Critical Literacy Across the Curriculum

From criticalliteracyandcreativity.wikispaces.com

If you are a social reconstructionist or agree with this philosophy, then critical literacy is for you.  Critical literacy is one of the most powerful strategies you can use involving critical thought about what you see and hear.  In a nutshell, it is analyzing different resources to understand perspectives outside one's own.  According to Roberge 2013 through this skill, students learn to deeply understand text thus unravelling the true intended messages of texts.  As a result, students are better able to appreciate others perspectives while becoming more aware of the inequalities, oppressions and injustices present in everyday life (Roberge, 2013).

But how can critical literacy be applied to other content areas, outside the typical English classroom?  There are certain ways this can be done (which is mostly from Roberge, 2013):

Science:  The best scientific strand in which critical literacy can be best applied, is environmental science.  Examples include:
- discussing the different viewpoints of certain real-world environmental issues (Grant & Lapp, 2011).
- researching theories about non-mainstream concepts, that have been omitted from textbooks
- explore possible solutions to environmental problems while considering different perspectives

Nutrition:  This is another great content area that can be critically analyzed, especially when coupled with media.  Students can learn a great deal about the major influences imposed by the media, on their food choices.  Examples include:
- watching TV and collecting data on the types of cereals that are shown in commercials.
- calculating the amount of sugar in popular cereal compared to other cereal (this requires a trip to the grocery store).
- evaluating organic foods compared to other 'regular' foods.

Social Studies:  Critical literacy can very easily be incorporated in any social studies/science class.  This is especially true when the content learned is related to different cultures and ways of knowing.  Examples include:
- role playing, to understand another person's perspective on an issue, past event or controversy.
- creating 'what if' debates about past events, such as the establishment of residential schools or the arrival of Jacques Cartier to Canada (which he thought was India).
- using the RAFT method (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) to understand different viewpoints.

There are countless ways critical literacy can be incorporated in the classroom.  It is just a matter of doing the research and taking the time to create meaningful lessons.  Although a little time-consuming, it can be an extremely rewarding experience for your students (and yourself too!).

If you involve critical literacy in your classrooms, please comment below with ideas you'd like to share.