ABSTRACT
Critical literacy has its roots in both critical theory, developed by the Frankfurt School at the beginning of the 20th century, and critical pedagogy, devised by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire in the middle part of that century. Critical literacy pedagogy involves teachers and learners identifying and challenging texts by analysing how they perpetuate oppressive discourses. Critical literacy is always concerned with teaching students to interrogate the connections between language and power and how the power of dominant groups is embedded in language. Children’s books that are readily found in bookstores and department stores tend not to challenge the status quo. However, adopting critical literacy in the classroom means including texts that expand children’s views of the world. Being critically digitally literate means giving children the skills to evaluate the trustworthiness of sites and content on the web.
