Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Book Review: How Education Policy Shapes Literacy Instruction: Understanding The Persistent Problems Of Policy And Practice, Nicole Hertz

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Abstract: This review of How Education Policy Shapes Literacy Instruction: Understanding the Persistent Problems of Policy and Practice, edited by Rachael Gabriel, explores the most pressing educational concerns and their relationship to history and policy, written by scholars from all over the country, such as retention, intervention, early childhood and English language literacy acquisition, and coaching. With the current Science of Reading (SoR) movement and all the related laws that are being passed throughout the United States based on current educational reform measures, this review explores the relationship to past, present, and future literacy legislation, through a historical lens, …

Shifting The Balance: 6 Ways To Bring The Science Of Reading Into The Upper Elementary Classroom- A Review, Mary-Jo Morse

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

In recent weeks, the New York State Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled her “Back to Basics” plan to improve reading achievement in New York State. As part of her plan, Governor Hochul has proposed that millions of dollars be allocated in the state’s budget to train “20 thousand teachers in Science of Reading Instructional best practices and announced an expansion of SUNY and CUNY’s microcredentialing programs for teachers focused on the Science of Reading.” (Hochul, 2024). With the Science of Reading becoming a major component in reading instruction, this new text, Shifting the Balance: 6 ways to Bring the Science of …

Centering Equity And Social Identity: Reflections On Culturally Sustaining Literacy Lessons From Two Elementary Classrooms, Nadine Bryce

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Two elementary teachers illustrate how awareness of children’s sociocultural contexts and social identities can inform literacy instruction.

The Pedagogy Of Play In Teaching Of Reading: Low Tech And High Tech Interactive Reading Methods, Elizabeth Klein Ms.

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Play is essential to the healthy growth and development of children. As children play, they explore new roles, try out new ideas, and bond with each other. Play increases language, cognitive, and social skills. How can the power of play be harnessed and shaped for educational purposes? How can teachers infuse play into the classroom to improve reading and related language skills?

Teaching reading requires a combination of teaching skills but also requires ways to motivate students to read. Whatever the reading level or ability, most students will enjoy reading and read more often when they connect to the text …

Exploring The Relationships Between Grade, Gender, And Immigration Status On Reading Motivation Among Multilingual Elementary Students, Bong Gee Jang, Selena Protacio

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

In this study, we aim to address this gap by investigating how various individual learner characteristics such as grade level, gender, and immigration status affected upper-elementary school MLs’ reading motivation in English. To achieve the goal, we adopted a three-factor reading motivation model that includes three interrelated constructs (instrumental, integrative, and social motivation) based on factors which have been found to motivate individuals to learn a second or additional language. The sample for this survey research included 132 MLs in fourth-to-sixth grades from six schools in a Midwestern state. Findings indicate that while social motivation, which is prominent in the …

Incorporating Books As Strength-Based Examples Of Characters With Dyslexia, Vera Sotirovska Dr., Margaret Vaughn

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Incorporating books that facilitate inclusive understandings of dyslexia can be a challenging yet important pedagogical approach to promoting equitable practices. As realistically portrayed characters and stories provide a way for students to see not only themselves but also others, and enter different worlds, the need for multiple representations of children with dyslexia is necessary when working to create equity-oriented classrooms. First, we discuss strategies on how to select and use books with diverse representations of individuals with dyslexia. Next, we provide book selection criteria to guide teachers in curating their own classroom libraries with similar texts. Finally, we include activities …

Letras 16

Letras

No abstract provided.

