Coaching Literacy Teachers as They Design Critical Literacy Practices

Literacy specialists and coaches are called upon for literacy leadership in schools and often wrestle with the tensions of implementing top-down reforms and making room for teacher- and student-led practices, such as critical literacy. Critical literacy education holds the promise of engaging learners to use literacy practices in ways that matter in the world. Yet researchers know very little about how teachers gain the pedagogical knowledge to practice critical literacy education. During 1 semester, I invited teachers in my course to join me in studying their teaching and learning practices. The questions at the heart of my research were as follows: When teachers are given the opportunity to construct critical literacy education, what practices emerge? How did I, as a course instructor and literacy coach, support teachers as they designed critical literacy practices? As I demonstrate, each teacher took a different pathway in designing critical literacy education. Through critique and designing new educational spaces, literacy educators might reposition themselves as public intellectuals charged with reimagining literacy education in society.