Critical literacy is a response to injustice and the production of illiteracy in which students and teachers work together to form a community of mutual respect and understanding, where each and every voice is not just heard but acknowledge, and learning is interactive and effective.

“It is absolutely essential that the oppressed participate in the revolutionary process with an increasingly critical awareness of their role as subjects of the transformation”. Paulo Freire was the last author we studied and I believe he summed up the whole course with this one quote. It is critical that teachers create an environment that is creative and comfortable. This is a word we have not really used. A level of comfort must be allowed in order for all of these ideals to take place. Teachers must be comfortable with their students, students must be comfortable with the teacher and with each other. How does this happen? How do we provide a ‘comfortable’ classroom for our students? We listen and acknowledge what they are saying. We include them in their learning process not simply lecture at them. Our classrooms should be fun, interesting and creative. They should cater to each students learning style and respect where they come from and what they bring to enhance everyone’s learning.

Delpit, Baker, Purcell-Gates, all talked about the diversity in our vocabulary, written expression and attitudes toward school. Diversity is what makes up our world. In order for our students to function literately in our world diversity must take a role. We must celebrate differences and learn from them. Not only will students learn about different cultures but perhaps a bit of tolerance. Including these differences in our lessons gives students ownership and respect. This in turn will foster learning...doesn’t sound too hard to me! Each of the authors we studied talks about incorporating some aspect of the student into our curriculum.