| Multiple Literacies Two important researchers in this area are Goodman (1996) and Rosenblatt (1986). In addition to fostering a wholistic approach to the study of language and literacy, Goodman’s work has helped us recognize the student as an active seeker of meaning. Whereas some traditional approaches to teaching consider the student a passive recipient of knowledge, Goodman’s stance is that the student is actively seeking to create meaning and argues that the teacher has the responsibility to be in tune with the students in such a way as to be able to support that creation. Rosenblatt, in her article, “Writing and Reading: The Transactional Theory,” points out that the reader’s stance, not just the form of the text, will shape the way the reading is carried out. More specifically, in “aesthetic” reading, the reader’s stance is grounded in what is actually experienced while reading (the sensations, images and so on), whereas in “efferent” reading, the reader’s stance rests on the need for information that will be used after he or she has finished reading (such as a sequence of instructions to be carried out). Most reading activities will have components of both aesthetic and efferent reading, but often one or the other will be of greater significance to the reader. |