From beliefs to skills: the secularization of literacy and the moral education of citizens

The premise advanced here is that reading is of religious and spiritual significance; consequently, when literacy is secularized, divorced from faith and considered apart from readers’ beliefs and values, there are consequences for learning. It is suggested that current educational policy which legi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pike, Mark (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge 2006
In: Journal of beliefs and values
Year: 2006, Volume: 27, Issue: 3, Pages: 281-289
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The premise advanced here is that reading is of religious and spiritual significance; consequently, when literacy is secularized, divorced from faith and considered apart from readers’ beliefs and values, there are consequences for learning. It is suggested that current educational policy which legitimates the view that literacy is more concerned with skills (which are often misguidedly regarded as neutral) than beliefs (and interpretation) militates against the fostering of morally aware citizens. Young people need to do more than communicate accurately and in an appropriate form; they need to be sufficiently discriminating readers of the world they inhabit and of people’s beliefs and values. It is suggested that when proper attention is devoted to values in literacy education (as well as skills) children will have the language they need to negotiate wisely in a market place of ideas where an astonishingly diverse array of goods is on offer.
ISSN:1469-9362
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of beliefs and values
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13617670601001017