The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on

SPETSES, GREECE
4-8 July 2001

Dr Rob McCormack

Senior Lecturer, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Northern Territory, Australia

Back to the 3R's: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric

Abstract

This paper will argue that contemporary understandings and practices of adult literacy and adult basic education need to re-establish a substantial connection with ancient rhetoric as both a political tradition, a culture of language use, a store-house of metalanguage and an ensemble of pedagogic strategies and exercises. This claim will be illustrated by reference to a Communications Unit devised by the author for Indigenous Australian adults commencing Higher Education studies.

Bionote

Dr Rob McCormack spent many years working to formulate a coherent theory and practice of Adult Basic Education as an substantive education for 'second chance adults'. he recently completed a PhD titled: Adult Basic Education as Practical Philosophy: an hermeneutic account, in which he argues that ABE should construe its primary outcome as phronesis (practical wisdom), not theoria (knowledge), as the sensus communis of a polis, not the paradigms of an academic discipline.

Presentation Type
30 min. Paper

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Country
Australia