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The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy during a field experience at a juvenile detention facility as they taught writing. A mixed-methods study w...

In this research study two professors and a classroom teacher collaborated to develop instructional moves to teach lateral reading, a digital source evaluation technique that involves conducting st...

Researchers have documented that high engagement in learning is linked to high academic achievement, and that low engagement is linked to low academic achievement, student alienation, and withdrawi...

We believe few events in future teachers’ education are more important than their early field experiences, a belief supported by numerous professional associations’ and policymakers’ calls for the ...

This commentary begins with a summary of the current landscape of literacy, technology, and education. The authors then examine A Domain of One's Own as an important new initiative and explore how teachers and schools can implement this initiative. The authors contend that the building and developing of A Domain of One's Own is a good example of how schools can engage students in complex and meaningful literacy practices. In addition, the authors discuss the challenges and opportunities of providing students with a domain of their own to use as they start their literacy careers in our schools.

A myriad of personal and contextual factors are important in understanding how preservice teachers learn to teach and why they adopt or reject certain teaching practices. Activity theory was used a framework in understand preservice teachers’ experiences teaching writing during a field experience at a juvenile detention facility. The purposes of this study were to (a) to examine the pedagogical tools and practices that preservice teachers implemented during a field experience at a juvenile detention facility (b) to understand why they implemented these pedagogical tools and practices, and (c) to explore preservice teachers’ perceptions of how they were shaped by the activity setting, the detention center. Results found preservice teachers entered the setting with very specific expectations about the arena, and these perceptions shaped their pedagogical choices.

In this article, we draw on the experiences of two young adults, Beth and Jamie (pseudonyms), who participated in a connectivist Massive Open Online Course (cMOOC) to explore how adolescents can become active members in a community of learners and the digital literacy practices that support this entry. We argue that Beth and Jamie engaged in digital literacy practices that allowed them to be socially connected, and that they participated and established themselves as equal members in a community of practice. Their experiences has implications for how we engage students in literacy experiences that encourage them to be connected learners in larger communities of practice.

Unprecedented and long-overdue attention has recently been given to the role of field-based clinical experiences in teacher preparation. Traditional models of university coursework disconnected from real world field-based clinical experiences serve neither prospective teachers nor PreK-12 students. This chapter presents a broader notion of field-based teacher preparation structures occurring in school-university partnership contexts and professional development schools, with the authors drawing from data of four field-based experiences, which fall along a continuum of partnership, from three teacher education programs at two universities. These partnerships illustrate a developmental framework for building mutually beneficial relationships that enhance the engagement of all stakeholders and acknowledge the need for differentiation in teacher education practice. A pathways orientation to school-university partnerships/PDSs and a project-based clinical approach offer chances to develop mutually beneficial learning opportunities for PreK-12 students and teacher candidates.

The purpose of this study was to explore three preservice teachers' experiences teaching writing with technology and digital tools during a year-long student teaching experience. Research found that while the three student teachers demonstrated conceptual understandings about the teaching of writing, their use of technology (or lack of) did not always reflect their views. When considering what influenced their transformations as teachers capable and willing to integrate technology into their writing instruction, the school context, particularly the notion of access, significantly shaped their appropriation of pedagogical tools for the teaching of digital writing. In addition, the student teachers were influenced not only by the resources that they had access to, but their perceptions of students' abilities and needs, as well as their own needs and efficacy as novice teachers.

Hybrid or blended learning is defined as a pedagogical approach that includes a combination of face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction. The terms blended learning, hybrid learning, and mixed-mode learning are used interchangeably in current research; however, in the United States, hybrid learning is used most often. Although hybrid learning can be diverse in how it is implemented, educators agree that this approach has the opportunity to provide personalized instruction with some element of student control over path, pace, time, and place. Educators and students need to be given the latitude to teach and learn in these hybrid spaces while being protected and supported by schools. Ultimately, teachers and students bear an equal responsibility as they collaboratively learn and experiment in these evolving spaces.

Writing plays an important role in young adults’ lives. It is tied to academic achievement and also provides young adults with a voice in social interactions, a way to express their feelings, and an opportunity to reflect on life events. This study explores the writing practices of 2 adolescent girls: Suzanne and Molly. On multiple occasions they had been suspended from school, attended an alternative school, and both had been incarcerated. Suzanne and Molly identified themselves as writers, as their personal writing served as a coping mechanism, a tool for communication, and a way to voice their lived experiences. Despite the power of writing in their lives, their in-school writing instruction was almost nonexistent.

We live in an era of digitally-mediated relationships. From finding a spouse online to daily interactions facilitated through social media, many people build and sustain both platonic and romantic relationships with technology. Virtual worlds are also spaces for these interactions. This special issue is dedicated to an exploration of such topics in a collection of articles exploring “real virtual relationships.”

In today’s global culture and economy, in which individuals have access to information at their fingertips at all times, digital and media literacy are essential to participate in society. But what specific competencies must young citizens acquire? How do these competencies influence pedagogy? How are student knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors changed? What are the best ways to assess students’ digital and media literacy? These questions underscore what parents, educators, health professionals, and community leaders need to know to ensure that youth become digitally and media literate. Experimental and pilot programs in the digital and media literacy fields are yielding insights, but gaps in understanding and lack of support for research and development continue to impede growth in these areas. Learning environments no longer depend on seat time in factory-like school settings. Learning happens anywhere, anytime, and productivity in the workplace depends on digital and media literacy. To create the human capital necessary for success and sustainability in a technology-driven world, we must invest in the literacy practices of our youth. In this article, we make recommendations for research and policy priorities.

