Amanda Buyaki

ECUR 320

Professor Andre Kulnieks

November 29th, 2021

ECUR 320 Theory of Practice: Teaching Through a Lens of Critical and Ecological Literacy
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Throughout the ECUR 320 course I have learned a lot about literacy, especially literacy

in regards to ecological literacy and critical literacy. It is important for all teachers to develop

knowledge surrounding multiple literacies, however, as an English teacher it is especially vital

that I master multiple forms of literacy. As an educator it is my mission to strive for the best

classroom environment for all of my students and in order to teach diverse classrooms I must

search for multiple pedagogical frameworks and consider various ways of knowing. Therefore, it

is vital that I engage in ecological literacy and critical literacy as well as familiarizing myself

with Indigenous ways of knowing in order to teach a diverse group of students in a holistic and

decolonial framework. By engaging with the course material provided in the ECUR 320 course

and participating in class discussions which involve various viewpoints from other educators I

am able to develop the literacies I need for teaching all of my students to the best of my ability.

As a teacher in Saskatchewan it is my duty to teach a diverse student populace to the best of my

ability which includes incorporating critical and ecological literacies in my classroom.

During my time in highschool and my first two years of university I learned almost

nothing about ecological literacy and how important it is for teaching place-based courses as well

as teaching in a holistic way that works towards reconciliation. Firstly, during this course I

learned that ecological literacy is the ability to ask “what then?” according to the article

“Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World” by David Orr.

Essentially, for one to be ecologically literate they need to, “observe nature with insight, a

merger of landscape and mindscape.”(Orr) Throughout this course, I have learned that it is

impossible to be ecologically literate if you do not foster a connection to the land and you must

treat the land as a living partner that is essential for all other life on earth.(Orr) As an educator, I

must also teach all subjects ecologically as humans are a part of nature and therefore everything
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we do and learn must involve and be a part of nature to some degree.(Orr) Throughout the

course, class discussion surrounding the colonial framework of Saskatchewan schools has

broadened my opinions on how classrooms should be set up and how a class should be taught. I

have learned that it is my duty as an educator to instill sustainable and environmental values in

my classroom if I want to teach my students in a decolonial framework. One of the best ways to

teach ecological literacy is to utilize nature and the outdoors while teaching, as discussed in class

and in articles like the one written by David Orr, it is essential to conduct classes outside if you

want to teach students ecological literacy. By conducting lessons outdoors students will be

engaged with the land and learn both from and with the land, by learning from and with the land

students will develop a relationship with ecology and learn to respect the natural environment.

As an educator I must teach my students through a lens of ecological literacy, however, I must

also teach my students critical literacies in order for them to think critically about any and all

information they encounter.

In order to educate my students it is vital that I develop critical literacies and learn how to

analyse all information through a critical lens. In the article, “Literacy ideologies: Critically

engaging the language arts curriculum” by Karen Cadiero-Kaplan and Karen Smith, they define

critical literacy as:

"a literacy of social transformation in which the ideological foundations of knowledge,

culture, schooling, and identity-making are recognized as unavoidably political,

marked by vested interests and hidden agendas."

Critical literacy, as I understand it from course discussions and materials, is therefore the ability

to analyse texts in an active and reflective manner in order to understand dynamics of power,

inequality, and injustice in the texts we read as well as in our relationships. Analysing and
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critiquing the meaning of a text is essential for authentic education as information should never

be taken at face value as a concrete truth without proper questioning and review. In the course

we discussed how critical literacy is more important than ever given how the internet has

allowed for a constant flow of information and knowledge to be shared around the world.

Inevitably, a majority of information on the internet is missguided or plain false; it is important

for educators and students to be able to analyse and decipher what information is false or biased

compared to what information is factual. According to Cadiero-Kaplan and Smith, “We need to

widen our definition of literacy to reveal the hegemonic power structure and to value the

discourses of traditionally marginalized groups.” By developing critical literacies I will be able

to analyse and critique information in order to avoid spreading misinformation or information

that is biased and insensitive to marginalized groups.

However, critical literacy is also about understanding multiple literacies like functional,

cultural, and progressive literacies. (Cadiero-Kaplan, Smith) Critical literacy is also about

understanding language and how individual words hold inherent meaning and different meanings

for different cultures as discussed in articles like “Cultural Foundations of the Crisis: A

Cultural/Ecological Analysis” by Rebecca Martusewicz. Throughout the course we have

discussed how the language we use influences the way we view things such as the different

opinions people hold for a stream when you call it a drain. In order to teach any form of literacy

we must understand the ways in which word choice affects opinions and implied knowledge.

