Learning Log #2 Module 5 Supporting students in the SLLC with critical literacy

 Learning Log # 2 

Module 5 Teacher Librarians and their role in Critical Literacy

This learning log has been a journey of discovery in how important our role as advocates for critical literacy resources and  creating opportunities to practice critical thinking to empower students towards spotting deception, biases etc that lead to injustices and oppression of others. We then can give them a critical literacy voice that makes a positive difference through multi modal tools .TL's play a pivotal role in creating more empathetic citizens who see the diversity and complexities of society and are aware that information can be used to promote or marginalize others. 

 Looking at Critical literacy and Critical thinking:

To  further my knowledge construction after the module readings I checked out Wikipedia (as suggested as a good synopsis of reliable information in last module,link below) to connect Critical literacy and critical thinking and our role as Teacher Librarians. 

"Critical literacy is the ability to find embedded discrimination in media.^[1][2] This is done by analyzing the messages promoting prejudiced power relationships found naturally in media and written material that go unnoticed otherwise by reading beyond the author's words and examining the manner in which the author has conveyed his or her ideas about society's norms to determine whether these ideas contain racial or gender inequality.^[1] ( Wikipedia Critical_literacy)

AND from LibGuides Critical thinking and Information Literacy(Bronx Community College)

"Critical Thinking is the art of thinking about thinking in order to make thinking better. It involves three interwoven connections: It analyzes thinking,it evaluates thinking, it improves thinking."

Critical thinkers are able to: (libGuides)

Determine what information is or is not pertinent

• Distinguish between rational claims and emotional ones.
• Separate fact from opinion. 
• Recognize the ways in which evidence might be limited or comprehended.
• Spot deception and holes in the argument of others.
• Present his/her own analysis of data or information.
• Recognize logical flaws in arguments.
• Draw connections between discrete sources of data and information. 
• Attend to contradictory, inadequate or ambiguous information. 
• Construct cogent arguments rooted in data rather than opinion.
• Select the strongest supporting data.
• Recognize that a problem may not have a clear or single solution.
• Correctly present and use evidence to defend arguments.
• Present evidence in an order that contributes to a persuasive argument

Wikipedia states that:  "Socrates established the fact that one cannot depend upon those in "authority" to have sound knowledge and insight. He demonstrated that persons may have power and high position and yet be deeply confused and irrational. Socrates maintained that for an individual to have a good life or to have one that is worth living, he must be a critical questioner and possess an interrogative soul.^[6] He established the importance of asking deep questions that probe profoundly into thinking before we accept ideas as worthy of belief."

Critical literacy reaches beyond the more logical application/frameworks of critical thinking in challenging the author to make deeper societal and historical connections that seek to root out oppression and injustices. This was the philosophical basis of Paulo Freires critical literacy movement.TL's have the opportunity to challenge and spark  an embodied sense making of their worlds by connecting to affective not just  the cognitive. Click here for  more on embodied collectivity  written by Lenters  Multi Modal Becoming and a helpful list of open ended embodied multi modal learning experiences.

• Intertwining Of Blooms Taxonomy and Inquiry Process In Critical Literacy:

I began with the idea to curate multi modal tools in teaching and learning critical literacy skills for colleagues and students and then connected that with our role as TL's. During my investigating stage it became clear to me that intertwining the blooms taxonomy within the inquiry based process facilitated the development of critical thinking skills embedded in critical literacy .TL's teaching of Critical thinking skills encompasses all multi modes/formats so students develop information literacy and become fluent in how they  critically choose and use information. Click here for more: BCTLA Information literacy and Points of Inquiry  Barbara Stripling defines Information literacy as:"..the ability to use information meaningfully in all aspects of our daily life." TL's can model aloud and pictorially for students the meta cognition of Blooms taxonomy and inquiry process all  through the lens of critical thinking. This scaffolding will mentor students in being deeper independent critical thinkers. For example a student can not jump to  construct (BT)  and the create stage ( BCTLA 5 points of Inquiry) before critically remembering his prior knowledge and experiences and understanding where they came from in order to separate personal opinion from data/facts which needs to be supported too!Then moving on to the investigate stage where they create understandings,apply and analyse their growing knowledge critically. TL's can explicitly teach and model the meta cognition language so students can advance to higher order learning and questioning.TL's model and provide strategies throughout the  inquiry process such as during the investigate stage suspending judgement, testing ideas and revising based on new evidence which requires knowing your biases/assumptions. Students begin to internalize  embedding critical thinking within all modes of critical literacy  as their learning advances  and deepens throughout the inquiry process. This way they take the drivers seat as learners who better understand themselves and can make a difference in the world. Differentiated learning objectives  and formats are kept in mind to individualize the process. A key understanding for me was in this complex world students need to know there is not always one clear cut solution but it is multi faceted and requires more then one solution.

