Back to the Future: Looking at Nostalgic Practices to Conceptualize a More Inclusive Literacy Future (Part 1)

In the first of two articles, the authors, two girls that “Just Want to Have Fun,” reminisce about educational literacy practices of the past, specifically one nostalgic writing practice, dialogue journaling. Using the analogy of a familiar toy from the 1980s, the View Master, they aim to revitalize an antiquated practice using modern theoretical frameworks (reels) that make current classroom practices more inclusive for today’s students. Looking to “reels” of academic (using current state standards), culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), social emotional learning (Mussey, 2019), and humanizing instruction (Freire, 1968), we support current teachers in analyzing their practices to foster inclusivity. Readers can walk away having both revisited the 1980s with us and also reviewed a nostalgic writing practice turned best practice that still holds merit and promotes inclusion today. The next article will feature an additional literacy practice, readers theatre. We will close out this series with steps to use these reels in your own classroom lesson planning

Headstarting Eastern Box Turtles in Southwest Michigan: Implications for Growth, Survival, and Spatial Ecology

Turtles and tortoises are one of the most endangered groups of animals in the world as anthropogenic activities like overexploitation, collection for the pet trade, and habitat loss and fragmentation have caused dramatic population declines in recent years. As a result, proactive conservation techniques are being increasingly implemented to facilitate population recovery. Headstarting is a popular chelonian conservation technique that aims to reduce vulnerability and increase survival of juvenile turtles. While headstarting has been a valuable tool for many species, there is increasing evidence that species-specific influences impact its success. In this study, we headstarted four annual cohorts of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) for nine months from 2019 – 2023. Following their release at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Barry County, Michigan, we tracked the turtles using radio telemetry and examined their growth, survival, and spatial ecology in comparison to a cohort of wild (non-headstarted) hatchlings. Headstarted turtles were larger than their wild conspecifics (50.73 g vs. 8.75 g) and had a higher survival probability (0.62 vs. 0.44). Captive growth was influenced by initial weight, time (duration in captivity), cohort, and maternal identity. Headstarts and wild hatchlings both used mesic forest habitats the most and displayed seasonal variation in their habitat use. Headstarted turtles had larger home range sizes (mean MCP = 1.11 ha, mean AKDEc = 4.35 ha) than wild hatchlings (mean MCP = 0.14 ha, mean AKDEc = 1.26 ha) and displayed annual variation in home range location which suggests they may undergo a settling period following release. This study reveals important information about the survival and spatial ecology of the understudied juvenile age class and identifies the direct impacts of headstarting on eastern box turtles. Overall, headstarting appears to be a promising conservation technique for eastern box turtles as it increases growth and survival rates without significantly affecting post-release behavior

Building a Beloved Community of Literacy in Professional Spaces

This article shares the experiences of two literacy teacher educators who sought to create a beloved community for both themselves and the teachers with whom they work within their professional spaces. The authors emphasize the importance of fostering safe, collaborative environments that promote personal and professional growth. Drawing from the principles of the Beloved Community, popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the authors discuss the value of embracing a growth mindset when building such communities. Specifically, the article delves into two different professional development models as effective frameworks for cultivating beloved communities: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Learning Labs (LLs). Both models offer space within the literacy profession, including all levels and roles of educators, to embark on a meaningful learning experience

Literacy Across the Disciplines: A Way to Re-Engage Secondary Students

In this article, the author describes the opportunities present with leveraging disciplinary literacy approaches, in terms of re-engaging teens with learning. The author also provides several cautions for literacy leaders to keep in mind

Awareness & Access Matter: Making Professional Associations Available to Support Literacy Teachers’ Ongoing PL

Literacy professional associations offer members a wide range of support and services and historically play important roles in literacy teachers’ ongoing professional learning. Despite many benefits, membership in professional associations, including literacy groups, has declined. This article explores possible factors for decreases (changes to PL, technology, & generational mix of teaching force), before adding others: two emergent themes (awareness and access) from related survey research with K-12 literacy teachers in a midwestern state. Suggestions are offered to stakeholders for ways to raise awareness and improve access to associations for literacy teachers – an important tool for ongoing literacy professional learning

Strategies and Resources for Integrating Technology into the Secondary Education World Language Classroom

This document is a research-based project that includes a reference manual of strategies for technology integration in the World Language curriculum, as well as an example lesson plan that implements many of the strategies. Many of the strategies and examples can be adapted to fit multiple subject areas. The theoretical framework upon which the project is constructed is a combination of TPACK and several of Stephen Krashen\u27s Theories of Second Language Acquisition