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WHAT
IS CRITICAL LITERACY?
CRITICAL
LITERACY (CL)
is defined in different ways in different contexts. In this initiative,
critical literacy is broadly defined as an educational practice that
focuses on the relationship between languages and worldviews, social
practices, power, knowlege, identity, citizenship, inter-cultural
relations and global/local issues.
CL
has been summarised by educators as a way of learning:
…
to see things from different perspectives
… to acknowledge the political responsibilities we have
as educators
… to imagine other possible relationships and futures
… to perceive ourselves as educators (not only as teachers/lecturers
)
… to move beyond concepts and structures that are understood
as givens
… to examine the origins and implications of worldviews
, values, belies and attitudes
… to analyse the construction of knowledge , cultures
, identities and relationships
… to make connections between global and local contexts
… to ask questions about the world, ourselves and others
… to realise that answers are always partial and incomplete
… to think more independently and help students to do
the same
… to question what is presented to us as universally
true
… to see the positive side of conflict (as necessary
for learning and change )
… to live together, to build different relationships
, to connect in new ways
… to assume an ethical position in relation to difference
… to allow students to construct their own answers
… to establish non-judgemental environments for learning
… to be more inclusive as a teacher/educator
… to develop a local and global sense of relationship
… to respect (yourself and others ) and be respected
… to understand who we are and our places in the world
… to survive uncertainty and complexity (and be ok )
… to prompt change within
… to learn about others and about ourselves
Click
here to hear the perspectives of teachers from Brazil and
Argentina on CL.
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Implications
for Global Citizenship Education
Critical Literacy
shifts the focus of Global Citizenship Education towards power
relationships, interdependence and uncertainty. It addresses
complexity and promotes independent thinking, ethical relationships
and participatory decision-making processes.
For more implications,
check the educational agenda section.
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Comparison
to other practices (styles and questions of reading)
The
table below shows a strategic comparison between CL and traditional and
critical readings. Which practices are privileged in your work context?
How would you assess the development of your own skills in these three
levels of reading?
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Traditional Reading
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Critical Reading
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Critical Literacy
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Decodification
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Interpretation
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Critique
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Types of questions:
-
Does the text represent the truth?
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Is it fact or opinion?
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Is it biased or neutral?
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Is it well written/clear?
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Who is the author and what level of authority/legitimacy
does he/she represent?
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What does the author say?
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Types of questions:
-
What is the context?
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To whom is the text addressed?
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What is the intention of the author?
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What is the position of the author (his/her political
agenda)?
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What is the author trying to say and how is he/she trying
to convince/manipulate the reader?
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What claims are not substantiated?
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Why has the text been written in this way)
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Types of questions:
- How
could these statements/concepts be interpreted differently in different
contexts?
- What could be the assumptions behind the statements?
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How do you think the author understands reality? What
could be shaping his/her understanding?
-
Who decides (what is real, can be known or needs to be
done) in whose name and for whose benefit in this context?
-
What could be the implications of his/her claims (past/present/future:
social, environmental, economic, etc…)?
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What are the sanctioned ignorances (blind spots) and contradictions of this perspective?
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Focus : content and authority and legitimacy of the
speaker and the text.
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Focus : context, intentions, style of communication
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Focus : assumptions, knowledge production, power, representation
and implications
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Aim : to develop an understanding of the content
To establish the truth-value of the text
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Aim : to develop critical reflection (ability to perceive
intentions and reasons)
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Aim : to develop reflexivity (ability to perceive how
assumptions are constructed)
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Language : is fixed, transparent and gives us access
to reality
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Language : is fixed and translates reality
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Language: is ideological and constructs reality
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Reality: Exists and is easily accessed though sensory
perceptions and objective thinking
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Reality: Exists and is accessible, but it is often
translated into false representations
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Reality: Exists, but is inaccessible (in absolute
terms) – we have only partial interpretations constructed
in language
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Knowledge: Universal, cumulative, linear, right versus
wrong, fact versus opinion, neutral versus biased
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Knowledge: False versus true interpretation of reality
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Knowledge: Always partial, context dependent (contingent),
complex and dynamic
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Adapted
and expanded from: Gina CERVETTI, Michael J. PARDALES, James S.
DAMICO, A Tale of Differences: Comparing the Traditions, Perspectives,
and Educational Goals of Critical Reading and Critical Literacy,
www.readingonline.com, 2001
Critical Literacy prompts readers to address:
Who constructs the
texts [or perspectives/discourses/ideologies] whose representations
are dominant in a particular culture at a particular time; how
readers come to be complicit with the persuasive ideologies
of texts; whose interests are served by such representations
and such readings; and when such texts and readings are inequitable
in their effects, how these could be constructed otherwise.
Morgan,
W. (1997). Critical literacy in the classroom: The art of the
possible. New York : Routledge.
Theoretical
Framework
CL is inter-disciplinary.
It has emerged from recent theories about globalisation,
social
movements and the relationship between languages, knowledge
and power.
In academic terms, CL is based
on a post-structuralist
understanding of language that is post-positivist. Michel
Foucault and Jacques
Derrida are key names within post-structuralism
that have influenced the debates that have informed the framework of
CL. Other theorists writing 'from' different fields such as
feminisms, queer
theories, post-colonialisms,
etc. have also contributed to the discussion.
In education,
people have used the principles of CL in different ways and contexts
(using different languages/terms to describe them). The discussion
about the links between these theories and educational practices
is ongoing.We encourage you to carry out your own
research in this area and reach your own conclusions, engaging critically (as
opposed to disengaging critically or engaging uncritically) with
any perpective you find!
The texts/websites
below offer an introduction to CL in different areas in education:
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