Apprenticing Students into Political Participation: Using Critical Visual Literacy to Review and Redesign the School Website

This study examines 12 lessons undertaken with a Year 5 English Language Arts elementary class where students are explicitly introduced to a grammar for critical visual literacy. The goal is to apprentice students into political participation by developing their skills for critically reviewing and redesigning visual texts on the school website. The research is presented as an exploratory qualitative case study of a visiting teacher-researcher who collects data through audio and video recordings of students' learning, work samples, and semi-structured interviews where students reflect on their learning outcomes. Data from four case study students are analysed to document which teaching and learning experiences support the development of students' critical visual literacy practices and the way they respond to the political participation apprenticeship. The findings are that various students demonstrate their critical visual literacy skills through different activities within the unit of work, and that students are consciously supportive of their apprenticeship into the various dimensions of political participation.