Engaging With Our World: PBL and Critical Literacy in Quasi-Mandated Contexts

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Multilingual Erasure and Racism in Literacy Classrooms Under the Guise of Equity

Abstract

Public school teachers frequently navigate quasi-mandated contexts requiring standardized curricula that fail to reflect and support students’ identities or full potential. Conversely, problem-based learning (PBL) and critical literacy honor students’ knowledge, experiences, interests, and communities. To investigate how teachers incorporate PBL and critical literacy alongside mandated curricula, we conducted a collaborative practitioner inquiry with ten third-grade teachers as they planned and carried out a 9-week PBL unit. We considered their experiences, perceptions, and outcomes, analyzing planning documents, focus group interviews, and student artifacts. This qualitative study indicated that teachers experienced a disquietude with inaction, some reluctance toward fully embracing PBL, and ultimately showed strong commitments to the democratic possibilities associated with PBL.

Authors

• Anne E. Martin, Georgia State University

• Teresa R. Fisher-Ari, Rollins Center for Language and Literacy