Critical links

We held a project day for the 'Critical Literacies' project a few weeks ago and it was a rich and fruitful day for all concerned. We were updated on the various projects involved and shared reflections on the challenges and opportunities faced by teachers undertaking critical literacy work in the current UK climate. Despite the varied nature of the 4 projects, we decided that there were a number of similar elements:
a) Each of the projects had focused primarily on subjects that were rooted in the children's own interests and experiences. This enabled teachers to draw on the students' own expertise in these particular areas of knowledge.
b) Each of the projects involved children in multimodal, multimedia production and were developing critical practices across these modes and media.
c) All of the teachers noted that children's responses were enthusiastic in nature and the project had motivated children who otherwise struggled to engage in the curriculum.
d) All of the teachers involved in the presentations felt that the project had been beneficial for their own professional development as it has enabled them to reflect on issues that previously had not been central to their concerns.
More on this at the UKLA conference, but needless to say that there is such a lot of rich material developed in the project that we are going to need to extend the project into next year in order to get it all written up! More on this in due course.

Jackie