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Article, Critical Literacy in the Classroom by Ann S. Beck Shows the Need for Critical Thinking

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The article “Critical Literacy in the Classroom” (2005), was written by Ann S. Beck, an English teacher at Camosun College in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This article explains that it is imperative for teachers to understand the concepts of critical literacy as well as to achieve a critical teaching approach. The author’s main focus was to address and define the importance of teaching critical literacy as an educational practice by approaching dialogue (social act), reflection (critical literacy), and textual critique in the classroom. In brief, these concepts are of main importance to be use in the classroom for students to become active participants in their own meaning-making experiences and to change the way we think about…show more content…
In the Critical Literacy approach, it is crucial for teachers to encourage reflection through open-ended questions were students specifically follow on the relationship between their own experiences and understandings of texts. Furthermore, it is critical for teachers to not guide students toward a traditional interpretation or to influence students to adopt her/ his personal viewpoints because multiple interpretations of any text exist, and no one interpretation represents all viewpoints. In the Textual Critique approach, the teacher encourages the students to examine specific author’s words in a context, and to think about how language can serve different interest. Moreover, this feature focus on sociopolitical issues and social justice, consequently this dimension of critical literacy questions the implicit legitimacy of unequal power relationships contained in text and, in so doing, moves students beyond the personal “ to interrogate how sociopolitical systems and power relationships shape perceptions, responses, and actions” (Lewison et al., 2002, p.383). Challenges may arise for inexperienced and beginning teachers while trying to incorporate a critical literacy approach in the classroom. In spite of, by encouraging student to truly engage in the process of dialogue,
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