“THE CONVERSATIONS ARE NOT ALWAYS EASY, BUT THEY HAVE ALWAYS HELPED BROADEN MY PERSPECTIVE AND NETWORK. ENGAGING IN CRITICAL LITERACY AND ENSURING THAT THE MATERIALS WE CHOOSE ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND VIEWPOINTS IS IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY IN K-12 EDUCATION. IT ALLOWS FOR AN INQUIRY-BASED DEEP DIVE THAT CAN PROMOTE REPRESENTATION AND KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION REFLECTIVE OF THE SOCIETY THAT IS CANADA.”
Black authors and genres in their reading list). Teaching critical literacy skills does not
have to be cumbersome, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Many educators already teach these skills in their daily practices or in- clude these in inquiry-based learning.
Teachers help students develop their critical literacy skills by providing access to a variety of texts, including electronic, print, visual, and graphical, to analyze and evaluate their meaning, value, and perspectives, modeling the use of critical questions, using relevant texts and topics that allow students to take on various positions (e.g., attitudes toward teens, gender representations, issues related to power) providing opportunities for perspective-taking, such as through role-play, modeling questions to evalu- ate embedded perspectives in texts for validity, reliability, and credibility, and exploring opportunities for taking action and promoting social justice. (Practice & Research connections).
In teaching critical literacy, learners be-
come active participants in their learning, developing an understanding of mean- ing and message through exploration and analysis. Critical literacy empowers students to shift from being consumers of informa- tion to asking critical questions about the purpose of a text/media, the message being shared and the perspective emphasized by the content's creator.
RESOURCES
As we teach critical literacy skills, it is impor- tant for us to ensure the resources we pro- vide reflect the diversity that makes up the Canadian population. This will help create a
space for authentic discussion and engage- ment for students from diverse backgrounds within our classrooms. Diverse resources can be harder to find, but we must be willing to look beyond what we know, look outside of our comfort zones and connect with staff within our school boards and people within our broader communities so that we can ex- pand our knowledge, understanding and re- sources, and, in turn, encourage our students to be able to do the same. Many times, the resource I needed came to me by striking up a conversation with a parent or a community member about what I was teaching or going to be teaching in the classroom. The con- versations are not always easy, but they have always helped broaden my perspective and network. Engaging in critical literacy and ensuring that the materials we choose are representative of different communities and viewpoints is important especially in K-12 education. It allows for an inquiry-based deep dive that can promote representation and knowledge acquisition reflective of the society that is Canada. Our students today will become our
decision-makers tomorrow. We must en- sure they are prepared to engage with the cultural mosaic that is our country and our world with the wisdom and understanding that come with critical thinking. The onus is on us as educators to be critical thinkers who welcome and engage our students in critical thinking through student interests, resources, materials and language. We must be willing to look beyond our comfort zones to expand our knowledge and understand- ing to foster a positive learning environment where our students are comfortable and con- fident to do the same. n
Iyanuoluwa Akinrinola is a member of the York Region Teacher Local.
ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 37
Resources to further explore this topic:
1. Building Critical Consciousness for Education Equity: Nicole West Burns
youtube.com/ watch?v=evndCfQ92s4&ab_ channel=TEDxTalks
2.
adifferentbooklist.com/ and massyb-
ooks.com/ (bookstores)
3. Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church (book)
4. Capacity Building Series: Critical Literacy.
edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynu- meracy/inspire/research/critical_lit- eracy.pdf
5. Cultivating Curiosity by Wendy L. Ostroff (book)
6. Engaging Students in Critical Lit- eracy.
edugains.ca/resourcesLiteracy/CE/7- 12/AdolescentLiteracy/CriticalLiteracy/ CriticalLiteracy_8X11.pdf
7. Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler (book)
8. Creating critical thinkers through media literacy: Andrea Quijada
youtube.com/ watch?v=aHAApvHZ6XE&ab_ channel=TEDxTalks
9. Dive into Inquiry by Trevor Macken- zie (book)
10. Cultivating Critical Literacy Imagi- nations in Our Selves, Others, and the World
cdnprincipals.com/cultivating-critical- literacy-imaginations-in-our-selves- others-and-the-world/
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