Education Commons^™

The Apa Dragon, Anna Gonzalez

Literacy Practice and Research

No abstract provided.

“I Want Them To See The Real Us Not Just What They What They Want Us To Be…”: Cultivating A ‘Literate Language Of The Soul’ For Radical Hope, Patriann Smith

Literacy Practice and Research

In this conceptual essay, I argue that radical hope can be fostered through literacies of timeless learning based on student-created literature in literacy and English language arts classrooms as an endeavor of soul education, allowing teachers and youth to cultivate a literate language of the soul. Drawing on tenets of soul education and its interconnections with affect theory and Ubuntu as an African spirituality, I describe how literacy and English language arts teachers working with predominantly Black middle-school youth connected their histories, backgrounds, stories, and understandings while engaging with literature created by their students. I argue that exploring literacies …

K-12 Writing Teachers’ Careerspan Development: Participatory Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Writing, Sarah J. Donovan, Jenn Sanders, Danielle L. Defauw, Joy Myers

Literacy Practice and Research

This narrative grounded theory study examines 19 US K–12 teachers’ development of pedagogical content knowledge of writing (PCKW) across their careers. Building on writing pedagogies and career cycle theories, we invited writing teachers to tell stories of critical experiences that contributed to their development. Findings indicate that teachers’ understanding of writing, being writers, and teaching writers were propelled by various critical experiences--both personal and professional. Our model shows that these experiences prompted teachers to engage in participatory PCKW to cultivate development. Implications are that writing teachers need communities of practice, mentors, and ongoing participatory engagements to sustain process pedagogies.

An Investigation Of Prekindergarten Teachers’ Read Aloud Choices, Rebecca M. Giles, Karen Morrison

Literacy Practice and Research

The value of children’s literature as a tool for promoting literacy, improving content knowledge, and increasing print motivation is evident. Empirical evidence relating to the types of books early childhood teachers read aloud and the reasons for their choices, however, does not exist. The purpose of this descriptive study was to provide current, in-depth documentation of the read-aloud book choices of prekindergarten teachers (n=151) in a nationally recognized, state-wide program regarding the variables of genre, publication date, and diversity along with the teachers’ rationale for selecting the books. Responses to two open-ended questions inspired by Yopp and Yopp (2006) were …

Opening The Circle To Support Dyslexia Policy Success: Learning From The Voices Of Literacy Teacher Educators, Kathleen S. Howe, Teddy D. Roop

Literacy Practice and Research

An authoritative discourse surrounds the current dyslexia legislation and science of reading movement that largely silenced literacy teacher educators’ voices and participation in this important policy initiative. This study was designed to include the voices of literacy teacher educators from four Midwestern states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska). The study was conducted across two phases. This article focuses on Phase II, which involved one-on-one interviews with participants. The interview responses were qualitatively analyzed using a priori and inductive analysis. Three major themes emerged that inform how literacy teacher educators negotiated sense-making of a historically confusing construct (dyslexia) and related policy initiative.

A Comprehensive Literacy Approach: Integrating The Science And Art Of Reading For Adolescents, Robert A. Griffin

Literacy Practice and Research

This paper explores the effectiveness of a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction that integrates both the science and art of reading for adolescents. Drawing on a range of research and educational practices, this paper emphasizes the importance of merging explicit, structured instruction in the foundations of reading with student choice, engagement, and collaborative learning opportunities. Scaffolding comprehension and vocabulary development, integrating technology and multimodal literacy, and prioritizing professional development and teacher preparation programs are also discussed. A case study of a middle school language arts teacher and her student illustrates the practical implications of a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction. …

Ungifted: Teacher Candidates’ Understanding Of Giftedness Through Literature Circles, Sharryn Larsen Walker, Wendie Lappin Castillo

Literacy Practice and Research

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the reflective comments made by teacher candidates (TCs) after they participated in weekly discussions about the tween novel Ungifted by Korman (2012). The TCs attended at a regional Pacific Northwest university, majoring or minoring in various educational fields. After reading and discussing the topic of giftedness as it related to their engagement with the novel, the TCs wrote a reflective essay about their new understandings of teaching the gifted. Using the constant-comparative method, the essays from three sections of the course over a three-year period were read and reread for identifiable …

Benefits Of Supplemental Field Experiences: Reviewing Five Years Of Program Data, Megan Adams, Sanjuana C. Rodriguez

Literacy Practice and Research

This study includes five years of data from a summer literacy program. The program provides a supplemental field experience for teacher candidates in a College of Education. In that experience, candidates work with children from economically marginalized populations who are performing below grade level in reading. Findings indicate supplemental field experiences are critical in developing efficacy in the candidates and supporting their development as they become professionals with varied literacy teaching strategies. Finally, the findings indicate teacher candidates need supplemental field experiences to understand the demands of the profession and to build teaching stamina.

