From New York City to the World: Examining Critical Global Literacies in an English Language Arts Classroom

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine one teacher’s enactment of critical literacy pedagogy in a 7th-grade English language arts classroom in a New York City public school. By conceptualizing critical global literacies in relation to preservice and in-service teaching practices that reflect neoliberal interests, we attend to pedagogy inclusive of culturally, linguistically, and socially diverse learners intended to create equitable and globally contextualized learning opportunities. Through a qualitative case study, we analyzed one teacher’s pedagogical enactment of critical global literacies. Our analysis led to four overarching themes: 1) critically understanding that literacies are always globally situated, 2) demonstrating global relevance to students’ lives and curricula, 3) incorporating multimodal literacies for multidimensional student engagement, and 4) cultivating socially responsive dispositions through critical reflection and action. These interrelated themes demonstrate pedagogical choices that affirmed students’ local lives and experiences in relation to global, international social issues, which are always connected to one another. Findings provide teacher educators nuanced insight into how critical global literacies are extended through critical understandings of literacies, the multimodal nature of literacies, and opportunities for social response, each of which are particularly illuminating for English language arts teachers.