Supporting the Literacy Development of Children Living in Homeless Shelters

Insights into how educators can create greater classroom support for homeless children, particularly in literacy learning and development, are provided in this article

Systems Thinking in a Second Grade Curriculum: Students Engaged to Address a Statewide Drought

Faced with issues, such as drought and climate change, educators around the world acknowledge the need for developing students’ ability to solve problems within and across contexts. A systems thinking pedagogy, which recognizes interdependence and interconnected relationships among concrete elements and abstract concepts (Meadows, 2008; Senge et al., 2012), has potential to transform the classroom into a space of observing, theorizing, discovering, and analyzing, thus linking academic learning to the real world. In a qualitative case study in one school located in a major metropolitan area in California, USA teachers and their 7- and 8-year-old students used systems thinking in an interdisciplinary project-based curriculum. Through reflection and investigations, students devised solutions and used innovative approaches to publicly engage peers and family members in taking action to address an environmental crisis

Systems Thinking in a Second Grade Curriculum: Students Engaged to Address a Statewide Drought

Faced with issues, such as drought and climate change, educators around the world acknowledge the need for developing students' ability to solve problems within and across contexts. A systems thinking pedagogy, which recognizes interdependence and interconnected relationships among concrete elements and abstract concepts (Meadows, 2008; Senge et al., 2012), has potential to transform the classroom into a space of observing, theorizing, discovering, and analyzing, thus linking academic learning to the real world. In a qualitative case study in one school located in a major metropolitan area in California, USA teachers and their 7- and 8-year-old students used systems thinking in an interdisciplinary project-based curriculum. Through reflection and investigations, students devised solutions and used innovative approaches to publicly engage peers and family members in taking action to address an environmental crisis

Supporting Student Mental Health: Essentials for Teachers

Supporting Student Mental Health is a guide to the basics of identifying and supporting students with mental health challenges. It’s no secret that your responsibilities as a teacher go beyond academic achievement. You cover key socioemotional competencies in your classrooms, too. This book is full of accessible and appropriate strategies for responding to students’ mental health needs, such as relationship-building, behavioral observation, questioning techniques, community resources, and more. The authors’ public health, prevention science, and restorative practice perspectives will leave you ready to run a classroom that meets the needs of the whole child while ensuring your own well-being on the job.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/education_books/1152/thumbnail.jp

“No matter how you word it, it’s for me”: Mandated writing practices in a homeless shelter for mothers in recovery

This case study is part of a larger investigation of literacy practices at New Beginnings shelter, a long-term transitional homeless shelter for addicted mothers and their children. We asked, “What is the nature of writing in a homeless shelter committed to the rehabilitation and recovery of mothers from addiction?” At New Beginnings, mandated writing serves as a way to help women confront their addictions and develop necessary skills to live independently. The social nature of writing is partly determined through explicit norms and routines for purpose, format, and audience and includes regular feedback from shelter staff and/or peers. Of the various writing practices undertaken, we discuss (a) required letters addressed to one’s inner child, one’s body, and one’s disease; (b) “staff actions,” which is on-demand writing on a required topic due to a shelter infraction; and (c) daily journaling. Drawing upon complementary theories of literacy as a social practice, literacy events and practices, a community of practice, and Foucault’s concept of power as relations, we explore the social processes surrounding mandated writing among members of this shelter community. We note how writing can be a signal of legitimate participation in the rehabilitation process and how it serves as a form of dialogue between participants. Although these practices were sometimes filled with tension, their shared nature strengthened the shelter community through a productive process

Libraries, churches, and schools: The literate lives of mothers and children in a homeless shelter

This article addresses the question, How do mothers and children in a homeless shelter interact with literacy? We drew on the theoretical framework of social literacy practices in which cultural context is foregrounded. Data for this qualitative study included participant observation in one homeless shelter and interviews with one shelter\u27s residents and other stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, shelter staff at various shelters, and homelessness experts across Los Angeles County, California. While examining the literacy practices of women and children living in one transitional shelter, we identified three institutions that were part of their lives (a) the public library, in which choice was a major factor; (b) the church, which focused on reading the Bible; and (c) schools, where literacy was tied to evaluative outcomes. Although families were overwhelmingly positive about their participation in each of these institutions and all three were referred to as places for learning, children\u27s talk about reading and writing in school focused on procedures such as daily routines and testing. This may reflect the current mandated curriculum as well as the cost of frequent moves, which necessitate that children learn how to succeed in each new school. This study captures the influence of different institutions on the literacy practices of families in crisis and suggests ways to further support reading and writing for children living without homes. © The Author(s) 2010

“I Feel Normal Here”: The Social Functions of a Book Club in a Residential Recovery Program

Book clubs are gatherings around shared texts; they have the potential to build strong interpersonal bonds (Pittman & Honchell, 2014; Porath, 2018). This study examines a weekly book club in a residential treatment center for female addicted trauma survivors and offers contrast to research on book clubs in non-restrictive settings. We address, “What are the social functions of a book club in a restrictive setting?” We drew upon sociocultural theory, specifically, literacy as a social practice which focuses on cultural literacy practices embedded in local contexts (Barton & Hamilton, 2000; Perry, 2012) that people draw upon in particular interactions (Barton, 2001). The findings focus on three primary social functions of the book club as developing: 1) a reading identity through the habit of reading and discussing books, 2) a sense of belonging to a book club, and 3) a sense of normalcy. The discussion considers this book club in relation to: 1) others held in restrictive and non-restrictive settings, 2) the establishment of a sense of community; and 3) a sense of normalcy and agency. This research offers insight into ways literacy practices, such as book clubs, meet the often-unrecognized needs of individuals and communities in restrictive environments

Colonized teachers: Examining the implementation of a scripted reading program

During a time of reform and accountability, school districts are closely monitoring teachers\u27 instructional decisions, practices, and classroom environments. In this paper, we apply neocolonial theory to describe the experiences of elementary grade teachers in one California school district who are required to follow a scripted basal reading program. This framework allows us to view teachers\u27 interactions with program mandates through a critical lens. Focusing upon district surveillance of teachers, we suggest that through the implementation of a standard curriculum the district is exercising overt control. We introduce the following three characteristics as they connect to the teachers\u27 situation: redefined, restricted, and subsumed. These terms are then related to the theory of neocolonialism. After a brief description of teachers\u27 reactions to the curriculum, we use the terms as embedded in the theory to describe the situation of mandates and colonization tactics used by the district. © 2004, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. © 2004, Routledge. All rights reserved

Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny

Affiliations des auteurs : cf page 216 de l'articleInternational audienceComparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species

Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny

Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species