As a lawyer with some familiarity with the area of Critical Legal Studies (CLS), I came to this class with some expectation that Critical Literacy would entail deconstructing texts to examine issues such as bias, power, agency, and reader positioning, essentially approaching literature in the way that CLS approaches jucicial opinions. Over the course of the semester, I have broadened my thinking about Critical Literacy to take into account its focus on reading for social action -- the notion that examining issues of bias without taking remedial action may be tantamount to enabling or perpetuating the bias. CLS has a similar focus on using law as a tool for social change, but I hadn't really thought about how that might play out in Critical Literacy when I began this class. While I see enormous value in empowering children to take social action, I have to say that I also believe that there is great benefit in the awareness-raising and attitude-modification that can come from "mere" examination of and deconstruction of texts; I would not subscribe to the more extreme position that all discovery of bias and inequity must lead to a social action project in order to be meaningful.
As a writer, and in a vein that has more to do with flavor than contours, I have to say that I've really appreciated Vivian's continual effort to remind us that literature always provides an opportunity to "create space" for various discussions, and that teachers need not, and, in fact, probably should not, come to such discussions with predetermined talking points; our role should rather be that of facilitators, helping students to find the answers -- and questions -- that resonate for them, both collectively and as individuals. Thus, books like Into the Forest, with ambiguous, or perhaps not fully realized, messages can nonetheless be wonderful vehicles for discussion in the critical literacy spirit.
Through the course, I've also developed a greater appreciation for the importance of what I'll call "literary enfranchisement" in the classroom -- the notion that it is not only valuable but critical for students to be see their own experiences and identities reflected positively in both the stories and the authorship of the books that surround them and inform their learning.
Vivian is a lovely person and a delightful teacher :) This class was definitely the highlight of the MAT program for me. Thank you!
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4 comments:
Hi Daphne,
I too agree that there is a benefit to making children aware to social issues through text. When I was growing up we never touched on these issues, and I think in the society we live in today it is very important to have students look closely at what they are reading. On another note, I too had some issues with the YouTube video... I wasn't so hot about using the cell phones in school. I wasn't too sure what a wiki was either, but I found a definition here: http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki. See you tonight!
Katie
Hey,
I wish I had read your last post before I wrote mine, I think you articulated how I felt about the purpose of use of cls better than I could. But I think your comment on "Literary Enfranchisement" was interesting. Because I think we often try to separate the person from the education, which is fairly silly if you think about...But we do and it is an important element of CLS to bring the "Human" element back into the classroom.
Wow - I love reading the exchanges between folks from our class. It is such an affirming experience to watch students push their thinking and imagine the world differently.
I think as in any perspective, we need to reflect on the position(s) from which we take up a critical literacy perspective. Critical literacy itself is therefore not immune to the ideological positions that informs its practice.
I wish this were a 6 credit course. I suspect spending more time together would have resulted in some powerful conversations!
Looking forward to reading your blog beyond our course time Daphne!
vivian
www.clippodcast.com
Hi Daphne,
It has been a great pleasure going through another class together. I am always amazed by your insights and your use of words. In your post, thank you for pointing out Vivian's use of "creating space" for discussions. I will also take that advice along with me as I continue to improve and expand on my teaching.
Lindsey
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