CREATING CRITICAL CLASSROOMS K-8 READING AND WRITING WITH AN EDGE

Chapter OneWhy do we need an instructional theory in critical literacy?

WHAT IS CRITICAL LITERACY?CRITICAL LITERACY PRACTICES ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO :use language to question the

everyday world interrogate the relationship between

language and poweranalyze popular culture and mediaunderstand how power relationships

are socially constructed consider actions that can be taken to

promote social justice

A CRITICAL CURRICULUM

Simply reading [a big idea] book does not guarantee that the teacher is enacting a critical curriculum. ..unless the teacher and students are involved in critical social practices and working from a critical stance, there is no assurance that there will be anything critical about [the big idea] read aloud. p.5

Lew

ison, leland and Harste 2008, p. 6

AN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL OF CRITICAL LITERACY

A CRITICAL CURRICULUM

Personal and Cultural Resources

Critical Social Practices

Critical Stance

Critical LiteracyCurriculum

PERSONAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

what students and teachers draw on to create the content of the curriculum

start with students’ personal knowledge, interests, and issues

PERSONAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

Examples: personal experiences social issues books popular culture media home literacies textbooks oral texts student desires and interests community, national and international issues competence in a language other than English

CRITICAL SOCIAL PRACTICE1. Disrupt the commonplace challenge beliefs and assumptions, routines, habits,

beliefs and theories about how the world works see everyday issues through a new lens visualize how things might be different question classroom and environmental texts ask questions about authors’ intentions and what they

want readers to believe create a problem-posing curriculum rather than a

problem-solving curriculum issues are directly related to classroom community

rather than a prescribed curriculum real-life issues and popular culture become topics of

study students have a role in planning, gathering resources

and assessing learning goal for teachers is to become partners with students in

meaningful inquiry

CRITICAL SOCIAL PRACTICE (CON’T)

2. Consider Multiple Viewpoints look for books that present the voice of those

who have been silenced or marginalized juxtapose multiple accounts of events

3. Focus on the Sociopolitical investigate oppression and power relationships how is language used to maintain domination?

CRITICAL SOCIAL PRACTICE (CON’T)

4. Take Action to Promote Social Justice get things done become actors and not spectators create “products” to promote social changes use the arts to express critical

understandings

CRITICAL STANCE A WAY OF THINKING AND TEACHING

1. Conscious Engagement we do not just respond to events in our lives,

but we thoughtfully decide how to respond without it, we simple respond to events using

our unconscious, commonsense frames, which make it challenging to assume a critical stance

2. Engaging alternate ways of being come to an understanding that parts of what

we believe about teaching, learning and curriculum may not be working

CRITICAL STANCE (CON’T)

3. Taking Responsibility to Inquire ask lots of questions ask questions that make a difference understand that all knowledge is constructed

from particular perspectives consider multiple and contradictory viewpoints to

enrich our perceptions of the world interrogate the everyday understand that knowledge is not something

static to be learned “knowledge is beliefs at rest” “Too often we develop…memorize what others

have already found out” (p.17)

CRITICAL STANCE (CON’T)

4. Being Reflexive

always questioning being aware of our own role in maintaining status quo or systems of injustice

LET’S BE CRITICALLY LITERATE

In table groups, read, deconstruct and analyze the McDonald’s advertisement placed at your table.

Consider the questions recorded on the coloured sheet.

Be prepared to briefly share your thoughts with the whole group.

ANALYZING ADVERTISEMENTSPersonal and Cultural Resources What personal experiences, social issues, popular

media, oral texts , community concerns and personal

desires are addressed in this poster?

Multiple Viewpoints Which voices are heard ? Which voices are absent?

What might an alternative point of view be?

Critical Stance What is the critical stance of the poster? How does the

author position the viewer and or consumer?

Action to Promote Social Justice What are some ways that students can respond to

this advertisement?

WH

AT IS

TH

E A

UTH

OR

’S M

ESS

AG

E?

What personal experiences, social issues, popular media, oral texts , community concerns and personal desires are addressed in this poster?

Which voices are heard ? Which voices are absent? What might an alternative point of view be?

What is the critical stance of the poster? How does the author position the viewer and or consumer?

What are some ways that students can respond to this advertisement?

WH

AT IS

TH

E A

UTH

OR

’S M

ESS

AG

E?

What personal experiences, social issues, popular media, oral texts , community concerns and personal desires be addressed in this poster?

Which voices are heard ? Which voices are absent? What might an alternative point of view be?

What is the critical stance of the poster? How does the author position the viewer and or consumer?

What are some ways that students can respond to this advertisement?

WH

AT IS

TH

E A

UTH

OR

’S M

ESS

AG

E?

What personal experiences, social issues, popular media, oral texts , community concerns and personal desires be addressed in this poster?

Which voices are heard ? Which voices are absent? What might an alternative point of view be?

What is the critical stance of the poster? How does the author position the viewer and or consumer?

What are some ways that students can respond to this advertisement?

WH

AT IS

TH

E A

UTH

OR

’S M

ESS

AG

E?

What personal experiences, social issues, popular media, oral texts , community concerns and personal desires be addressed in this poster?

Which voices are heard ? Which voices are absent? What might an alternative point of view be?

What is the critical stance of the poster? How does the author position the viewer and or consumer?

What are some ways that students can respond to this advertisement?

THANK YOU . . .

. . . Now on to Chapter 2