Becoming a literacy teacher: approximations in critical literacy teaching

Abstract

The new literacy studies (NLS) is a tradition of research that includes ethnographic work on literacy that has many applications for classroom teachers. The NLS include explorations of local literacies and critical literacy as well as the notion of literacy itself. When teachers draw on the NLS, students are able to draw on their practices in critical and transformative ways. However, NLS perspectives have not been used to examine how teachers are prepared in pre‐service programs and the ways critical literacy practices develop. This paper examines how two pre‐service teachers learn to take up definitions of local literacies in their work with students from racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse backgrounds in practicum settings. They use approximations in literacy teaching to design practices with students, demonstrating the process of becoming a teacher of literacy. I conclude with recommendations for teacher educators who are interested in supporting such approximations.

Keywords:

• teacher education curriculum

Notes

1. I was not a part of the faculty at this institution and did not have a part in the design of this program. However, my co‐instructor in both literacy courses was a faculty member who contributed to the document I describe here. We taught our classes in ways that aligned with the program principals.

2. Throughout the manuscript, the words in italics are the nonverbal moves that along with talk, were relevant to the analysis of video transcripts.

3. In this section, I describe an extended use of one such book. I did not video record Melanie’s teaching of this book, although I did video record Latisha’s final performance of the text. In this section, then, I rely primarily on interview and debriefing transcripts to illustrate Melanie’s approximations with critical literacy teaching.

4. Nelly was a popular rap artist at the time of the study. His song ‘Country grammar’ was composed and released when he was living in the same neighborhood where this study took place, and his music was very popular with people of all ages.

5. Line breaks and conventions used by student are represented here.

6. ‘Louise’ is a pseudonym chosen for my co‐instructor.

7. The title of Martin’s song was added later.