What is critical literacy?

What is critical literacy?

Definition
	Critical literacy, as understood by those who coined the term, is the "use of language in all of its forms, as in thinking, solving problems, or communicating" (Venezky 1982).

Discussion
	More generally, critical literacy is an approach to literacy which emphasizes the external context of the learner and the learner's relationship to that context.
	Critical literacy often embraces themes of confrontation, power, control, domination, self-construction, awareness, and topics of political and economic analysis. Strong forms of critical literacy equate literacy to understanding the external world. Reading is understanding that world; writing is reshaping it.

See also
	Conceptualizations of literacy

Context for this page:

Concept module: critical literacy
In overview module: Glossary (Literacy): C
In modular book: Glossary of literacy terms
In document collection: Reference materials
In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 24 April 1997

© 1999 SIL International