Practice it Yourself
Teachers need to understand how they themselves engage in critical literacy in order to teach it effectively (McLaughlin and DeVoogd, 2004).
Exercise 1 - Favourite texts
Inspired by the work of Misson (1998) and Wignell (1998) who focus on how texts are structured for success, I have created the following guidelines to assist beginning teachers to evaluate their favourite texts. My analysis of the song Counting Stars is included as an example.
1. Evaluate the use of language, which influences the ‘audience’ to identify with the ideologies of the writer. This is facilitated by the use of positive verbs and present tense in Counting Stars.
2. If sound is applicable, examine how a particular tone and tempo complement the language. The upbeat tone of Counting
Stars perpetuates a positive feeling.
3. If visuals are applicable, examine how imagery adds meaning to other elements associated with the text. The music video to Counting Stars gives an overall impression of commonplace values.
4. Reflect on the text as a whole and compare interpretations of meaning. Interpretations of Counting Stars that focus on systematic dissection serve as spoilers, demonstrating that picking a text to pieces does not constitute effective critical literacy practice.
1. Evaluate the use of language, which influences the ‘audience’ to identify with the ideologies of the writer. This is facilitated by the use of positive verbs and present tense in Counting Stars.
2. If sound is applicable, examine how a particular tone and tempo complement the language. The upbeat tone of Counting
Stars perpetuates a positive feeling.
3. If visuals are applicable, examine how imagery adds meaning to other elements associated with the text. The music video to Counting Stars gives an overall impression of commonplace values.
4. Reflect on the text as a whole and compare interpretations of meaning. Interpretations of Counting Stars that focus on systematic dissection serve as spoilers, demonstrating that picking a text to pieces does not constitute effective critical literacy practice.
Exercise 2 - A personal narrative
Writing and sharing a personal narrative helps beginning teachers understand the confronting nature of this task and how
important it is to create an environment based on trust (Cousins, 1997). I found that the idea of having to share a personal narrative significantly influenced my choice of material, restricting it to subject matter known to my peers.
My apprehension led me to consider the work of Martino (1998), who used set character profiles for his students to evaluate
the concept of masculinity. This application may be altered to discuss personal narratives in the classroom, through evaluation of select texts, from students who have agreed to share their work.
important it is to create an environment based on trust (Cousins, 1997). I found that the idea of having to share a personal narrative significantly influenced my choice of material, restricting it to subject matter known to my peers.
My apprehension led me to consider the work of Martino (1998), who used set character profiles for his students to evaluate
the concept of masculinity. This application may be altered to discuss personal narratives in the classroom, through evaluation of select texts, from students who have agreed to share their work.