Teachers’ reinterpretations of critical literacy policy: Prioritizing praxis

Recent conservative reviews of Australia’s national English curriculum argue for a return to less critical approaches to English language education and a stronger emphasis on traditional, functional approaches to provide adequate English learning experiences for school-age students. This neo-liberal shift poses a threat to adolescent learners from varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds because it demands second language learning without critical engagement with the political, social and cultural conditions that the learners are experiencing. We argue that newly-arrived English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners need opportunities both for academic skills development and critical engagement with the new conditions of their lives. In this paper we use Critical Discourse Analysis to highlight the historical dilution of “critical literacy” across iterations of state curricula in Australia, and the ways teachers mediate and mitigate the curriculum changes in lessons for EAL students. Our findings indicate that while critical approaches to second language education are under threat at the policy level, teachers are continuing to promote them through contextualized, contingent, and at times, covert, classroom practices. The detailed description of these practices demonstrates the ongoing commitment of teachers to the power of critical engagement to enhance the lives of their EAL students.