From Expression to Dialogue: A Study of Social Action Literacy Projects in an Urban School Setting

This paper discusses the revision of a literacy workshop from its basis in expressivist philosophy and pedagogy toward a more socially and critically based practice with urban adolescents. As part of a larger research project, a classroom teacher and a university researcher collaborated to include "social action" projects within a workshop approach to reading and writing. This paper presents both the positive developments brought about by these social action projects and the difficult dilemmas raised by the enactment of the projects in the classroom. Specifically, I use one of the social action performances to examine how discursive and relational practices and individualistic ideologies held by classroom and school participants shaped the projects in disturbing ways. I highlight how the students engaged in interesting-albeit often superficialdialogues but did not necessarily learn to taken action to challenge structures and systems that marginalize or oppress people. The paper concludes with suggestions for future revisions of literacy workshops in ways that would allow students to develop literacy skills for taking action in multiple social worlds. © 1999 Human Sciences Press, Inc.