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My Vision for WLT Kids
by: Sara Ann Beach, Ph.D., EditorAs we begin to actually see to fruition this first issue of WLT Kids, I think it is necessary for all of us involved to develop a clear picture of why we are doing this magazine for children and what we hope to accomplish. As the editor, I understand my vision will be guiding what WLT Kids eventually becomes. Therefore, I am making concrete, for myself as well as for the members of the advisory board and my associate editor, my goals for WLT Kids and the thinking behind those goals.
I have three main goals that I hope we can accomplish through this literary magazine for children. First, I want the magazine to challenge children and the significant adults in their lives to understand other cultures. We live in a global society. Children are surrounded by media images from around the world. Often those images are accompanied by sound bites. Seldom are they accompanied by information about the culture that would contextualize the image. This lack of information often adds to preconceived and stereotyped notions of a people, a culture, a region and can lead to intolerance, indifference, and a lack of respect for those who believe and think differently. To understand a culture, however, leads to empathy, appreciation, respect for difference, and tolerance. Understanding a culture means knowing about its history, geography, habits of living, beliefs, and ways of thinking. It means stepping into the lives of the people who are the culture. Only in this way can children develop as responsible world citizens.
A second goal is to promote critical literacy through critical reflection. This goal is grounded in my view of what it means to be literate. To be literate does not simply mean that one is a proficient reader and writer. Being literate encompasses multiple sets of social practices around written texts. Luke and Freebody (1999) propose four sets of practices around texts that focus on meaning making, from breaking the code of written language to constructing personal understandings to using the text within a social setting to questioning a text and an author. Critical literacy, as I am defining it (drawing on the work of Luke, Freebody, Morgan, and Harste) means responding personally to a text, questioning its purpose, determining its viewpoint, and reflecting on the relationship of the text to its sociopolitical context. It means being able to construct an understanding of others, taking on their perspectives, and critically evaluating ideas. This happens through critical reflection, a process of identifying one's own beliefs and perception, stepping back from those beliefs, and analyzing and evaluating textual ideas and their relationship to one's own understanding and viewpoints. Becoming critically reflective does not automatically happen at a certain age or developmental level, but can begin to be nurtured from an early age.
A third goal is to position children as literary critics and researchers. Unfortunately, many children learn early that understanding a text is figuring out what the adult wants them to understand, and that adults will tell them what they need to know. Instead, children should be making connections, analyzing texts, asking questions about ideas that interest or puzzle them, and researching those answers. They need to become independent readers/writers, thinkers, and learners, forming their own opinions based on evidence and making decisions about their own actions.
The plan to begin to realize those goals: Concentrate on a region of the world with each issue. Contextualize the literature through a short discussion of the region, which could include (but is not limited to) any of the following: religion, sociopolitical systems, history, habits of life, ethnic makeup, etc. Include pictures, maps, visuals to help readers visualize the region. Provide thought provoking questions and suggestions for further reading or activities that help the children integrate the informational piece with the literature and begin to personally connect with the region.
Last edited 04.10.05 - LRW