Because literacy is never politically neutral, it is our hope that readers of this text will understand the significance of creating learning environments that emphasize the relationship between power and literacy. This book focuses attention on what can happen when teachers and students are empowered as they collaborate towards a common goal. Designed to balance theory and praxis, this book provides opportunities for teachers to begin conceiving of and building integrated literacy curricula that prioritizes the lived experiences and insights of their students, rather than emphasizes decontextualized lists of facts to be memorized or skills to be obtained. This book speaks to the needs of teacher candidates and practicing teachers who wish to engage more openly and fully with the current landscape of diverse learners, biased educational practices, and inequitable learning opportunities. The objective is to provide a means by which hopeful educators can begin to face the challenges of diverse classrooms in order to promote social justice and equity literacy by reimagining and reshaping both policy and practice.
Angela Miller-Hargis is an associate professor of education at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash teaching coursework in educational foundations and literacy that include an emphasis on cultural awareness, diversity and inclusion, and differentiated instruction. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals such as the Ohio Journal of Teacher Education, The Journal for Research and Practice in College Teaching, The Reading Professor, and The Midwestern Educational Research Journal that focus on include critical literacy, curriculum development, and equitable education in diverse classrooms. Delane Bender-Slack is a Professor of Literacy and the Program Director for both Reading and TESOL in the School of Education at Xavier University. She is a teacher educator, teaching courses in English Language Arts methods, middle childhood, adolescent, and multicultural literature, content area literacy, process writing, and reading theories. She has been published in a variety of journals and has published three books. She has been involved in coordinating and implementing international experiences in Peru, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Her research interests include social justice teaching, global issues/perspectives, critical literacy, curriculum studies, study abroad, and adolescent literacy.
Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: The Intersection of Critical Literacy and Curricular Conversations: Conceiving of Social Justice Chapter 2: Critical Conversation Curriculum Charts: Intersection of Curriculum as Conversation and Critical Literacy as Transformative Space Chapter 3: Developing Critical Literacy Lessons Through Meaningful Themes: Planning for Emerging Opportunities Chapter 4: Interdisciplinary Critical Literacies: Incorporating critical literacy lessons in the disciplines using texts that matter Chapter 5: International Classrooms: Global Networks and Leading with Hope Chapter 6: Obstacles to critical literacy planning: Shifting from unit to lesson planning Chapter 7: Equity-based educational planning: Moving toward Justice and Shared Power Bibliography Index About the Authors
