Some Final Thoughts

Well, this critical literacy class is over and this is my last post for this class. I have been doing a lot of thinking about what is critical literacy and how I can apply it to my classroom. After listening to a lot of clip podcast and the different issues combined with my own hobbies and passions I think I know what I can do.
Critical literacy is all about questioning. I was watching the Disney channel the other day, and they had an advert that was all about questioning. The message to the kids watching was question everything: a message that I personally believe in. Question everything. If my future classes question what they learn, hear, read, and see than history comes alive and interesting. But how do we get them to question and therefore open the door to critical literacy discussions in a high school classroom. This is where my hobbies meet technology. By using Hollywood movies about history ( The Patriot, Gangs of New York, Newsies, Wind Talkers, etc) kids become interested. These movies are very Hollywood. By watching them in class, I can start pointing out where fact meet fiction.
This would also lead to them reading interesting texts such as Howard Zinn and Ronald Takaki. These scholars and others are paving a new road in history by writing on the minority voice or just digging more into the dead white man's version of history. This also leads into the avenue of music both contemporary and primary source and any covers. Kids love music. If you can incorporate music into the classroom, it will get them involved, especially if they are the ones to bring in the music.
Critical literacy is about taking the everyday and examining it from the inside out and vice versa. If students are given the chance to help direct some of the classroom materials, I believe that critical literacy will flourish with the students.
In addition to all this I truly want to incorporate pod casting into the class. 100% Kids shows us that students are capable and become actively involved in a project like this. If my class starts to question everything from primary source documents to secondary source texts, they can begin to pod cast about the changes they see, questions they have, or just relate everything to how we see it today. How history affects us in the twenty-first century.
This is not easy, but I think that by involving texts that the students know and enjoy than critical literacy will start becoming second nature to them. From that we can move into primary source documents and start using critical literacy to examine what is going on and how we see it today both manifested in society and/or what the intent was at the time.
I am filled with a huge sense of optimism for the future. I think critical literacy and pod casting and blogging have a place in the classroom. In fact, after the students get over the novelty and their shyness, it could blossom into something bigger than anyone would have ever expected.

"Nothing is Significant unless You Give it Significance

The article "Our Way" by Vivian Vasquez was an interesting and thought provoking article. As I read through the article, first I totally related because I used to be obsessed with Power Rangers when I was younger. As I am older now, I can push the different symbols of the t.v. show further than I could as a child. But as an adult, it is always good to remember that students view TV, movies, and music in a different light than we as an older generation do.
One of the hardest things with critical literacy is when to push. Vasquez has a difficult time interacting with the t.v. show. First she is fed up and stops forbids discussion or drawings. Then she attempts to discuss the show but on her terms, not theirs. THIS is my problem! I hear things in my classroom. And I see things in my classroom and somewhere in the back of my head, I realize that this would be a great opportunity for a critical discussion. Then the "buts' come in. But I am so far behind and I can't take the time. But I would have no idea what to say to them and I have no idea what I would want them to gleam from this discussion on a modern critical issue. I feel Vasquez had it slightly easier but children are often more open with adults than teenagers. My eleventh graders are often secretive and therefore the opening to discuss certain topics never happens for me.
But I think that the quote I put as the title is extremely important. "Nothing is significant unless you give it significance." My students will never understand the importance of what they are saying or dig deeper into texts or their own worlds unless I show them. The only problem now is how do I do that. It is hard as a young teacher, I am very close to my students' ages, it is hard to see the line. As a young, new teacher the students are testing my boundaries and not often paying attention to what I have to say. Once I develop that skill, I'm set for phase two: digging the tunnels of critical literacy.