| This dissertation examines the types of literacy young children enact when they play/work in environments that support play/tinkering. Theoretically, my study sits within the larger field of research on multiliteracies, at the intersection of play theory, new literacy theory, and sociocultural theories of literacy. I used those theories to help me locate a school that supports play and tinkering, and I found a public charter elementary school (grades K-2) in New Orleans, which was designed specifically for play and innovation, called Bricolage. I used this school as my research site over the course of sixteen months, gathering data to both theorize and document how socially, ethnically, and culturally diverse young children use a wide range of literacy practices to play and innovate with each other. Findings from this bounded case study indicate that children create real, workable designs in educational environments that provide time and space, a collaborative culture, and a design/tinker/make framework for play. These findings expand the definition of new literacies, refine ideas about play within the larger scope of multiliteracies, and form the foundation of a theory of literacy that encompasses the concept of bricolage/tinkering. Recommendations from the study are provided for educators, designers of formal learning environments, policy makers, and researchers who seek to better understand the relationship between literacy, play and innovation in contemporary classroom environments.;Keywords: New literacies, multiliteracies, sociocultural literacy, play, bricolage/tinker, innovation, design thinking, mini-maker space. |