(Martusewicz) As teachers we must be aware of the effect word choice has as well as being

aware of how different cultures hold views that challenge western ideology. According to

Cadiero-Kaplan and Smith, “The production of knowledge is a relational act. For teachers this

means being sensitive to the actual historical, social and cultural conditions that contribute to the
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forms of knowledge and meaning that students bring to school.” As teachers we must be aware

of multiple forms of literacy as well as being able to comprehend the importance of word choice

and cultural, historical, and social contexts which influence the meaning of words and the

knowledge of our students.

This course has greatly influenced my approach to teaching through the lens of ecological

and critical literacies. In my future classrooms I will definitely focus on the words I chose and

continually analyse how different cultures as well as history and society influence the prior

knowledge of my students. I will also strive to educate my students using various ways of

knowing such as Indigenous ways of knowing in order to teach through a decolonial framework.

For example, one lesson that I hope to teach in a future art class is a lesson on the artist Kent

Monkman. According to the article “Kent Monkman” written by Russell Bingham for the

Canadian Encyclopedia, Kent Monkman is of Swampy Cree, English and Irish descent and is a

member of the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba. Teaching my students about a successful

Indigenous creative will hopefully inspire all of my students to engage with Indigenous media

and it will also assist me in teaching for reconciliation. However, I did not choose Kent

Monkman as an artist purely because he is Indigenous, I chose him as his paintings are

decolonial and work to indigenize history. Many of his paintings are recreations of historical

paintings where Indigenous people were excluded even though they were most definitely

present. One of my favourite pieces by Monkmen titled Trappers of Men, would be perfect for

showcasing Indigenous art and teaching my students through a lens of critical and ecological

literacy. The art piece Trappers of Men is a recreation of the piece Among the Sierra Nevada,

California by Albert Bierstadt where the landscape is reimagined with Indigenous people placed

in the environment according to the article, “Appropriation (?) of the Month: Kent Monkman —
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Re-messaging the Landscape Genre with Indigenous Sovereignty,” by Sean Robertson. The act

of placing Indigenous people on the land in his recreation of an acclaimed North American

landscape (NAL) painting fights the original implications of the NAL genre which implies

‘Manifest Destiny’ and that North America was an uninhabited land waiting to be claimed by

colonialism as a gift from God.(Robertson) Teaching students about Monkman’s and Bierstadt’s

artwork would require critical literacy while analysing themes of colonialism and ‘Manifest

Destiny’ in the original NAL piece by Bierstadt. Students would also have to view the art

through a lens of ecological literacy as they would have to focus on the meaning of the land in

the piece as well as view the piece through a framework of Indigenous ways of knowing.

Trappers of Men Among the Sierra Nevada, California

Before I took this course I used to believe that education was a predominantly indoor

activity, where students learned via instruction and personal inquiry. I also used to think that

literacy just applied to one's ability to read or their technical skill in other areas, however, now I

know that literacy encompases a vast variety of ideological standpoints. After learning about

ecological and critical literacy I have come to understand education of all subjects should be

viewed and can be viewed through an ecological and culturally, socially, and historically critical

lens. I used to believe that subjects like math, science, english, and art were all separate and that

gym was one of the only courses where going outside actually enhanced learning. However,

according to ecological literacy all subjects are connected to each other and the land; as humans

we are members of a global citizenship with the environment and have a responsibility to the
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environment. I also learned that words have inherent cultural and historical meaning and that

teaching without bias requires an understanding of how words shape thought. Most importantly,

this course taught me about what decolonial education means and how decolonial teaching will

help me as a teacher as well as better the education of all of my future students.In the end, I will

use the things I learned from this course as a constant source of inspiration while creating my

own pedagogy. The ideas surrounding critical and ecological literacy will undoubtedly enhance

my students' learning experience and as an educator in Saskatchewan it is my duty to educate a

diverse student populace to the best of my ability.

Bibliography
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Bingham, Russell. “Kent Monkman.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2019,

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/kent-monkman.

Black, Ralph W. “Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World by

David W. Orr.” Western American Literature, vol. 29, no. 1, 1994, pp. 77–78.,

https://doi.org/10.1353/wal.1994.0073.

Cadiero-Kaplan, K., & Smith, K. (2002). Literacy ideologies: Critically engaging the language

arts curriculum. Language Arts, 79(5), 372-381. Retrieved from

http://cyber.usask.ca/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-

journals/literacy-ideologies-critically-engaging-language/docview/196884237/

se-2?accountid=14739

Martusewicz, Rebecca A., et al. “Cultural Foundations of the Crisis.” EcoJustice

Education, 2020, pp. 44–73., https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429020049-3.

Robertson, Sean. “Appropriation (?) of the Month: Kent Monkman - Re-Messaging the

Landscape Genre with Indigenous Sovereignty.” Intellectual Property Issues in

Cultural Heritage, 2015,

https://www.sfu.ca/ipinch/outputs/blog/appropriation-month-kent-

monkman-re-messaging-landscape-genre-indigenous-

sovereignty/.