Students should engage in readings that they can critique and connect to. “Their readings should be participatory, exploring issues of positioning such as cultural affirmation, sidelining or subjugation,” (pg. 132). 

“Literacy has often been at the nexus of issues revolving around power and privilege…” (pg. 137). Critical theory looks at injustices and analyzes how history favors certain groups. 

“Some have conjectured that many have focused more on the critique than on reform, stopping short of the ultimate goal of becoming agents of change, or sponsors or allies for others,” (pg. 145). The goal of critical literacy is to have students make the world better, not just find issues that exist.

The term “critical race theory” has been talked about a lot recently in politics and education discussions. There are a lot of misunderstandings around it. It is important to understand what critical theory actually is and what its goals are. 

I have seen an increased focus on having students think for themselves when engaging in literature. While student teaching, I got to work with several grade levels and I can see that students get more and more opportunities to represent their thinking in their own ways. It is important for students to make sense of their readings on their own instead of being told how to interpret a book. Even in my first grade curriculum, students have opportunities to think critically about things that they can easily relate to. 

One major takeaway from this chapter was the discussion of how literacy education serves as a tool for social justice. Additionally, the importance of advocating for equitable access to literacy resources and opportunities for all individuals regardless of their social or economic status.

Literacy empowers the individual by enabling them to critically analyze and engage with the world around them, leading to greater agency and participation in societal change. (Another of the many reasons our students must be able to read and write proficiently and think critically).

This chapter also examines the transformative teaching practices that challenge traditional power structures and promote critical thinking, aiming to create more equitable and inclusive educational environments.

One connection I made was thinking back to courses I took at the beginning of my program (Learners in Poverty, Ethics, others) and how this chapter emphasizes the role of literacy in promoting social justice and empowering marginalized communities.

Another connection was thinking of the students I have worked with both in my current role and those I had as students in the classroom and my concern for those who struggle with literacy and comprehension and how we can help those students succeed for fear that if they remain below grade level they would never be able to properly advocate for themselves or others, and not be able to critically analyze and engage with the world around them, as discussed in this chapter.

Critical advocacy is driven by one seeking to understand power and challenge leadership or dominance by one social group over others. (130)

Literacy has an impact on who individuals are and who they might become. We need to be aware of the control texts have because they will contribute to the identities of our students. We need to advocate for the voices and identities of all individuals to be properly represented in texts. (138)

 Teachers can partner with students and community members to enhance learning experiences through research that challenges current educational practices that aren’t inclusive. Teachers can become agents of change when they do this. (144)

The section about critical reflexivity and reflecting on ourselves made me think about the autoethnography I completed for the Teacher Leadership for Equity in Schools and Community course. This experience really had me examine my identity and the factors in my life that had shaped my identity. It also opened my eyes to some of the biases I held and privileges I had experienced. I learned so much about myself through this experience that I was able to carry with me into my classroom to create more equitable learning experiences for my students. 

The other connection I made related to the idea that readers’ engagements with texts contribute to the identities and voices afforded to them. This made me think about the experience I had last semester where I compiled a set of texts and related writing prompts that were inclusive of many different identities that our students would relate with. Thankfully, I do feel like there are more books available that represent different racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities than there were in the past. We must be intentional to integrate those into our classroom instruction, so that all students feel seen and valued.

On page 138, the authors mention how literacy research and practice in classrooms became a focus for analysis of texts and instructional methods related to key issues like identity, representation and power. This makes me think of the push in recent years for teachers to ensure a wide range of diversity to be represented in the texts, images, and any other resources used in our classrooms in order to create a more inclusive environment for students and their families.

Starting on page 142, we enter a discussion about the ethical implications of critical literacy and advocacy. The mention of how initiatives often become detached from the communities they are intended to serve sticks out to me. One example of this is the initiatives in recent years toward the renaming of sports teams and mascots throughout American collegiate and professional sports in efforts to show more respect for indigenous cultures, however, representatives from some of these cultures have actually come out against changing the names/mascots because the existing names, although sometimes slightly culturally inaccurate, draw attention to who they are and the lives they lead, and that members of the community appreciate the current representation the names/mascots provide and don't advocate for the change.

"Whereas critical reading might analyze the audience, the assumptions, arguments, warrants, and stylistic tendencies, critical literacy interrogates the positioning of ideas, especially in terms of matters of power examined in terms of sociopolitical considerations." (p.130) Critical reading can be a more passive experience, thinking about aspects of the literature, but critical literacy requires active engagement with the content and pushing the boundaries of what is accepted especially related to sociopolitical issues.

"To these ends, critical advocates should have a sense of place with regard to different meanings that they might hold, encounter, or derive from others; they need to be aware of the gaps in their understandings and what they may need to do to take next steps." (p.131) To be a good critical advocate and engage meaningfully in critical literacy, we must first have a strong sense of self-awareness and identify the communities that we are part of either directly or indirectly and what those memberships mean for the ways we perceive the world around us. Along with the awareness of our own identities, we have to be aware of what we know and what we don't about other communities in order to engage appropriately and advocate responsibly.

In the 1970s and 80s, society began to challenge traditional power structures and the field of literacy began to look inward, exposing gender, racial and ethnic biases that favored perspectives of wealthy white males above all others. This explains the push for consumption of text by female authors or POC authors well into today's literacy scene.

Reading, analyzing, and interrogating texts might be necessary, but it's not considered enough. Critical advocates are expected to act on their readings responsibly (pg. 131).

For critical theorists, literacy research and practice-especially with regard to the classroom and the text-became sites for analyses of books and instructional regimes relating to issues of identity, representation, and power (pg.138).

At times, researchers act without regard to the fact that they are cultural outsiders. They seek to serve the interests of others, but with approaches that are more presumptuous than respectful (pg. 142).

In thinking of ethical considerations, it's important to tread lightly when pursuing research outside of ones own culture. Presumptions should be set aside and respect and boundaries should be made front and center. I have seen others become upset when assumptions are made about ones culture, even when not intended.

Literacy education scholars argue for research partnerships with communities tied to community goals that occur in consultations and collaboration with, and develop in the interest of supporting the needs and activities of, Learners and communities. Oftentimes such an approach requires an emphasis on building relationships. I can connect to this because it reflects a classroom community where teachers want collaboration and community, but relationships must come first in order to build this type of classroom.

"In many ways, the history of critical theory may be traced to a long history of progressive educators identifying the social transformative values of education for society or to that of advocates for historically disenfranchised persons. In the modern period, critical theory mostly corresponds with the advent of sociology as a field of study and the developments/shifts that occurred as a result, especially in the postcolonial period" (pg. 134)

"Literacy has often been at the nexus of issues revolving around power and privilege, dating back to the advent of the power of the pen over the sword, its ritualistic use in society and revered status in most religions, and its gatekeeping function in the right to vote." (pg. 137)

"Indeed, an ethical approach to critical literacy research therefore involves going beyond member checking to a democratization of research that is participatory, organic, and accommodating of community and individuals." (pg. 145)

The first connection I made was when the text mentioned how literacy has been a pillar for power. This made me think of how stain glass windows were put in churches because people who were considered poor were not able to read. So, to help them learn the bible stories they used the pictures on stained glass.

I also thought about how I could have my students think more critically about the text they read. I am also curious how their own experiences shape their understanding.