Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Back To The Future: Looking At Nostalgic Practices To Conceptualize A More Inclusive Literacy Future (Part 2), Darreth R. Rice, Rebecca L. Witte

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

It’S “A Good Day” To Make Inferences: Helping Emergent And Reluctant Readers, Amy Davis

Michigan Reading Journal

A skilled reader can understand and connect to relationships that are not explicitly stated in text. The process of making inferences can be divided into two categories: text and prior-knowledge-based. This paper offers examples of inference questions using the picture book, “It’s a Good Day” by Kevin Henkes, that teachers can use during shared book readings with emergent and reluctant readers.

Communication: Skill Development Framework, Claire Scoular, Jonathan Heard, Adam Wardell

Assessment and Reporting

This communication skill development framework was developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing communication. It provides a general definition of communication and describes this construct as it applies in classroom-based learning. This framework synthesises and harmonises existing theory and research on communication. It outlines communication processes along prescribed strands and aspects that are informed by evidence. The strands contained within the framework are 1. Strategising an approach; 2. Conveying information; and 3. Receiving communication. The strands are further broken down into aspects to inform teaching and assessment.

Theorizing “Reflection” And “Refraction” For Teaching Argumentative Writing About Literature In The Secondary English Language-Arts Classroom, Matt Seymour

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

This study theorizes two new constructs—“reflection” and “refraction”—for teaching argumentative writing about literature in secondary classrooms. Derived from a year-long ethnographic study and through contextualized analysis of a student's essay, it examines a Latinx student's argument about the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing. The analysis that follows demonstrates how her writing was influenced by both conventional argumentative practices in schools and the specific racial narratives present in the classroom environment. Drawing from the perspectives of New Literacy Studies, the study advocates for writing instruction to consider elements reflection and refraction in English language arts classroom. By doing so, it suggests moving …

Translanguaging: Old Wine In A New Bottle, Or New Wine?, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

The conversation about translanguaging is creating waves around the world, and Illinois is no exception. This column serves to remind the reader of some of the antecedents to this influential concept (“old wine”), predicts how this movement may affect your education setting (“new bottle”), and lays out a few of the aspects of translanguaging that may indeed be “new wine.”

#35 Understanding In Lao, Victoria Gill

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This piece is a celebration, an interpretation, and translation of Lao words and of the Lao language as poetry. This poem dissects and discuss the differences between how the word "understand" is conceptualized and embodied in the Lao language versus English. Further, it shows how in Lao, there are even deeper nuances between what it means "to know" versus "to understand" in Lao.

Interactive Read Aloud Planning Template For The Story, The Letter From The Book Frog And Toad Are Friends, Lauren Dehmer, David Wolff

OER Materials

This is a read-aloud planning template for the story The Letter from the book Frog and Toad are Friends, which holds five stories. The goal of the assignment is to create an effective read-aloud. Research supports these as they can expose children to new words and language structures (Burkins & Yates, 2021). Cunningham et al. (2023) also explain interactive read-alouds as a way to “immerse students in rich content.” The author was given a list of stories from the anthology, The 20^th Century Children’s Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud, from instructor Dr. David Wolff, who …

Los Beneficios De La Enseñanza De Lenguas Extranjeras Con Cuentos Bilingües En Escuelas Rurales, Morgan Gosdin

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This action research explores and reflects on the use of bilingual storytelling as a model for foreign language education in third-grade classrooms. Previous research indicates that familiar stories foster an ideal environment for young learners, shifting the focus to language rather than content (Kirsch, 2008). Stories invoke curiosity in students and allow learners to view a foreign language as comparable to their own rather than simply a list of rules and vocabulary words. The action research, conducted in rural Middle Georgia third-grade classrooms, incorporates cultural and linguistic education. A class of undergraduate language students conducted biweekly lessons reading Spanish stories, …

An Exploration Of Change In Teachers’ Sel Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Beliefs After Participation In A Sel Professional Development Course For Uruguayan Teachers Of Secondary Schools, Sheila Coli

Dissertations of Practice

This convergent mixed-methods study explored how secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Uruguay changed their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of social emotional learning (SEL), and their beliefs about their role in SEL integration, after participating in a six-week online professional development (PD) course. Amid increased international emphasis on the importance of social and emotional competencies (SECs) for students’ academic and personal success, Uruguay’s EFL national curriculum calls for the promotion of these competencies, yet offers limited guidelines or training for their EFL educators. The PD course was designed by the researcher to address this gap, providing …

The Importance Of Pragmatics In The Foreign Language Classroom, Emma Marie Hatsuko Van Ermen

