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.