Reflection for Day 7 - Discourses

In her demo today, Carrie opened with a question about what it means to construct an identity.  I started thinking about Gee.  James Paul Gee, who says that "A Discourse is a sort of 'identity kit' which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular social role that others will recognize" (142).  Connecting this idea back to encouraging students to add writer to their identities means teaching them how to be part of the writer Discourse.  So when Johnston encourages teachers to say to their students, "This is what reader/writers do," he is suggesting that teachers talk about the writer Discourse with them.  Phrasing things this way might make talking about writing easier.  We can read in various genres and say "So what do the writers in this genre do?  What language do they use?  How would you imagine them dressing?  What would they do on a Friday night?"  We could almost make a Fakewall for these authors (Thank you, Carrie, for introducing this platform to us).  Having these conversations will allow students to really look at the different contextual writer Discourses and give them an opportunity to make informed decisions about whether to add "writer" as part of themselves.