Abstract
Recognizing that literacy is a collection of cultural and social practices and processes provides teachers with an avenue to develop a stance towards social equity for all students. This is the goal of Bridging Literacy and Equity: The Essential Guide to Social Equity Teaching. This book will assist novice and veteran educators as they aspire towards social equity in literacy classrooms. In the authors’ words, “social equity literacy teaching is the means by which teachers can empower students by seeing their literate capacities and helping them access the literacies and languages needed for full participation in mainstream contexts” (xi–xii). The authors invite readers to explore six dimensions of social equity literacy teaching: (1) societal factors, (2) the complexity of culture, (3) the culturally situated nature of language and literacy, (4) teaching in the Third Space, (5) literacy instruction as socially transformative, and (6) transformation as a social equity orientation.
Each chapter opens with a vignette or dialogue that introduces the chapter’s topic and invites thought and reflection. The authors then illustrate how educators can address issues within classrooms, drawing on the experiences of practicing teachers. The chapters conclude with questions for reflection and inquiry to stimulate personal reflection, which could be used as assignments in graduate or undergraduate courses or as discussion questions for book study groups. The authors challenge readers to become active participants through reflection and taking action to produce more equitable classrooms for all students.
Poverty, race, and disenfranchisement impact literacy achievement in a variety of ways. Too often, the differences between a teacher’s and students’ aspirational, social, and cultural capital translate into deficit views of students. Chapter 2 touches on each of these issues to help teachers become careful and critical consumers of research. The purpose of the chapter is to help teachers develop a more positive view of and higher expectations for their students. In addition, reflection and inquiry activities support teachers in recognizing their schools’ and districts’ representations of, interactions with, and expectations for culturally and linguistically diverse students, as well as the impacts these representations have on instruction.
Understanding students’ cultures is a complex endeavor, yet incorporating students’ cultures in accurate and relevant ways is essential to engaging students with school. By critiquing the iceberg metaphor of culture, which suggests that there are two dimensions of culture—the observable and the hidden—chapter 3 encourages teachers to reflect deeply on their own cultural backgrounds while exploring the cultures of others. The recommended school curricula and practices support investigations to move beyond typical discussions of heroes and holidays, which tend to isolate and essentialize cultures. Teachers need to understand the ways cultures are reflected in schools and be intentional about how these cultures are represented in their classrooms. Chapter 3 also provides realistic and concrete examples of classroom practices that are culturally responsive, which include providing culturally diverse literature, materials, and curricula that enable students to see themselves within classrooms and the curricula being taught.
When teachers understand literacy as a collection of cultural practices, rather than discrete skills and strategies, the relationships between language, identity, and power become relevant. Chapter 4 highlights the multiple literacies that all students and families bring to schools, and provides examples of classroom practices that value the diversity of students’ experiences and languages. By reorienting teachers’ expectations from focusing on deficits to building on strengths, and recognizing that school-valued literacy is only one among many literacies, teachers can build respectful relationships with students and families that encourage literacy learning.
Citing Gutierrez and Lee’s (2009) notion of the Third Space, where teachers’ and students’ background experiences and knowledge intersect, chapter 5 illustrates how Third Space teaching can build on students’ strengths and draw from their cultural and community resources to develop curricula that are engaging, relevant, and respectful. The authors spotlight shared literacy practices at the intersection of African American churches and traditional schools in order to illustrate practices that draw from students’ backgrounds to facilitate connections to and transfer of knowledge among students’ cultures and the school culture. This might include incorporating unofficial literacies such as hip hop and signifying dialogues (Lee, 2007).
When teachers take a social equity stance to teaching, a fundamental goal of teaching literacy is to help students develop agency to effect change and solve real problems. Emphasizing Freire and Macedo’s (1987) notion of the importance of reading worlds, not only words, chapter 6 introduces critical pedagogy and critical literacy, providing examples of how some teachers have led their students to examine issues related to inequity and power across grade levels and subject areas. The authors acknowledge that implementing critical literacy practices is neither common nor easy. However, these practices are essential in positioning students as activists who can improve their worlds.
Chapter 7, the final chapter, turns inward and challenges teachers to examine their own assumptions to uncover personal biases, reflect on racial identities, and unpack their own privileges and how these previously unrealized privileges may have influenced their teaching beliefs and practices. Critical race theory (Ladson-Billings, 1998) is proposed as a structure through which teachers can begin to recognize and confront racism within themselves, their school, and society.
All three authors have had distinguished careers in both literacy education and teaching for social justice. They bring their strong expertise to this text, and this introductory text will generate reflection and discussion. If teachers are interested in additional specific examples of teaching literacy for equity, they may need to seek out other resources, such as the texts developed by Linda Christensen (2000, 2009) or others.
This text offers a solid foundation for considering issues faced by educators regarding social equity literacy teaching. It is an excellent resource both for pre-service teachers just beginning to consider these issues and for professional development with classroom teachers as they consider their own teaching practices. As an introductory text, the authors provide recommended readings throughout the chapters and an extensive reference list for further investigation. As a slim volume of fewer than 150 pages, a reader could potentially read it in one sitting. However, the power of the book is in the reflection and inquiry activities that will promote stimulating conversations and ideas for positive growth and change in the classroom. The authors challenge us all not only to consider issues related to equity, but also to take action, transforming ourselves and our practices, while making our classrooms (and ultimately our world) a better, more equitable place.