Critical Media Literacy in the Era of Trump

Biographical Sketch

Angela Pack is a Early Childhood Assistant Professor at Hudson County Community College and a doctoral candidate at Montclair State University. Her research interests are critical literacy and social justice in education.

Type of Presentation

Individual presentation

Brief Description of Presentation

This presentation will share the findings of a critical literacy discussion group. This study was conducted at an urban community college with preservice teachers and an education faculty member. They engaged in a critical literacy discussion group where they unpacked their relationship with literacy, power, and privilege in society as well as developed an understanding of critical literacy in education and society. The presentation will document the findings of the study as well as artifacts created by the participants.

Abstract of Proposal

Being critical of literacy is more than decoding and understanding literacy; it is interrogating and making meaning of all texts in terms of power (Freire, 1972). When people create texts, they narrate them from their own personal perspective, based upon their role in the economic and racial hierarchy that exists in society. These texts could be traditional fiction and non-fiction but could also include the Internet, advertisements, television, images, movement, music, and any other forms of communication.

Without a firm understanding of the relationship between literacy, power, and privilege in society one is reaffirming the current imbalance of power. In order to integrate critical literacy into a classroom curriculum, preservice teachers need to unpack their own relationship with literacy, power, and privilege (Vasquez, Tate, & Harste, 2013). This needs to be the first step in developing an understanding of critical literacy.

This study documents three preservice teachers and one teacher educators journey to unpack their relationship between literacy and power during the turmoil of the election. Throughout the study the group looked at how media literacy has influenced their sense of self and understanding of others. Members of the group discussed how the media and specifically the election had created conflict and confusion in their lives.

Through sharing the findings and implications from the study, the principal investigator hopes to engage in meaningful discourse and sharing of ideas with other educator and researchers as well as inspiring teacher educators to contemplate create opportunities for preservice teachers to unpack their relationship with literacy.

Location

Coastal Georgia Center

Start Date

2-25-2017 2:35 PM

End Date

2-25-2017 4:05 PM

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Feb 25th, 2:35 PM Feb 25th, 4:05 PM

Critical Media Literacy in the Era of Trump

Coastal Georgia Center

Being critical of literacy is more than decoding and understanding literacy; it is interrogating and making meaning of all texts in terms of power (Freire, 1972). When people create texts, they narrate them from their own personal perspective, based upon their role in the economic and racial hierarchy that exists in society. These texts could be traditional fiction and non-fiction but could also include the Internet, advertisements, television, images, movement, music, and any other forms of communication.

Without a firm understanding of the relationship between literacy, power, and privilege in society one is reaffirming the current imbalance of power. In order to integrate critical literacy into a classroom curriculum, preservice teachers need to unpack their own relationship with literacy, power, and privilege (Vasquez, Tate, & Harste, 2013). This needs to be the first step in developing an understanding of critical literacy.

This study documents three preservice teachers and one teacher educators journey to unpack their relationship between literacy and power during the turmoil of the election. Throughout the study the group looked at how media literacy has influenced their sense of self and understanding of others. Members of the group discussed how the media and specifically the election had created conflict and confusion in their lives.

Through sharing the findings and implications from the study, the principal investigator hopes to engage in meaningful discourse and sharing of ideas with other educator and researchers as well as inspiring teacher educators to contemplate create opportunities for preservice teachers to unpack their relationship with literacy.