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pragmatics has received relatively little attention in language instruction, as it is often regarded as a higher level skill and has only recently gained prominence in linguistic research. This literature review examines the role of pragmatics in foreign language teaching and explores why it is a critical component of language acquisition. First, pragmatics is distinguished from other linguistic branches, such as syntax and semantics, to clarify its unique function in shaping context-dependent communication. Then, the importance of pragmatics in language learning is discussed and the benefits of explicit teaching are highlighted. Finally, common methods for teaching pragmatics such as audio-visual …

Responding To The Needs Of Early Literacy Teachers: Designing Online Professional Development To Improve Writing Instruction For Multilingual Learners, Katie M. Crook, Hazel Vega, Emily Howell, Lindsey W. Rowe, C. C. Bates, Kavita Mittapalli, Amlan Banerjee

Publications

While the population of multilingual learners (MLs) in the United States has grown rapidly in recent years, many teachers feel unprepared to teach them. The professional development (PD) teachers receive is often misaligned with their particular needs and experiences. This design-based research study examined the development and impact of online PD designed with teacher input to improve writing instruction for young MLs. Data were collected over twelve months from 25 teachers in six Southeastern U.S. school districts. Researchers evaluated the impact of the PD on teachers’ knowledge and self-efficacy for teaching writing to MLs. Findings highlight how teachers made instructional …

Umschreiben: A Lesson Plan For Introducing Circumlocution Skills In A German Classroom, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce ways to handle communication breakdown
• Create authentic representations of our personalities: this is something we often do in our first language when we forget a word
• Increase social competence and increase willingness to communicate (will and skill, p. 82)

Idioms Are Indeed The Yellow Of The Egg: A Lesson Plan For Introducing German Idioms, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce the linguistics of idioms.
• Assist students in identifying the appropriate situation to use a given idiom, contributing to students’ social linguistic and social competence (Parks, p. 82).
• Assist students in crossing the threshold of being an observer of the language and associated cultures, into being a participant. They will be able to “press their thumbs” for luck and understand more than just train station.

Deutscher Patriotismus?: Lesson Plan For Exploring German Patriotism, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Compare and contrast the differences in expressing patriotism between the US and Germany
• Introduction to the involvement soccer has in Germany’s culture, even for non-soccer fans

Threading The Needle: Teaching Critical Reading And Writing In The Age Of Ai, Emily A. Durham, Andrea A. Berta

Humanities

All instructors--but particularly instructors who must teach students specific disciplinary ways of reading and writing--face a difficult position with AI. Students will need to use AI in collegiate and professional writing, but using AI for assignments can hinder critical thinking skills crucial to analyzing and correcting AI output. This presentation demonstrates three practices from our developmental English classrooms: a critical reading and writing summary assignment, AI-resistant rubrics, and an exercise to help students evaluate AI-generated suggestions on how to review their work. These activities are designed to help students develop crucial AI-literacy skills to help them succeed in an increasingly …

Newcomers: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Newcomers: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 32 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the education of foreign-born students and families who have recently arrived in the United States, often referred to as Newcomers. These annotations build on the annotations regarding Newcomers in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working …

English Learners With Disabilities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

English Learners with Disabilities: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 21 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding English Learners (ELs) who are dually identified as students with disabilities. These annotations build on the annotations regarding ELs with disabilities in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence …

Designated Eld: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Designated ELD: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 19 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding designated English Language Development (d-ELD). These annotations build on the annotations regarding designated ELD in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for English Learners.

The contributors provide a comprehensive selection …

Research-Practice Partnerships: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Research-Practice Partnerships: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 17 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding research-practice partnerships between universities and districts and schools. These annotations build on the annotations regarding university and district partnerships in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The contributors …

Bilingual Teacher Preparation: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Bilingual Teacher Preparation: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 21 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the preparation of preservice teachers preparing to be bilingual teachers. These annotations build on the annotations regarding bilingual teacher preparation in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs. …

Assessment: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Assessment: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 18 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the assessment of English Learners and Multilingual Learners. These annotations build on the annotations regarding assessment in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and advocates who are working for equity and excellence for ELs.

