Critical Literacy Approach to English as a Foreign Language: From Theory to Practice (English Language Education, 29)

✍ Scribed by Nizar Kamal Ibrahim

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2022
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 173
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book discusses how to approach critical literacy in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. It responds to the concerns of educators who get enthusiastic about teaching critical literacy, but become perplexed when they start reading about its theories. This causes some to avoid it altogether and leads others to argue for practicing it without theory. The book argues that both positions should be reconsidered and capitalizes on the notion of praxis, a notion introduced by Freire to explicate the various subtle connections between theory and practice.

The book instills the theoretical assumptions of critical literacy with as little jargon as possible, with many practical illustrations. It will be of interest to graduate and undergraduate students, language teachers, program and material developers, researchers, and educational policy makers.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Contents
About the Author
List of Tables
Chapter 1: The Critical Approach to Language Teaching: Theoretical Framing and Practical Implications
Grounding Theory in Practice
The Social View of Language Teaching: Basic Characteristics
Shifts in Philosophies and Practices
Authenticity
Problem-Posing
Dialogue
Principled Task Implementation
Illustrations
Set I. Sports
Set II. “On Living”
Set III. Space Exploration
CALT: A Comprehensive Curricular and Instructional Model
Principles of the CALT Model
Conclusion
Chapter 2: Critical Text Use: Challenges to the Current Instruction in Reading and Listening
From Practice to Theory: An Illustrative Comparison
The Interactive Approach: An Exclusive Focus on Cognition
Formulaic Instruction
Pre-reading: Some Inappropriate Purposes
A Harmful Focus on Comprehension Questions and Exercises
Reinforcing Unquestioned Assumptions
Further Complications: Bloom’s Taxonomy and Formulaic Practices
Learning Is Social
Shifting to CALT
The Need for Support
The CALT Model: A Balanced Focus on Text Use
Illustrations
Set I. “The Technology Generation Gap”
Set II. “The Pied Piper”
Set III. “Passport”
Conclusion
Chapter 3: CALT in EFL Text Production: Challenges to the Dominant Approaches
Connecting Practice and Theory: A Critique and an Alternative
Inauthentic Writing
Focus on Text Structure
Story Grammars and Literary Metalanguage
The Process and the Genre Approaches: Maintaining the Status Quo
Process Writing
The Genre Approach
CALT: A Balanced Emphasis on Critical Text Production
Illustrations
Set I. How Do We Think of People with Mental Impairment?
Set II. Housing
Set III. Technology
Why the Meaning-Construction Phase?
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Critical Literacy in a Foreign Language: Deeper Insights into Theory
Critical Approaches: An Important Distinction
The “Critical Theory” and the “Resistance Theory”
Critical Literacy Approaches: What to Adopt in EFL Contexts?
The Freirean Perspective
Reading the Word and the World
Teachers as Transformative Intellectuals and Epistemological Curiosity
The Feminist and Poststructuralist Views
Text-Analytic Approaches
EFL Contexts: The Case for Two Complementary Views
Questioning Texts and Discourses
Empowerment and Access in EFL Contexts: A Different Emphasis
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Foreign Language Learning and Critical Literacy: Patterns and the Two Cases of Issam and Hameed
Participants and Context
Instruction
Data Collection and Analysis
Findings and Discussion
How Have Issam and Hameed’s Critical Writing Developed Over Time?
CDA of Issam’s Task 4
DA of Issam’s Task 4
Have the Participants Improved Their Language Without Direct Instruction?
Why Didn’t the Instructor Address Language Issues in Instruction?
The Intuitive Sense of Progress
Institutional Constraints
Class Dynamics
How Did the Prolonged Engagement in Critical Literacy Affect the Participants’ Social and Language Identities?
Some Persistent Resistance
Conclusions and Some Pedagogical Implications
Chapter 6: The Teachers’ Worries: Conclusions and Recommendations
Can EFL Young and Adult Learners with Beginner Language Proficiency Deal with the Complexity of Critical Language Tasks?
What Do I Do with the Non-target Like Structures Students Exhibit?
Do I Allow the Use of the Native Language?
How May I Plan CALT-Based Instruction with Due Emphasis to the Various Language Skills?
An Illustration
Lesson Plan: The Industry Analysis Report
The Concerns of the Marginalized Groups
An Illustration
A CALT-Based Lesson: The Marginalized Groups in Celebrity Awards
How Do I Introduce Critical Literacy to My Classes Without Conflicts with the Administration, with Colleagues, and/or with Parents?
Wouldn’t CALT Classes Give Rise to Some Controversy Among Students and/or Between Students and Me?
What Do I Conclude from These Experiences?
Doesn’t CALT Make Students Question Everything and Lose Their Moral Grounds?
Spaces for Fun and Enjoyment
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix A: Sample Lessons
Lesson 2: “Tuesdays with Morrie,” a Memoir Written by Mitch Albom, Grade 11
Lesson 3: “Footsteps on The Moon,” Grade 5
Lesson 4: Parents, Teens, and Tech: Bridging the Generation Gap
Lesson 5: The Necklace, By: Guy De Maupassant, Grade 8
Lesson 6: The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Grade 3
Appendix B
References