Reflection: Critical Literacy Finds a "Place": Writing and Social Action in a Low-Income Australian Grade 2/3 Classroom

I was inspired by the progress of the second and third graders in Marg Wells' classroom.  I think it's really important to remember that to ignore a problematic, normalized way of thinking only serves to continue the marginalization of those who have already been oppressed within society.  I loved how Wells initated her literacy and social power unit simply by asking students to draw or write about:

• the best things in their lives
• what made them happy, anxious, or angry
• their three wishes
• what they might change about their community if they could
• whether or not they felt they had the power to make a difference

This article is helping me formulate a plan for building social awareness within my classroom.  Throughout the last few weeks, I've been trying to piece together a plan for bringing social action into the classroom.  I think it's important to remember that we need to teach students that they have issues that are hiding in their lives, and this is a tangible way for them to access those issues.  I love the way Wells designed her unit 'on the fly,' uniting her students for one universal cause.  Her students were acquiring knowledge, rather than just receiving it; they were invested within a meaningful, interdisciplinary, real-world learning experience.

This is my plan of action:

• Ask my students to express their worries.
• Identify a thematic concern across the class.
• Provide practical resources for authentic research.
• Discuss the class findings and the implications for further study.
• Ask questions; then ask broader questions (move from personal to communal, to global issues).
• Collect more information, exploring all avenues of social action reform
• Ask, "Who has power?  Who is silenced?  How does this affect US?"
• Critically analyze collected data
• Brainstorm alternative solutions
• Present solutions to those within the position of power.  

References:

Comber, B. & Thomson, M.  Critical Literacy Finds a "Place":  Writing and Social Action in a Low-Income Australian Grade 2/3 Classroom.  The Elementary School Journal, University Press of Chicago 2001.

What is Power?

Position

Oppression

Wealth and influence; 

Everyone speaks; Most are

Rarely ever heard.

Helping our Students Acquire Reading Skills

I am attending the TCRWP Reading Institute this week. I was lucky enough to get into Donna Santman's advanced section, Reading Against the Grain: Teach Readers to Notice Bias, to Entertain a Variety of Perspectives, and to Question. This morning Donna described a time when years ago, she and some other teacher-researchers around the city had their students read from the same selection of books. When they had finished the books, the classes gathered in Central Park to meet in book clubs, have a picnic, and play. I love this story for two reasons. First, because it just sounds FUN. We teach our kids strategies for talking within partnerships and book clubs all year long- but I love this idea because it is really angled towards celebrating the joy of sharing conversation over literature. It's an authentic experience for the children; one that I'm sure those kids have never forgotten.

The other reason why I love this story is because it inspires new ideas for my classroom. I've learned how important it is to bridge the gap between the primary and secondary Discourse of our students. I have to admit that this has been a weakness in my teaching. Wouldn't it be great if we invited family members to join our book clubs? Parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, or cousins might read the same books as our students- and then join us for one or more sessions of club talk. I think kids would love this, and it would rally them around the excitement of sharing, and deepening thinking about texts through meaningful discussion.

A Conversation Between Strangers on the Train

A Rough Transcript:

JaVonna: Is that an iPhone?
Abby: Yeah.
JaVonna: Oh, do you like it?
Abby: Yeah, I do. A lot of people don’t, because they say it’s not compatible with certain email servers, but I don’t have any problems with that. Sometimes it’s a little slow, though.
JaVonna: Is it hard to text?
Abby: No, see- you just touch this and the letters pop up. It’s pretty easy.
JaVonna: But you can’t feel the buttons? I text when I drive, I know I shouldn’t. I’ve got a Razor; I know what the buttons feel like.
Abby: Yeah, that would be dangerous because you really have to look to find the letters. You can’t feel them at all with a touch screen.
JaVonna: Does it come with a stylus? I’m looking for a new phone.
Abby: Umm?
JaVonna: You know, to text with? Isn’t it hard to use if you’ve got long nails? (Shows perfectly manicured, very long, fake nails).
Abby: Oh! I don’t think it comes with that. My nails are usually pretty short, so I’m not sure. But if you’re looking for a new phone, you should check it out, anyway. The new one that’s coming out is supposed to be about half the price and three times as fast as this one.
JaVonna: For real? What do you need for that, AT&T?
Abby: Yeah.
JaVonna: Cool, I’m looking at the Dare- the whole outer face is touch screen, but there’s a keyboard inside, too. It’s got free incoming.
Abby: Cool.
JaVonna: Alright, thanks.
Abby: No problem!


