Disciplinarity: Functional Linguistic and Sociological Perspectives


Book Description

Disciplinary knowledge is under threat in the modern world. Claims abound that we are entering a landscape in which the division of disciplines is obsolete, implying a commitment to outdated values in scholarship. Notions of 'discipline' are critiqued as reflecting social power and representing the worldview of dominant social groups. By addressing and challenging such claims, this edited collection argues that proclamations of the death of disciplines have been greatly overstated. Not only are the notions of disciplinarity still important for understanding how we come to know the world, but this volume demonstrates how significant disciplinarity is to understanding different forms of knowledge if we wish to improve the building of knowledge and educational practice. Using analytical tools from systemic functional linguistics theory and social realist sociology, this volume illustrates how different disciplines can collaborate and cross-fertilize successfully, without losing their distinctive insights and disciplinary integrity. The subsequent theory developed will thereby extend both linguistic and sociological approaches to the topic and make a major contribution to educational theory.




Language, Knowledge and Pedagogy


Book Description

This book explores the nature of knowledge, language and pedagogy from the perspective of two complementary theories: systemic functional linguistics, and Bernstein-inspired sociology. Bernstein's sociology of knowledge makes a distinction between horizontal and vertical discourses as ways in which knowledge is transmitted in institutional settings, with teachers as agents of symbolic control. Systemic functional linguists have explored educational discourse according to similar hierarchies, and by bringing the two perspectives together this book shows the impact of language on knowledge and pedagogy. The contributors examine the different structures of knowledge and the flow of information within the school context, but also according to language in early childhood, literacy, English, the social sciences, science and mathematics. The result is a progressive and dynamic analysis of knowledge structures at work in educational institutions. Language, Knowledge and Pedagogy makes a major contribution to linguistics, applied linguistics and educational theory. It will be of interest to researchers working in these areas.




Social Theory for English for Academic Purposes


Book Description

This book, written by pioneering architects of original social theory in educational/linguistic fields as well as expert practitioners, systematically exposes the sociological commitments of mainstream ideas and theories in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), commitments which are very often not fully examined by the discipline, but nonetheless shape practitioners' ideas and their praxis. The initial chapters outline what social theory is; the normative, critical, descriptive, social and generative purposes it serves; the scope and limits of social theory, and tracing the major historical traditions and recent currents. This mapping of social theory is followed by a detailed argument that makes the case for the centrality of social theory for EAP practitioners and praxis and the need to develop a sociological imagination to enhance knowledge and agency of practitioners. The contributions reveal the sociological foundations and commitments that underpin established theories in EAP, such as genre theories, systemic functional linguistics, and academic literacies. Each of these three major research streams in EAP is subject to critical analysis, linking each of these streams to the sociological commitments that underpin them. Finally, the book explores the social theories and approaches that have yet to make a full or significant impact on EAP research and practice, but would enable practitioners and researchers to understand educational contexts, texts, structures, culture(s), knowledge production and producers, and social agents with greater sociological clarity and sophistication. Topics covered include: social realism, legitimation code theory, critical realism, ethnography, feminism and Bourdieusian concepts for EAP. The overarching aim of this volume is to position social theory much more centrally to frameworks and conceptions of the (unstable and contested) knowledge-base for EAP practitioners and to promote a 'sociological imagination' among and for EAP practitioners.




Handbook of Language and Literacy


Book Description

An acclaimed reference that fills a significant gap in the literature, this volume examines the linkages between spoken and written language development, both typical and atypical. Leading authorities address the impact of specific language-related processes on K-12 literacy learning, with attention to cognitive, neurobiological, sociocultural, and instructional issues. Approaches to achieving optimal learning outcomes with diverse students are reviewed. The volume presents research-based practices for assessing student needs and providing effective instruction in all aspects of literacy: word recognition, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling. New to This Edition *Chapters on digital literacy, disciplinary literacy, and integrative research designs. *Chapters on bilingualism, response to intervention, and English language learners. *Incorporates nearly a decade's worth of empirical and theoretical advances. *Numerous prior edition chapters have been completely rewritten.




