Literacy and literate subjects in a health and physical Education Class: a poststructuralist analysis

Abstract

In this paper an analysis is made of 15 minutes in a year 12 health and Physical Education class, 2 weeks prior to the final exam. The text of student and teacher talk is analyzed to show the ways that a semi-literate male teacher is supported and assisted by an orally competent group of female students to produce himself as a competent, authoritative, literate teacher. At the same time, these female students produce themselves as literate and glean information to enable them to produce themselves as literate in the exam. The specified task of the analysis was to focus on literacy practices in relation to Andrea, a relatively silent student. The problems of analyzing silence are discussed, and the positioning of Andrea as non-literate, compliant subject is also analyzed.