LOOKING AT HISTORY THROUGH A CRITICAL LITERACY LENS


BY IYANUOLUWA AKINRINOLA I


n 2019, just before the world as we knew it tilted on its head, my Grade 7 class and I explored Canadian history, par- ticularly the Seven Years’ War and the War of 1812. We explored the impact of


these wars on North America (as we know it today) and their influence in shaping Cana- dian history. Most significantly, we explored the missing voices in these pivotal moments of Canadian history, identifying similarities and differences in how Black people, women and Indigenous Peoples were treated during and after the wars. These were connections students made to their learning in other sub- ject areas as we had explored Indigenous his- tory in Canada and started our exploration of Black history. Part of our intention with this project was to expand our definition of literacy as we worked to contextualize our experiences today in our understanding of Canadian history. I was especially interested in exploring how to cultivate critical literacy with my students concerning these questions. When students began considering their


questions, they expressed frustration at the many missing pieces of history in their texts, making too many of their answers challeng- ing to find. As they did more research and their understandings expanded, students be-


32 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2021


gan to make connections looking at the simi- larities and differences in the treatment of Black people, women and Indigenous Peoples then and how they are treated in Canadian society today. Students noted that many posi- tive changes had been made; however, many more changes still needed to occur. For in- stance, many students raised questions about the lack of representation and inclusion of Black people in positions of power and de- cision making. They asked why Indigenous people continued to lack proper recognition for the many contributions they have made to Canada, as well as why many Indigenous communities continue to have to fight for ac- cess to basic human rights such as clean water and funding for Indigenous children. A few students wondered why the contributions of women are not as widely celebrated and me- morialized as the contributions of men are, even in contemporary society. Students had many questions and critical literacy was a tool they used to explore their thinking. To do their research and refine their in-


quiry, students used primary and second- ary sources such as images, diary accounts, textbooks and additional class texts and re- sources. Using learned media literacy skills, students researched, evaluated and adapted


these supplementary resources (online and in print) to broaden their knowledge. As the educator, my role was to model critical ques- tioning and inquiry for my students as I cre- ated a positive learning environment where questions, exploration, research, debates and critical thinking challenges were welcome. I worked alongside my students not as a bearer of all knowledge, but as a facilitator who was ready to learn from different ideas. Through their exploration, they sparked debate and challenged ideas. Students asked questions such as “Why are there so many missing voic- es in Canadian history” and “Why are we only learning about this history now in Grade 7?” Another inquiry that challenged our thinking was the question “What would true equity look like in Canadian society?” As students continued to develop their


understanding, they were engaged and ac- tive participants in their own learning. They were able to make connections to other sub- ject areas, understand the significance of these points in history from more than one perspective and analyze why this understand- ing was important to them in the present day. The goal was not to find a right or wrong an- swer, but instead to use a critical literacy lens to deepen learning and understanding in an


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