Literacy Rationale

Emily Ineson
EDT 246
Miami University

Literacy Rationale

Throughout the semester so far, we have discussed the meanings of literacy and
the different aspects of it that should be used in future classrooms. For many noneducators, the meaning of literacy is merely the ability to read and write; someone is
either literate or illiterate. They dont think it is anything more than the comprehension of
words and sentences on a page. However, we education majors look at it differently. To
me, literacy is the knowledge and ability to truly understand a text through connections
from past experiences of the reader and to be able to form thoughts and opinions from
these connections. Literacy involves not just comprehension of the text, but also analysis,
reflection, and criticism. I believe this ability comes with practice and can be brought out
by a successful educator.
From the What is Literacy? handout in class, I read that Kirkland (2008) says
literacy is a social practice and must consist of interactions and relations between
reader and writer of the text or simply with the text itself. This is the definition of
literacy that I am in the most agreement with. The text shows the opinions of the writer
and how he interprets the world, while the opinions and interpretations of the world from
the readers point of view influence how he or she reads the text. Theorists of literacy as
a social practice would say that literacy is what people do with reading, writing, and texts
in real world contexts and why they do it. (Perry, 2012).
With this being said, culture plays a huge role in literacy. The way a person reads
a text is shaped by their background and previous experiences. For example the way a
student from an inner-city school will read and connect to a story is much different than
the way a student from an upper-class suburban private school will. Race aside, these two
children will live very different lifestyles and these lifestyles will provide experiences

Literacy Rationale

that will influence their interpretation of books and other media they come in contact with
throughout their life. A child living in a big city may have grown up riding the bus to go
from place to place, living in an apartment, not allowed to have the certain toy they want
because his/her family simply cant afford it, and the list goes on. Someone who has
grown up in an upper-class suburban area will most likely have experienced being driven
in his or her family car, living in a house with a yard, and not having to worry or even
think about money issues, etc. This alone will cause these two students to interpret a
text differently. They will identify with different characters or events in the story and will
come to different conclusions about the writers intentions. They are both literate and are
able to do the necessary actions to understand the text; their interpretations are just
different.
Critical literacy is also an important aspect in understanding the world around us.
When a student uses it effectively, they can challenge society and its injustices.
According to our handout, the intent of critical literacy is to build cultural competence,
liberation and critical consciousness (Morrell, 2004). We know that when students are
thinking critically, they are challenging everything from the views of their teacher to their
own beliefs in order to find inconsistencies or problems, and their solutions. I believe that
in order to have effective critical literacy one needs to be reflecting on oneself. When
students really look at why they do or think something, then they can be critical of
themselves.
One way as a teacher to bring this out in my future students is through journaling.
Seems clich, but I think it can be extremely effective in helping my students. My
concentrations are math and Language Arts and I hope to eventually be a 5th or 6th grade

Literacy Rationale

LA teacher. By the time the students reach this grade level many are already literate,
but my goal is to go more in depth in their literacy. I want to make them think about their
readings in a way they never had before. Hopefully they are forming connections to what
they read, but also critical of the author and the points he is making. I think one way I
will do this is having my students write in a journal a few times a week. If they are
constantly reflecting on themselves and writing about their opinions and attitudes toward
the world, then they are increasing their ability to analyze and relate to texts they read.
Through ones reflection ofhis/her place in the world, literacy is a transformative
practice that can build critical and sociopolitical consciousness (King, 1991). When they
play the role as author they are able to step back for a second and really look what is
written in front of them. I think this is a great tool in helping students understand
themselves and how they relate to other people in the world.
A common topic we have discussed in EDT 246 is social justice in schools. I am
sad to say but racism is still a recurring issue in todays classrooms and much of it is
being shrugged off when it should be dealt with to stop the problems. There is still talk of
the achievement gap in schools and how students of color are not achieving to the
standards of white students. There absolutely should not be talk of this anymore, all
students should be held at the same expectations. They should be given the same
resources and support to achieve literacy. But why would these students who are already
struggling want to read book after book written by an old, dead, white guy? There is
nothing for them to really connect to; nothing to make them get excited about reading and
analyzing the text. In my future classrooms I want engaged students who are eager to
participate. I plan to use a variety of books by a variety of authors, and with my students

Literacy Rationale

feedback, I plan to give them books they are enthusiastic about reading. I believe this will
promote literacy and critical literacy in all of my students.
Literacy is so important in the world today, and I do not mean the ability to read
and write; I mean the ability to challenge a text and form opinions based on a text. The
world is always changing and we are always in need of bright, new minds to think of
ways to better our community and better our world. The only way to do this is through
constant critical analysis and reflection. This kind of thinking will promote positive
change and together we can work toward a better world.

Literacy Rationale
References:
Kirkland, D. (2008). The rose that grew from concrete: Postmodern blackness and
new English education. English Journal, 97(5), 69-75.
Morrell, E. (2004). Linking literacy and popular culture: Finding connections for
lifelong learning. Massachusetts: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.
Perry, Kristen H. (2012). What is Literacy? A Critical Overview of Sociocultural
Perspectives: Journal of language and literacy education. p. 50-66.