The development of critical awareness through instructional approaches that go beyond foundational reading and writing abilities is becoming progressively more important in modern literacy education. Students are urged to speak out against texts, look at underlying ideologies, and comprehend how language impacts social reality through the use of critical literacy education. By this method, learners are active interpreters who analyze power dynamics and many points of view within literary works rather than seeing them as neutral or meaningless. They also get a grasp of how text works as well as how they reflect and impact society through critical collaboration. This pedagogical approach is essential to implement for our future students in order for them to have a chance to work with their critical thinking skills, such as in-depth analysis, interpretation, and a meaningful connection in current situations. In this essay, we are going to embark on one example of critical literacy pedagogy in practice, analyze its strengths and weaknesses, and compare it with functional literacy pedagogy when it comes to their similarities and differences in approach.

One of the examples of critical literacy pedagogy can be seen in third-year students taking a contemporary popular emergent literacy course, where students write critical essays on William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying using multiple literary theories. In this approach, students engage deeply with the text by analyzing its themes, characters, and complex narrative structure. Rather than threatening a novel as a fixed body of meaning, learners are encouraged to interrogate how the text reflects social realities such as gender roles, power, family dynamics, and identity.

Moreover, it involves applying different literary lenses — such as feminism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, or postcolonial theory— to interpret the novel. Through this process, students explore multiple perspectives and recognize that meaning is shaped by context, ideology, and theoretical standpoint. Furthermore, it embodies critical literacy by positioning students as active meaning-makers rather than passive recipients of knowledge.

One major strength of this pedagogy is its emphasis on critical thinking and analysis. Students must evaluate how each theoretical framework influences their understanding of characters and events, which strengthens higher-order thinking skills and analytical writing. Additionally, encouraging students to connect Faulkner’s themes to contemporary social issues or personal experiences increases engagement and relevance. Classroom discussions where students share and debate their interpretations further promote collaboration and participatory communication. However, this approach also has limitations. The complexity of both the text and the theories may overwhelm some students, particularly those with weaker foundational reading skills. Without a proper and sufficient scaffolding, learners may struggle to apply theory effectively.

Compared to functional literacy pedagogy, where it focuses more on basic comprehension, small language parts or "jigsaw puzzle pieces," and starts with the whole text and its purpose, particularly on reading and writing, critical literacy places greater emphasis on interpretation, power relations, and social meaning. While both approaches value textual understanding, functional literacy prioritizes skill mastery, whereas critical literacy emphasizes questioning, reflection, and transformation.

References

Literacy, social justice and inclusive practice. (2018). Open Learning. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/literacy-social-justice-and-inclusive-practice/content-section-6

Rodriguez-Brown, F. V., & Mulhern, M. M. (2024). Functional vs. Critical Literacy: A Case Study in a Hispanic Community. Ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED348443

Media, M. B., & Luehring, D. (2025, October 30). Literacy and Justice for All: Elevating Learning Through Critical Literacy - The Core Collaborative. The Core Collaborative. https://thecorecollaborative.com/literacy-and-justice-for-all/

Reading Beyond the Text: Applying Critical Literacy through Literary Theory