Critical Literacy Perspective Research Articles

A Critical Literacy Perspective for Teaching and Learning Social Studies

In a time of increasing plurality in today's public schools, it is essential that students become critically competent citizens by examining current and historical social justice issues. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide the research, theory, and practice for teachers to help students take a critical stance as they read and respond to social studies material. It begins with a thorough rationale focusing on two areas: 1) the need to examine social studies from a global perspective and 2) the need to instruct our students to read and process social studies content with a critical eye. This research and theoretical discussion provides the foundation for a literature‐based instructional model that integrates critical literacy with social studies content centered on five themes for developing a democratic classroom: examining multiple perspectives; finding authentic voice; recognizing social barriers; finding one's identity; and finally, “the call to service.”في الوقت الذي يزداد فيه التنوع في المدارس الحكومية اليوم لا بد للطلاب من أن يصيروا مواطنين نقاد قديرين من خلال فحص قضايا العدالة الاجتماعية التاريخية والحالية. والغرض من هذه الورقة أن توفر البحث والنظرية والممارسة للمعلمين من أجل مساعدة طلابهم في أن يتخذوا موقفاً نقدياً حين يقرؤون ويجيبون على مواد الدراسات الاجتماعية. ويبدأ اكتساب هذا الموقف بواسطة عقيدة مركزة على مجالين: 1) الحاجة لفحص الدراسات الاجتماعية من المنظر العالمي و2) الحاجة لتعليم طلابنا قراءة محتويات الدراسات الاجتماعية واستيعابها بعين النقد. ويوفر هذا النقاش البحثي والنظري الأساس لنموذج التعليم المبني على الأدب الذي يدمج معرفة النقد في محتوى الدراسات الاجتماعية محورها المواضيع الخمسة التالية لتطوير غرف صف ديمقراطي: فحص وجهات نظر متعددة وإيجاد الصوت الأصلي وإدراك الحدود الاجتماعية وإيجاد هوية الشخص وأخيراً الدعوة للخدمة.在今天正当公立学校日趋多元化的时候，学生必需通过审视当今及历史上有关社会公义的议题，培養成为具有批判能力的市民。本文旨在為教师提供有关之研究、理论与实践，藉以帮助学生以批判性态度來阅读及回应社会科的教材。本文首先详尽讨论聚焦于两个范畴的理论基础：〔1〕教师需要用一個全球的角度來审视社会科;〔2〕教师需要教导学生以批判性的眼光來阅读及处理社会科的内容。本文作者以本研究及其理论作為基础，提出一个以文學為主的教学模型，该模型结合了批判性读写文化及社会科内容的教学，其内容集中在发展民主教室的五个主题：审视多重視角、寻找真实的声音、认识社会的障碍、寻找个人身份认同及「服务的号召」。A un moment où la pluralité s'accroît aujourd'hui dans les écoles publiques, il est essentiel que les élèves deviennent des citoyens critiques compétents qui analysent les questions de justice sociale d'hier et de maintenant. Ce manuscrit a pour but d'apporter aux enseignants les recherches, la théorie, et la pratique pour aider leurs élèves à prendre une position critique quand ils lisent et réagissent à des documents en histoire et géographie. Il commence par un examen d'ensemble centré sur deux domaines: 1) la nécessité d'examiner l'histoire et la géographie dans une perspective globale et 2) la nécessité d'enseigner à nos étudiants à lire et à traiter les contenus d'histoire et géographie avec un œil critique. Cette recherche et cette discussion théorique constituent le socle d'un modèle d'enseignement basé sur l'écrit qui intègre la littératie critique avec un contenu d'histoire et géographie centré sur cinq thèmes pour développer une classe démocratique: examiner des perspectives multiples; trouver une voie authentique; reconnaître les barrières sociales; trouver son identité; et enfin, « appeler à servir ».Во времена, когда состав учащихся обычных школ становится все более и более разнообразным и возникает все больший плюрализм мнений, необходимо, чтобы школьники росли критически грамотными гражданами, а добиться этого можно, обсуждая с ними проблемы социальной справедливости – на современном и историческом материале. Автор сообщает учителям о проделанных в этой области исследованиях, о существующей теории и практике – чтобы учителя смогли научить школьников критическому подходу, когда они имеют дело с материалами из области общественных наук. В начале статьи предлагается подробное теоретическое обоснование, в основном посвященное двум моментам: необходимости рассматривать социальное знание в глобальном контексте и необходимости развивать у школьников критический подход при чтении и обсуждении текстов социальной направленности. Данное исследование и теоретические положения – отправные точки для основанной на изучении литературных произведений учебной модели, которая способствует становлению демократического самосознания школьников. В рамках этой модели происходит объединение критической грамотности с социальным содержанием по следующей тематике: исследование различных точек зрения по одним и тем же вопросам; поиск “собственного голоса”; признание наличия социальных барьеров; становление самоидентичности; призыв к служению на благо общества.Con el incremento de la pluralidad en las escuelas públicas de hoy es esencial que los estudiantes se vuelvan ciudadanos críticamente competentes. Esto se logra examinando cuestiones de justicia social corrientes e históricas. El propósito de este artículo es de proporcionar la investigación, la teoría y la práctica para que los maestros puedan ayudar a los estudiantes a tomar una postura crítica al mismo tiempo que leen y responden a temas de estudios sociales. Empieza con una exposición razonada enfocada en dos áreas: 1) la necesidad de evaluar los estudios sociales desde una perspectiva global y 2) la necesidad de enseñarles a nuestros estudiantes a leer y procesar el contenido de las ciencias sociales desde un punto de vista crítico. Esta discusión de investigación y teoría proporciona el fundamento para un modelo de instrucción basado en la literatura que integra competencias críticas con el contenido de las ciencias sociales centralizado en cinco temas para desarrollar una aula democrática: estudiar varias perspectivas; encontrar la voz auténtica; reconocer barreras sociales; encontrar la identidad propia; y por último, “el llamamiento a dar servicio.”

