Collected Notes & Quotes

 
“If I am thinking about a topic just for myself and not with the view to writing a book, I jump all around it; that is the only way of thinking that comes naturally to me. Forcing my thoughts into an ordered sequence is a torment for me. ”
— Wittgenstein, Culture & Value
 

Sometime it is better to be a busy bee than to be the careful, architectural spider. The following collection of notes is the product of busy reading and exploring which takes on a wide landscape. Each of the following sections includes quotations representing a wide range of literature on language, literacy and learning. You may notice a number of quotations by the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, which is a hallmark to the past when this site was known as Wittgenstein on Literacy. That said, you will also see quotes from contemporary minds on literacy, such as James Paul Gee, Kathryn Au and Margaret Wolf. Please explore the diverse notes as points for further discussion and exploration.

Even though the following are labelled as "notes", we don't want to dismiss their importance, since each quote has the capacity to spark new insight into the many dimensions of literacy practice. Whilst each of the following sections are organised thematically, there is no pressure to synthesise the ideas into linear essays. Instead, the quotes allow one to navigate through the thematic threads that reinforce main ideas, whilst also experiencing new directions at the same time. If we borrow a quote from Wittgenstein, we can see how "one movement links thoughts with one another in a series, the other keeps aiming at the same spot. One is constructive and picks up one stone after another, the other keeps taking hold of the same thing." (Wittgenstein, Culture & Value). 

Welcome! Please explore and enjoy!