March is 楼凤天堂’s official ! 聽Literacy Education Advocacy Day in Washington DC kicked off the month long focus on Thursday, February 25, 2016. We know that teachers have the knowledge and classroom experience needed to talk with policymakers, school leaders, parents, and the public about the topics important to literacy teaching and learning. But what about students? Students should also speak out and advocate. The following resources from share examples of how this can be done.
“” describes one 7th-grade teacher鈥檚 experience as she reconciles the Standards with the critical literacy theories of Patrick Finn (2009) and Paulo Freire (1970). The author creates an “Advocacy Project” that empowers students to identify opportunities for agency in their own lives. Students read and write personal essays proclaiming their passions, investigate the facts surrounding their chosen issue, and present their findings to their peers in presentations and research papers.
A collaborative team of five international teacher educators/researchers examine the importance of student voice for authentic discourse and instructional design in contemporary classrooms in ““. Excerpts from their perspectives on teaching, research, and innovative programs are woven together and include suggested Actions/Reflections for the reader.
Fred Barton describes his use of an advocacy project for writing instruction in
““.聽He contends that such projects meet the instructor鈥檚 pedagogical goals while helping students recognize their place in a democratic society with the ability to influence institutional change.
“”聽argues that the teaching of public writing should not neglect issues of circulation and local need. In a series of case studies involving small press papers and homeless advocacy, the authors seek to extend recent work begun by Susan Wells, John Trimbur, and Nancy Welch, which raises crucial questions about public rhetoric in the writing classroom.
Students in college writing courses need to understand world issues, including the oppressive effects of the global economy. But their teachers need to give them a sense of agency and authority, rather than simply telling them what political positions to take. “” provides an聽example of a writing assignment that might engage as well as inform students involves analyzing Parade magazine鈥檚 annual list of the world鈥檚 worst dictators.
What civic activities do you and your students take part in?