Allen Luke - Critical Literacy

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of critical literacy as a mindset of skepticism and inquiry rather than a method. They discuss the challenge of discerning truth from the plethora of conflicting information and representations in texts and media. The speaker advocates for teaching critical literacy to engage with complex issues like global warming, where students must navigate dueling ideologies and information. They highlight the need to understand language and media's manipulative power and to foster critical debate and discussion around texts, preparing students to be discerning and informed citizens.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Critical literacy is described as an attitude of skepticism towards texts, aiming to understand their relationship with reality.
• 🌐 The speaker emphasizes the challenge of navigating conflicting sources and information to discern truth and veracity.
• 🌱 Critical literacy should not lead to a distrust of everything but rather encourage a constructive engagement with texts.
• 🌟 It should inspire curiosity and a problem-solving mindset, fostering an understanding of ideologies and the world.
• 📚 The speaker advocates for teaching critical literacy as a tool to combat disinformation and its dangers.
• 👂 Australian contributions to critical literacy include teaching how language and texts function to position and manipulate readers.
• 🎨 There's a call to educate on how visual images and different media types work, especially in terms of their manipulative potential.
• 🗣️ The importance of teaching functional grammar, genre, and how to engage in critical debate around texts is highlighted.
• 🤔 The speaker suggests that critical literacy should help students understand that some opinions are better substantiated than others, and some may be outright wrong.
• 🌍 Critical literacy is positioned as a necessary skill for understanding and participating in global debates, such as those on climate change.

Q & A

What is the desired attitude towards texts according to the speaker?

The speaker wants critical literacy to be an attitude of critical and constructive skepticism towards texts, rather than just a method.

What is the core question the speaker is addressing about critical literacy?

The core question is understanding the relationship between representation (in the form of discourse, text, writing, image) and reality.

Why is it challenging to navigate texts today, according to the speaker?

It is challenging because when entering different contexts like Syria or Libya, or searching the internet or libraries, one encounters conflicting sources and differing information, requiring the ability to weigh the veracity and trustworthiness of various representations.

What does the speaker warn against in the context of critical literacy?

The speaker warns against the idea that everything is a mere representation and nothing is real, which they find spurious and dangerous.

How does the speaker relate critical literacy to the teaching of global warming?

The speaker relates critical literacy to global warming by stating that every student will have to engage with the debate and live through its consequences, requiring them to navigate dueling information and ideologies.

What historical context does the speaker mention in relation to dealing with different representations?

The speaker mentions the historical context of John Dewey debating the nuclear issue in 1949, illustrating that people have always had to deal with different representations and find their way to the truth.

What does the speaker want critical literacy to be about?

The speaker wants critical literacy to be about reading the world, developing a curious and skeptical mind, and understanding ideologies, texts, and the world.

What are the three elements the speaker identifies as crucial for critical literacy?

The three elements are: 1) Reading the world in a world fraught with information, 2) Learning how language works and becoming conscious of its mechanisms, and 3) Learning how visual images and different media work, including how they attempt to manipulate.

How does the speaker suggest teaching critical literacy regarding language and texts?

The speaker suggests teaching elements of functional grammar, genre, and how texts work at various levels, from thematic ideas to the sentence structure.

What role does critical debate around texts play in the speaker's view of critical literacy?

Critical debate around texts is seen as a way to learn how to talk about text with a rich content base, understanding that some opinions are better substantiated than others, and that students need to learn to discern right from wrong in their discussions.