When thinking about critical thinking and critical literacy, I like how Dennis Hayes and Heather Davis have broken them down. Dennis Hayes highlights the importance of collecting information first,
then analyzing a question using the best information found. In a nut-shell,
“information literacy and critical thinking […] cannot exist without the other”
(Davis). One cannot do a proper job of critically analyzing a question if they
are ill-informed. The information literate person must be able to recognize
when they need to gather more information (Davis). To properly gather
information, Heather Davis highlights these steps (taken from ACRL):
• “Determine the extent of information needed
• Access the needed information effectively and
efficiently
• Evaluate information and its sources critically
• Incorporate selected information into one’s own
knowledge base
• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific
purpose
•
Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of
information, and access and use information ethically and legally”
The critical thinker can then (as
Davis notes):
1) Generate
purposes
|
4) Utilize concepts
|
7) Generate
implications
|
2) Raise questions
|
5) Make inferences
|
8) Embody a point
of view
|
3) Use information
|
6) Make assumptions
|
|
When a teacher, or teacher-librarian (TL), is showing, or providing,
information, Hayes highlights the importance of not being a source of indoctrination,
telling, or insinuating, what students should think or how they should conform.
Teachers need to insure “debate and discussion based on considerable knowledge”
by a critical thinking moderator (such as a teacher) occurs. Hayes doesn’t like
the notion of classifying critical thinking as a skill (conceiving of it using
“tick box techniques”), preferring to think of it like “having ‘a critical
spirit.’”
I feel that Davis’s and Hayes’s views of critical thinking and literacy
fit together, as I have presented them. Heather Coffey offers a different
perspective. She writes, “critical literacy is the ability to read texts in an
active, reflective manner in order to better understand power, inequality, and
injustice in human relationships.” I've found this to be a common perspective in the teaching community, but the problem I see with this definition is
its limited scope. Is it not a movie or book critic’s job to use their critical
abilities to dissect even more than
just “power, inequality, and injustice”? That, and critically literate readers
may not read a text “in order to” gain something specific from it, but the more critically literate thinker
will have a greater ability to catch meanings (intended and unintended) from
texts. It is part of a teacher’s job to teach societal norms, ethical
practices, kindness, respect, and other valued practices, but a teacher should
also be careful not to think of these things as being critical literacy or critical thinking, but rather as a form
of knowledge that can be applied
through their analyses and ensuing discussions of texts. I found much of what
she wrote conformed to her defined perspective (a narrow focus with a
well-intentioned agenda, which she is not alone in having), but she also wrote something I agreed with: “the
teacher acts as conversation facilitator rather than receptacle of knowledge,”
but then she finishes the sentence with, “to examine issues of power, and the
‘biases and hidden agendas within texts.’” A critically literate thinker will
have these lenses on – they’ll see issues of power, biases and hidden agendas
in texts, but they’ll also see more than that, they’ll see when their view point
is challenged or complicated, and they’ll see other elements and themes that
aren’t only related to “power, inequality, and injustice.” To me, pictures and paintings (composition, lighting, colour), architecture (aesthetics, purpose), word-less
documentaries (which may have "no" attached bias), acting techniques: all of
these things can be “read” and critiqued, and through more than just the focus
of “power, inequality, and injustice.” I wonder if this well-intentioned
narrowing of the definition and presentation of critical literacy might affect
student apathy. Aspects of “power, inequality, and injustice”, in my opinion, should be analyzed within texts, but to
put such an exclusive emphasis on only this form of analysis as being part of
critical thinking can probably alienate students who are struggling to
understand such things (such as from inexperience) and who could use positive
encouragement on elements and themes of critical thinking and literacy that
they understand or which they are currently more interested in. They may become
social activists later in life, but other interests they have shouldn’t be
over-looked. A teacher, as discussion moderator, should include social justice
questions in critical analyses, but also throw in a few others, and they should
not discourage students to discuss other questions, from a text, that interest
them. Also, I imagine that involving students in open discussions helps engage
them in learning and shows that their thoughts and opinions are valued.
As a TL, to promote critical literacy and critical thinking, I intend to teach information gathering techniques (listed in the bullet points above), help students to understand what they’re looking for and find texts to help their studies, and discuss texts with them (individually and/or part of a class or group). Dr. Ginette D. Roberge offers further ideas I like, such as:
As a TL, to promote critical literacy and critical thinking, I intend to teach information gathering techniques (listed in the bullet points above), help students to understand what they’re looking for and find texts to help their studies, and discuss texts with them (individually and/or part of a class or group). Dr. Ginette D. Roberge offers further ideas I like, such as:
a)
“Use student questions as a starting point for
meaningful, whole-class discussions on issues of social justice,” (exploratory
talk, inquiry, reflection).
b)
“Provide students with opportunities to participate in
peer-led bullying prevention and intervention campaigns” (if this action followed information analysis and
discussion, it can qualify as being the next step after critical literacy and thinking has occurred).
c)
“Create opportunities for safe and frank communication,”
(p2).
Questions Roberge proposes to ask related to potentially uncovering “power, inequality, and injustice” are good questions I would also consider posing:
-
“Is the author
trying to send a deeper message? Who might agree/disagree with this message?
-
Are other
viewpoints missing?
-
What technique(s)
has the author used in this story to influence the reader? How might the text
differ if it had been written by someone else?
-
Who is
marginalized in this text? Who is empowered?” (2)
Any additional questions would be
text specific, and once these questions have been explored to the best of their
abilities, students should be encouraged to pose their own questions to
discuss.
References
Coffey, H. (n.d.) Critical Literacy. Retrieved
from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4437
Hayes,
D. (2014, August 9). Let’s stop trying to teach students critical
thinking.
Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/lets-stop-trying-to-teach-students-critical-thinking-30321
Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/lets-stop-trying-to-teach-students-critical-thinking-30321
Roberge,
G (2013, June). Promoting critical literacy across the curriculum and fostering
safer learning environments. What works? Research into Practice,
Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_PromotingCriticalLiteracy.pdf
Davis,
H. (2010, February 3). Critical Literacy? Information! [Blog post]. Retrieved
from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2010/critical-literacy-information/