Special Issues, Volume 2: Critical Media Literacy: Bringing Critical Media Literacy Into Ela Classrooms

During a time of increased book banning and censoring, of scrutiny of the word critical, and even calls for surveillance of K-12 teachers, the burgeoning field of critical media literacy is more important than ever. These new challenges demonstrate the importance of teaching media literacy to address some of the most pressing needs of our youth. This second volume devoted to critical media literacy picks up where the first volume left off, as it continues the work of defining this important area of focus and looks for practical and innovative ways to bring these important topics into ELA classrooms. Editors William Kist and Mary T. Christel have curated and edited a wide range of original essays by leading educators in the field, focusing on pedagogical directions of critical media literacy, integrating it into reading, writing, and interdisciplinary instruction, and new ways of teaching about and with media.

WILLIAM KIST is Professor Emeritus of Education at Kent State University and is a former high school English teacher and curriculum supervisor. For twenty years, Bill has worked with schools and organizations, providing instructional coaching and professional development. A presenter of many keynote addresses focusing on the area of technology integration, he has penned five books including the forthcoming Curating a Literacy Life, to be published in 2022 by Teachers College Press. Bill can be found online at www.williamkist.com and at https: //twitter.com/williamkist.

MARY T. CHRISTEL taught drama, literature, media, and film courses at Adlai E. Stevenson High School for thirty years. She co-authored several books on media literacy for NCTE as well as a recent publication on Shakespeare. Mary writes extensively on incorporating superhero narratives into ELA curricula and has contributed chapters to Comic Connections: Reflecting on Women in Popular Culture (2017), Comic Connections: Building Character and Theme (2019), and The Human in Superhuman (2022). She received special recognition from the Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her work developing media literacy curricula for the high school classroom and related teaching training.