The participants of this dialogue were an African American woman in her mid- to late twenties and myself. I took a seat next to her on the New York City-bound Metro North train from New Haven, Connecticut. I am reading this conversation from the perspective of a North American, middle-class, twenty-eight year old, well-educated, Caucasian woman. Within this reflection, I am critiquing a dialogue of which I contributed to, and in effect, I become both the ‘reader’ and the ‘writer.’ This is a unique viewpoint for me.

After having this conversation with JaVonna, I was struck by the disconnection that I had with her question regarding the stylus. I know what a stylus is, but had no idea as to why a touch-screen cell phone would require one. This bewilderment must have shown on my face, because JaVonna was compelled to explain her question, while showing me her nails. I realize that this moment of confusion was a result of the difference between JaVonna’s Discourse and my own. I get manicures fairly often, but my nails are always kept short and rounded, with one solid color. I believe JaVonna’s nails were ‘wraps,’ or false. They were long and curving downward, with squared tips. I don’t quite remember the hue, but I noticed that each nail had tiny designs painted towards the top. I have always been opposed to having wraps put on my nails; I feel that it would convey an invalid message about my culture. Long nails are not something that I value, or regard as being of high importance; however, JaVonna might have felt marginalized by my response and by the prospect of a cell phone that is marketed without a stylus. If this is something that the Apple Corporation did not consider, then they are excluding quite a large audience for their product. In effect, the company (and my side of the dialogue) empowers most men, as well as women of cultural groups that view very long nails as highly significant.

This leads me to wonder about other passengers on the train, who may have been listening in on our conversation. People who might feel most comfortable engaging within this discourse would probably be of middle- to upper class, or of a socioeconomic status that would allow them to afford a more expensive cell phone. Those excluded from this dialogue may include citizens of underdeveloped countries, or individuals who have not received a higher education. Those who are very knowledgeable and interested in the new technology of cell phones would certainly have a great deal more to contribute to the dialogue than those who don’t, leading me to believe that this conversation also marginalizes senior citizens.

Individuals such as JaVonna, who are knowledgeable within the field of cell phone technology, must truly value instant access to communication. On both sides of the discourse, this notion is portrayed as the norm. The cues that lead me to this belief are the high concern about text messages. While ‘texting,’ one can send and receive messages at almost any given time. JaVonna’s devotion to communicating with friends, family, and work colleagues comes in the way of her own safety: she admits to using the text feature while driving (which is both illegal and dangerous). Instant access to communication is important to many people, but not everyone views it as essential; or have much of a background knowledge of the new science that provides it. I think this may reflect cultural differences, which crosses both generational and socially embedded gaps.

For example, while my eighty-year old grandmother might be interested in looking at new phones to learn what they do, I’m sure that she would feel disconnected while listening to our conversation. My grandmother, and most others who are of her generation, have not used text messaging as a form of literacy. This may be for a variety of reasons, one of which being that text messaging is a relatively new tool for communication. It is a medium for the younger culture. In order to participate within this practice, one must be somewhat dexterous (to accurately press the intended letter buttons), thus making it difficult for citizens of very old generations to use. The lifestyle represented by this dialogue is that of the fast-paced, young, financially successful North American.

Lori's Comments:

I enjoyed your conversation on the train and your textual analysis of it. I wonder about how often we do not even consider how we privilege certain abilities and access to such technology. I now do belong to a group that feels fairly comfortable online and communicating with social networking sites. I just recently had a conversation with a slightly older cousin breaking how a certain social networking site works for her to understand what her kids are doing there.

How would you use such textual analysis of conversations or other texts with your students? How would you have them analyze their assumptions?

Response:

I teach fourth grade, and I think that my students would really benefit from having a shared class experience, which might drive the point that any given text makes assumptions regarding the reader.  I can only imagine how my grandmother may have felt if she were sitting on the train next to me: possibly inadequate, marginalized, or maybe even a bit lonesome within the mindset that everyone else around her is 'in the know.'  Keeping this in mind, I think it would be interesting to script a short reader's theater.  It could be a conversation between two people within a specific context which is unfamiliar to the class.  A few students (or teachers) would 'act out' the dialogue, and then we'd assess our feelings as listeners. 

For example, I might take a dialogue from ER or Grey's Anatomy- it would have to be rich in medical terminology.  I'd ask my students to envision themselves as doctors, and imagine that they will be expected to contribute to the conversation.  The two or three actors would read the text, which would be full of unknown vocabulary and references to things that most people (who are not in the medical profession) have never heard of.  Then I'd ask for volunteers to respond.  I'd most likely receive a room full of raised eyebrows and blank stares.  We could launch this experience into a discussion regarding the assumptions of the text, and how it made the 'readers' feel.  This is an authentic experience that would serve as a good example to support future lessons regarding critical literacy.  

