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The often bloody struggles of Central America have dominated news reports for a long time. Behind the headlines lies an enormous population of the desperately poor, and it is axiomatic that they are rendered even more powerless by widespread illiteracy. What actually counts as literacy is less clear. Archer and Costello describe some of the most exciting and innovative programmes designed to overcome the problem and how, as they worked with many of them, they discovered how varied and controversial they are. El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia and Guatemala are all included, and for each country the authors have provided a thrilling account of the lives and circumstances of the people who both teach and learn as well as describing the varied forms that literacy teaching, even literacy itself, can take. This book is not only about literacy, but is also a guide to the societies of one of the world's most troubled regions. Originally published in 1990

Learning to argue is one of the central objectives of education. Whether it be conducting a formal debate, participating in a group discussion, writing an essay, a critique or a persuasive appeal, the ability of the student to employ argument and to anticipate and evaluate the arguments of others will generally be an important measure of achievement. This book examines the theory and practice of argument in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Several of its chapters offer theoretical discussion of the forms and functions of argument within social, philosophical, historical and rhetorical contexts. Others contain critical analyses of spoken and written argument and show how these are part of the learning process. A number of the chapters provide ideas for developing the skills of argument. The book, whose contributors represent a range of international and disciplinary perspectives, is an important resource for teachers and researchers sharing an interest in the rich and complex relations between language, thinking and education.