Reading Work: Literacies in the New Workplace

Mary Ellen Belfiore, Tracey A. Defoe, Sue Folinsbee, Judith M. Hunter, Nancy S. Jackson9780805846218, 0-8058-4621-2

Reading Work: Literacies in the New Workplace explores changing understandings of literacy and its place in contemporary workplace settings. It points to new questions and dilemmas to consider in planning and teaching workplace education. By taking a social perspective on literacies in the workplace, this book challenges traditional thinking about workplace literacy as functional skills, and enables readers to see the complexity of literacy practices and their embeddedness in culture, knowledge, and action. A mixture of ethnographic studies, analysis, and personal reflections makes these ideas accessible and relevant to a wide range of readers in the fields of adult literacy and language education and helps to bridge the divide between theory and practice in the field of workplace education.Reading Work: Literacies in the New Workplace features:*four distinct but related ethnographies of literacy use in contemporary workplaces;*a social practice view of literacy brought to the workplace;*collaborative research undertaken by experienced workplace educators and academics working in the areas of adult literacy and second language learning;*implications chapters for both practice and theory – presented not as a series of steps but rather as reflections by seasoned educators on shared dilemmas; and*engaging, accessible writing that encourages workplace practitioners to read, learn from, and do their own research.This book is an important resource for practicing workplace educators, trainers, and instructors; academics who teach workplace educators; unionists, policymakers, human resource managers, supervisors, or quality coordinators who believe education can make a difference and are interested in seeing maximum results from workplace learning. Visit the In-Sites Research Group Web site: http://www.nald.ca/insites/.

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Table of contents :
Team DDU……Page 1
Contents……Page 8
Preface……Page 12
Acknowledgments……Page 14
Introduction: Reading Work……Page 16
From Literacy to Literacies at Work……Page 18
A “Social Practice” View……Page 19
Rethinking the “Literacy Crisis”……Page 22
Being Literate in the New Workplace……Page 23
Changing Work, Changing Meanings……Page 25
The Book at a Glance……Page 27
Part I: “Literacies in Use” in Workplace Settings……Page 32
Zowey, Zingy, Zesty: Life at Triple Z……Page 34
Literacies in Use at Triple Z……Page 36
The Physical Plant……Page 38
“I Go to Jail”……Page 43
The Workforce: “We Don’t Sing Anymore”……Page 45
Company Initiatives……Page 46
HACCP and Hiccups……Page 48
Workers and HACCP……Page 49
The Culture of Documentation: “I Know My Job. I Know What I Have to Clean. So Why Do This Paper?”……Page 52
A Meeting About HACCP: “Why Are We Making So Many Mistakes?”……Page 58
Getting the System to Work for You……Page 69
More Gain Than Risk: Sergio’s Work……Page 70
Sergio’s Notebook: “The Details Are My Teacher”……Page 72
Conclusion……Page 75
2 Paperwork as the Lifeblood of Quality……Page 78
Two Entrances, Two Perspectives……Page 79
Texco: An Example of “The New Workplace”……Page 81
Texco Culture: Stated Values and Practice……Page 82
The ISO Quality System: Understanding the Literacy Thread……Page 84
A View From Managers……Page 86
The Importance of Paperwork According to Managers……Page 87
My View From the Floor……Page 88
How Workers See the Value of Paperwork……Page 89
NCRs: Writing People Up or Writing Information Down?……Page 90
Workers’ Points of View……Page 92
R&D: “Doing Exactly What the Paperwork Says”……Page 97
Checklists: The New Form for Warper Set-Up……Page 104
Workers’ Notebooks……Page 109
Conclusion-Back to the Two Doors……Page 114
3 Working Life and Literacies at The Urban Hotel……Page 116
The Organization of Corporate Service: Hierarchy and Identities……Page 117
Literacies of Working Life……Page 120
The View From the Top: The Quality Journey……Page 122
The Nature of the Quality Message……Page 124
Communicating the Message……Page 129
The View From Below: Communication, Problem Solving and Multi-Literacies……Page 139
Outsiders, Job Autonomy and Ownership……Page 154
Workplace Literacy and Language Education……Page 161
Conclusion……Page 163
4 Literacies at Work in a Culture of Documentation……Page 166
Metalco: High-Tech Manufacturing……Page 167
The Researcher……Page 168
“A Bit of a Culture”……Page 170
Welcome to Metalco……Page 178
The Meanings of Documents and Literacies……Page 183
Layers of Meaning……Page 194
Conclusion……Page 204
Part II: Reflections on Learning……Page 208
5 Workplace Learning and Literacies in Practice……Page 210
Training in Practice……Page 212
Triple Z and HACCP Training: Mary Ellen’s Story……Page 214
Texco’s Orientation to ISO: Sue’s Story……Page 223
Conclusion……Page 234
6 Implications for Practice……Page 236
What Do We Mean By “Practice”?……Page 237
Issues, Insights and Implications……Page 239
Building the Bridge Through Communicating in Print……Page 253
What Do We Mean By “Theory”?……Page 256
What Are Literacy Theories About?……Page 257
Where Do Social Practice Theories Come From?……Page 259
Social Practice Theory Versus Cognitive Skills Theory……Page 260
How Literacy Relates to Social Practice……Page 262
What Are the Concepts of “Context” and “Discourse”?……Page 267
How Are Literacies Learned in Social Practice?……Page 271
Social Literacies and Cognitive Skills in the In-Sites Research……Page 273
What Can Practitioners Make of Social Practice Theories About Literacy?……Page 275
8 Conversation on Collaborative Research……Page 276
Signing On……Page 277
Discovering Ethnography and a Social Theory of Literacy……Page 278
Collaborating Across Different Worlds……Page 282
Workplace Educators as Researchers: Joys and Dilemmas……Page 286
Appendix: Notes on Ethnography as Research Method……Page 292
Getting Focused……Page 293
Gathering Data……Page 294
Analyzing Data……Page 300
About the Authors……Page 306
References……Page 308
Index……Page 314