The Dinner Party: A Short Story

Not much is known about the American writer Mona Gardner (1899-1978), but she left us with a story that is perfect for developing teenagers’ critical literacy (and irony) skills. The story is set in India some time in the later years of colonisation (which was imposed by the British from 1858 to 1947). Although the […]

Diversifying the Curriculum: Shakespeare

As much as we’d love to diversify our curriculum to have more of a balance of voices from different cultures, it’s not always within our power to do so. Even if it is, there are sometimes good reasons for continuing to teach ‘classic’ texts. Not all teachers agree. Indeed, I was challenged in an equity-focused […]

What Is Critical Literacy?

Mandela told us that nothing is more powerful than education to change the world. I believe it. The first step to changing the world is seeing it how it is. Read on to explore how a critical literacy lens helps achieve that goal in the classroom, and download a free printable to get started with […]