What is Participatory Literacy?

There is a need to move away from traditional notions of texts as repositories of learning and toward participatory literacy practices. Participatory literacy is becoming more and more important in today’s digital age where students don’t just read content but also interact with it and are actively creating their own content constantly. It includes elements of creativity, reasoning and collaboration in addition to skills in  attention, critical thinking and analysis.

In the traditional “transmission” model of teaching, texts are viewed as dispensers of knowledge. Subject matter textbooks are the defacto curriculum. But, in a participatory approach to learning, texts are used as part of a mix of that includes magazine articles, student-generated materials, hypermedia productions, visuals, and more. Students use texts as tools for learning and constructing new knowledge.

Learn More… Take this course: Tackling Tough Text

Discuss Here: How can you encourage participatory literacy in your classroom?