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Challenging Stories
Canadian Literature for Social Justice in the Classroom
Edited by Anne Burke, Ingrid Johnston, Angela Ward
August 2017
Print ISBN: 9781551309736
Overview
How can Canadian educators begin to instill cultural sensitivity and social awareness in elementary and secondary school students? This vital text attempts to answer that question by bringing together literacy scholars and practicing teachers in a unique cross-Canadian exploration of children’s literature and social justice. Through reflection on the experience of teaching with various Canadian texts including picture books, novels, and graphic novels, the contributors behind Challenging Stories create a “pedagogy of discomfort” that will encourage both educators and their students to develop critical literacy skills.
The compelling contributions to this collection highlight the complexities of teaching with texts that address issues of discrimination, historical marginalization, colonialism, racial and gender intolerance, sexual orientation, language, and cultural diversity. The authors offer first-hand insight into the possibilities and challenges of implementing curricular and pedagogical changes to promote equity and social justice in the classroom. Featuring the stories of participating teachers and an annotated bibliography of children’s literature, this invaluable resource will prove to be essential reading for current and future students in undergraduate education programs across Canada.
Features
- engages in stories from the classroom, highlighting complex issues of teaching literature for social justice
- highlights contemporary Canadian texts by authors and illustrators from diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous and immigrant authors and illustrators
Centering African Proverbs, Indigenous Folktales, and Cultural Stories in Curriculum
George J. Sefa Dei, Mairi McDermott
Table of Contents
Foreword
Dr. Joyce Bainbridge
Introduction
SECTION ONE: Unsettling Our Sense of Place through Reading Canadian Literature
Chapter 1: Aren’t We All the Same? The Challenges of Choosing Multicultural Literature in Historically Monocultural Communities
Geraldine Balzer
Chapter 2: “I Wouldn’t Stand Too Close to This Story If I Were You . . .”: Vancouver Island Teachers Explore Social Justice Issues
Angela Ward, with Allison Balabuch, Lauren Frodsham, Dale Jarvis, Tanya Larkin, Carol Nahachewsky, Katherine O’Connor, Devon Stokes-Bennett, and Alison Preece
SECTION TWO: Encounters between Readers and Challenging Texts
Chapter 3: Multimodal Perspectives on Teaching Canadian Literature for Social Justice
Ingrid Johnston, Karen Jacobsen, and Bill Howe
Chapter 4: Challenges for Teachers and Schools: Creating Spaces for LGBTQ Literature in Schools
Anne Burke and Aedon Young
Chapter 5: The Limits of “Understanding”: Teaching Residential School Stories in the Classroom
Amarou Yoder and Teresa Strong-Wilson
SECTION THREE: Opening Minds: Pedagogies for Social Justice
Chapter 6: A Plurality of Voices for Social Justice: Implementing Culturally Responsive Pedagogies in a Grade 6 Classroom
Anne Burke, Theresa Powell, Shawnee Hardware, and Laura Butland
Chapter 7: Opening Doors, Opening Minds: The Role of the Inquiry Group in Teaching for Social Justice
Lynne Wiltse and Shelby LaFramboise-Helgeson
Afterword
Ingrid Johnston
Bibliography of Children’s Literature
Author Biographies
Index
