Currently reading: Reading to Live by Lorraine Wilson, a book on teaching literacy to children at school. It's very good - well-written and lots of activities that you can do.

Wilson uses Luke and Freebody's Four Resources Model of literacy, where the reader takes on four roles or practices.

• code-breaker - the reader needs to decode the letters on the page, knowing sound-letter relationships and recognizing letters, etc.


• text participant - the reader needs to make meaning, to participate in the text, make sense of it


• text user - the reader uses the text for real purposes, to learn about something, to make something, to do something


• text analyst - the reader needs to approach the text critically, to recognize what the text is trying to do, e.g. to persuade, inform, etc., and think about the validity of what is being presented

Literacy is a social practice, situated in real world and sociocultural contexts, and needs to be taught as such. Texts are not just neutral pieces of code to be broken; they carry meaning and purpose. We read to live, whether going shopping, finding directions, chatting on the Internet, doing karaoke, checking tv programmes.

I am reading "The Next Christendom" by Philip Jenkins. It created a big stir when it came out some years ago. I wasn't very interested to read it then, but decided to pick it up from the library recently, and am finding it a very interesting read.

Jenkins talks about the "changing face of global Christianity", which is fair enough, and mostly common sense, as those of us from non-Western countries are aware that Africa, Asia and Latin America (the South) that the West (or North) has gone pretty secular, and many of the most vibrant churches are in the South instead of the North.

What's interesting about his book is the details. Jenkins traces the early Christian movements in China, India, Egypt, Ethiopia, and other places, some of which were wiped out around the time of the Middle Ages, and others of which have continued, like the Copts, or the Mar Thoma. He surveys the effects of Western influence, and the rapid growth of African indigenous movements.

I'm about halfway through. Precise and considered, but not too academic. Much recommended. A good read.

Melbourne during Moomba

Melbourne loves its carnivals! They have them all the time during the summer (which is mostly over now). Here are some from the Moomba festival (don't ask me where it comes from).

There are lots of rides, fun fair-type stuff, games, etc.. During the day, there was water-skiing on the river and we saw a sword-swallowing street performer. At night, there were large screen movies and live band swing dancing in the dark...

Grr... Tech issues! Yahoogroups mails that I send from my Hotmail account keep getting sent to oblivion (i.e., nowhere). This happened some years ago, but was later fixed. Anyway, it's very disconcerting. I have decided not to worry about it, or to try sending from a Yahoo account. I don't know whether it's our ISP here, since I've only had this problem since moving here.

Coming up to Easter weekend.

Easter is a strange holiday, because basically, we celebrate it every week of the year. Every Sunday is an 'Easter' celebration of sorts. The reason that services are held on Sunday instead of Saturday is because of the first Easter.

Also, being in Australia for Easter is a little strange, as in the U.S., the holiday is very much associated with Spring - pastel colours, bunny rabbits, fresh flowers. Whereas here, it's the beginning of Autumn. So that throws things out of whack a bit (to be in a Western country and not have Easter = Spring).

I'm sorry to have missed Palm Sunday at church last week. I think the whole idea of Lent and Holy Week, etc. really helps to make Easter special. Otherwise, there it is - just another Sunday (tho' of course every Sunday is special!).