Reading and Writing With a Public Purpose: Fostering Critical Community Literacies Through Debate

• In Event: 56.081 - Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: 56.081-16 - Daring to Disagree: Dialogic, Critical, and Social Justice Approaches

Abstract

This paper explores debate as a literacy practice that supports the development of urban students’ social consciousness and civic identity along with their academic reading and writing skills. Using a critical literacy framework, this study considers the impacts of a community debate initiative being implemented in a group of 20 New York City public middle schools. Drawing upon interviews, observations, and test score data, we explore how students who participate in debate connect their oral and written literacy skills to analyses of current social issues. Our findings indicate that debate encourages students to orient their literacies toward analyzing complex texts, taking multiple perspectives on controversial issues, constructing persuasive written arguments, and using their voices to advocate for social justice.

Authors

• Nicole Mirra, Rutgers University

• Gabriel Pietrzak, New York City Department of Education

• Scott Moore, New York City Department of Education

• Jenna Shumsky, New York City Department of Education