Addressing Conspiracy Theories Through Media And Data Literacy Education. An Exploratory Case Study, Francesco Fabbro, Elena Gabbi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Lately conspiracy theories (CT) are increasingly hovering over Education Studies, mostly as problems in search of a solution. This paper problematizes this educational solutionist discourse by reflecting critically on different framing of CT (i.e. epistemological and ethico-political) and some related educational responses, ranging from pre/debunking strategies to democratic discussion. In addition, Media Data Literacy Education (MDLE) is presented as a viable educational approach to address CT circulating onlife. The approach is empirically explored through an online workshop with a small group of social workers attending a course for socio-pedagogical educators at the University of Florence. A qualitative mixed methodology is …

The Literary Tarot, The Literary Classics Edition Guidebook, And Oracle's Atlas: A Companion To The Literary Tarot Classics Edition From The Brink Literacy Project, Emily E. Auger

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Review of The Literary Tarot, The Literary Tarot Classics Edition Guidebook, and Oracle's Atlas: A Companion to the Literary Tarot Classics Edition. © 2022 Brink Literacy Project. UPC 195893099603.

Healing A Generation; Implementation Of Higher Education Curricula For Venezuelan Journalism Students Living Under Structural Violence To Promote A Transition Into Democracy, José Luis Jiménez-Figarotti Prof.

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

Venezuela's sociopolitical landscape has deteriorated significantly over the past decade, culminating in a profound humanitarian crisis. This ethnography, conducted from 2015 to the present, explores the experiences of a study group comprising 2000 Venezuelan communication college students, aged 17 to 25, who navigate structural violence while striving for quality higher education. The research employed a multifaceted approach, encompassing interviews, focus groups, and observations. Additionally, this qualitative study examines the outcomes of implementing an interdisciplinary journalism curriculum grounded in human rights and media activism, complemented by online sessions and an environmental education component. This educational project aims to foster critical thinking …

Steps To Prepare Bilingual Data For Analysis: A Methodological Approach, Gulab Khilji, Nazir Ahmed Jogezai

The Qualitative Report

This methodological paper offers a five-step model for preparing bilingual data for analysis. The article is guided by research in translating bilingual data into qualitative research. A systematic analysis of the research studies was conducted to identify workable options for preparing bilingual data for analysis. The proposed five-step model is comprised of (1) translator’s worldview and professionalism, (2) epistemological, ontological, and methodological considerations, (3) line of translation, (4) responsiveness to cultural terms and (5) eagerness to trustworthiness and reliability of the data. Researcher’s worldviews encompass the visibility of translator’s positionality for reflexivity, avoidance of biasness, and demonstration of professionalism. The …

The Construct Of English Native Speaker In Hong Kong, Ka Long Roy Chan Dr.

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

The discussion paper provides a discussion of the construct of English native speakers among Hongkongers. Beginning with a review of the linguistic landscapes of Hong Kong, including English language education and English usage, followed by an introduction of a debate on the construct of English native speakers, this paper demonstrates the potential inclusion of Hongkongers as native speakers of English, with the use of their English varieties, Hong Kong English. Additionally, the paper argues for a revision of the traditional geographically-bounded definition of ‘native speaker,’ drawing upon discussions by Rampton (1990), Kachru (1998), and Hansen Edwards (2017a, 2017b) regarding the …

Volume 72, Issue 2: Windows, Mirrors And Sliding Glass Doors - Bridging The Divide Call For Submissions

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

I Can... Will You?, Cheryl Golden

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

Take A Risk: A Review Of Expanding Literacy, Hollie M. Bergeron, Jenny M. Martin

Virginia English Journal

This is a book review of Expanding Literacy: Bringing Digital Storytelling into Your Classroom by Brett Pierce in 2022. Review collaboratively by two teacher educators and a content area literacy course, this thorough review of Pierce's book for educators includes many perspectives.

The Learning Center: Changing Your Writing Center To A Learning Center, Kyle D. Trott Ph.D.

