Literacy Strategy Journal: Planning Literacy Instruction in a Liberal Arts College

This paper discusses the importance of writing, developing, and implementing a literacy strategy journal as a junior faculty teaching literacy courses in a University in the United States. The analysis of the content of the literacy strategy journal is carried out by applying a Bakhtinian dialogic framework to become aware and understand how dialogicality between the instructor and the content of the literacy strategy journal supported a systematic and in depth self-reflection aimed to improve teaching and pedagogy in the literacy courses taught. The author wants to demonstrate that the literacy strategy journal is not a static object, a legal pad notebook with words written down in a linear fashion but a dynamic site of self-reflection and growth for improving teaching and learning in literacy courses in higher education. The literacy strategy journal used by the author is a third space for self-reflection and pedagogical growth paramount to prepare literacy teachers for the 21st century in K-12 schools in the United States

Diversity in Literature: Preparing Literacy Teachers for a Multicultural World

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2023, 50 percent of the student population will be children with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Iwai, 2015). Furthermore, 10 percent of the school population in the U.S. is currently identified as having a disability that affects their ability to perform in the classroom (O’Leary, 2011). The reality is that teachers and literacy teachers in particular are faced with the difficult task of teaching a more diverse student population than ever before. The literature review analyzed and discussed in the present article examines studies that support the systematic use of multicultural literature in the classroom. Also, the author suggests strategies to create a curriculum that fosters awareness of diversity and multiculturalism through literature as a way to enrich literacy instruction in the classroom

AN INVESTIGATION OF ACADEMIC WRITING IN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Writing and the power of the written word is a very important aspect of our literate society and writing is integrated into all aspects of our daily life. Good writing skills are paramount in social and educational institutions where textual production and related writing activities represent the main framework for knowledge production and dissemination (MacArthur, Graham, Fitzgerald, 2006). According to MacArthur et al. (2006), writing allows us to communicate with others who are removed by distance and time; it can foster and preserve a sense of heritage and purpose among larger groups of people, and can convey knowledge and ideas that represent an important and essential part of any sociocultural and educational system. Writing not only is representative of knowledge in a specific cultural and social system but also and more importantly, is fundamental for knowledge production and dissemination in any social, cultural and educational institution (Tolchinsky, 2006). vi The purpose of this study was to investigate the acquisition of academic writing in international students by using Vygotskys system of meaning as theoretical and methodological framework. The use of Vygotsky\u27s theory was crucial to unfold the dynamic processes of academic writing in English as L2 in the participants in this study. The analysis of academic writing in English as L2 at the intersection of the sociocultural and cognitive is the first step in investigating academic writing by applying a more systematic theoretical lens in second language writing and writers.\u2

Two Roads Taken: A Literacy Roadmap of an International Scholar

Literacy plays such an important role in our lives that being able to know who we are as literate individuals is paramount to live and thrive in a complex literate society in the 21st century. Understanding the relationship between an individual’s background (cultural, linguistic, social, political, familial, educational, communal and economic) and his/her literacy development is crucial to continue to evolve as a literate individual. This self-study examines the literacy development of the author as an international scholar by examining the convergence of two different but equally important literacy experiences in two languages (Italian and English) as a blueprint for becoming a scholar in the US. The author will explore two main questions related to his interlingual and intercultural literacy roadmap: (a) how did my experiences in literacy in my L1 supported a literacy development in L2 as a scholar? (b) When did the two different but equally important trajectories merged to further deepen and refine my literate persona as a scholar? Implications for further research in interlingual and intercultural literacy development as a scholar will be discussed in this paper

Metaphors of Literacy: Dialogues in Inclusive Settings

This article discusses the importance of metaphors in education and in inclusive settings in particular. Metaphors are seen as the fabric of collaboration through dialogue across the curriculum. The article analyzes the dialogues among the Language Arts, Social Studies, and inclusion teacher in a large middle school in the Southwest of the United States in an effort to coordinate literacy planning and instruction in these content areas. From the analysis of the dialogues in the author’s journal, metaphors emerge as a central component to make meaning in literacy instruction. Three main metaphors of literacy were recursive in the dialogues: (a) literacy as a multiple path for learning (b) literacy as a bridge for academic success and (c) literacy as a window to read the social and personal world of students in inclusive settings. The author of the article advocates for a qualitative research approach where metaphors are the core of methodology in the analysis of language data in teachers’ discourses to refine our understanding on how language plays a crucial role in the planning and implementation of literacy instruction in K-12 schools

Preparing Literacy Teachers in an Age of Multiple Literacies: A Self-Reflective Approach

This article discusses the importance of rethinking the content and delivery of literacy instruction in university courses for pre-service and in-service teachers by aligning curriculum and instruction to new literacies to prepare the next generations of teachers to support the literacy learning of students in K-12 schools in the 21st century. The author proposes rethinking curriculum and instruction in literacy courses by building up on the recommendations of the Middle State Commission on Higher Education to rethink our curriculum and instruction in literacy courses in higher education