critical+literacy

=Critical Literacy =

Literary citicism is often argued to be value laden and culturally determined. Some commentators recognise this as a socially constructed activity, and acknowledge texts as not being neutral. Texts are no longer seen as complete in themselves. The cultural environment in which they are written, and the influences on author and reader, must form part of the critical analysis of the text, regardless of the nature of the text. The impact of cultural studies, with its influences of poststructuralism and semiotics, have provided a wider range of tools for such an analysis to draw on (Benn, 2003, p.27). Benn makes the point that it is crucial to avoid the destruction of pleasure through the implementation of critical literacy.

**So what is critical literacy?** This is a challenge as it is not easy to define, and often seen as nebulous in the classroom. Because this is so, it is often applied superficially, leading to accusations surrounding postmodernism which are frivilous and unproductive. Benn refers to is as "rendering English an endless game of 'spot the ideology'".

Critical literacy is inextricably linked to cultural studies, which is informed by postructuralist theories. It sets out to destabilise the exclusivist approaches which marginalise any other interpretation. In short, it seeks to undermine the "my way or the highway" approach to analyses. Because of this it is critical of traditional western critiques, seeing them as masculine, and exclusive, creating the other in those who are queer, female, non-western, writing from the periphery in any way.


 * What does it mean to make students critically literate? **

﻿Students are encouraged to see that language is critical to the construction of the subject, the text and the author. The author is seen as constructed by discourse. The debate is influenced by Derrida and Foucault who argue that discourse is shifting and fragmented. Language therefore destabilises the author and authorial intent. "There is no stable subject 'poistion' but raher a plurality of positions that are contextual and changing" (Benn, 2003, p. 27).


 * Derrida - **no grip on which the humanist subject can hold
 * Deconstruction ** - allows only constant destabilisation of meaning in language, rather than a platform for analysis

This undermines the notion of objectivity in knowledge. The approaches to teaching critical literacies in the classroom often fall down because of the challenge of subversion and objectivity. Critical literacy implies there is no 'right' way to to approach a text, but many explorations of critical literacy project a conviction of truth in their approach. The current 7-10 syllabus in NSW has something of a bet each way, wanting students to recognise objectivity in a **humanist** approach and subjectivity, where the language of bias and opinion becomes a part of the process (BOS, 2003, p.26).

Notions of author intent can be seen as destabilised by the manner of the use of language. There is no neutral position to elevate the merits of one text over another, hence the accusations from some commentators about giving a advertising jingle the same status as Shakespeare. The challenge to the concept of the canon also challenges the intrinsic genius of the author.


 * Text is not neutral - **need to look at how texts operate as forms of discipline, or methods of creating social subjects (Benn, 2003, p. 28)


 * Point of view **
 * traditional (dominant)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">oppositional stance
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">alternative / marginalised

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">So where does this place picture books? The nature of the intersemiotic relationship of image and text make the picture book text ideal, as they are by nature interpretive, and the language can be subversive or affirming, intertextual, metafictive or playful. In fact, all of these elements may be there at once. Meaning can be carried through images that contradict and play with the narrative of the text. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Picture books are a good way to work through these because students with a range of abilities have a text which accessible (Haydey, Kotiule and Phillips, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Critical literacy provides a means of giving students skills to be aware of the various agends, purposes and interests in the text. Language can empower some while marginalising others. It enables teachers and students to explore alternative ways of practice.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mark Howie talks about "Critical Literacy as a differentiated reading practice, allowing students to challenge and/or resist particular ways of reading a text. It requires students to interrogate their initial responses generated within the 'subjective frame'. The critical frame also draws on postructuralism and post-modernism in giving students freedom to 'play' with texts, including their own, and transform them (Howie, 2003, p.38).


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Some of the things to consider when looking at picture books are that **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the verbal and visual elements often contradict **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">meaning is constructed from the juxtaposition of the text **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the distinction between popular and high culture is blurred **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">there are blurred boundaries between genre categories **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">blurred relationship between the author, narrator, illustrator, reader **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">multiple pathways **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">literary traditions / conventions subverted **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">intertextuality often explicit, metatextual (Derouet, 2010) **