Academic Literacies

Library Journal

This is a book in the progressive education tradition, which urges teachers to allow students a more active role in the educational process since it will enable students to think better. The authors advise teachers to emphasize ``constructed knowledge, the kind of knowledge students author for themselves, the kind of understandings they come to by proposing and solving problems of their own making.'' In order to accomplish this, the authors feel students need time to talk to each other and do ``reflective, theory building writing'' such as personal logs and journals, not ``more encyclopedia writing and report writing.'' None of these recommendations are new, but teachers may find the book of some help. Recommended for academic and public libraries supporting large education collections.-- Jeffrey R. Herold, Bucyrus P.L., Ohio