Critical Literacy Quotes

“CLOTHES SWITCH How would the story change if the characters were dressed differently—preppy, gangsta rapper-style? ETHNIC/RACE SWITCH What if the characters were given different ethnicities or races? How would that change the story? EMOTION SWITCH”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“Critical Literacy Critical literacy is not a teaching method but a way of thinking and a way of being that challenges texts and life as we know it. Critical literacy focuses on issues of power and promotes reflection, transformation, and action. It encourages readers to be active participants in the reading process: to question, to dispute, and to examine power relations (Freire, 1970).”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“It is important to note that going through the motions of answering questions is not critical literacy; rather, critical literacy involves the reader’s understanding of the author’s intent, bias, and purpose for writing.”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“In music class, the students created alternative lyrics to a variety of songs, including “Cats in the Cradle,”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“Coming up with a counter or alternative text can be a very useful tool for clarifying what the original text represents.”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“There is a sense of empowerment and confidence in the act of creation that cannot be achieved by copying.”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“Critical literacy focuses on issues of power and promotes reflection, transformation, and action.”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text

“Current thinking about reading (Luke & Freebody, 1999; Pearson, 2001) suggests that we should help our students to comprehend at these deeper levels—levels that require them to think beyond the information on the printed page and critically analyze the author’s message. Reading from a critical perspective”
― Maureen McLaughlin, Critical Literacy: Enhancing Students’ Comprehension of Text