Online Discussion on Critical Literacy - Essay Example

Most parents are expecting that the text presented in children’s books is simple and neutral when it comes to social issues related to the age, gender, race, and social identity of each individual. However, some children’s books can contain words that can be offensive to other members of society or create stereotype issues related to gender roles within society.

Children can decode the text presented to them based on their understanding. With this in mind, the use of critical literacy is important for children’s learning and social development because this particular instructional approach enables the students to carefully examine and decode critical perspectives on texts they read. Through critical literacy, students are expected to understand how these texts could significantly influence and change their perspectives on how they should act as one members of society.

Dora is one of Mattel and Nickelodeon’s famous cartoon characters for female children. To ensure that the older Dora version will not create a wrong perception of what teenage children should be like, the company exerted an effort to gather opinions from mothers who patronage Dora as a suitable toy for their children (SFGate, 2011).

Parents and adults have a significant role to play when it comes to children’s critical literacy. At a very young age, children cannot distinguish the differences between good and bad images and actions. In the absence of proper guidance from adults, children can easily be influenced by what they see, hear, or read without actually knowing whether or not the thing they have absorbed is good.

To support children’s critical literacy, parents should carefully guide their children on the text or images presented to them. For example: Knowing that Sponge Bob as a cartoon character could make children develop socially distorted values, parents should have the initiative to block this kind of programme from television or the internet (SFGate, 2011). Likewise, parents should properly screen the books they give to their children and refrain from purchasing children's books that contain images or text that are socially unaccepted or promotes inequalities among people of different races. By carefully explaining to children why certain text or image is good or bad, the children will be able to develop critical thinking that makes them able to identify the differences between good and bad. Read More