Critical Literacy: A Collection of Articles from the Australian Literacy Educators' Association

Although definitions of the term critical literacy vary in research literature, researchers agree that critical literacy is an active, challenging approach to literacy that encourages students to be aware of the way that texts are constructed and how such constructions position readers.

This compilation of one new article and 11 previously published articles offers diverse perspectives on critical literacy. The articles explain the principles of critical literacy from a theoretical perspective, illustrate the comparative changes between theories of literacy development, detail the practical classroom implementation of critical literacy principles, and highlight the changing role of the teacher in the process of students' coming to understand the multiple meanings of texts and the power of language.

This collection gives testimony to critical literacy's potential to help students understand how language works and the ways in which various individuals and groups use literacy to their own ends. The articles will inspire readers to critically examine what counts as literacy in their classrooms, the ways in which they use texts, and the resulting demands that are placed on their students.

BACKCOVER Although definitions of the term critical literacy vary in research literature, researchers agree that critical literacy is an active, challenging approach to literacy that encourages students to be aware of the way that texts are constructed and how such constructions position readers. Many lessons may teach students to decode and respond to what they are reading, but critical literacy theorists argue that these lessons often do not provide the cultural and political analysis of texts that is an important component of students' literacy development. Students who approach reading from a critical perspective learn to make connections between what is new and what is familiar as their school knowledge transforms into active knowledge.

Critical Literacy: A Collection of Articles From the Australian Literacy Educators' Association, a compilation of one new article and 11 previously published articles, offers diverse perspectives on critical literacy. The articles explain the principles of critical literacy from a theoretical perspective, illustrate the comparative changes between theories of literacy development, detail the practical classroom implementation of critical literacy principles, and highlight the changing role of the teacher in the process of students coming to understand the multiple meanings of texts and the power of language.

This collection gives testimony to critical literacy's potential to help students understand how language works and the ways in which various individuals and groups use literacy to their own ends. The articles will inspire readers to critically examine what counts as literacy in their classrooms, the ways in which they use texts, and the resulting demands that are placed on their students.

Heather Fehring is Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.

Pam Green is Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education and Research Methods at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.