TY - JOUR
T1 - Writing childhoods under construction
T2 - Re-visioning 'copying' in early childhood
AU - Dyson, Anne Haas
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2010/3
Y1 - 2010/3
N2 - This article problematizes a hegemonic vision of children and writing, one undergirded by an individualistic ideology; this ideology informs a curricular emphasis both on mastering 'basic' skills and on crafting for self expression. To this end, the article focuses on the slippery phenomenon of 'copying.' It begins with a consideration of two previous studies of 'copying,' illustrating how visions of children, of composing, and of copying itself change with theoretical tools, methodological decisions, and responses to changing educational discourse. It then turns to the current study, which draws on data collected in two classrooms in low-income urban neighborhoods, a kindergarten and a first grade. Data analysis revealed how copying mediated relationships. Collegiality, textual choreography, complementary authorial roles, and co-constructed dramas were all on display. The article thus illustrates, not the composing of individual selves, but the complex participatory dynamics by which writing becomes relevant to small children.
AB - This article problematizes a hegemonic vision of children and writing, one undergirded by an individualistic ideology; this ideology informs a curricular emphasis both on mastering 'basic' skills and on crafting for self expression. To this end, the article focuses on the slippery phenomenon of 'copying.' It begins with a consideration of two previous studies of 'copying,' illustrating how visions of children, of composing, and of copying itself change with theoretical tools, methodological decisions, and responses to changing educational discourse. It then turns to the current study, which draws on data collected in two classrooms in low-income urban neighborhoods, a kindergarten and a first grade. Data analysis revealed how copying mediated relationships. Collegiality, textual choreography, complementary authorial roles, and co-constructed dramas were all on display. The article thus illustrates, not the composing of individual selves, but the complex participatory dynamics by which writing becomes relevant to small children.
KW - Childhood cultures
KW - Copying
KW - Individualism
KW - Writing development
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U2 - 10.1177/1468798409356990
DO - 10.1177/1468798409356990
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77949311824
SN - 1468-7984
VL - 10
SP - 7
EP - 31
JO - Journal of Early Childhood Literacy
JF - Journal of Early Childhood Literacy
IS - 1
ER -