Literacy Stars In The Making: Reading & Writing Fluency Idol, Kristine Calo, Ellen Koitz, Jennifer Dinterman, Cassidy O'Neill

Literacy Practice and Research

This article describes an intervention project with 20 K-5 students who were receiving remedial reading support during a summer reading clinic. Reading & Writing Fluency Idol capitalizes on the power of poetry, scaffolding, and explicit feedback to motivate and engage students while building a wide range of literacy skills. The K-5 students read mentor poems and texts using a variety of evidence-based fluency practices, and then used the texts as models for their own writing. The article explains how the authors implemented the intervention culminating in a Fluency Idol event to showcase and celebrate the children as readers and writers.

Arrows Of Resilience: Teaching The Artemis Archetype In Children’S Literature, Shannon Tovey

Literacy Practice and Research

Story is a powerful vehicle for teaching resilience skills. Strong female archetypes in stories demonstrate qualities of resilience that offer models of how to face adversity, survive it, and thrive. Drawing on psychoanalytic, resiliency, reader response, and Storyworld Possible Selves theories, this work explores the relationship between strong female characters in children’s literature and resilience skills, and explains ways in which analyzing, discussing, and writing about them can help to build emotional competencies that will last a lifetime.

Predictive Values Of Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension Assessment, Taylor M. Grantham, Matthew Carter, Crystal C. Randolph, Gina M. Doepker

Literacy Practice and Research

The complex nature of reading comprehension makes it challenging to assess. Comprehension assessment results frequently do not directly indicate which skills should be addressed to remediate comprehension difficulties. The current study investigated which underlying skills are most related to a common reading comprehension test. The reading skills that were measured in this study include single-word reading accuracy, single-word reading fluency, textual reading fluency and accuracy, oral reading comprehension abilities, and silent reading comprehension abilities. The findings indicate that reading rate is associated with oral reading comprehension abilities and that word reading accuracy is important for oral reading comprehension abilities.

What Are The Disciplinary Literacy Complex Texts And Comprehension Habits Of Mind In Elementary (K-6)?, Stephanie Buelow, Charlotte Frambaugh-Kritzer

Literacy Practice and Research

This article spotlights complex texts and the comprehension habits of mind that elementary students may encounter across the disciplines of visual arts, performing arts, science, social studies, and mathematics.

Linguistic Landscapes And The Navigation Of New Settings: A Phenomenological Self-Study Of Signage On My First Trip Abroad And Implications For Teaching Literacy, Lindsay Persohn

Literacy Practice and Research

Landry and Bourhis (1997) are credited with coining the term linguistic landscapes, a term which they defined as “the language of public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, and public signs on government buildings [combined] to form the linguistic landscape [of a given region]” (p. 25). In this phenomenological (Patton, 1990) self-study, I explored the linguistic landscapes of three unfamiliar countries during a forty-five-day summer research and leisure trip. I analyzed the photographic data I collected to understand what information I gained from the signs, how I used the information in visual images to …

Teacher Educators' Beliefs, Self-Efficacy, And Perceptions Related To Dyslexia: Phase I, Teddy D. Roop, Kathleen S. Howe

Literacy Practice and Research

Educators are often blamed by dyslexia organizations and advocates for failing to provide appropriate reading instruction for students, including the identification and instruction of student with dyslexia. As a results, states are responding with legislation for how reading should be taught. This study focuses on including the voices of teacher educators, who largely were not included in the process of informing legislation. It sought to understand their: (a) beliefs about dyslexia; (b) self-efficacy for working with students with dyslexia and other reading challenges; and (c) perceptions about their programs and dyslexia legislation.

