(Re)Making Identities: Negotiating Critical Literacy in an Urban High School

How can teachers meaningfully engage with the students around issues of identity in the classroom? In response to this question, I used my urban Toronto public school classroom as a space to investigate the interactive processes of constructing and deconstructing identity through teacher-student relationships. Using practitioner inquiry, my research asks how critical literacy can encourage high school students to reflect on their identity in relation with my own teaching practice. Through a series of reflective in-class activities I observed the implications of students (and teachers) bringing their whole selves and diverse experiences into the classroom. My findings demonstrate that when given the opportunity, students were eager to explore the many factors that influenced their self-perceptions of who they are and who they want to be. Placing myself at the centre of the research and understanding teaching as a relational act facilitated the analysis of the relationship dynamics through dialogue and reflection. This research resulted in a powerful and transformative experience for everyone involved. The findings are also valuable for educators and administrators interested in using critical and holistic education to engage with youth voices, experiences and ideas that have historically been excluded from public education.M.A