In Defence of Critical Literacy Pedagogy
A Policy-Responsive Literacy Approach Addressing the Academic Needs of Immigrant Students in Canadian Schools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/28169344.156Keywords:
critical literacy, immigrant students, multiliteracies, deficit theory, culturally responsive pedagogyAbstract
This paper critically examines four major traditions of literacy pedagogy: didactic, authentic, functional, and critical, to evaluate their effectiveness in supporting the academic needs of immigrant students in Canadian schools. While didactic approaches emphasize the transmission of standardized knowledge, and authentic and functional models promote real-world relevance and skill application, these traditions do not sufficiently confront the systemic inequities that shape immigrant learners’ experiences. In contrast, a critical literacy framework, informed by the works of Freire, Giroux, and other scholars, offers a more transformative orientation because it foregrounds power, identity, and social justice. Integrating perspectives from multiliteracies theory, the paper also argues that immigrant students’ diverse linguistic and cultural repertoires expand what counts as literacy, challenging monolingual and deficit-based assumptions that often govern classroom practice. Drawing on culturally responsive pedagogy, the paper demonstrates how instructional approaches that value students’ lived experiences and community knowledge foster agency, engagement, and academic success. Supported by existing research and reflective classroom insights, the analysis also acknowledges limitations inherent in reflective methodology. The paper concludes by outlining implications for classroom practice, policy development, and future research in increasingly diverse Canadian educational contexts.
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