This bibliography is divided into two sections - first, there is an introduction to the broader philosophy of critical pedagogy and the idea of education for social justice. Then, the bibliography moves to looking specifically at sources related to the framework of critical literacy.
McLaren, P. (1989). Life in schools: An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations of education. New York: Longman.
Although published in 1989, this work by McLaren gives a readily accessible look at critical pedagogy. Divided into two primary parts, Life in Schools explores the theoretical background of critical pedagogy and then provides a journal-style account of his time as an inner-city teacher working with the philosophy. The book also includes a helpful chapter summarizing the ideas of great critical educators - Kozol, Freire, Dewey, Apple, and Giroux. The brevity, clear chapter divisions, and directed focus make it a great start for the exploration of critical pedagogy in the American public school system. Once again, however, it is important to note that the work was published nearly 13 years ago, so the statistics and cultural information is quite dated.
Macedo, D. P., & Bartolomé, L. I. (1999). Dancing with bigotry: Beyond the politics of tolerance. New York: St. Martin's Press.
This book is a scathing look at the injustices and hypocrisy within the American school system. It speaks against “multicultural” education as paternalistic and lays forth ideas for reform. It is extremely well written and does not waste any of its 170 small pages. Encouragingly, many of the ideas presented in the TESL program make an appearance within the pages - educating the "whole child" and Cummins, avoiding the banking approach, the problems of standards-driven curriculum, Gee's discourse theory, social class mobility, language contextualization, etc. However, the ideas are presented in a different light and in different contexts that help deepen and strengthen ownership of the concepts. Furthermore, the authors include interviews with Freire and Giroux. Even if one is not interested in critical theory, this book is a well-articulated look at one of the significant problems in American education.
Morgan, B., & Vandrick, S. (2009). Imagining a Peace Curriculum: What Second-Language Education Brings to the Table. Peace & Change. 34(4), 510+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.uu.edu.
With more updated facts and figures, this article looks at the great potential of ELLs and the benefits they bring to their schools. Instead of framing these students as a burden on the school, Morgan and Vandrick explore the many societal benefits of cultural diversity within the schools. They discuss curricular ideas and the value of creating opportunities in class to discuss critically current issues of justice and the pursuit of peace. The authors' perspective of how peace and justice manifests and how they should be pursued are presented as obvious facts and incontestable, which sometimes seems problematic to me. However, it is an encouraging (while sobering) look at what it means to be an ESL teacher.
Howard, G. R. (2006). We can't teach what we don't know: White teachers, multiracial schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
An immediately applicable book for most TESL majors, this book explores the increasing multicultural/multiracial school systems and the implications for teachers. Geared toward university education majors, Howard provides a quick introduction to race theory and, in particular, whiteness theory. He creates well-articulated arguments for some of the major problems/injustices in modern systemic education and a new "transformationalist" pedagogy. Even if sometimes a bit wordy, the book contains helpful visuals and diagrams to simplify complex concepts. It also touches on the implications and problems of the education legislation in 2006 and before (some of which is still quite relevant for today).
hooks, b. (2000). Where we stand: Class matters. New York: Routledge.
Like Freire and Giroux, bell hooks (lowercase spelling intentional) is a prominent voice in the battle for social justice in the classroom. Critical literacy looks at class, and this book by hooks gives an unflinching looking at the nature of social classes and her related personal narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed reading a female perspective on critical education reform--hooks is a deeply engaging writer. Her narrative style allows for personal interpretation and application without prescriptions. This does not mean her message is weak - she passionately speaks for social justice within the American school system and broader society. I found this book particularly fascinating because of its tie-in to Christian values through hook's discussion of her faith-driven upbringing. She calls for Christians to move past greed and work for social change and solidarity with the poor.
For further reading: hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.
Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Adding a sense of scientific validity, Bruner explores education from the perspective of the cognitive/psychological aspects. He is the researcher who published the theory of scaffolding (which is often talked about in education classes) and wrote about the nature of constructivism. Also a strong writer, Bruner adds a helpful additional perspective to the discussion -- pushing the research towards an even more interdisciplinary approach. His writing is extremely dense, but also very quotable. For example, “I suspect that part of the difficulty [in the education system] was introduced by wrongly focused theories of learning that lost sight of the forest of skilled competence for the trees of perfected performances” (p. 113). Bruner is a useful resource for nearly any paper looking at critical pedagogy/literacy.
Also see: Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Kellner, D., & Kim, G. (January 01, 2010). YouTube, critical pedagogy, and media activism. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 32(1), 3-36.
The power of the media in students’ lives is a central concern for many educators. This article connects the ideas of critical literacy to the rise of social media. I think the argument for media literacy may be the central selling point of critical literacy for many mainstream teachers. As technology becomes an inevitable part of teaching it is vital to look critically at its effect on literacy education. Published in 2010, this is a recent look at the nature of critical pedagogy today. It focuses on creating societal change and cultural transformation with the help of innovative education practices.
Robbins, C. G. (2009). Searching for politics with Henry Giroux: Through cultural studies to public pedagogy and the “Terror of neoliberalism”. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, 31(5), 428-478. doi:10.1080/10714410903344361
Robbins looks at the ideas of Giroux from the context of 2009 and makes an argument for the continued relevancy of critical pedagogy. He speaks out in agreement with Giroux's critique of the "market-driven managerialism" (428) which shapes modern education practices. The majority of the article explores Giroux's view of politics and economics. For the reader interested in those aspects of critical theory, this 50-page article provides a thorough summary. The article, however, does not claim to present more than one viewpoint and is very focused on the collected works of Giroux and how they relate to his critique of "neoliberalism."
