Literacy and Growth by Hodgson, John; Harris, Ann;

Short description:

Literacy and Growth is a unique genealogical study of English teaching in the UK and abroad since the 18^th century. Focusing specifically on the concepts of literacy and growth, this book explores key moments in the development of ideas about English teaching. 

Long description:

Literacy and Growth is a unique genealogical study of English teaching in the UK and abroad since the 18^th century. Focusing specifically on the concepts of literacy and growth, this book explores key moments in the development of ideas about English teaching.

Hodgson and Harris reveal the Enlightenment forebears of such contemporary concepts as “cultural capital” and “critical literacy”; the significance of “growth” to the writers and social critics who opposed Victorian Utilitarianism; and the 20th-century influences that established English as a humane study, including the Newbolt Report, the Cambridge Scrutiny group, and the London School of Percival Gurrey and James Britton. The authors examine unpublished Dartmouth Conference papers to reconsider John Dixon’s construction of “growth” in his seminal report Growth through English (1967). They reflect on the turbulent aftermath of Dartmouth, the changes in the “growth” model following the cultural turn in English studies, and the politics behind the shift from “English” to “literacy” in the 1990s. Importantly, they redefine the growth model for the 21st century to support teachers and students in the current context of performativity, high-stakes assessment, the “knowledge curriculum”, and artificial intelligence.

Essential reading for tutors and students of English and literacy as well as policymakers in the subject area, this book will engage all those interested in the history and philosophy of English in education. It will be a key resource for those involved in the education and training of English teachers, as well as those undertaking research in English education.

“This really is a genealogical exploration of English education – this is the history of every English teacher and where we came from. Tracing the patterns and evolutions of thought about literacy and literature education, it is saturated with knowledge.”

 Victoria Elliott, Associate Professor of English and Literacy Education, University of Oxford, UK

“A fascinating, timely and important (English) curriculum story, well told, this innovative book about English teaching today ranges from the Scottish Enlightenment to Dartmouth and beyond. With perhaps its most striking feature being its history of ideas approach and tracing various twists and ‘turns’ in the subject, the authors are to be congratulated on creatively and comprehensively opening up the view, in a way that enriches scholarship and pedagogy alike. Required reading for 21st century English teaching.”

Bill Green, Emeritus Professor, Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia

Table of Contents:

1. Growth

2. The Origins of Modern English Education

3. Culture of the Feelings?  Literacy And Education in the Industrial Revolution

4. Romantic Developmentalism: The Colonial Genealogy of The Newbolt Report

5. The Genealogy and Legacy Of ‘Cambridge English’

6. Ancestral Voices: The Dartmouth Debates

7. The Genealogy of the “London School”

8. Literacy, Politics and Culture in the Late 20th Century

9. What Every English Student Should Know? The Genealogy of ‘Cultural Literacy’

10. Literacy and Growth – Into the Future