crit. lit. is possible with wit!

side q
nothing worth doing is easy, side p, and making critical literacy occur in your classroom is no different. whereas i can relate to most of your ideas and experiences, i do not agree with the conclusions that you draw from them. as a burgeoning educator, there are advantages that you have over seasoned professionals. a large quantity of the teachers that have been teaching for many years encounter great difficulty attempting to make the switch towards critical literacy. and you’re correct, side p, the problem lies in the physical plan of the room and in the instructional technique.

the physical plan of the critical literacy classroom should foster creative, out-of-the-box thinking, especially rich in media types for students to express themselves. for instance, there could be artifacts of visual student-generated pieces, as well as models, sculptures, and music stations. although some may view it as a nuisance, computers and the internet prove to be valuable resources in terms of superior access to information and varying perspectives.

instructional techniques that promote critical literacy mostly seize on the current, or more specifically, the moment. teachers must remain informed of the latest issues in their world and in the students’ worlds in order to either grab the interest of the students with teacher-generated topics or be able to relate to student-generated topics. key, too, is the mentality that unplanned discussions do happen and should not be viewed as an affront to a planned lesson. the adage “expect the unexpected” really takes precedence in critical literacy instruction. unforeseen topics/conversations should be welcomed, not scorned, because they represent interest on the side of the students, as well as signaling a thought out link between novel information and the students’ experiences. often times, too, such synthesis of concepts and experiences does mesh well with the curriculum and standards. true, the direction of the class may not match what you have for your mini-lesson or work period, but the objective will still be accomplished.