This engaging text explores discourses involved in the teaching of literacy which can be conceptualised as deriving from the political ‘left’. The concept of a ‘left’ and a ‘right’ in politics are fully defined and a unique analytical framework is introduced to examine and categorise perspectives for teaching literacy. The book creates a language of critique for methods advocated from liberal, ‘left-leaning’ sources within the field of education and connects them to left political agendas that aspire to either reform or revolution to change and improve society. These left approaches are then contrasted with politically ‘right’ agendas.

Methods for the teaching of literacy have for many years been seen to be politically motivated by commentators on the left and the right of politics. This book considers the ideological sources of educational practice in literacy. Methods advocated from more liberal perspective are rarely critiqued and examined for their ideological and political roots.