Reading Response (Wardle)

In her article, "Identity, Authority, Learning to write in New Workplaces," Elizabeth Wardle explains the struggle that people face and have to adapt to a different way of communication She argues that this process of enculturation depends on how much authority the new worker possesses and in their issues of identity and values. Wardle thinks that both identity and authority are dynamic, they are continually negotiated within communities of practice. She illustrates that learning to communicate in new communities consists in a "process of involvement in communities, of identifying with certain groups and choosing certain practices over others" (533).

This piece reminded me of Gee's idea about joining new Discourses and the process of apprenticeship that it takes, how new workers need to learn not only to write in a specific way but also they learn and acquire new values, manners, etc. 

I didn't find this reading attractive. Instead of that, I found it confusing at some points but the example she sets with her story of "Alan" helped me understand what she was saying.