Search

Grounded in our commitment to support preservice teachers (PSTs) in an urban elementary teacher education program to develop anti-bias pedagogies, we engaged in a design-based study aimed at enacting critical conversations about texts that foster dialogue about power and privilege. In this analysis, we explore how PSTs engaged with children during discretionary moments within critical conversations in their field placements. We asked: "What generative orientations are visible in PSTs' analysis of and reflection on their facilitation of critical conversations with children?" Findings reveal that PSTs who extended dialogue during these moments in critical conversations--rather than avoiding or ignoring children's contributions--displayed an orientation toward seeing children as sensemakers; flexibly responded to encourage dialogue; and recognized the value of feeling uncomfortable.

There have been numerous recent calls in literacy research and teacher education to disrupt the 'struggling reader' label, but a dearth of empirical studies on the topic. This qualitative analysis explores the complex issues preservice teachers (PSTs) faced as they examined young readers' sense-making through a reading assessment assignment. Our research question asked: How do PSTs challenge and/or reinforce the 'struggling reader' label as they examine young readers' sense-making? Using a conceptual lens that cross-pollinates dynamic models of reading comprehension with Disability Studies in Education, we look across three cases to identify ways PSTs challenged and reinforced the 'struggling reader' label as they examined intermediate-grade readers' interactions with texts. Ultimately, we argue that embracing a dynamic model of comprehension--on its own--is an insufficient focus in literacy teacher education in order to disrupt harmful labeling practices in schools.

Discussions about texts can offer valuable opportunities for critical conversations about power and privilege. While we know such conversations are important to have in school, many teachers report feeling unprepared to facilitate them. In an effort to understand the in-the-moment decisions preservice teachers (PSTs) make in response to children's contributions during critical conversations about texts, this qualitative, design-based study examines how PSTs responded to elementary-age children while facilitating discussions about texts in their field placements. Although various kinds of responses were made (e.g., eliciting children's thinking, orienting children's contributions to one another), in this analysis, we examine the moments where PSTs identified their silence as salient. Findings reveal that (1) some PSTs developing understanding of the role of talk and desire to efficiently accomplish the task did not seem to set them up to see critical conversations about texts as a space for sensemaking, and (2) other PSTs did see critical conversations about texts as spaces to engage in sensemaking but felt discomfort grappling with unanticipated issues that arose. We discuss implications for literacy researchers and teacher educators committed to supporting critical conversations with children in schools.

Although modeling is an instructional approach commonly named in literacy education circles, the authors struggled to articulate the essential features of modeling to preservice teachers. This was a problem for them and for the preservice teachers with whom they worked. The problem also represents a larger one in the field, which is that educators are still building that which is the foundation of most other professions: a shared professional language. Efforts to build a shared professional language are important for literacy educators seeking to reflect on and improve their craft, literacy leaders working to make change at the school level, and mentor teachers and teacher educators tasked with preparing the next generation of teachers. The authors describe their efforts to articulate and represent modeling in elementary literacy instruction.

In schools, children do not tend to be positioned as fully human. Strong neoliberal currents perpetuate objectification, a focus on technical mastery, and mechanisms for sorting and categorizing. As part of our ongoing design-based research to revise a sequence of elementary literacy methods courses, we have collaborated university faculty and graduate student instructors. First, we describe 3 humanizing principles that have guided our work with preservice teachers: (1) supporting asset perspectives in the ways teachers view and talk about children; (2) creating literacy learning environments that support critical conversations; and (3) utilizing texts to mediate conversations about social justice. Then, we reflect on tensions we have encountered when enacting these principles within a text-based discussion module.

The United States is facing a bilingual teacher shortage, a fact that is particularly troubling as the emergent bilingual population continues to grow nationwide. Prior research suggests that the shortage of bilingual teachers may affect the quality of instruction emergent bilinguals receive, yet little is known about the potential effects of this shortage on schools more broadly. In this article, we draw on the concept of teacher leadership to explore whether and how bilingual teachers contribute outside the classroom. Our mixed methods approach drew on surveys and interviews with elementary teachers in eight school districts across three states and identified the ways in which bilingual teachers acted as informal teacher-leaders who supported colleagues' professional development and parent engagement. Findings have important policy implications for policy in terms of supporting bilingual teachers' recruitment and retention, as well as for research on bilingual teacher leadership.

Despite a focus on interactive read alouds (IRAs) in literacy methods courses, many teacher candidates (TCs) need support translating instructional recommendations into practice. Practice-based approaches can help TCs begin to embody knowledge, techniques, and dispositions necessary for teaching. This qualitative study investigates two literacy teacher educators (TEs) use of rehearsals--role plays where a TC acts the role of the teacher and the TE coaches-- to support TCs in learning to enact IRAs. It explores TEs' use of a subset of directive coaching moves--closed moves where TEs highlight, model, or contrast. Results highlight the complex, multifaceted role of TEs within rehearsals and suggest that TCs still contribute to co-construction of shared representations of practice even when TEs provide explicit feedback.

