De aquí y de allá: Changing Perceptions of Literacy through Food Pedagogy, Asset-Based Narratives, and Hybrid Spaces

Authors

Lucia Dura, University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Consuelo Carr Salas, University of Texas at El Paso
William Medina-Jerez, University of Texas El PasoFollow
Virginia Hill, Housing Authority, City of El Paso

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In this article we describe La Escuelita Afterschool Program, an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, after-school literacy partnership on the U.S.–Mexico border. The Escuelita Program used food pedagogy to tap into funds of knowledge, bridging home and school literacies. In doing so, the program challenged deficit thinking and enhanced K-6 students’ curiosity and engagement around traditional subjects: science, math, reading, and writing. Through a process of experimental curriculum design and a variety of qualitative data collection methods, we discuss how food pedagogy can help to change deficit-based narratives and how it helps expand the scope of literacy acquisition.

Recommended Citation

Dura, Lucia, et al. “De Aquí y de Allá: Changing Perceptions of Literacy through Food Pedagogy, Asset-Based Narratives, and Hybrid Spaces.” Community Literacy Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, 2015, pp. 21–39, doi:10.25148/clj.10.1.009116.