In reading Luke and Freebody's article on the Four Resources Model of literacy education, the first thing that came to my mind is the key role of the learner's environment outside of the formal education setting. Children's academic success, and I think this includes literacy, strongly corrolates with the education level and literacy of the parents. It is interesting to look at literacy as a subjective function of culture and social institutions in a society. In my opinion, literacy represents the medium through which Bourdieu's "social" and "cultural capital" are transmitted from generation to generation, propagating the hierarchy of social classes. One can look at this "social capital" for example, as knowledge of navigating the college preparation and application process. (Taking the correct AP courses in highschool, enrolling in preparatory courses for the SATs and ACTs and obtaining and completing the applications). If a student's parents, did not attend college and have no knowledge of this process, the student in turn will face difficulties navigating applications, testing, etc. Thus, even if the student possesses the academic qualifications they may not be as competitive as others who have a parental support system literate in the institutional norms of higher education. This is just one of many examples where literacy regarding societal institutions is cultivated for the large part outside the classroom, through familial support. Consequently, literacy educators in any situation abroad or domestic, must consider what competencies are crucial for students to have. Not just within a "family of practices" as Luke and Freebody discuss, but in different social, cultural and institutional contexts.
-Erin
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Getting Started
I named my blog "Breaking It Down" because I feel it echoes my preliminary understanding of Critical Literacy as going beyond decoding language for its explicit meaing but breaking it down further to reveal what that language says about the society, what's embedded in the text and who its most accessible to. In addition, throughout the course and on this blog I hope to break down for myself what Critical Literacy is and how it applies to my field of study which is primarily international nonformal education.
I must admit that I was really clueless on the first day of class. I didn't know what Critical Literacy was. I thought it would have more to do with literacy in general, as many of the programs in my field involve basic literacy training for adults and youth as a vehicle for health education, vocational training and improving life skills. Now that I'm gaining an understanding of all the aspects involved in Critical Literacy I can see possible relations to my field, expecially in global education and adult education theory (Especially the writings of Paolo Freire).
I hope that in this course I will discover ways to use critical literacy in educational and experiential learning programs for older students and adult students. Right now I have more questions than answers. First of all, much of the reading I've done so far seems to pertain to raising awareness of systematic inequities that occur in multicultural societies with one dominant group such as the United States, Australia and Great Britain. Does Critical Literacy also include using literature and symbols to spark discussion and dialogue surrounding other issues? For example, does critical literacy also involve using literature and media to bring up discussions on gender norms, conservation or simply to help learners gain understand the realities of other people's lives? I imagine so, the trick is to find the right literature and media to use. I have also done considerable research on education programs that use art-making to help learners examine critical issues in their lives and to help build social and learning competencies and self esteem. Can it still be considered critical literacy if we use non-literary forms of expression (such as visual arts, media images) as the basis for exploration and discussion?
-Erin
I must admit that I was really clueless on the first day of class. I didn't know what Critical Literacy was. I thought it would have more to do with literacy in general, as many of the programs in my field involve basic literacy training for adults and youth as a vehicle for health education, vocational training and improving life skills. Now that I'm gaining an understanding of all the aspects involved in Critical Literacy I can see possible relations to my field, expecially in global education and adult education theory (Especially the writings of Paolo Freire).
I hope that in this course I will discover ways to use critical literacy in educational and experiential learning programs for older students and adult students. Right now I have more questions than answers. First of all, much of the reading I've done so far seems to pertain to raising awareness of systematic inequities that occur in multicultural societies with one dominant group such as the United States, Australia and Great Britain. Does Critical Literacy also include using literature and symbols to spark discussion and dialogue surrounding other issues? For example, does critical literacy also involve using literature and media to bring up discussions on gender norms, conservation or simply to help learners gain understand the realities of other people's lives? I imagine so, the trick is to find the right literature and media to use. I have also done considerable research on education programs that use art-making to help learners examine critical issues in their lives and to help build social and learning competencies and self esteem. Can it still be considered critical literacy if we use non-literary forms of expression (such as visual arts, media images) as the basis for exploration and discussion?
-Erin
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