 

Meta cognition tools/models to embed critical literacy are:

Turtle Lake School division; Wendy Marek

Within the framework of Inquiry based learning process such as:

BCTLA The 5 Points of Inquiry

AND

GUIDED INQUIRY DESIGN FRAMEWORK: Kahlthau; This framework provides more scaffolding

What Students are doing in ISP	STAGES of ISP	PHASES of GUIDED INQUIRY
Initiating the research project	INITIATION	OPEN
Selecting a Topic	SELECTION	IMMERSE
Exploring information	EXPLORATION	EXPLORE
Formulating a focus	FORMULATION	IDENTIFY
Collecting information on  focus & seeking meaning	COLLECTION	GATHER
Preparing to present	PRESENTATION	CREATE and SHARE
Assessing the process	ASSESSMENT	EVALUATE

Kuhlthau, Maniotes, and Caspari 2012

Frameworks/Models for critical literacy;

The leading learning document continuum is a helpful guide to work towards with all stakeholders.This CSL framework provides a continuum action plan  called Fostering Literacies for life long learning. addressing a variety of literacies including critical literacy but not physical literacy.For example for critical literacy it states the goals of learning to be: Emerging: Text to text,text-self and world connections to the end goal being, Leading to the future-Students construct and share new personal meanings.

Critical learning for all ages. the learning-network provides a conceptual  progressive framework for critical literacy from the Ontario Ministry of Education(2015).  This sequential view though puts texts as the primary mode which is not encompassing all multi modes of learning and knowledge creation so I added the reconceptualized framework from Serafini. Reconceptualized Framework below.

 I agree with his theoretical framework except for his view as reader -viewer because this is a limited view; which does not encompass all avenues of learning such as asthetic,afffective,kinesthetic,sensory,auditory which are utilized as well as reading and viewing visuals etc and Lenters describes the  5 modes as Linguistic,auditory,spatial,gestural and visual cues.(Multi modal becoming link below)

This framework meets the emerging needs of critical literacy with text:

Learners interaction with TEXT progressive framework:

1.code breakers(learning to read proficiently; beginning with phonetics/sound-letter)

2.text participants (check in with prior knowledge and experiences)

3.text user (audiences,purpose)

3.text critic(using critical thinking.evaluation)

Serafini took this framework wider to encompass Multi modal tools  beyond simply text as the digital information age is upon us: Students needs are growing to include decoding audio,visuals(symbols etc),advertisements use of text/images as well as  real time interpreting of social media platforms.

RECONCEPTUALIZATION(SERAFINI) LEARNER TAKES PATH;FACILITATED BY TL

1. NAVIGATOR-DECODING OF ALL FORMS OF MULTI MODAL TOOLS

2.INTERPRETOR-UNDERSTAND THE COMPOSITION STRUCTURES

3.DESIGNER-CONSTRUCT MEANING

4.INTERROGATOR-EVALUATION/REFLECTION

For a thorough list  of critical evaluation lessons/resources and surveys helpful for TL's to be aware of and share with colleagues and students,check out: schrockguide.net/critical-evaluation. . 

