Critique de Choice

A project of the International Reading Association, this handbook provides a scholarly overview of the current state of literacy education and research, with special emphasis on the value of the visual arts. The volume covers a lot of territory: theoretical and conceptual issues, research methods, the contexts in which literacy teaching and learning occur, teaching methods, teacher preparation, assessment practices, computer-mediated instruction, media literacy, and curriculum and policy issues. Traditional instruction centers on the printed word, despite the rising importance of visual and oral modalities in the everyday lives of learners. Contributors examine the potential benefits of integrating the visual arts (producing, presenting, and interpreting graphic representations) with the communicative arts (reading, writing, speaking) through the use of pictures, comic books, dramatic performances, film, television, video, computers, and the Internet in the classroom. Introductions are helpful and clearly written; references are extensive and up-to-date. This volume will interest teachers, educational researchers, teacher educators, media and visual arts specialists, curriculum developers, policy makers, and parents seeking a timely, informative orientation to a complex and rapidly evolving literature. J. A. Gamradt; University of New Mexico