Contemporary Children’S Literature In Education Courses: Diverse, Complex, And Critical, Jennifer Graff, Lauren Aimonette Liang, Miriam G. Martinez, Amy Mcclure, Deanna Day, Mary-Kate Sableski, Jackie M. Arnold

Literacy Practice and Research

Contemporary Children’s Literature in Education Courses:

Diverse, Complex, and Critical

While research has established the importance of children’s literature in classrooms, the inclusion of children’s literature courses in teacher preparation programs increasingly faces resistance. A team of children’s literature and literacy education scholars conducted a national survey of children’s literature courses in P-8 teacher certification programs to better understand the role these courses currently serve. Survey questions centered on course types, formats, descriptions, goals/objectives, readings, and assignments. Initial analysis focused on a comparison of undergraduate and dual-degree programs, and further analysis of a subset of undergraduate courses involved cross-data comparison …

Disciplinary Literacy In Practice: Examining How English Teachers Read Literary Texts, Matt Cantrell

Literacy Practice and Research

This study investigates the viability of disciplinary literacy by (1) examining whether English teachers can use disciplinary methods to read a disciplinary text and (2) identifying possible relationships between teacher training and the use of disciplinary approaches. In total, 21 English instructors thought-aloud as they read an unfamiliar poem, and two independent raters evaluated each transcribed response as either “Disciplinary” or “General” depending on the types of reading strategies demonstrated using a rubric generated from previous expert-novice studies in literary reading. This study found that ten (10) of the 21 participants used at least one disciplinary method to make sense …

Putting Out Fires Through A Re-Grounded Critical Literacy: Slowing The Spread Of Misinformation Through Teacher Education, Noah Asher Golden, Breanna Couffer

Literacy Practice and Research

In this essay, we discuss the challenges teacher educators face when preparing secondary teachers to educate adolescent learners in an age of seemingly-ubiquitous online mis- and disinformation. Mis- and disinformation about COVID-19, the climate crisis, or even the shape of the planet Earth are abundant in our mediasphere, and teacher educators can play a central role in supporting secondary-level learners in navigating the multiple and conflicting claims they come across. We explore a literacy teacher education approach that marries discursive analysis with empirical investigations, and share an example of critical textual analysis bolstered by scientific investigation.

Read Aloud Across Grade Levels: A Closer Look, Samuel Dejulio, Miriam Martinez, Janis Harmon, Marcy Wilburn, Megan Stavinoha

Literacy Practice and Research

In this study, the authors explore teachers’ beliefs, understandings, and practices related to read alouds through surveys collected in 2015 (86) and 2020 (43). The participants ranged from teachers in early childhood to secondary classrooms. The authors focused on the participating teachers’ purposes for conducting read alouds, types of texts used, preparation, and instructional practices related to rea alouds. The authors analyzed the data in two rounds. They began by comparing the data from 2015 and 2020. In the second round, they analyzed the data along two dimensions: thoughtfulness and valuing of student participation. The authors found similarities between the …

Literacy Faculty Perspectives During Covid: What Did We Learn?, Xiufang Chen, Shuling Yang, Tala Karkar Esperat, Chelsey M. Bahlmann Bollinger, Ann Van Wige, Nance S. Wilson, Kathryn Pole

Literacy Practice and Research

This multi-institutional collaborative survey research investigated graduate literacy faculty’s experiences and perceptions of teaching online during Covid-19 in the U.S.A. Results indicate faculty did not perceive limitations in these online learning environments. However, they encountered various challenges, and handling field experiences became the greatest challenge. Also reported were their mental and physical health concerns. Faculty participants realized they needed to be more student-centered with their online teaching. As faculty move toward post-pandemic course design and teaching, lessons learned during the pandemic can help build stronger and more equitable graduate literacy education programs.

The Path To Self-Authorship: The Pre-Service Teacher-Writer, Shari L. Daniels Dr., Pamela Beck

Literacy Practice and Research

This literature review examined the relationship between the development of a teacher who writes (teacher-writer) and the phases of self-authorship, “the internal capacity to define one's beliefs, identity and social relations” (Baxter Magolda, 2001, p. 269). The narratives of three teacher-writer-authors show a correlation to Magolda’s self-authorship phases. The purpose of this examination was to explore the question: How might a writing support teachers in personally and professionally? Research suggests new teachers are unprepared for today’s classrooms. Could this unpreparedness may be related to a lack of self-authorship? Might a consistent writing practice propel teachers through the phases of self-authorship …

Critical Review Of Language At The Speed Of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’T, And What Can Be Done About It By Mark Seidenberg, Elizabeth Fincher

Literacy Practice and Research

This comprehensive book review on Mark Seidenberg’s Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It advances the conversation around the “reading wars” in scholar and educator stances on effective methods to teaching reading through explicit phonics-based instruction versus a whole-language approach that emphasizes the child’s discovery of meaning through experiences in a literacy-rich environment. Seidenberg’s support of science-based or “brain-based” teaching of reading is critically examined, as it relates to theoretical and practical knowledge in reading pedagogy. This review aims to provide scientific insight into reading development and …

Pronounce “Palyanitsa” (“Паляниця”) As An Identity Marker: Linguistic Lessons Of The Russian - Ukrainian War, Oksana Bomba

Literacy Practice and Research

No abstract provided.