Sociology


Book Description

Building upon the success of previous editions, this fully revised edition of Sociology lays the foundations for understanding sociology in Australia. The depth and breadth of the book ensures its value not only for first-year students, but for sociology majors requiring on-going reference to a range of theoretical perspectives and current debates. This fifth Australian edition continues to build on the book’s reputation for coverage, clarity and content, drawing upon the work of leading Australian sociologists as well as engaging with global social trends and sociological developments.




The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics


Book Description

The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics brings together internationally renowned scholars of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) to provide a space for critical examination of the key tenets underpinning SFL theory. Uniquely, it includes description of the three main strands within contemporary SFL scholarship: Halliday’s Introduction to Functional Grammar, Martin’s discourse semantics and Fawcett’s Cardiff Grammar. In five sections and thirty-eight interdisciplinary chapters, this is the first handbook to cover the whole architecture of SFL theory, comprising: the ontology and epistemology of SFL; SFL as a clause grammar; lexicogrammar below the clause, and SFL’s approach to constituency; SFL’s vibrant theory of language above the clause; and SFL as a theory of praxis with real-world applications. With a wide range of language examples, a comprehensive editors’ introduction and a section on further reading, The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics is an essential resource for all those studying and researching SFL or functional grammar.




Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics


Book Description

Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics: The State of the Art in China Today showcases new work from leading scholars in China, as well as offering perspectives on this work from M.A.K. Halliday and Jim Martin. The range of topics covers graphology/phonology, lexis, group and clause, clause complex, text, typology, semiotics, multimodality, stylistics, translation, and teaching. Not only will this book introduce the latest research into language and multimodal discourse being undertaken by scholars in China today, but also suggest the way forward in terms of where linguistics should be going if the aim is (still) to create 'the innovative producers of social semiotic theory, description and practice the world rightfully expects from the intellectual superpower China is economically positioned to become' (Jim Martin). This book is essential reading for scholars involved with systemic functional linguistics and interested in its shifting dynamics.




Knowledge-building


Book Description

Education and knowledge have never been more important to society, yet research is segmented by approach, methodology or topic. Legitimation Code Theory or ‘LCT’ extends and integrates insights from Pierre Bourdieu and Basil Bernstein to offer a framework for research and practice that overcomes segmentalism. This book shows how LCT can be used to build knowledge about education and society. Comprising original papers by an international and multidisciplinary group of scholars, Knowledge-building offers the first primer in this fast-growing approach. Through case studies of major research projects, Part I provides practical insights into how LCT can be used to build knowledge by: - enabling dialogue between theory and data in qualitative research - bringing together quantitative and qualitative methodologies in mixed-methods research - relating theory and practice in praxis - conducting interdisciplinary studies with systemic functional linguistics Part II offers a series of studies of pressing issues facing knowledge-building in education and beyond, encompassing: - diverse subject areas, including physics, English, cultural studies, music, and design - educational sites: schooling, vocational education, and higher education - practices of research, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment - both education and informal learning contexts, such as museums and masonic lodges Carefully sequenced and interrelated, these chapters form a coherent collection that gives a unique insight into one of the most thought-provoking and innovative ways of building knowledge about knowledge-building in education and society to have emerged this century. This book is essential reading for all serious students and scholars of education, sociology and linguistics.




Teaching and Researching ELLs’ Disciplinary Literacies


Book Description

Written from a critical perspective, this volume provides teachers, teacher educators, and classroom researchers with a conceptual framework and practical methods for teaching and researching the disciplinary literacy development of English language learners (ELLs). Grounded in a nuanced critique of current social, economic, and political changes shaping public education, Gebhard offers a comprehensive framework for designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments that build on students’ linguistic and cultural resources and that are aligned with high-stakes state and national standards using the tools of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). By providing concrete examples of how teachers have used SFL in their work with students in urban schools, this book provides pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as literacy researchers and policy makers, with new insights into how they can support the disciplinary literacy development of ELLs and the professional practices of their teachers in the context of current school reforms. Key features of this book include the voices of teachers, examples of curriculum, sample analyses of student writing, and guiding questions to support readers in conducting action-oriented research in the schools where they work.




The Discourse of History


Book Description

Taking a Systemic Functional Linguistic approach, this book explores the language that builds knowledge and values about history.




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