Creating Critical Classrooms: Reading and Writing with an Edge (2nd ed.)

Creating Critical Classrooms: Reading and Writing with an Edge (2nd ed.). by Mitzi Lewison, Christine Leland, and Jerome C. Harste, New York, NY: Routledge, 2014, 322 pp., ISBN 978-0- 415- 73773- 9

Lewison, Leland, and Harste discuss critical literacy theory and present ways to implement critical literacy in the K-8 classroom. The authors define critical literacy practice as one that encourages questioning the everyday world, specifically the relationship between language and power, the influence of media and culture, and the social construct of power relationships. It should also encourage consideration of action to promote social justice. The authors use critical literacy as the lens through which to analyze classroom lessons. They draw on Freire's work and use a problem-posing curriculum instead of a problem-solving one. This approach facilitates the goal of teacher-student partnership. This edition includes examples of critical classroom practice in Voices from the Field, new...