CRITICAL THINKING TOOLS AS A LENS ON CRITICAL LITERACY;

TL'S USE OF THESE VISUALS ARE HELPFUL TO TEACH AND DISPLAY

The acronym CRAP criteria is an easy to remember and apply for students while critically evaluating their  MULTI MODE resources: I would display it in a poster in the SLLC and share it with colleagues.

TL's must model/mentor critical thinking strategies by not voicing opinions, asking higher order questions,being aware of their biases and allowing students thoughtful deliberation realizing that there is not a clear single solution to complex issues/problems.For more strategies to share click here: wabisabilearning.com/blogs/critical-thinking/teaching-critical-thinking-skills.

I appreciated the  8 science based strategies from our module and would display this as a poster in the SLLC:

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The IDEALS acronym is a useful systematic framework for problem solving. Mark John Synders's  6 steps  break down the critical thinking process when inquiring into problems here:.Critical_Thinking_-_Teaching_Methods_and_Strategies handout. As a TL this handout is relevant and useful for sharing with colleagues and students.I'm not in total agreement with the enumerate the choices as often complex problems have more then one obvious number one choice but is interconnected. This is useful for more straight forward problem solving.

“IDEALS” … Six Steps to Effective Thinking and Problem Solving

• I – Identify the Problem
• D – Define the Context
• E – Enumerate the Choices
• A – Analyze the Options
• L – List Reasons Explicitly
• S – Self-Correct

Curation of Multi Modal resources that support Critical Thinking : 

 Tools for Thought ;Critical thinking Consortium; Tc2  based out of Vancouver BC has select resources that are free due to Government of Canada funding ,the remainder require a partner/member fee to download, for example a school with less then 50 teachers is $400 a year.which would be a lot for our independent school but the free resources are useful.

 Search  tabs by THINK(probing for information) COMMUNICATE(interpreting text) and ACT (relating to others)

Helpful tips: they provide a free sample lessons that can be downloaded. For example:Powerful questions useful for the primary group and a primary list of resources for critical thinking here Primary list . I noted the series of thoughtful book series; 6 picture books in print and one in video format :youtube story all useful for literacy development with deep themes and ethical deliberations through fiction. 

The Imagining series (fee)  under the THINK tab used the visionary approach and sparked possibilities for creative critical thinking with imagining through a superheros power, design components and exaggeration. This reminded me of our reading of scenario planning in visualizing future settings in SLLC's by Finch; click here to read How public libraries can help prepare us for the future. (July 18, 2019)

Thoughtbooks to sustain Inquiry-Critical thinking consortium,2016 3 book series,38$. Student inquiry templates for ongoing  interactive exploration,imagining,testing,revisiting,examining through personal inquiry process through use of drawings,words,recordings."How has what I have just learned informed,altered, or challenges my thinking about the issue,problem or project that I am inquiring about?"

Explain the Image- free lesson plan from Tc2.  Use as teacher guided inquiry for K-3.I choose this to hone in on critical thinking  strategies with visuals and the importance of being able to critically interpret visual images and make the connections to the visual power/iconic symbols of advertising and social media and our responsibility as critcal thinkers in our  own visual  digital and non digital creations and the message it sends.(especially for older students) use with the free  tc2 Picture sets and investigating strategies. Photographs,objects,visual/text demonstrations(cartoons,infographic,charts,posters etc) create multi mode opportunities for expression-linguistic and visual meaning that is more easily  universally understood with a emotional connection consumed by a larger audience.  This mode enables students who traditionally are not keen readers or ELL learners to express themselves to an audience; here is an example:Students photography multi mode creation.

Literacy challenges in a fake news world from the Saskatchewan School librarians association

25-resources-for-teaching-critical-thinking/ teachthought blog

WHY Multi Modal tools for critical literacy learning?

 The use of multi modal resources such as: literary fiction,infographics, graphic novels ,cartoons,objects/photos/music expressions,short films and authentic experiential place learning can be the spark for  deeper critical literacy especially within an inquiry based process. As a TL we are continually on the look out for meaningful multi mode tools that promote and cultivate information literacy.Professionally keeping informed and continually evaluating and weeding resources as needs change.

