1. Beyond Reading and
Writing
Inquiry, Curriculum, and Multiple Ways
of Knowing
A Presentation by Thomas
Hendrickson

2. Key Points and Focus
• Utilizing multiple sign systems in classrooms
and curriculum - This work expounded upon
the idea of utilizing multiple sign systems, or
multiple ways of conveying information and
understanding, in classrooms to supplement
and aid in literacy development. Throughout
the book, this approach is clarified through
two case studies and examples of different
sign systems being used in the classroom.

3. • This included the use of dance, music, art and
other mediums to allow students to express
deeper understanding of material and aided in
the concept of multiple ways of knowing and
displaying understanding of material.

4. • Inquiry based instruction and curriculum –
Inquiry based instruction and education
focalizes around the point of education being
a self-resolving and discovering practice,
where students seek out answers to questions
developed about curriculum and approach
this quest for knowledge as a problem with
practical solutions.

5. Strengths of this book
• This work did bring to light the educational
theory of inquiry as a base for curriculum
development, and did lend itself to harboring an
inquisitive mindset when thinking of education as
a whole and how that can be incorporated into
planning. It can be as simple as being reminded
about various ways to think about learning to
make oneself a better teacher. This work did
harbor many ideas utilizing various sign systems
and provided case studies where students
successfully utilized different sign systems to
display understanding.

6. Weaknesses
• Unfortunately, this book did not clearly state
its point, kept referring to sign systems and
inquiry but did not wholly define them or
their applications, and jumped from theory
and practice to case studies.
• Overall, the book lacked any laminar flow or
scope to it.

7. This book’s intended audience
• This book would be good for any educator, as
it could serve as a nudge to start incorporating
various sign systems into curriculum, and
acknowledging when students choose to
express knowing through various sign systems.
It is also critical to education that an
inquisitive approach is taken and minds are
allowed to be curious; his book sheds light on
the importance of that fact.

8. Bibliographical info
• Berghoff, B., Egawa, K., Harste, J., & Hoonan,
B. (2000).Beyond reading and writing:
Inquiry, curriculum and multiple ways of
knowing. USA: Whole Language Umbrella.

9. • “It is important to understand that the
meanings that get made, shared, and
explored are determined in part by the
context of situations in which education is
embedded.”
• This quote is from page 11 of the book, and I
believe sums up the theory of education as
inquiry. It is stating that how we absorb and
take in knowledge is determined by how we
seek it out; thus, what makes it relevant to us
on a personal and individual level.