Virginia English Journal

The purpose of this article is to reimagine the Writing Center not as an island removed from the disciplines or resource extending from the English Department, but as the heart of the secondary school. One way to do this is to recognize the need for secondary school writing centers to engage the academic community comprised of the five core disciplines—English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language—through advocacy and shared responsibility by means of creating and engaging through agency by utilizing the honor societies in the various disciplines through the local example of the Woodbridge Senior High School’s development of the …

Lessons From The Bluest Eye: The Discovery Of Self, Shanda D. Boone-Hurdle

Virginia English Journal

This article will explore the profound impact of reading, utilizing Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye as a catalyst for students to create real-life connections that resonate with their own experiences. The love of reading is a transformative force that not only enriches the intellectual landscape but also serves as a powerful tool for fostering empathy and understanding. This article will demonstrate how reading empowers students and helps them find solace and strength in the realization that their struggles, dreams, and aspirations are not isolated but are woven into the fabric of a broader narrative in which students can reflect …

Engaging Students In Writing With Nonfiction Social Justice Texts, Tracy Spurlin-Saravanan

Virginia English Journal

Getting students engaged in writing in a high school setting is usually challenging and often elicits complaints of boredom. However, the utilization of texts that focus on the experiences of marginalized people and that educates about social injustices can get students interested. When students read texts that inform them about such issues that they might otherwise never hear about and when they are invited to share their views through writing, the door to learning to become critical thinkers and global citizens is opened for them.

Write Like The Character: A New Take On Using Mentor Text To Support Writing, Tracy L. Hough

Virginia English Journal

Writing is a complex process that requires the orchestration of cognitive, social, and emotional processes. This analysis explores ways to help our students navigate the complexities of becoming a writer by expanding the use of mentor texts to include an examination of characters who write, modeling the real challenges and rewards associated with becoming a writer. The themes identified within the selected mentor texts focus on finding encouragement and inspiration to write from others, making sense of the world through personal writing, and discovering one's voice and identity as a writer. By extending our use of mentor texts, we help …

Shifting Scaffolds: Building Intellective Capacity Through Student Choice, Amanda Blevins

Virginia English Journal

In an effort to meet the wide-ranging capacities and even wider-ranging levels of student motivation in ELA classrooms, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers are tasked with examining current instructional practices through the lenses of efficacy and engagement. Disengagement, worsened by an over-reliance on prescriptive structures like the five-paragraph essay, hampers students' growth and independence. This essay explores how scaffolding, particularly through student choice, can nurture students' intellective capacity and foster genuine engagement with literacy. By embracing student interests and providing opportunities for authentic analysis, educators can empower students to navigate complex texts and develop nuanced thinking skills essential for …

“It's The Commonwealth's Attempt To Censor . . . What We Teach”: Anti-Lgbtqia2s+ Educational Policy Influences On Rural Secondary Ela Teacher Practices, Josh Thompson, Clint Whitten, Karin Kaerwer

Virginia English Journal

The shift in political landscape in Virginia from former Democratic Governor Ralph Northam to current Republican Governor Glen Youngkin influenced educational policies in the commonwealth. Waving the banner of parental rights, the Youngkin administration began targeting LGBTQIA2S+ students and educators through legislation and policies such as SB 656 and Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools. To understand the influence on rural school districts, this study asked how rural secondary English Language Arts educators understand and respond to these anti-LGBTQIA2S+ policies as well as the ways in which those educators …

Introduction From The Editor's Desk: Spring 2024, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

“Not A Stereotype”: A Teacher Framework For Evaluating Disability Representation In Children’S Picture Books, H. Emily Hayden, Angela M.T. Prince

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Researchers and educators have explored representations of people with marginalized identities in children’s picturebooks for over 30 years. Disability has not been widely acknowledged as a marginalized identity nor explored as an aspect of diversity prevalent in classrooms. In the United States, over seven million students are identified with a disability, and most will spend the majority of their school day in general education classrooms. Like other diverse students, they may not see their identities mirrored in classroom literature. Picturebooks featuring main characters with a disability are rare, and some still foreground medical models, limiting individuals with narrow, ableist notions …

Disability Representations And Portrayals In Picture Books With The Coretta Scott King Award, Sohyun Meacham, Shuaib J. Meacham, Irenea Walker, Bryce Davis