Robinson, Ken. (May 2010). Bring on the learning revolution. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/themes/how_we_learn.html
TED is a fantastic online resource for quick re-inspiration to continue the pursuit of teaching as a profession. A series of talks by various thinkers and innovators, TED conference videos are short and thought provoking. The format of the talks does not lend itself well to direct use in papers; yet, the featured TED talks related to education encourage the listener to think outside the box. Critical pedagogy/literacy advocates challenging the status quo as part of the solution to the problems of systemic education. Often it is easy to get trapped in one way of perceiving the problem, TED talks challenge listeners to consider a new perspective. For example, in his 2010 talk, Sir Ken Robinson explains, "So I think we have to change metaphors. We have to go from what is essentially an industrial model of education, a manufacturing model, which is based on linearity and conformity and batching people. We have to move to a model that is based more on principles of agriculture. We have to recognize that human flourishing is not a mechanical process; it's an organic process."
For an illustrated version of a Sir Ken Robinson talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U.
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Shor, I., & Pari, C. (1999). Critical literacy in action: Writing words, changing worlds. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers.
With an excellent introduction that lays out the theory of critical literacy concisely without oversimplifying, Shor and Pari's book is a wonderful resource for building a foundation to understand critical literacy. Essential terms are defined, central thinkers are weaved throughout the text, and practical case studies encourage educators to lay aside the complaint that critical theory is totally impractical and inaccessible. A collection of many different authors, some are dated and others are not particularly engaging writers. However, editorial abstracts at the beginning of each chapter assist in selecting the most relevant chapters to read. Overall, the anecdotal nature of the test is quite helpful in moving the critical literacy past the theoretical.
Lankshear, C., & McLaren, P. (1993). Critical literacy: politics, praxis, and the postmodern. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Critical literacy is tied to postmodernist thought, which is a major hang-up for some people. Lankshear and McLaren's book devotes an entire section to discussing the postmodern aspects of the framework and its implications. They conclude that unfettered postmodernism is problematic and dangerous. They call for care, balance, and thought to avoid losing all sense of truth. Another very quotable work, they write, "[Through education] humans are able to rise above arbitrariness, irrelevance, prejudice, distortion, and falsehood....[Education] involves imbibing a range of attitudes such as concern for truth, consistency, relevance, impartiality, clarity, and honesty in appraisal and interpretation of evidence, and avoiding contradiction in thought and action" (p. 22). They are deeply passionate about the power of education and the problems within the current system. However, they elevate education to a sort of religion, which is dangerous for the Christian reader (and others).
Gallego, M. A., & Hollingsworth, S. (2000). What counts as literacy?: Challenging the school standard. New York: Teachers College Press.
A source that I have referenced more than any other, Gallego and Hollingsworth's work is a brief but comprehensive exploration of the complexity of literacy education. They immediately move the literacy discussion beyond just “the ability to read and write.” It fills in the gaps that the short (and more recent) journal articles do not have enough time to fill. Although the title does not immediately show a link to critical literacy, the majority of the book links to the critical literacy framework, particularly the writings and practices of Paulo Freire. Additionally, this book contains a solid definition of the idea of "multiple literacies" - a text can be more than words on a book page.
Cervetti, G., Pardales, M.J., & Damico, J.S. (2001). A tale of differences: Comparing the traditions, perspectives, and educational goals of critical reading and critical literacy. Reading Online, 4(9). Retrieved from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=cervetti
Newcomers to the vocabulary of critical theory often confuse critical reading with critical literacy. They are quite different. Cervetti, Pardales, and Damico outline the central differences and even provide a helpful quick reference chart to compare the two. Their key points include critical reading's concern with authorial intent and critical literacy's greater concern with social justice and positive change (praxis). They speak against the liberal-humanist roots of critical reading as not enough--critical thought must also include consideration of the ideological level of "texts."
Flint, A.S., Lewison, M., & Sluys, K.V. (2002). Taking on critical literacy: The journey of newcomers and novices. Language Arts. 79(5), 382-392. Retrieved from http://eeando.unl.edu/cehs/phillips921b/module4/pdf/TakingOnCritical.pdf
Flint, Lewison, and Sluys focus on the introduction of teachers to the critical literacy framework, particularly elementary school teachers. For this reason, their article is quite helpful as a jumping off point for exploring critical literacy for children. The authors also include a helpful chart of suggested children's books to use in the classroom to begin discussions of social justice issues. At 10 pages, it is a concise and quick introduction to critical literacy and its application in the American classroom.
The Reading Teacher is also a helpful journal if interested in the literacy/application aspect of critical theory.
Jones, S. (2006). Lessons from Dorothy Allison: Teacher education, social class and critical literacy. Changing English: Studies in Culture & Education, 13(3), 293-305. doi:10.1080/13586840600971802
Jones' article is helpful if interested in the field of teacher education. A professor at Columbia University in NY, Jones combines "autobiography and case study" (p. 293) to look at one of her graduate education students: a middle-class, white, female teacher, who is seeking to understand and navigate the ideas of critical literacy. It shows the potential of Freire’s theories beyond their use by minorities and the need for this kind of teacher education among the majority. The style and intentions often parallel that of Mike Rose. Her bibliography is also helpful. However, Jones' is extremely passionate about the topic, which, unfortunately, sometimes dissolves into what reads like a rant.
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