The contributors provide a comprehensive selection …

College, Career, And Course Access: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

College, Career, and Course Access: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 13 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding educational practices that impact the opportunities available to English Learners’ (ELs) in secondary schools and beyond. These annotations build on the annotations regarding college, career, and course access in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and …

How Self-Perceptions Relate To Recorded Proficiency: An Action Research Project Aimed At Implementing A Supplemental Reading Program For Balinese Students, Katherine L. Johnson

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has had a complex history globally. This is especially true for Bali, Indonesia, where tourism is the main driver of the local economy. Learning English is highly valued, yet many students are left struggling to build the skills needed to rise above the local poverty line. In this action research study, the primary goal was to analyze students’ reading proficiencies to recommend the implementation of a reading program that could be appropriately tailored to individual students. This was done through administering a reading test, tracking both comprehension and reading speed, and a survey …

Understanding Assessments For Adult English Learners: A Case Study Of Second Language Acquisition And Development, Chi Ma

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

While standardized tests have become the norm for assessing language proficiency, they may not effectively capture the diversity of adult immigrants, including their backgrounds, experiences, and varying levels of language proficiency. Grounded in experiential learning theory, sociocultural theory on second language acquisition, and concepts of identity, motivation, and investment, this study explored how the Adult English Learning (AEL) program utilized different types of assessments, what the needs and goals of AEL students were in learning English, and how various stakeholders, including teachers, students, and program coordinator, perceived current assessments reflecting students’ needs and goals.

The findings of the study reveals …

Meeting The Needs Of English Learners With And Without Disabilities: A Team Approach To Intervention, Silvana M. R. Watson, Tara Donahue

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Educating English learners (ELs) in inclusive classrooms requires a team of educators with diverse expertise and knowledge in culturally and linguistically responsive assessment and instruction. To address the unique needs of ELs, we offered three graduate-level courses to the educators over a 9-month period. Teams of three to five educators from various schools were encouraged to apply. This group included administrators, general, and special education teachers, among others. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to expand research on professional development for in-service elementary educators working with ELs in elementary schools; (2) to investigate whether the 9-month team approach …

Afghan Students Are More Than Just English Learners, Farilla Saboor

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis examines the strengths that Afghan students and their families bring to U.S. schools and how these strengths are often overlooked. Drawing on my experience as an Afghan immigrant, math teacher, and bilingual instructional aide, I explore how Afghan students, parents, and teachers describe these cultural, linguistic, and relational assets that shape students’ learning and sense of belonging. I use the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) and Funds of Knowledge (FoK) as guiding frameworks to understand the aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital present in participants’ experiences (Moll et al., 1992; Yosso, 2005).

I conducted qualitative interviews with …

Long-Term English Learners: A Selected Annotated Bibliography For English Learner Research, Policy, And Practice, Center For Equity For English Learners

Annotated Bibliographies

Long-term English Learners: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for English Learner Research, Policy, and Practice is comprised of 25 annotations from recent and seminal literature regarding the education of students considered Long-term English Learners (LTELs), a subgroup of English Learners (ELs) who have not attained English language proficiency after six or more years. These annotations build on the annotations regarding LTELs in CEEL’s 2022 annotated bibliography, Ensuring Equity and Excellence for English Learners: An Annotated Bibliography for Research, Policy, and Practice (Center for Equity for English Learners, 2022) to include publications from 2022-2025. This selected annotated bibliography serves as a resource …

Bridging Cultures: Language Learning Circles In Early Childhood, Joy Hernandez, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In today's increasingly interconnected world, fostering cross-cultural understanding from an early age is more crucial than ever. Early childhood educators have a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for a more harmonious future by introducing young learners to diverse languages and cultures. The language learning circles (LLCs) approach is one way to create a nurturing space where young learners in a preschool setting explore new language and culture through songs, games, and movement, as highlighted in our recent article in ILA’s The Reading Teacher (see the sidebar). These interactive and inclusive activities spark curiosity and help children acquire language skills …

Uncovering Third Space In Virtual Transnational Partnership: Transdisciplinary And Transcultural Transformation, Soyoung Han, Seongryeong Yu

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This qualitative case study explores how two English language teachers from South Korea and Taiwan developed transcultural dispositions as they participated in a virtual professional development program. The study employed third space as a conceptual framework and the third generation of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT-3rd) as an analytical framework to uncover the teachers' learning experiences. Findings from this study reveal the dynamic and complex process of becoming a trans-educator through transforming one's professional identity and teaching practices. This study contributes to inclusive and responsive educational practices that reflect the complexities of globalized teaching and learning environments.

16 Types Of Listening (Infographic), Cassandra Savukinas

B. The Art of Listening

An infographic based on J.W. Williams' book, Listening Skills Training. Listening is described as Helpful (Attentive Listening), Problematic (Discriminative Listening), or Depends (Critical Listening). Includes short descriptions of each. Two versions of the infographic are in the same file, one with more color and one with less (for using less printer ink).