Stimulating Critical Literacy Consciousness

This story from the field recounts how, after being an educator for over ten years, I became aware that I had been responsible for misrepresenting information to my first-grade students. This difficult realization shook me to the core, but it also became the impetus for me to learn about critical pedagogy and critical literacy. Both of these educational practices align with my faith and have been transformational to my teaching. As a result, I am able to teach my pre-service and graduate students how to instruct in more socially-just ways

Critical Literacy Based Instructional Reading Materials

The study aims at developing and producing a set of instructional materials used as a model of teaching/learning materials of critical reading. The model is developed through stages and procedures of research and development methods. The results of the study show that;  a) the existing instructional materials in certain extent referring to students' and lecturers incompatibility requires variation in terms of new reading approach, skills to be trained, and types of activities; b) the type of critical reading to be developed is critical literacy; c) the models resulted from the study are theoretically and practically eligible and feasible in accordance to a panel of  expert judgement; d) the models are empirically proven effective to improve  student's skills in reading critically; e)  the final models comprise of students learning materials, teachers guidance/manual, and some supporting materials. &nbsp

Making Critical Literacy Accessible to Pre-Service Teachers: Why and How?

This paper presents a practical way of teaching critical literacy to pre-service teachers through a critical literacy engagement. It begins with a literature review on critical literacy. Then, the critical literacy engagement is discussed in detail. Specifically, the critical literacy engagement is intended to help the pre-service teachers (a) understand why critical literacy is important, (b) see an example of how to put critical literacy into practice, and (c) apply what has been learned

Towards critical literacy : literature and teachers' reactions to reader-response theories : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Teaching at Massey University

Much poststructuralist literary theory, in particular that derived from reader-response theories, points to the need for the development in readers of a more critical literacy. Earlier researchers and educators in the field of reader-response theories, indicated a move away from the New Critics' structuralist focus on the author's intention and a text-based meaning, to acknowledge the active role of the student/reader in the creation of meaning. Enlarging on the subjective role of the student/reader, later researchers, in particular the Social and Cultural theorists, introduced a more critical element by focusing on the importance of context itself. Further studies, under the influence of Foucault, developed this focus to include the idea that author, text and reader are constructed by discourses. A renewed awareness of how texts actually work and of the power inherent in all language, has led to the emergence of critical literacy. This research, working on the premise that practice often lags behind theory, examines constraints that may inhibit the development of critical literacy (through teaching with literature) in the New Zealand contexts of both secondary English (including classrooms with mainstreamed ESOL students) and ESOL (from a range of institutions). Two surveys, one for each teaching context, analyse teachers' reactions to concepts of reader-response theories with a view to determining the nature and prevalence of these constraints. The analysis reveals that in the mainstream context, contraints emerge in the areas of curriculum design (including examination and assessment procedures), teacher education, and students' receptivity while in the ESOL context, curriculum design and teacher development are significant. The ESOL context also reveals that there is a paucity of teaching with literature in language classrooms which means that the vehicle for the development of critical literacy, is denied students

Integrating Critical Literacy in the Middle School Classroom

This article focuses on the integration of critical literacy in the middle school classroom. The author first explains critical literacy and the importance of incorporating it in the middle school curriculum. Then, a framework is presented in order to aid practitioners in implementing critical literacy instruction. Examples from relevant literature are presented as well, along with suggestions for how educators can begin teaching critical literacy and integrating it into their lessons

“I Love this Approach, But Find It Difficult to Jump in with Two Feet!” Teachers’ Perceived Challenges of Employing Critical Literacy

Accompanying myriad definitions of critical literacy is an absence of pedagogical models for implementing critical literacy in teacher education contexts. This action research explores critical literacy with pre-service and in-service teachers in teacher education courses offered in the United States. The primary data sources include online weekly discussions on course readings in the TESOL methods courses I taught in Hawaii and Kansas. First, I propose the working definition of critical literacy in the study (Luke, 2012) and then present course participants’ perceived challenges of employing critical literacy in their current and future classrooms. Findings reveal that despite the differences in the two instructional contexts, both groups recognized that the current standards-based, test-driven educational environment would be the major obstacle for enacting critical literacy in their classroom. In addition, the lack of understanding of critical literacy was addressed by both groups of teachers. I also discuss my struggle and dilemma as a critical teacher educator. Finally, this article concludes with suggestions for introducing critical literacy in teacher education contexts

Teachers\u27 Perceptions And Realizations Of Critical Literacy

This dissertation examines teachers\u27 perceptions and realizations of critical literacy learning as they engaged in collaborative inquiry into their students\u27 learning. Participants used critical discourse analysis (CDA) of student writing and student talk to uncover the ideologies at work in their classrooms. This study also investigated teachers\u27 perceptions of tensions related to their work with critical literacy. This study extends ideas from the research literature about teachers\u27 perceptions and realizations of critical literacy and the potential of CDA for critical literacy and professional learning. This qualitative study was guided by ethnographic principles to understand participants\u27 perspectives through their experiences with CDA and critical literacy learning. The investigation involved 11 participants from the existing critical literacy teacher group of 20 teachers. A focus group of five teachers was selected from the larger group to participate in focus group interviews, classroom observations and informal interviews. Data sources included interview data, classroom observation fieldnotes, participant reflection journals, and transcripts from teacher group working sessions provided descriptive data about teachers\u27 perceptions of their work with critical literacy across professional learning, classroom practice and personal reflections. Data were analyzed with two different methods: grounded theory and existing typologies for content analysis. Evidence from the data suggests that through CDA, tensions emerged that led to changes in participants\u27 perceptions and realizations of critical literacy. CDA also contributed to changes in participants\u27 perceptions and realizations of critical literacy learning, in particular in how they recognized multiple perspectives, how they envisioned discourse in other aspects of critical literacy, and how they engaged in learning for critical literacy. This study raises implications for the use of CDA for critical literacy and professional learning, and the use of short texts for CDA. This study also points to the value of focusing on tensions as sites for professional learning

EVOLVING LITERACY PRACTICES IN THE VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM: HOW CRITICAL LITERACY FRAMEWORKS ENHANCE LEARNING AND INCREASE STUDENT READING SUCCESS IN CTE

This paper provides a qualitative account of how Critical Literacy instruction fosters reading growth in vocational-technical school settings. This study examines how critical literacy enriches learning outcomes within Career and Technical Education (CTE). The findings are that Critical Literacy skills are necessary for all readers because they positively affect student engagement and participation in learning, especially if presented in a way that allows students to have an active role in their learning. Examples of how to integrate Critical Literacy instruction into CTE classrooms are presented and discussed. These instructional practices go beyond traditional reading comprehension skills. The conclusion is that incorporating Critical Literacy curricula into CTE programs can lead to a better understanding of the diverse world in which students must plan their futures. All readers need Critical Literacy skills to use in all career pathways. Ultimately, these results revealed that Critical Literacy instruction leads to better classroom participation in reading activities than when using traditional reading comprehension alone

Critical Literacy for ELT in Indonesia: What EFL Teachers should be Aware of

This article explores the basic and important issues related to critical literacy for ELT in Indonesia. Hopefully, it could contribute to improving EFL teachers’ understanding of critical literacy, particularly in Indonesia. Critical literacy is still considered as a new approach in EFL contexts. However, it is promising such benefits for both students and teachers for it might contribute to developing both teachers’ and students’ critical manners in reading and writing. This article describes the concept of critical literacy. Then, it elaborates the appropriate learning sources and activities to support the development of students’ critical literacy. After that, it describes some challenges for implementing critical literacy in ELT in the Indonesian context briefly. Finally, it offers conclusions on the important points of the topic.