, and learning, this article proposes a view of literacy learning in which various forms of reading and writing are conceptualized as unique ways of thinking about and exploring a topic of study en route to acquiring knowledge. Throughout this article, we take the theoretical position that a topic of study is analogous to a conceptual “landscape” about which knowledge is best acquired by “traversing” it from a variety of perspectives. In this system, different forms of reading and writing represent the “traversal routes” through which an individual can explore a given content domain. Specifically, we wish to argue that more complex or diverse combinations of different forms of reading and writing provide a learner with the means to conduct a more critical inquiry of a topic by virtue of the multiple perspectives or ways of “seeing” and thinking that these reading and writing exchanges permit. Finally, in light of this theoretical orientation, we contend that the ability to direct dynamically one's own reading and writing engagements en route to learning is central to conducting an inquiry of this nature. This perspective suggests a reexamination of a line of research that has pursued the question of how writing in combination with reading influences thinking and learning.

Shaping New Literacies Research: Extrapolations From a Review of the Handbook of Research on New Literacies

“…With few exceptions, one noticeable feature of this section's set of papers is a tendency to discuss hypertext and the Internet as enlisting design features and considerations of learner variables and processes in relation to conceptualizations of single versus multiple texts. Discussions of intertextuality seem limited to a restrictive set of work; they do not extend to reading and writing from multiple sources and research on coauthoring and collaborative meaning making (e.g., McGinley, 1992;McGinley & Tierney, 1989;Spivey, 1997;Tierney, 2009). Discussions of meaning making excluded a consideration of literary engagements with hypermedia-based fiction (see Dobson, 2007;Dobson & Luce-Kapler, 2005) or generative collective forms of knowledge development with wikis (e.g., Dobson, 2004).…”

Expanding the Constructivist Metaphor: A Rhetorical Perspective on Literacy Research and Practice

“…If we adopt Ennis's view that critical thinking is "reasonable reflective thinking," then Tierney et al (1989) contend that reading and writing, as invoking thought processes, can help a learner decide "what to believe and do" (p. 166). McGinley (1988) and McGinley and Tierney (1989) add a much needed perspective to the discussion of the role of literacy in learning and critical thinking. Based on an analysis of think-aloud protocols and students' responses to questions focusing on the purposes served by reading and writing, McGinley (1988) qualifies the ways in which writing in combination with reading can foster critical thinking.…”

Examining the Context of Strategy Instruction

“…Previously, reading was valued principally for mastery of a very limited set of prescribed, religious texts. Today, discussions of the goals of reading instruction turn to high literacy, or the pursuit of learning that is beyond that of adapting to the goals of the prevailing culture (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1987), and critical literacy, or the ability to use reading and writing to go beyond the demands associated with minimum competency (McGinley & Tierney, 1989) for the purposes of thinking and reasoning.…”