Growing Literacy Skills With Visual Thinking Strategies On Virtual Art Museum Tours, Katie L. Nickel

Literacy Practice and Research

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is an art curriculum and facilitation method developed by cognitive psychologist Abigail Housen and museum educator Philip Yenawine (Yenawine, 2013). Art museum educators employ VTS to support aesthetic appreciation through close looking and judgment-free discussions centered on works of art. In this article, I describe a virtual tour for K-5 students at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida that employs Visual Thinking Strategies and intentional language while paraphrasing student comments. Students on virtual tours build visual and reading literacy skills through facilitated engagement with art.

From Dyslexia To Doctorate: My Personal Journey, Jeremy S. Jackman

Literacy Practice and Research

No abstract provided.

"A Virtual Community Literacy Partnership: A Place-Based Reading And Writing Initiative Between College Of Education Students And Urban Middle School Students", Anne Katz Ph.D., Justin Hanson

Literacy Practice and Research

How can I reflect on my practice as a literacy teacher? “I want to be the type of teacher who inspires great writing from my students, and makes them yearn for more knowledge.”

As a reading professor, I am inspired by the words Justin wrote in the pre-project survey at the beginning of the semester. In the midst of a pandemic, how could I create a learning experience to facilitate a literacy collaboration with local middle school students? I planned the community literacy partnership in the context of a College of Education grant written the previous year. This format anticipated …

Empowering Higher Education Students To Take Charge Of Their Writing: Another Dimension Of Literacy, Janet Richards

Literacy Practice and Research

In this commentary, I offer tips, advice, strategies, and information to assist instructors and students who engage in academic writing.

Writing For Comprehension: How Does Writing Influence Informational Reading Comprehension In The Elementary Classroom?, Tori Golden Hughes, Roya Q. Scales, W. David Scales

Literacy Practice and Research

This quantitative study was conducted through a school and university partnership. Data from benchmark reading assessments and writing rubrics were gathered over five weeks in a third-grade classroom in the rural mountains of the southeastern United States. Results indicate student growth in reading comprehension and writing. Findings confirm the positive correlation between reading and writing, which suggests integrating explicit reading and writing instruction supports students’ reading comprehension. Based on these findings, we suggest ways teachers can improve reading comprehension skills, blend reading and writing instruction, and pique student interest through an informational writing unit.

Critical Awareness For Literacy Teachers And Educators In Troubling Times, Patriann Smith, S. Joel Warrican

Literacy Practice and Research

The field of literacy remains assailed by a persisting discrepancy between an increasing body of literacy research that honors the diversity in students’ practices juxtaposed against a persistent system of schooling and high-stakes assessment that has not been designed to draw from underrepresented students’ literate assets. This discrepancy has created a situation where teachers often receive well-intentioned instruction from literacy educators about how to address diverse literacy needs, but then, struggle to enact this instruction in the high-stakes testing environment of classrooms and schools where they have little autonomy. We argue in this essay that critical multilingual, critical multicultural and …

Moving To A Virtual Literacy Practicum: Challenges And Solutions, Joyce C. Fine Ed. D.

Literacy Practice and Research

When the university took the unprecedented move to virtual teaching at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, my challenge, as a teacher educator, was to plan a virtual literacy practicum for master candidates. All aspects of curriculum design were considered, from establishing relationships with schools, parents, and students, considering technology platforms, appropriate technology applications, to considering everyone’s emotional state. In this article, I share the many challenging aspects and the solutions that lead to successful experiences for all participants.

Preparing Contemporary Reading/Literacy Specialists: Pairing Research And Standards, Allison Swan Dagen, Aimee Morewood, Susan Taylor, Christina Glance, Angela Curfman, Kimberly Goletz

Literacy Practice and Research

The evolving role of the school-based reading/literacy specialist and the shifts necessary for programs preparing candidates for this role are addressed in this paper. We begin by sharing a brief history of the role as implemented in preK-12 schools, with a focus on contemporary responsibilities. Then, we present a detailed account of the program level decisions aligned with the International Literacy Association Standards for Literacy Professionals 2017 (2018) and programmatic elements research (Lacina & Block, 2011). We conclude this paper with recommendations and next steps for programs who focus on reading/literacy specialist preparation and implementation of the role in preK-12 …