Critically Listening to Elementary Read-Alouds

This blog is written by 起点传媒member, Melissa Summer Wells.聽

In her often-cited work (you can read a reprint ), Bishop (1990) noted, 鈥淟iterature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.鈥� Reading and selecting literature to share with students, therefore, becomes a task far beyond simply selecting a good story: we are seeking windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for ourselves and our students.

Sometimes, though, we overlook those windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors鈥攅specially if the selectors of this literature are accustomed to seeing themselves in literature without even realizing it. Gangi (2008) analyzed children鈥檚 literature textbooks, booklists, order forms, and award lists to document the over-representation of resources by and/or about white characters and culture. Furthermore, she highlighted the lack of multicultural literature represented in many common professional literacy textbooks, staples in many literacy coaches鈥� professional book collections.

As an elementary literacy coach, Gangi鈥檚 observation shook me. Without critical awareness, how can teachers鈥攚ho historically come from predominantly mainstream backgrounds as overwhelmingly white, middle-class, heterosexual, Christian females鈥攑ay closer attention to whose voices are or are not reflected in the literature they share with students? I devised this simple chart to use with teachers to raise this critical awareness.

In addition, students themselves can help fill out this chart as they raise their own critical awareness of voices heard and silenced in books. Some teachers may find some topics, like race and sexuality, uncomfortable with younger learners, but I echo Aboud and Doyle鈥檚 (1996) belief that ignoring such topics is not sustainable: 鈥淥n the one hand, educators do not want to foster prejudice [by ignoring it]. On the other, many people wonder how we can succeed in reducing prejudice if we do not talk about it鈥� (p. 162). 聽Instead, find constructive ways to introduce these topics鈥攕uch as using children鈥檚 literature that features non-mainstream cultures and families.

For me, it all comes down to this simple question: shouldn鈥檛 everyone be able to experience mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors in the literature we use at school?