Pennsauken School District Rowan Lit. Consortium April 2012 Inquiry and Critical Literacy: Envisioning literacy instruction for the 21st century

Goals: Define Critical Literacy Reacting to text from different stances (efferent, aesthetic and critical) Connecting text fiction/nonfiction/digital Reading with a critical lens

UndUnderstand the role of critical literacy as a means for promoting acquisition and application of background knowledge Connect critical literacy to 21st century learning Examine instructional approaches that can be utilized in classrooms to promote a critical- literacy stance Today’s Purposes

Look at the chart – say the COLOR not the word YELLOW BLUE ORANGE WHITE BLACKRED GREEN PURPLEWHITE ORANGE GREEN BLACK

So What? This is known as the Stroop Effect. It is due to the conflict between the direct interpretation or reading of the word and the perception. It takes far more concentration than the natural tendency to simply read the word aloud. You need to be a more critical reader!

Define Critical Literacy Write on Chart paper with your group Marker Talk Walk Graffiti Walk Comment on definitions Revise your definition of critical literacy

Share Out: Word Collage Critical literacy Social Justice Collaboration Multi-modal Perspective Synchronisation Digital text Comprehension Communication

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Article Critical Literacy as Comprehension: Expanding Reader Response Jigsaw Reading Revise Critical Literacy Definition

What is Critical Literacy? The practice of challenging texts through an analysis of the role that power, culture, class, and gender play in the message The habit of questioning information using three questions:  In whose interest?  For what purpose?  Who benefits? (Tasmania (AU) Dept. of Education, 2006)

BREAK BREAK

“Until lions have historians, hunters will be the heroes.” –African proverb What’s Your Reaction?

How did you use your background knowledge to inform your understanding? In what ways did you apply principles of critical literacy in order to hold this discussion?

Students need to be able to think and to use knowledge and information to make decisions The growth of the Internet has made critical literacy vital in a global community Civic engagement is dependent on a thoughtful and informed constituency Critical Literacy in the 21st Century

Disrupting a common situation or understanding Examining multiple viewpoints Focusing on sociopolitical issues Taking action (Van Sluys, Lewison, and Flint, 2006) Instructional Approaches for Promoting Critical Literacy

Critical Literacy zG5Sqc zG5Sqc “Video on Kony glosses over history, some Ugandans say” By Rodney Muhumuza AP “'Kony 2012' viral video raises questions about filmmakers” March 09, 2012|By Nick Thompson, CNN

No two readers read the same text View dual images

The Takeaway Critical literacy is not about criticizing; it’s about teaching students to think about information rather than accept it at face value. As we build and activate students’ background knowledge, we want to be sure that we do so for worthwhile reasons.

Table Talk What are examples of critical literacy approaches you can use in your curriculum?

Assessing Your Practice Use the rubric to determine your goals for building background knowledge in your classroom.

Pennsauken Plan Look at curriculum –where can we connect our units of study to embed critical literacy? Connect fiction to current nonfiction to digital literacy Goal – foster a critical literacy stance

Foster Debate In almost all readings, the teacher must look for an ember of controversy that she can fan into a flame of debate. Students interested in expressing their own opinion on an issue are engaged students who learn and remember more.

“Read like a detective, write like a reporter.”

Read about promoting civics and active citizenship through critical literacy in articles written by Barack Obama, Jonathan Kozol, Erin Gruwell, Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher, and others at Listen to a variety of educators discuss aspects of critical literacy in and out of the classroom at Read how a teacher uses song lyrics in middle school to foster critical literacy in science, economics, and history at Building Your Own Background Knowledge

Work as Grade Levels Match nonfiction/articles to fiction units Match digital literacy to fiction and nonfiction Look for articles on the same topic but with different perspectives Gather as a group and share