Critical Literacy is more than just understanding what we
are reading. We have to look deeper to
find the author’s message and to find out why they wrote about the topic.
Critical Literacy is about asking questions, looking at different points of
view, and asking, “Is everyone included in what we are reading?”
Not only is critical literacy important for reading and
writing novels or stories, but also when reading content material in the
Sciences; it is important to discover the author’s (scientist’s) message and
think about alternative methods or possible errors in their experiment. It
wasn’t until recently that I was challenged to think critically while reading.
Now that I read journals, it’s easier to stay engaged in the reading as I am
constantly asking myself questions.
Being critical thinkers while reading scientific journals is
a little different however, compared to critically thinking about social
issues. If we ask students to take on a different role, consider someone else’s
point of view, or question the author’s message, we must be unpack the issue in
a way that they would be able to cognitively understand. Topics such as
inequality, race, and religion are heavy, and some students may not even realize
they are issues that have gone as far as causing wars. We have to make sure
they are capable of realizing there is a far larger world outside of their own.
Hi Maribel,
ReplyDeleteI like how you have spoken in a crisp and explicit manner on what critical literacy means and what you expect out of your students. I was also happy to see how you already seem to be critically analysing the journals that you read and expect the similar if not same qualities out of your students. I also felt that you guided the thinking process of your students rather than giving away the facts or something that you want them to know.