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In one classroom example of critical literacies pedagogy, a group of fifth-grade students engaged in reading The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Rather than simply focusing on comprehension, the teacher encouraged students to question the text: Whose perspective is being told? Whose voices are missing? How does the story challenge traditional notions of “good” and “bad”? This activity moved beyond decoding words to interrogating power, representation, and bias in storytelling. Students were asked to rewrite parts of the narrative from alternative viewpoints, fostering both creativity and critical awareness.

The strengths of this approach lie in its ability to empower learners. It positions them as active participants in meaning-making, encouraging them to connect literacy with broader social issues. It also nurtures empathy and critical consciousness, skills that extend beyond the classroom. However, challenges exist: younger learners may struggle with abstract concepts like power dynamics, and teachers require strong preparation to guide sensitive discussions. Assessment can also be difficult, as outcomes are less quantifiable than traditional literacy measures.

By contrast, functional literacy pedagogy emphasizes the acquisition of basic skills—reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It ensures learners can navigate everyday texts, from signs to instructions, and provides the foundation for more advanced engagement. Both approaches share the goal of improving literacy, but they differ in scope: functional literacy focuses on utility and survival skills, while critical literacy emphasizes questioning and transformation. Functional literacy treats learners as recipients of skills, whereas critical literacy treats them as co-constructors of meaning.

Personally, I see these approaches as complementary. Functional literacy builds the essential groundwork, while critical literacy expands horizons, enabling learners to use reading and writing as tools for social change.

References

Vasquez, V. M., Janks, H., & Comber, B. (2019). Critical Literacy as a Way of Being and Doing. Language Arts, NCTE.
Rajaee, A. (2021). Implementing Critical Literacy Pedagogy to Pose Challenges and Responses of Elementary School Learners. Academia.edu.

Critical Literacy Pedagogy in Practice: A Comparative Reflectio