Through a visual and linguistic mode of cartoons students can make their own connections between the panels(fill in the details) and relate stories that would be difficult to put down in prose but cartoons allow for the  ambiguity in the universal human experience. By creating their own graphic novels/cartoons students benefit in many ways  including emotionally.  For more read, Miller's Blog with rationale click here: student-graphic-novels.TL's can promote their cartoons by providing panel templates and with permission displaying and /or posting their creations to a SLLC web page.

TL's can promote info graphics as a text/visual tool that helps students understand complex concepts in an easier way.For more tips on info graphics check out Walter Murray High School on Saskatoon Creating Infographics. By combining modes students are engaged in more complex meaning making where they  decide on their path rather then being strictly sequential as in text only(left to right).  A few examples being watching how to create/cook something then doing it, using imovie app to create a short film,igarage to write and create music,Powtoon , digital cartoon platform with speech bubbles and movements; Buncee , interactive slides;visuals and text,Padlet as an interactive display of learning.Then pedologies such as place based,experiential learning and Montessori all use multi modes of learning embedded in their philosophies that attempt to embrace students holistically. 

Physical literacy is often overlooked outside of PHE class and TL's can play a pivotal role in strategies and rationale to embed it more within the whole school daily. Multi modal tools used properly, embrace the whole being and embodiment of the student therefore having  a more emotional and lasting imprint in their response.

ROLE of Teacher Librarian:

our role in facilitating critical literacy is a multi prong approach that is essential for 21st century learning and needs to be embedded within students learning and embraced by all stakeholders.

 As TL's we provide the models/frameworks/acronyms  and big ideas that give students scaffolding in their  critical thinking behind meaning making and model/share and provide opportunities (co teaching too)to practice and collaborate and create their own constructions. The leading learning document continuum is a helpful guide to work towards with all stakeholders.This CSL framework provides a continuum action plan  called Fostering Literacies for life long learning. addressing a variety of literacies including critical literacy but not physical literacy.For example for critical literacy it states the goals of learning to be: Emerging: Text to text,text-self and world connections to the end goal being, Leading to the future-Students construct and share new personal meanings

 Serafini in Reading multi modal texts" states "Literacy educators will need an expanded theoretical framework from which to discuss the interpretive strategies readers will draw upon to make sense of these more complex texts in the new millennium." Above I provided examples that as a TL can be used and shared.TL's explicitly teaching,co teaching/displaying and modelling these meta cognition frameworks provides students the bridge towards critical literacy skills necessary for 21st century learning  in this digital, trans literacy age where there is an abundance of information at their fingertips

TL's have the opportunity to model and share with colleagues and students multi modal tools throughout the learning process for example using an IBP such as the CSL 5 Point Inquiry model  moving from the connect and wonder stage to reflect/evaluate. Students as Lenters notes are reader-viewers engaging with modes as navigators,interpreter,designer and interrogator ; TL's can use this as they scaffold the resource and the  inquiry based process for discovery. Click here for more Becoming Multimodal: Literacy In and Beyond the Classroom  I see students as more then just readers-viewers but holistically engaged with learning including kinesthically(Physical literacy) and affective domain connection for internal motivation.

 To facilitate critical literacy TL's can model an open ended non biased dialogue within a collective group discussion on a social justice theme that provides varied perspectives to challenge their thinking. Provide a hook/spark with a photograph,cartoon or several divergent texts/visuals. Have students display empathy through expressions such as roleplaying info graphics etc,  Let students develop their own self correcting antenna in understanding whose voice is this? Provide critical thinking frameworks and models(below) Suggest embodiment practices that collectively put differing views together with multi modal tools enabling more students with different learning needs/strengths to have the opportunity to make a wider  and deeper  learning connection.TL's can teach the concept of "container collapse" of how an original piece of information in the digital age can be quickly altered, modified and changed from original source with the potential to reach millions in a click. Download handout by Wilkinson on container collapse here :information-needs-types-and-qualities.

