Critical inquiry and multi-literacies in a first-grade classroom

Crafton, L. K., Brennan, M., & Silvers, P. (2007). Critical inquiry and multi-literacies in a first-grade classroom. Language Arts, 84(6), 510-518.


It was significant that I read this article on a day when I spent some time in the schools, so reality was strong as I read. The thing that struck me most about the article, and about the school day, was that teachers often do not know how to incorporate technology in a meaningful way into their classroom practice, especially with the youngest students. The same is true for incorporating critical perspectives, though I see less interest in that around here than in technology. In many cases, the computers are not utilized even when they are found in classrooms, and if they are, it's to play drill-type software or as part of a center. Rarely do I see it used for communication or research. The teacher in this article took that big step and had her first graders use the computers to communicate with others about a case of injustice they had read about in the local newspaper. It was a case of high expectations being met.