Negotiating Literacy Pt.2

The second half of Negotiating Cultural Literacy is just as enthusiastic but elusive as the first part. Although one thing must be said right up front. I heart Raffi. When I was little we had a Raffi tap and my sisters and I definitely sang along to Baby Beluga. That section of the book brought back fond memories. Moving on. When I read the second part of the book, I took notes and the rest of the blog will be me randomly commenting on the second part of the book.
I do not understand how Vasquez built this community in her classroom and I have no idea how to build that sort of community in my own room. She addresses issues such as social justice, her students involved the community in their works, and the parents were informed and participated in the classroom. I am not sure if it is because the students are so young that this worked or maybe Vasquez is a miracle worker, but I am in awe. Her 3-5 yr old students are writing letters about vegetarians and changing school policies concerning vegetarians is incredible. The students took a simple comment by a fellow classmate and turned it into a social justice project all the while having a higher order level thinking discussion on the entire issue of vegetarians.
The one thing I think about when I read Vasquez's book is my cooperating teacher. He teaches a course called Applied History. The first half of the course the students read about public history and discuss/debate what is going on in the field. The second part of the year the students are at internships at various sites over VA/DC. They practice what they have read. They are actively involved in history by role playing or collecting evidence from primary source documents. It is a hands-on learning experience for these students who get to read about history and then do it. It seems like a college course, which anyone who has been to college can recognize this style of teaching, but it is unheard of in a high school. The teacher provides the materials for the students, but they take it where they want to go. Just like Vasquez does with her students, they guide but do not blindly lead. I think that is a major part of critical literacy. The students need to go on the journey alone with only guidance from the teacher. It is the discoveries they make on their own that are the most rewarding to everyone.
Finally, I think Vasquez makes two excellent points in her book. 1) Everything is socially constructed. 2) When paired with other texts, students can see alternate views. As a history teacher these two points ring loud and clear. With the textbook debates raging in history education classes, it is important to realize that everything in print has an agenda and if paired with another source - the meaning can change dramatically. In history it is imperative that students learn that there are multiple layers of truths and half truths at any given time. It is the job of the teacher and eventually the students to peel back those layers and analyze each one to get some meaning. By situating every document in its socially constructed meaning, analyzing that meaning, read about the document in other sources, analyze the new information compared to the old information, and sit back and digest. This is what historians do and this is what our kids should be doing. This peeling back cycle is important for their everyday lives when confronted by propaganda and biased writing/photos/movies/speeches/etc. Critical literacy is a vital part of our lives and we need to teach the next generation how to "see" the world.

I think I just made a break through in my own critical literacy definition. YAY!!!

Negotiating Literacy Pt1

For the next two blogs I will be discussing Negotiating Critical Literacy by Vivian Vasquez. This book centers around Dr. Vasquez's work with preschoolers and kindergartners. I have read the first half of the book and it is amazing what these 5yrs old can do. At an early age these kids hypothesize and formulate responses to their own questions. Now as adults we would say that these kids are just asking questions and we are just helping them answer them. But in reality these kids are creating hypothesis, researching, and postulating a response. Vasquez indicates that the children's questions are not juvenile. They ask questions pertaining to the destruction of the rain forest and gender issues. People assume critical literacy pertains only people above a certain age level or comprehension level. But Vasquez clearly puts the rumor to rest. When these tiny tots are addresses issues through a critical lens, it becomes clear that these students are capable of thinking critically. It also shows that critical literacy should be a staple in every classroom starting when those 3/4yrs old that are only in the classroom for a half a day.
Another interesting activity Vasquez incorporated into her room were morning class meetings. The students would bring topics into class that they wanted to discuss that day. The students would write or draw out their topic on a piece of paper and the rest of the class would discuss that topic. This activity is very much like a think tank. These students are bringing their ideas and their questions to a body of their peers to sort out and investigate their thoughts. Critical literacy and higher order thinking are essential to this type of activity. It is amazing how undervalued these students really are.
But as I read the first part of Vasquez's book, I realized how lucky she was to be dealing with such a young group of kids. I teach high school. By the time the reach 11th grade, the students already have a set behavioral pattern and thought process down pack. It takes a lot more to push these students to think outside the box. I feel with the pre-k and kindergartners there is a certain amount of freedom because the students are experiencing everything for the first time. They are a clean slate. They still have their enthusiasm for learning. By the time the students reach high school, where they are able to think on a higher level, they simply are exhausted from all their years of school and the end is near. I feel the question is how to apply Vasquez's technique's to the upper levels. The excitement of Vasquez's students feel for learning would be a nice change to see in a 17 yr old.

Critical Literacy . . . What?

Over this past week, I have been contemplating the definition of critical literacy? What is it exactly and what am I suppose to do with it? As a historian, I have to apply this concept to the field, but also to the view point of a teacher. What does that mean? I am not so sure. But what I do know is that this term applies to my classroom and my kids in an important way. People have speculated over the years about the definition of critical literacy, but to no avail. It is an every changing definition. Professor Vasquez assumes that this is a good thing. When a definition becomes concrete and unchanging, we loose the ability to really look, understand, and apply that concept.
As I see it in my small world view, critical literacy is when you are reading, listening, or watching a object and you step back for a second and reevaluate everything you know and understand about that object. When reading a primary source document, the words are there, but the emotions, events, and thoughts that are behind that document are often forgotten by the reader. At that point, one must take a step back and consider all the outside factors that went into the creation of this document. It is my responsibility as a teacher to do this with everything I pass out to my students, but also bring my students along on the journey. By having the students take a step back and reevaluate will hopefully bring a new perspective to the document. It is not simply words, these primary source documents were a part of someone and their life and it is important for us all to realize that their lives were as complicated as ours.
There are theories out there in the world of critical literacy that can be used inside the classroom. Theories such as the four model method that breaks down the types of encoding of texts. On one hand I feel these definitions are excellent. They give a practical name to a seemingly undefinable concept. On the other hand, in my own personal opinion, the definitions are too vague. It seems like I try to get close enough to the answers I am searching for the slip through my fingers. I understand most of these concepts, I read about them in a practical application, and yet I cannot make the leap from paper to my classroom.
I understand what critical literacy is, but I have yet to find a way to put it into words or properly apply it to the classroom. Hopefully I will soon.