This article explores how the research-based practice of using mentor texts can support students' writing within their subject areas. Specifically, this article examines the writing demands of the Common Core Writing Standards and how using mentor texts helps teachers meet these writing standards. We share guiding principles for using mentor texts and explore how to analyze mentor texts in terms of structure and ways with words. Using mentor texts may be a pedagogical practice that content area teachers can find beneficial as they teach writing. Specific examples from social studies and science are provided along with mentor text resources.

Writing is an important tool for content acquisition and for teaching analytical skills in economics. Students must be able to read and write in the economics with an understanding of how knowledge is produced and disseminated in the field. This study sought to understand how 12 secondary students enrolled in an economics course engaged in evaluating, critiquing, and studying a mentor text to learn how to craft a policy paper. A mentor text is a high-quality model text students can read and study to learn more about how to write in the field of economics. Results found students self-reported learning: the content of economics how to structure their paper, the discourse of economics. They further gained an understanding of why economists write.

Educators have argued the need for greater attention on how teachers learn to teach writing in science (Kelly and Bazerman in Appl Linguist 24(1):28–55, 2003; Martin in Writing science: literacy and discursive power. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, pp 166–202, 1993). This article summarizes the findings of a qualitative study of five science preservice teachers as they experienced a unit of study, an inquiry-based instructional framework for the teaching of writing. Results found initially the science preservice teachers did not have knowledge of specific instructional approaches to teach writing. The science preservice teachers engaged in critical and analytical reading and writing, which enhanced their knowledge of writing and how to teach writing. The unit of study approach to writing may offer teacher educators a way to engage science preservice teachers in a method to teach scientific writing.

An incident of bullying, violence in the classroom, or suicide can unsettle teachers' views of their teaching, their role as a teacher, and their relationships with students. Unfortunately, there is a high probability that many educators will teach a young person who has been bullied or considered suicide. This article explores the shifts in preservice teachers' understanding about issues of bullying and suicide through their self-selected reading of 13 Reasons Why (Asher, 2007) and Hate List (Brown, 2008). Results found preservice teachers chose to read either 13 Reasons Why or Hate List because they knew someone who committed suicide. Their engagement in the books allowed them to understand and imagine the characters' experiences, perspectives, and decision-making. Through reading and discussions they developed compassion and empathy for the characters; this compassion and empathy extended to their future students.

A unit of study can provide a framework that fosters student engagement with writing tasks.Middle grades students write-daily. They text, pass notes, send e-mails, blog, and post updates on Facebook. At the center of students' non-academic writing are their day-to-day thoughts, stories, and encounters that define them as individuals finding their way in the world. The writing students are assigned in school, however, often overlooks their natural inclination to share about their lives. Writing is an activity in which students frequently show little engagement and motivation. But this need not be the case. It is possible to empower students to learn about writing while writing about topics of personal importance.This article focuses on the unit of study as an inquirybased instructional framework supporting students' development as writers in single-subject areas or across disciplines. As teacher educators, we collaborate with teachers and students in a variety of middle grades settings, and we have found this framework works well for a diverse range of learners, enhancing their motivation, engagement, and growth as writers. In addition, a unit of study approach to teaching writing can help students meet the new Common Core State Standards for writing. Specifically, the framework stresses the reading-writing connection as students read and write a wide range of text types, compare and contrast the structure of texts, and analyze how an author's writing decisions contribute to the text's structure and meaning (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010).In this article, we provide an overview of the unit of study framework for teaching writing and explain how it sets the stage for developing "academic momentum" in students (Strahan, 2008, p. 4). To help readers understand the unit of study framework in action, we describe how a unit unfolds in one subject area, language arts. We then highlight its natural application in disciplinary and interdisciplinary work.A framework for teaching writingA unit of study approach to teaching writing offers students an inquiry-oriented experience for learning how to grow and develop as writers in a predictable format (Ray, 2006). The main premise behind a unit of study approach is that students benefit from closely studying the kinds of writing they will eventually be writing themselves. While this makes sense in theory, it is seldom employed in practice. Often writing activities are assigned, not taught. A unit of study framework provides the opportunity for students to actively study and inquire about writing that can be found in the real world within genres people read and write regularly.Another important premise within this approach is that students are allowed to select the topics for their writing, honoring their voices and the ideas that matter to them. In this way, writing builds bridges between students' out-of-school lives and interests and their in-school learning experiences. Figure 1 provides a rationale for each aspect of the framework and outlines teacher and student roles.The elegance behind the unit of study framework is that it offers students immediate support in how to write well in the particular genre under study while teaching how to study writing in the future as well. This approach closely mirrors what professional authors do in the real world. Numerous young adult authors speak to the importance of reading in inspiring and influencing their writing. Young adult author Chris Crutcher advised students to "read a lot, especially in the area in which you want to write" (The New York Public Library, 2002, n.p.), and Julie Anne Peters (2011) stated, "You have to love to read. You have to familiarize yourself with the genre of literature you want to write" (n.p.). Even though professional writers repeatedly offer this advice, rarely does this practice occur in school-based writing instruction. …

The field of content area literacy instruction is shifting from a general understanding of literacy towards disciplinary literacy. Much of the work in the field of disciplinary literacy has focused on reading, while writing has often been overlooked. This article summarizes the findings of a qualitative case study of two preservice teachers as they experienced a unit of study during a Reading in the Content Areas course. Described in the article is how the unit of study as a writing assignment encompasses three aspects of disciplinary literacy: (1) discourses and practices in disciplinary learning and literacy, (2) identities and identifications in disciplinary learning and literacy, and (3) knowledge in disciplinary learning and literacy. Results found the unit of study enhanced preservice teachers’ knowledge of their discipline and writing instruction. The unit of study approach to writing instruction may offer literacy educators a way to engage preservice teachers in writing specific to their discipline.