Annotated Book List

The following link will bring you to another blog that I began last year. It is a reference which focuses on literature for older children (mainly grades 3-6), providing a brief synopsis of each text and followed by possibilities for the classroom. I am revising these possibilities, angling them as a guide for reading with a critical lens.

Please take a look at abby'sbookblog
This is a living document- suggestions are welcomed and appreciated!

Free Rice

I love words. I love the way new words sound when I first try them out, and eventually get them right. Even better, I love using shiny new words in conversation. It's exciting. My friend Hilary knows how I feel about words. She called me up the other day and simply said, "Go to FreeRice.com. It will suck away hours of your time. You'll probably blame me for your addiction, but go." Completely baffled, I logged onto the site.

FreeRice.com is a vocabulary game. It's simple: one word is offered, and then you must find the synonym within four possible choices. For each word you name correctly, 20 grains of rice are donated to the U.N. World Food Program to help end hunger. This is made possible through the sponsors that advertise on the site (these ads are small, and neither overbearing nor distracting). Upon further investigation, I learned something REALLY neat: the game actually differentiates itself based on the player. You don't click any 'level 1, 2, or 3' buttons. The level of difficulty is adjusted determined upon the number of correct answers. For those of you familiar with Pandora- it's kind of like that. Your own, personal vocabulary tutor. There's even an option to hear the pronunciation of the word, which is great for ELLs or struggling readers.

Furthermore, FreeRice is the sister site to Poverty.com, which among other things, provides a practical approach to ending the poverty cycle created by social injustices; and therefore saving lives. It is an amazing resource.

New words that I've learned this hour:

Protuberant = Bulging
Potentate = Ruler
Hemidemisemiquaver = Sixty-fourth note (This is my new favorite word, but unless you're in the music industry, I imagine it might be a bit difficult to put into use!)

Why Teach Critical Literacy?

Why do we read? Why is it important to read with a critical eye? According to Bomer and Bomer, most people read for aesthetic purposes: the ultimate goal being the search for the next great book. I think it’s crucial that we model, encourage, and guide our students into finding aesthetic pleasure within their reading lives. The purpose of the novel, however, runs deeper than this. One way to view a text is as microcosm of our world, invented to help us examine the social norms dictated to us by society. Because I am a teacher of writing, I know that authors don’t just place any old made up character into some random situation. Each move that we make as writers is for a greater purpose. I tell my students that this is something we need to keep in mind throughout our work as READERS. Whether the author intends on making a point about social justice or not, the critical reader must ask, “What is this text trying to get me to believe about the world, and what are the alternatives?” When we challenge the text with such questions, a complexity that goes beyond our aesthetic responses lays ahead of us. When I was growing up, I remember being told, ‘You can’t believe everything you read.’ On the surface, this proverb may be interpreted as, ‘Sometimes people lie to you.’ Now, I am seeing a deeper meaning. The concept isn’t just that people will sometimes explicitly try to make you believe things that are false. It also encompasses the fact that society marginalizes some groups while giving power to others throughout the subtleties of biased language. If we are to break this cycle, it is of the utmost importance that we impart this knowledge to our students. Reading skills are life skills, and teaching critical literacy is one path we can take to create a society that truly offers equal opportunity to all.

Response to Just Girls

While reading Just Girls by Margaret J. Finders, I am situated as a person who for most purposes, shares a mainstream Discourse, and who has experienced female adolescence; two prominent aspects of this study. My own middle school years in Connecticut were reminiscent of the researcher’s observations: dominated by social divides, and flooded with the artifacts of a literate underlife, hidden from and unsanctioned by adults. According to Finders, “We can hardly cast blame on the social queens, who were doing exactly what we have been training girls to do: to find their place in society largely through romance and commodities”(p.125). Does the institution of junior high school perpetuate gender stereotypes? Based on my personal experiences, in conjunction with those of Angie, Tiffany, and Lauren; I support Finders’ argument that it does. The majority of our media conveys the message to young girls that their value is determined by how physically attractive they are to men. Northern Hills Junior High School, along with my junior high alma mater, seemed to foster what Freire and Macedo refer to as, “a culture of silence,” in which female adolescents were allowed to remain defined by the standards that mainstream media set upon them (p. 159). Furthermore, many of the hidden literate practices (which magnified a sense of self based on sexuality) were forced upon these girls by the context of junior high school. According to Finders, although the adolescents were repeatedly lectured about responsibility and independence, their school days were composed of, “constricted time, movement, and talk” (p.129). It is no wonder that the social queens revolted against these constrictions, studying ‘teen zines which, based on my own critical reading, intend to collectively glorify a limited definition of beauty and appeal as a means of self-worth.

