Literacy Pioneer: Seminal Works of James Paul Gee

Abstract

James Paul Gee’s seminal works have led to recommendations that support changes in current pedagogical approaches to learning. Gee’s (1999) seminal work An introduction to Discourse Analysis Theory and Method describes
the multiple factors, tools of inquiry, necessary for analyzing discourse: language-in-use with context, situated meanings, and cultural models. Gee has transferred his theory and method for discourse analysis to the field of video games, visual media, language, and learning. Gee’s (2003) What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy explains on how well designed video games can enhance learning through effective learning principles. Situated
language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling (2004a) includes video games in the sociocultural and sociolinguistic theory of learning and literacy as well as ways to reform school curriculum.