Raising critical issues in the analysis of gender and science in children’s literature

Trevor Owens’ paper provides a critique of the role of gender and authority in selected children’s books that presented biographies of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. In the context of discussing Trevor’s (2009) article about children’s literature, this forum explores issues related to the (a) representation and construction of gender, science, and childhood in literature for children; (b) the need to consider socio/historical/cultural contexts in analytical and theoretical frameworks; and (c) the importance of fostering critical literacy perspectives in pre- and in-service science teachers and the children whom they teach.

Imagining a Peace Curriculum: What Second‐Language Education Brings to the Table

Just as peace and justice studies contributes much to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, the reverse is also true: second‐language classes are particularly rich sites to explore diverse notions of the common good and implications for peace and war. Because of the intercultural interactions in such classrooms, and because such classes focus on language and communication, these settings offer unique opportunities to develop pedagogies addressing interethnic conflict and the dehumanizing language and images that promote it. English as a Second Language classrooms are productive settings for the telling of stories that counter official ones. Here we focus on critical pedagogies and curricula in two classroom settings. In the first, a class including Muslim students employs a critical media literacy perspective to investigate post‐September 11th biases against Muslims. In the second, students read literature related to war and peace, examine its language, and make connections with their own stories and identities.

Reflexoes sobre letramento critico para a docencia em Matematica em cursos de formacao de professores

The present study aimed at searching for a new meaning to the term literacy in the process of Math teacher education. After defi ning the term critical literacy for the teaching of Math, the study aimed at analyzing the Political Projects of Math Teacher Education Courses. Special attention was given to the Political Projects of Math and Pedagogy Teacher Education Courses from the State University of Ponta Grossa (Brazil). Not only the course contents but also the National Guidelines for Teacher Education Courses were examined from a critical literacy perspective. In addition to the Political Projects of Teacher Education Math Courses, the profi le of the future professional that will act in Basic and Higher Education was analyzed. The outcomes demonstrate that there are different interpretations of the Political Projects of the courses that can either compromise or consolidate critical literacy for the teaching of Math.

Reading success for struggling adolescent learners

Lenski, Lewis, Introduction. Part I: Understanding Struggling Adolescent Readers. Lewis, Dahbany, What Do We Know about the Adolescent Learner and What Does It Mean for Literacy Instruction? Lenski, Struggling Adolescent Readers: Problems and Possibilities. Tatum, Fisher, Nurturing Resilience among Adolescent Readers. Ehlers-Zavala, Teaching Adolescent English Language Learners. Part II: Organizing Classroom Contexts That Promote Literacy. Grisham, Wolsey, The Role of Technology in Supporting Struggling Readers. Crawford-McKinney, Hogan, Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers in Conversations about Texts: Instructional Strategies for Successful Experiences. Lenski, Lanier, Making Time for Independent Reading. Part III: Implementing Classroom Instruction for Struggling Adolescent Readers. Fawcett, Rasinski, Fluency Strategies for Struggling Adolescent Readers. Caskey, Comprehension Strategies that Make a Difference for Struggling Readers. Richek, McTague, Vocabulary Strategies for Struggling Readers. Fearn, Farnan, Classroom Instruction for Struggling Writers. Lenski,Teaching from a Critical Literacy Perspective and Encouraging Social Action. Part IV: Developing Schoolwide Contexts to Support Achievement. Afflerbach, Meaningful Assessment of Struggling Adolescent Readers. Bean, Literacy Coaching at the Middle School/High School Levels. Elish-Piper, Keeping Parents Involved in Their Children's Education during the Middle and High School Years. Lewis, But I'm Not Going to College!: Developing Adolescents' Literacy for the 21st-Century Workplace.

Talking Books

Jerome Harste and Christine Leland review the children’s book Once upon an Ordinary School Day and discuss three instructional strategies that can be used to delve deeper into the book using a critical literacy perspective. They say that it’s not the book itself that is critical, but rather what you do with it.

Thoughts from the Editors

The articles in this issue examine theories that frame a critical literacy perspective and explore ways these beliefs are being enacted within classroom and family contexts.

Japanese Culture Constructed by Discourses: Implications for Applied Linguistics Research and ELT

Some of the recent applied linguistics literature on teaching writing and critical thinking to ESL students has presented pedagogical arguments by drawing on cultural differences between ESL students and the target academic community. In these arguments, authors tend to create a cultural dichotomy between the East and the West, constructing fixed, apolitical, and essentialized cultural representations such as groupism, harmony, and deemphasis on critical thinking and self-expression to depict Japanese culture. This article takes Japanese culture as an example and attempts to critique these taken-for-granted cultural labels. The article argues (a) that the essentialized cultural labels found in the applied linguistics literature parallel the constructed Other in colonial discourse; (b) that cultural uniqueness is also appropriated by the Other itself as seen in the discourse of nihonjinron (theories on the Japanese), which represents cultural nationalism and a struggle for power against Westernization; and (c) that emerging research is generating new knowledge on educational practices in Japanese schools and a new understanding of concepts in cultural contexts, challenging the essentialized notion of Japanese culture. Finally, this article offers another way of understanding cultural differences from a perspective of critical multiculturalism and presents a perspective of critical literacy that supports both cultural pluralism and critical acquisition of the dominant language for social transformation.