1. Thinking Critically:
New Literacies
Mississauga Field Office
March 26, 2013

2. Minds-on…
 What texts have you been exposed to
in the last 24 hours?
 What impact have those texts had on
you?

3. Quote
Students today experience a constant stream
of ideas and information – online, in
print, and through electronic games and
mass media. As they move into the junior
grades, they encounter an ever-widening
range of texts. They need skills to determine
where to direct their attention and how to
interpret messages and use them
appropriately.”
(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2004, p. 9)

4. Concepts About Texts
All texts are constructions.
What is written is the product of many
decisions and determining factors.
Much of our view of reality is based
on messages that have been
constructed in this way, with the
author’s attitudes, interpretations and
conclusions already built into the text.

5. Concepts About Texts
All texts contain belief and value
messages.
Whether oral, print or visual
media, texts contain messages which
reflect the biases and opinions of
their authors/creators; whether
intentionally manipulative or not, this
means that no text can be neutral or
value free.

6. Concepts About Texts
Each person interprets messages
differently.
Demographic factors such as
age, culture, gender and socio-
economic status as well as prior
experience and knowledge play a role
in how we interpret a message.

7. Concepts About Texts
Texts serve different interests.
Most media messages are created for
profit or to persuade, but all texts are
produced intentionally for a purpose.
These interests can be
commercial, ideological or political.

8. Concepts About Texts
Each medium develops its own
“language” in order to position
readers/viewers in certain ways.
Whether TV program, website or
novel, each medium creates meaning
differently and each has distinctive
techniques, conventions and
aesthetics.

9. What is Critical Literacy
 Critical Literacy is an instructional
approach, that advocates the
adoption of "critical" perspectives
toward text.
 Allan Luke refers to as a “a new
basic” for navigating a text- and
media-saturated world.

10. Dr. Frank Serafini’s Four Roles Of
The Visual Learner
INTERPRETER NAVIGATOR
What is the producer of this image / What elements do I see in this image
text trying communicate to me? / text? (e.g., line, shape, pattern,
Based on my experiences, what texture, colour)
connections can I make to the image
/ text to better understand the
message? How will I interpret the
message?
DESIGNER INTEROGATOR (previously
How can I use the structures of visual Critical Analyst)
grammar (composition, perspective & What social, political or historical
visual symbols to communicate a issues might be presented or
message or idea? interpreted through this image text?
What is the “big idea” presented in
this image / text?

11. Why is Critical Literacy
Important?
 Critical literacy encourages readers to
actively analyze texts and offers
strategies for what proponents
describe as uncovering underlying
messages

12. Critical Literacy is:
 Looking closely at texts of all kinds
 Looking for big ideas
 Questioning text to analyze text
 Examining our own attitudes, beliefs
and values

13. Critical Literacy is:
 Identifying solutions, missing voices
or alternate points of view
 Realizing that there is more than one
version of the text available
 Thinking about how the text impacts
our lives
 Creating texts for various audiences
and purposes

14. Social Practices
Disrupt the Consider Multiple
Commonplace Viewpoints
Focus on the Socio- Take Action to
political Promote Social
Justice

15. Questioning the Text
There are several models of
questioning the text.
 The 5 Ws
 The Three Levels of Questions
 Q-chart
 Bloom’s Taxonomy

16. The 5 Ws
 Who is in the photograph?
 What is happening in the photograph?
 Where (location) is the photograph
showing?
 When was the photograph taken?
 Why did someone take the photograph?
(purpose)

18. Three Levels of Questioning
 Literal/Perceptual/Noticings
 What do you see/ hear?
 Inferential/ Interpretive
 What could it mean?
 Evaluative/ Ideological/Implications:
 What are the intentions of this text?
 How would the message change if some
element were different?

19. Looking Closely at a Text
 What do I see?
 What could it mean?
 What could the author be trying to tell
us?
 What idea might be represented?
 How would the text be different if an
element were changed? What if…?
 How would the message/ tone of the text
be different if we changed something?

21. Time to Apply…

22. Problem Posing Model
Problem Posing is a critical literacy strategy that can be
used with a variety of texts. After exposure to the
text, we engage in critical literacy using questions
such as:
 Who is in the text/ picture/situation? Who is missing?
 Whose voice(s) is/ are represented? Whose voices are
marginalized or discounted?
 What are the intentions of the author/ creator of the text?
What does the author want us to think or feel?
 What would an alternative text say or suggest?
 How can we use this information to promote action or
equity?

23. Juxtaposing
Juxtaposing is a strategy where two texts on a similar topic are
compared. Point of view and persuasive tactics can be
determined.
 Editorials
 Pictures
 Website
 Advertisements
 Informational texts
 Anything…

24. Switching
Switching is an effective strategy for getting students to
consider the impact of alternative perspectives and to
identify present and missing voices.
 Gender
 Body-style
 Theme
 Clothes
 Ethnic/culture
 Emotion
 Relationship
 Setting
 Language

25. Sharing…

26. Instructional Strategies to
Promote Critical Literacy
 De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
 PMI
 EBS
 Four Corners
 Value Line
 Inside/ Outside Circles