Critical Literacy

 At the onset of hearing the word literacy, one often considers it to be the ability to read and write; however, there are many factors that influence it and it often goes beyond simply reading and writing.  Some of the factors that can influence literacy include one’s social, economic, political, and cultural identities.  Moje and Luke (2009) researched the influence of identity on literacy.  In fact, they recognized that humans are not only continually making meaning of identification, but also the relationship between learning and identity is inevitable. 

Furthermore, Luna et al., (2004) found that social identity is so intertwined with critical literacy that is actually comes from the center of your being.  This is important because it recognizes the role that one’s life experiences and one’s background plays on literacy.  Another factor that plays a significant role is the role of a sponsor.  Brandt (2009) defines a sponsor of literacy as an agent who enables, supports, teaches, as well as regulates or withholds literacy and gains advantage by it.  A sponsor can greatly impact one’s literacy.

As a teacher of reading, I can easily relate to the concept of a literacy sponsor.  While I consider my student population, I recognize that they come from a variety of cultures and are primarily of low socio-economic status, which can impact their background knowledge and historical literacy.  Furthermore, I acknowledge the importance of my role to help stimulate interest, increase motivation, and positively affect my student’s literacy.  In this manner, I will serve as one of their literacy sponsors.