This is one of the earlier core texts by Lillis. The book presents Lillis’ empirical research that led to the formulation of 4 typical dialogues she had with students. Her approach reflects many of the tenets Lea and Street established in their 1998 paper, although it does not use the label ‘academic literacies’ yet. As a whole book that reports on a longer study, it is not a quick read yet the dialogues are a very tangible way of framing actual work with students, in Lillis’s work on a 1-1 basis, which can be transferred to group work to some degree. Hence, even just reading those chapters can provide some inspiration for practical teaching.
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education