Making the Road by Walking and Talking: Critical Literacy and/as Professional Development in a Teacher Inquiry Group (original) (raw)

Reading the World: Supporting Teachers' Professional Development Using Community-Based Critical Literacy Practices

… of Praxis in …, 2011

This paper shares the findings from a study that assessed the impact of a graduate level curriculum that engaged fifty-seven k-12 teachers in communitybased critical literacy practices. The findings from the participants' written critical reflections following two community exploration activities showed that they gained enhanced awareness of social inequalities. In addition, some of the participants made connections between the observed community disparities and their civic responsibilities to work towards social justice. A high school teacher reflects:-This year, our [community] walk was more geared toward hearing the voices of many people we never got a chance to talk to last year…my eyes were opened to things I never heard before…. It's amazing to think that if I hadn't taken the opportunity to do these walks, I would be totally oblivious of just how diverse my community isdifferent races, ethnicitiesdifferent socioeconomic levelsdifferent opinions on issues of race, gender, and right now immigration.‖

Reading the world: Supporting teachers’ professional development using community-based critical literacy practice

This paper shares the findings from a study that assessed the impact of a graduate level curriculum that engaged fifty-seven k-12 teachers in communitybased critical literacy practices. The findings from the participants' written critical reflections following two community exploration activities showed that they gained enhanced awareness of social inequalities. In addition, some of the participants made connections between the observed community disparities and their civic responsibilities to work towards social justice.

Teachers’ pedagogical work in elementary classrooms: an inquiry-based approach to critical literacy across the curriculum

Pedagogies: An International Journal, 2018

This article is based on a yearlong qualitative, multiple case study that explored the pedagogy of elementary school teachers' work through the combining of inquiry-based pedagogy and critical literacy. One case is shared where Zoe, a first-grade teacher, engages students and fosters learning in critical, inquiry-based ways. Two interviews, daily observations over the course of a school year, and student documentation were gathered. Findings indicate the classroom teacher used specific strategies and practices that combined traditional inquiry pedagogy for critical literacy development. These included: (1) Encouraging student dialogue of critical issues through purposeful text selection, (2) Connecting text to students' lives through ongoing reflective practice, (3) Empowering student voice, (4) Use of openended questions to develop deeper connections, (5) Sharing multiple perspectives through knowledge building circles, (6) Use of misconceptions to guide the learning, and (7) Encouraging Advocacy. Through a narrative retell, the nuanced, descriptive, details and insight into how Zoe negotiated and connected inquiry to critical literacy are shared. The author also analyses and illustrates how Comber's five categories of teachers' work are experienced in the daily life of a classroom. The findings inform scholars and teacher educators of key teaching strategies for teachers' work as they prepare future generations of elementary teachers.

Teaching Out Loud: Critical Literacy, Intergenerational Professional Development, and Educational Transformation in a Teacher Inquiry Community

The New Educator, 2020

This paper draws on practitioner inquiry and participatory action research methodologies to recount how five K-12 educators, who inhabit a range of positionalities and levels of teaching experience, engage in a collaborative professional development program, called Teaching Out Loud as they draw upon critical literacy theory and practice to reimagine educational spaces in ways that make schooling more just, humanizing and studentcentered. Specifically, we document how these educators name oppressive circumstances, deconstruct power relations, and reconfigure their practice through innovative, critical curricular projects, arguing that alternative conceptions of professional development that center criticality, intergenerationality, and participatory forms of knowledge construction have the potential to transform teacher learning in neoliberal times.

Nothing About Us Without Us: Teacher-driven Critical Professional Development

While the literature on social justice education (SJE) is robust, few professional development opportunities exist to support teachers committed to SJE. This article focuses on an example of critical professional development (CPD) called Inquiry to Action Groups (ItAGs) to understand how this model might support the social justice needs of educators. Findings from this qualitative study indicate that ItAGs supported the development of social justice teachers by providing them with a community characterized by a sense of camaraderie and professionalism. By providing support, reflection time, and discussions about SJE, ItAGs benefitted participants in three ways. Emotionally, they gained renewed motivation, energy and confidence. Intellectually, they gained content knowledge on the topic of their ItAG. Professionally, they gained resources such as readings and lesson plans. These benefits supported them to push their practice inside and outside of their classrooms. Understanding the impact of CPD can support others looking to fill gaps left by traditional professional development in the pursuit of SJE.

Junior teachers\u27 perspectives of critical literacy

2005

This study examines the perspectives of critical literacy of five junior grades teachers. Lewison, Flint, and Van Sluys\u27 (2003) four dimensions of critical literacy provided a framework for examining teacher beliefs and practices. From questionnaires and in-depth interviews, this case study found that there are gaps in teachers\u27 understanding, and teaching of critical literacy. These teachers teach students to disrupt the commonplace and examine multiple viewpoints, but they do not include focus on sociopolitical issues and action oriented strategies that promote social justice. The findings from this case study suggest that teachers need more information to develop their understanding of what critical literacy is and how it might be taught in junior classrooms. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .W56. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, page: 1118. Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Windsor (Canad...

Teachers\u27 Perceptions And Realizations Of Critical Literacy

2012

This dissertation examines teachers\u27 perceptions and realizations of critical literacy learning as they engaged in collaborative inquiry into their students\u27 learning. Participants used critical discourse analysis (CDA) of student writing and student talk to uncover the ideologies at work in their classrooms. This study also investigated teachers\u27 perceptions of tensions related to their work with critical literacy. This study extends ideas from the research literature about teachers\u27 perceptions and realizations of critical literacy and the potential of CDA for critical literacy and professional learning. This qualitative study was guided by ethnographic principles to understand participants\u27 perspectives through their experiences with CDA and critical literacy learning. The investigation involved 11 participants from the existing critical literacy teacher group of 20 teachers. A focus group of five teachers was selected from the larger group to participate in focus ...

Teachers' Perceptions And Realizations Of Critical Literacy

2012

Autobiographical Statement______________________________283 CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER THREE METHODS "Conflict is the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. It instigates to invention. It shocks us out of sheep-like passivity, and sets us at noting and contriving. Not that it always affects this result; but that conflict is a 'sine qua non' of reflection and ingenuity."-John Dewey CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS "I like the CDA though because it challenges us, just allowing the tensions to be there. .. It's an uncomfortable process, a very uncomfortable process, but necessary for growth."-Participant 3

Be coming Critical Teacher Educators Collaborative Self Study across Contexts

Studying Teacher Education, 2021

This collaborative self-study looks at how eight white literacy tea- cher educators worked together to re-center critical literacy and teaching for equity in methods courses. We used self-study meth- odology to interrogate not only our pedagogy, but also our own internalization of white supremacy culture and complicity in perpe- tuating the status quo. Our group met virtually on a monthly basis, discussed common readings, shared resources, and wrote journal reflections. Findings show that our collaboration helped us explore and evolve how we framed the work of critical literacy, delve into the discomfort of initiating and facilitating difficult conversations with students and colleagues, and develop concrete actions for re- centering and enacting critical literacy practices. Building upon the collaborative self-study work that guided our practice, we argue that our collaboration – across contexts and across time, attending to both our self-work and our pedagogy – provides a new way forward. As teacher educators, we found self-study to be a sustainable way to outgrow ourselves, and this research serves as a call to action for other teacher educators to take up this work, as well. Dismantling the status quo is a lifelong endeavor, our work is ongoing, and we find it is strengthened when approached both individually and collectively.