I loved how the article “Stirring Up Justice” defined literacy as active community engagement and creating positive change. This article continued to expand my own ideas about what literacy is and how it can be used in the classroom. When I was in high school, I had a very narrow definition of literacy. I saw it as being able to read and write, and applying those skills to standardized tests like the SAT and AP tests. Literacy often became synonymous with good test-taking skills because that was the way my literacy was evaluated. I think this is a common view of literacy in K12 schools today, especially as a result of No Child Left Behind legislation that emphasizes standardized testing. The “Stirring Up Justice” article offered a refreshing definition of literacy that goes so far beyond test scores. The students in Jessie’s classroom are required to use interdisciplinary skills to research an issue in their communities and then find a way to teach that issue to the rest of the class. This project will develop so many more skills in the students than the test-taking most students are subject to. Students in Jessie’s classroom will be a lot more prepared for college or the workplace because they are practicing analytical skills, interpretive skills, and presentation skills that teach them to be engaged citizens in their communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I loved how the article “Stirring Up Justice” defined literacy as active community engagement and creating positive change. This article continued to expand my own ideas about what literacy is and how it can be used in the classroom. When … Continue reading