Critical Encounters

Last night we discussed a topic I wish I covered more in my classroom: critical literacy. At the
school where I currently teach, this is something that I think my students would really benefit
from. My school is a private Catholic school, and it costs a good deal of money to attend.
However, we give a lot of financial aid, which has diversified the socioeconomic status and
cultural make up of the school somewhat over the past few years. Problems do arise, however,
when students who have been "sheltered" their whole lives interact with students of other
backgrounds and cultures. Using critical literacy might be one way to make students think
through different perspectives without singling anyone out.

The articles this week really resonated with me, especially the parts about reading through
different "lenses" and helping students to navigate the "New Times." I read a book for a
previous class that actually perfectly ties in with this. It is called Critical Encounters in High
School English: Teaching Literary Theory in the Classroom by Deborah Appleman. Those
who were in Philosophy of Ed with Miller might remember when I presented about this book (or probably

not-we all presented a lot in that class). The book essentially outlines what it might look like

to use different "lenses" in the classroom. Appleman travelled the country helping teachers
implement this in their high school English classrooms. Encouraging students to use different
lenses is not all sunshine and rainbows, however, and I like that Appleman points that out
as well. She recounts a lesson from one teacher who assigned students to look at Hamlet
through a socioeconomic lens by choosing which character they identified with most. Those who
identified with wealthy Fortinbras felt very defensive, because he is associated with a higher
class, and those students felt that they were vilified. It is still something that I would try in my
own classroom-I think it encourages students to push their thinking deeper, and perhaps think of
themselves in a different light.

Though this book was written for an English classroom, it could be used for any discipline. It
comes with a lot of useful handouts as well, such as the attached "Critical Encounters in Star
Wars."