ABSTRACT
Framed by the contemporary Positioning Theory, this chapter examines discursive processes that construct opportunities for learning in an academically diverse classroom. Three telling case accounts are provided of how first-grade children were positioned and (re) positioned themselves in their classroom literacy encounters. These cases are based on a re-analysis of an originating classroom-based literacy study conducted by the author and are founded on a history of research based on revisioning archived data records as new theories develop. Through observational and transcript data, these case accounts show how opportunities for learning literacy are enabled or constrained by how children position themselves and are positioned by the teacher, the system, and peers. Moreover, children’s positioning is seen to be influenced by their diverse literacy experiences, capabilities, and aspirations. The chapter builds a foundation for developing understandings of the fluid and dynamic nature of opportunities for learning that are constructed through positioning in classrooms and considers implications for literacy teaching and learning.