The girls placed themselves into specific social groups, dependent upon their economic resources and the normalized beliefs they were given. Membership within these groups encouraged gender inequities. Many well-known ‘teen’ movies had been released within the relative time period of this study, normalizing high school as a place where attractive teenage girls (as determined by media) belonging to higher socioeconomic groups separated themselves from those with little money, and therefore less opportunity to purchase the commodities that society demanded. Did the teachers at Northern Hills adopt this prevalent concept dictated by pop culture, and therefore inadvertently reinforce those expectations through the language used in the classroom? This question remains unanswered.

Finders also argues that through their own modeling, female teachers only offered the role of nurturer to adolescent girls (p. 123). This rings true. While most of the students, parents and administrators that I have encountered highly value a nurturing teacher, isn’t it more beneficial to drive our students to be passionate about their world? I would hope that my own future children receive instruction from teachers who give them the tools to recognize hidden social injustices and react appropriately, rather than teachers who lead them to believe that ‘everything is O.K.’ As educators, we cannot continue to teach our students to passively accept the limited, and often degrading roles that mainstream society offers them. I believe that simply facilitating classroom discussion around a text is a means by which we establish ourselves more as referees, rather than teachers of literacy. There is no instruction here, and left to fend for themselves, students will at best circulate and regurgitate the biased viewpoints of the author. The solution is to ask guiding questions that help students find the tools needed for higher order thinking, within which girls are given the opportunity to ask themselves where they are positioned as a result of the texts they encounter. Female teachers, based on their gender, magnify the role of nurturer through limited instruction; however, aren’t male teachers just as likely to make the same mistake? After reading Just Girls, I was left wondering whether the dynamics of the of the classroom setting changed for girls who received language arts instruction from males. If a man demonstrates to students that he is ‘nurturing,’ how do boys receive this message, and how does this affect the shifting selves of adolescent girls in terms of classroom interactions?

I’m not certain it’s fair for Finders to make the generalization that boys were taught, “the role of girls is to serve them,” therefore making them the more powerful of the sexes (p.125). The perspectives privileged within Just Girls are those of the tough cookies, the social queens, and a relatively small number of teachers and parents. In class recently, after the group presentation based on the work by Taylor, Lori remarked, “the researcher can’t be everywhere.” Among the voices marginalized within Finders’ text are those belonging to adolescent boys. A focus on their perspectives may have revealed alternative truths regarding the manner in which stereotypes within the classroom are cultivated, or which social groups are victimized by them. For example, rather than assuming a role of power over girls, the boys within this study (many of whom demonstrated a competitive nature within their yearbook signings) may have been subordinated based on their failure to ‘win,’ academically, athletically, or romantically; but this avenue was not explored.

Regardless of this, I am well aware of the obstacles that women alone must face, and am deeply disturbed by the concept that these social injustices actually gain momentum within the classroom as a result of the instruction by teachers who may only have the best of intentions. Reflecting upon my past five years of teaching, it saddens me to realize that I have not always effectively guided my upper elementary-aged students to challenge gender biases presented within their texts. How many other educators have disregarded the teaching of critical literacy in the moments that children need it the most?

Along the lines of Macedo and Freire’s movement for an emancipatory pedagogy (p.159), Finders advocates for classroom discussion that breaks the silence regarding topics of difficulty and dissent (p.126). Keeping in mind that Just Girls was published over ten years ago, I wonder how modern technology might motivate this kind of dialogue. I personally have felt much more comfortable sharing my thoughts and ideas in small groups and on our course blog throughout this semester, rather than within a whole group forum. Considering the insecurities that adolescent girls must grapple with as a result of the roles cast upon them, I think a web-based discussion group maintained by the classroom teacher might drive our students to ‘speak.’ This also leads me to presume that the dynamics of girls’ hidden literacies have changed drastically, in the era of MySpace, Facebook, and text messaging. Now girls have access to creating and receiving instant digital ‘notes’ and ‘graffiti.’ Has this heightened the problem? Or has it provided a space for all students to express themselves, therefore erasing social divides?

This sort of discussion, enabling students to cross standardized boundaries, is a stark contrast to the teacher preparatory instruction that I received six years ago from a Masters’ program. This celebrated the ‘positive learning environment,’ within which the teacher facilitates discussions to promote the impression of comfort and safety for all students. In my own practice, I am learning that sometimes, discussion should be uncomfortable. It should move our children forward in the realization that while we live in a place that claims equal opportunity for all, we regularly encounter a variety of texts, which incessantly push some of us down while raising others up. This critical literacy needs to be taught beginning at even the earliest stages of education, therefore providing adolescents an innate sense of perspective, which will serve to protect them against the dangers of controlled self-perception.




References

Finders, M. J. (1997). Just Girls: Hidden Literacies and Life in Junior High. New York, NY . Teachers College Press.

Freire, P. & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. Westport, CT. Greenwood Publishing Group.