 Information fluency is the ultimate goal of the Teacher librarian in critical literacy: to analyze, evaluate and improve our thinking so students translate this to  their real life situations/tasks and authentic real world problem solving. 

Wabisabi Learning defines it as:Information Fluency is the ability to unconsciously and intuitively interpret information in all forms and formats in order to extract the essential knowledge, authenticate it, and perceive its meaning and significance. The data can then be used to complete real-world tasks and solve real-world problems effectively.(wabisabilearning.com/blogs/critical-thinking/teaching-critical-thinking-skills) 

TL's  key role is curating and  sharing of critical literacy resources that spark social justice themes with critical thinking models/frameworks, big ideas and strategies that empower students to examine,analyze and deconstruct multi modes/texts to see the larger social historical contexts. Through this process students are expanding their own views , challenging the norms,critically reflecting and responding to injustices with actions and words that make a positive difference. TL's need to mentor/model the meaningful learning connections of interacting with multi modes critically with students and colleagues. TL's have a responsibility to be as unbiased as possible in providing multi modes/texts of differing views together so students can be aware of cultural/racial differences and how differences can be enriching and positive yet ultimately our commonalities as humans are greater.

TO SUMMARIZE...

Critical Literacy facilitated by TL's is key in 21st century learning because we are in a digital, trans literacy age where there is an abundance of information sources at students fingertips. It is our response to this digital age that will help create trans literate citizens who are information fluent critical thinkers who are critically literate in recognizing the wider interconnections in our society both positive and negative.

Critical thinking  and reflection is an essential component of critical literacy. While critical thinking focus on a particular text/mode of information to dissect THE AUTHORS point of view/assumptions/biases; CRITICAL literate students can make wider connections to recognize power dynamics and social historical themes in our world. Critical literacy expands critical thinking to look beyond to our  increasing smaller world where information can be transmitted in a click. As TL's we have the opportunity to model this and help create students who are critically literate in today's information age.

References:

Lenters, K. ( 2018). Becoming Multimodal: Literacy In and Beyond the ClassroomLinks to an external site..Links to an external site. The Reading Teacher, 71( 6), 643– 649.

Miller, Shveta.  (July 21, 2019). "The surprising benefits of student-created graphic novels." Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved from: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/student-graphic-novels/

Serafini, F. (2012) Reading multimodal texts in the 21st century.Links to an external site. Research in Schools. 19(1), 26-32. 

LibGuides: Walter Murray Collegiate: Infographics. Secondarylibguides.spsd.sk.ca. (2020). Retrieved 1 October 2020, from https://secondarylibguides.spsd.sk.ca/c.php?g=691976&p=4899967.

Fostering Literacies to Empower Life-Long Learners – Leading Learning. Llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca. (2020). Retrieved 1 October 2020, from https://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/fostering-literacies/.

12 Solid Strategies for Teaching Critical Thinking Skills. Wabisabi Learning. (2020). Retrieved 1 October 2020, from https://wabisabilearning.com/blogs/critical-thinking/teaching-critical-thinking-skills.

Information Needs, Types, and Qualities. Community of Online Research Assignments. (2020). Retrieved 3 October 2020, from https://www.projectcora.org/assignment/information-needs-types-and-qualities.

Tools for Thought - The Critical Thinking Consortium. Tc2.ca. (2020). Retrieved 3 October 2020, from https://tc2.ca/en/creative-collaborative-critical-thinking/resources/t4t-tools-for-thought/.

Snap, Spark, Provoke.. Spark.adobe.com. (2020). Retrieved 3 October 2020, from https://spark.adobe.com/page/jIKRGZjK7oSRp/.

Ssla.ca. (2020). Retrieved 3 October 2020, from https://www.ssla.ca/uploads/9/5/3/6/95368874/emerging_literacy_challenges_in_a_fake_news_world.pdf.

25 Of The Best Resources For Teaching Critical Thinking. TeachThought. (2020). Retrieved 3 October 2020, from https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/25-resources-for-teaching-critical-thinking/.