Ross 1

Tara Ross
Writing 1010-013
Nancy Roche
23 October 2014
Literacy Practices
Barton and Hamilton focus on the experiences that people go through everyday and how
the role of literacy "links" events together with these practices. They state that there are many
different practices through literacy, all of which can be placed into different domains. Social
practices are how people interact with one another in their daily lives. Another way literacy is
practiced is through certain events. Literacy practices arent just how we interact socially but
also how cultural changes play parts in literacy. Barton and Hamilton cover what cannot be
found in this book. We are interested in where literacy has a role.
Barton and Hamilton suggest that there are different literacies associated with different
domains of life(11) Barton and Hamilton suggest that it is a good idea to have a starting point
when examining certain practices like home, school, or work. They identify home, as a primary
domain while work is an identifiable domain. This is because certain activities are done
differently in these two locations. Cooking is an example they use because cooking is done
differently in a work setting then when you are in your home. The domains are not "clear cut"
and tend to "overlap" like home and community because of the fact that public and private
behavior. Although they have many differences they are quite often identified to be the same.
They infect each other with the common practices that are associated with their domains.
"Domains are structured patterns"(11) the events that happen in these domains are very typical.
Barton and Hamilton say these events are not random, this is mainly because the formal structure

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of some domains.
Social practice is how people take literacy into there daily lives. The role of social
practice is somewhat unobservable because attitudes and personalities come into play. Social
practice is an individual thing, but also it is how people come to interact with one another
through literacy. Barton and Hamilton point out that literacy is more useful in the setting of a
community rather than an individual setting. Practices become fundamental and lead us to
identify them into peoples daily lives rather than the other way around. While others are on the
more "informal" side like homing routine or peering groups."(9)
"Literacy events are activities where literacy has a role." (8) These events come in an
observable form that is shaped around the practice. Most events of literacy are so regular and are
generally reciprocated through out time. Barton and Hamilton do state that this is a good starting
place for research into literacy. Especially when they are used in certain systems of practice like
school or work places. Barton and Hamilton say that we take a straightforward look on events,
which are activities that involve written texts. They use the example of cooking pudding, and
how recipes are forms of everyday text in a personal setting. This kind of text is very different
compared to educational text or mass media texts
Barton and Hamilton make the interesting point that certain things become apparent once
someone starts to interpret ideas in the terms of literacy. In most situations of literacy practices
there is print or written literacy. People use written literacy to create range such as "maps,
mathematical systems or non text based images" written literacy is mixed together with numeric
notation. These different types of literacy are where cultural change finds a role with literacy. As
a community we examine how literacy is a resource with a range of new technology and mass
media. Barton and Hamilton state this by saying "this is especially pertinent to other mass media

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and new technologies. "(10) There are different situations where literacy practices vary. Barton
and Hamilton make an example of film and computer literacy, and cultures and languages. These
can be considered different literacies.
People use literacy to make changes in their life. Literacy practices change and new ones are
frequently acquired through processes of informal learning and sense making as well"(13)
It doesn't matter where you are, you will always be learning different information everyday and
your new knowledge may be categorized into one of the three domains.

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Work Cited
David Barton, Mary Hamilton, trans. reading and writing in context.