Schools bring people together. Yet for many children there are major discontinuities between their lives in and out of school and such differences impact on literacy teaching and learning in both predictable and unpredictable ways. However if schools were reconceptualised as meeting places, where different people are thrown together (Massey, 2005)…

Recently, transactional reader response theory has been criticized for providing an inadequate theoretical guide for the study of multicultural literature. Some scholars argue that Rosenblatt assumes the reader and her response to literature are ideologically innocent and the continuum of aesthetic and efferent stance does not encompass critical…

Notes that it is important for educators to remember to avoid battles with critics who tie up and wear down educators with arguing--not arguments--because it drains limited time and energy and pulls them away from more important things like working with children. Suggests that it is more effective to prepare a thoughtful, reflective response…

The way in which the culture of ethnography has been developed in classrooms that encourages teachers and students to question, doubt, reflect, revise and remain open to new possibilities, is discussed. Through the documentation of interactions and talks between teachers and students, a critical examination of the teachers and capabilities and…

A teacher encourages her students to develop a language of critique through their study of candidates' platforms in a presidential election. It is concluded that the critical literacy/social justice curriculum in elementary classrooms is an effective learning experiences for students.