Discovering Critical Literacy, Reconstructing Identity

• In Event: Critical Consciousness: Implications for Teacher Education Programs in a Global Context

Abstract

Critical literacy is an essential component of a social justice curriculum. However, preparing preservice to enact critical literacy education has been filled with numerous obstacles (Wolfe, 2010). Researchers have discovered that currently, critical literacy preparation has not successfully prepared students because they have not been given the time and supportive environment to develop an understanding of critical literacy. This case study documents one preservice teacher’s experience, Rose, in a critical literacy workshop where she was given the time and support as she explored the concept of critical literacy. Through exploring critical literacy, Rose developed an understanding of critical literacy, recreated her identity and began to understand how negative literacy messages and influenced her sense of self.

Author

• Angela Pack, Hudson County Community College