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study analyzed how people with disabilities are portrayed in picture books with the Coretta Scott King Award (CSKA) to address the intersectionality of African/African American racial identity and disabilities. Disability critical race theory was foundational for this study. The pool of 134 picture books that received the CSKA from 1971 to 2020 was used as the data for the systematic content analysis. For analysis, the researchers utilized a qualitative approach that guided axial coding and selective coding in looking for emerging themes. They found that 13 picture books portrayed African/African American characters with disabilities. The majority of these books …

A Wide-Angle View Of Prekindergarten Through 12th-Grade Teachers’ Beliefs About Language Correction, Mike Metz, Matthew J. Gordon, Thanh Nguyen

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article explores patterns in teachers’ reported correction of student language use in speech and writing. The authors use the concept of language correction in student writing and student speech as a proxy for prescriptive approaches to teaching about language. By conducting a large-scale survey of all language and literacy teachers from preschool through 12th grade across an entire state, the authors were able to identify patterns in teachers’ approaches to teaching about language that smaller case studies and nuanced qualitative studies have not yet documented. They examine differences in teachers’ self-reported correction of student language use across teacher characteristics …

Editorial Review Board Vol. 63 Issue 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Learning By Doing: College Students Promoting Children’S Philosophical Inquiry In Schools, Margaret Gichuru, Lin Lin, Mecke E. Nagel

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

This focus group study explores the perceptions and experiences of college students working within an applied learning program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program engages children from prekindergarten to sixth grade in local schools and early childhood education centers. The college students serve as teaching assistants in the SG Program hosted by an academic department in a northeastern university and lead philosophical inquiries as they read picture books. Informed by philosophical inquiry with children and the applied learning principles as the research framework, this focus group study invites five teaching assistants to three one-hour in-depth semi-structured interviews. The analysis of …

Building Connections: The Power Of Embedding Literacy And Math Content Into Science And Social Studies Contexts, Rachel Hallett-Njuguna Edd

Constellations: Online STEM Teacher Education Journal

Nationally, the lack of improvement in literacy scores continues to baffle experts. Instructional leaders from math, science, and social studies in one district knew the value of leveraging their subject areas to support literacy achievement in secondary students. Starting with an engaging STEM-related novel, the group of curriculum experts developed meaningful literacy connected tasks for their teacher and teacher leader participants. Working through the activities as their students would, the group found a new appreciation for the importance of leveraging the relevance of science and social studies content and the usefulness of math content when creating literacy lessons. The group’s …

Análisis Sociolingüístico De Una Hispanohablante En Harrisonburg, Virginia/Sociolinguistic Analysis Of A Spanish Speaker In Harrisonburg, Virginia, Tessa Adams

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Los patrones dialectales de hispanohablantes nativos quienes saben inglés como un idioma segundo han sido un foco para académicos lingüísticos por mucho tiempo. El estudio presente compara las experiencias de una hispanohablante nativo biligüe de Harrisonburg, Virginia, con patrones de voz que son común en otras investigaciones más amplias. Utilizando un formato de entrevista estructurado y un análisis hecho como en un caso práctico, la escritora muestra que que los rasgos lingüísticos de “Mirabel” alinea con aspetos claves de escolaridad existente mientras probando como una excepción a otras tendencias establecidas.

The dialectical patterns of native Spanish speakers who know English …

Your Story, Your Life, Your Learning: Autobiography Reveals Basis For Supporting Personalized, Holistic Pedagogy, Michael Maser

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Each person ongoingly experiences the world uniquely through vital processes shaping their subjectivity, personhood and sense of self. Learning, an innate characteristic or modality of each human life, of living, likewise arises subjectively or idiosyncratically. In this paper, a phenomenological lens is applied to auto/biographical excerpts concerned with various learning experiences to help reveal essential, subjective characteristics of emergent learning. The insights help establish a basis for challenging the primacy of objectivist learning evaluations. The insights also confirm the importance of personalizing learning as a pedagogical gesture nurturing and enfranchising student learning in significant ways beyond conventional educational approaches …