The article focuses on the efforts of an elementary and middle school educator, Ashley Stanley, to cultivate sustainable futures through climate education. Topics include integrating climate change into the curriculum through diverse pathways such as literature and local activism, promoting curiosity and humility in teaching, and addressing students' emotional responses to climate issues.

The article focuses on introducing readers to William Peek, a middle school humanities teacher in Chicago, who incorporates climate justice learning in his teaching. Topics include making glocal connections to understand local and global impacts of climate change, using texts to cultivate critical civic empathy, and layering interdisciplinary texts to support inquiry-based learning about urgent topics like climate justice.

The authors argue for the importance of practice in the professional lives of literacy teachers. Literacy practices and teaching practices are imbued with intentionality, context (temporal, social, political, and cultural), perspective, and outcomes. The goal of this article is to open a dialogue that could begin to normalize a theory of practice and practitioner research as central to the professional identity of teachers. The authors suggest that this professional identity is not something that can be given to teachers; rather, teachers must claim it through their practice.

The article introduces a three-part series focused on climate justice learning in elementary and middle school English language arts (ELA) classrooms. Topics include inspiring young learners' love for the Earth, utilizing picturebooks as conversation and action catalysts, and emphasizing the importance of building educators' climate knowledge through literature and direct experiences with nature.

The article discusses the use of book clubs in elementary and middle school English language arts (ELA) classrooms as a means to engage students in climate justice learning. Topics include the importance of guiding questions, thematic book club units on climate justice, and how these book clubs empower students to explore environmental issues and take action.

This article revisits the rich theoretical and empirical literatures that undergird strategy instruction, with the goal of identifying a principled approach to the teaching of strategies to enhance reading and learning with text. Its purpose is to examine the question of why strategy instruction, as enacted in practice, might raise concerns among reading researchers. The authors also describe and illustrate three principles designed to support teachers who wish to use strategy instruction in powerful ways that are consistent with its initial theoretical underpinnings. Their goal, as the title suggests, is to reconnect strategy instruction with its theoretical roots. They begin by considering one well-received cognitive theory of comprehension, developed by Kintsch. The authors argue that if educators were more cognizant of how comprehension occurs, they would be better positioned to make principled decisions regarding comprehension instruction.

This column supports the development of urgent pedagogies about climate justice learning in elementary and middle school ELA classrooms. In each issue, we explore practical ways elementary teachers can engage young people to read, compose, learn about, and act on climate justice. This column is the second part of a three-part series where we share picturebooks that can support learning with children about central themes of climate education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information related to picturebooks that can support learning with children about central themes of climate education. It is noted that selecting just one powerful picturebook a week explores anchoring themes to support climate education. Particularly with children in the upper-elementary grades, conversations are supported about how ecological systems function.

There have been numerous recent calls in literacy research and teacher education to disrupt the 'struggling reader' label, but a dearth of empirical studies on the topic. This qualitative analysis explores the complex issues preservice teachers (PSTs) faced as they examined young readers' sense-making through a reading assessment assignment. Our research question asked: How do PSTs challenge and/or reinforce the 'struggling reader' label as they examine young readers' sense-making? Using a conceptual lens that cross-pollinates dynamic models of reading comprehension with Disability Studies in Education, we look across three cases to identify ways PSTs challenged and reinforced the 'struggling reader' label as they examined intermediate-grade readers' interactions with texts. Ultimately, we argue that embracing a dynamic model of comprehension--on its own--is an insufficient focus in literacy teacher education in order to disrupt harmful labeling practices in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the column supports the development of urgent pedagogies about climate justice learning in elementary and middle school ELA classrooms. Topics include the explore practical ways elementary teachers can engage young people to read, compose, learn about, and act on climate justice, and the emphasis in this first issue, "Layering Texts About the Urgent Topic of Water Justice" will be on the importance of text selection and on layering a variety of multimodal texts.

The article offers children's sense-making decision in literacy classrooms by content knowledge for teaching, reading and writing knowledge and understandings of cultural and linguistic diversity. Topics discussed include constructing meaning when children speak, read and write; drawing more attention to interactions o cultural and linguistic knowledge, and interpreting children's subject-matter learning that impacts their growth and development.

In schools, children do not tend to be positioned as fully human. Strong neoliberal currents perpetuate objectification, a focus on technical mastery, and mechanisms for sorting and categorizing. As part of our ongoing design-based research to revise a sequence of 3 elementary literacy methods courses, we have collaborated as university faculty and graduate student instructors. First, we describe 3 humanizing principles that have guided our work with preservice teachers: (1) supporting asset perspectives in the ways teachers view and talk about children; (2) creating literacy learning environments that support critical conversations; and (3) utilizing texts to mediate conversations about social justice. Then, we reflect on tensions we have encountered when enacting these principles within a text-based discussion module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]