Family Literacy: The Missing Link to School-Wide Literacy Efforts

Everyone has a literacy component to their lives. Family literacy refers to the ways people learn and use literacy in their home and everyday lives. Many times there is a disconnect between family and school literacies. Schools do not have systematic ways of tapping into the wealth of knowledge families possess and linking that knowledge to school literacy efforts. This article provides a brief review of family literacy issues and perspectives. Sample family literacy programs are summarized and suggestions are given for strengthening the link between family and school through food, photos, family publications, journals, literacy events, and using parents as resources in the classroom

Secondary Teachers’ Knowledge, Beliefs, and Self-Efficacy to Teach Reading in the Content Areas: Voices Following Professional Development

This study explored 24 content area teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy about teaching reading in the content areas at the end of a state-wide professional development experience. The findings suggest that the participating teachers held positive beliefs, gained valuable knowledge, and were confident about teaching reading in their content areas

Supporting the Development of Upper Elementary School Students’ Online Research and Comprehension Skills Through a Reframed Guided Reading Framework

Today’s students are increasingly required to use skills when conducting online research for academic purposes. However, students may be unable to transfer their reading skills with printed texts to reading online texts in upper grades and beyond. Strategic actions required for online research are extended to account for the unique, complex reading environment of the Internet as readers locate, navigate, evaluate, and synthesize information across multimodal sources. The guided reading framework, a popular instructional framework that is widely adopted in U.S. elementary schools, lends itself to supporting students’ use of strategic actions as they conduct online research. Informed by theory and practice related to new literacies, digital literacies, reading development, and 21st century literacy demands, this manuscript proposes an instructional framework that utilizes the structure of a traditional guided reading lesson with printed texts to teach online reading and research skills in the upper elementary grades. Specific instructive examples, teacher tools, and additional instructional supports are provided to aid teachers’ use of the Online Guided Reading Framework as they work to develop students’ strategies for online inquiries

Understanding the Role of Science-Specific Literacy Strategies in Supporting Science Teaching and Student Learning: A Case Study of Preservice Elementary Teachers in a Science Methods Course That Integrated a Disciplinary Literacy Framework

The shift to student engagement in scientific and engineering practices to learn science provides opportunities for science learning and language learning to occur in tandem. These opportunities also pose new challenges for elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) since literacy methods courses have been presented separately from science methods courses. We integrated a disciplinary literacy framework in a science methods course to help elementary PSTs understand the synergistic connections between literacy and science teaching. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary PSTs’ understanding of the use of science-specific literacy strategies to support science teaching and learning through three points of observation. Findings from three data sources indicated that PSTs showed a developing understanding of the role of disciplinary literacy in supporting student engagement in science practices and learning disciplinary core ideas. Implications for future uses of a disciplinary literacy framework for teaching and learning science and elementary PSTs’ science preparation are presented

Evaluation of a global blended learning MBA programme

This paper evaluates the design and implementation of a UK university’s global blended learning MBA programme which combines e-learning with face-to-face teaching. The primary aim of the research was to investigate the learning experience and perceptions of the students, and to use the findings to evaluate the effectiveness of the course design and delivery system. Action research was used, with longitudinal data collected over a threeyear period (2008–2010). Three survey rounds were conducted focussing on Oman, one of the UK University’s main overseas learning collaborating centres. The three rounds yielded 116 valid responses in total. The first survey showed a fairly high level of student satisfaction with the programme but also indicated areas that needed further improvement. The impacts of subsequent changes in the programme were investigated in the second and third surveys. Feedback from these helped develop further changes in the learning content and delivery approach of the programme. The study contributes to a better understanding of global blended learning initiatives, and offers insights to managers on improving course management, enriching learning content, enhancing teaching quality, and improving students’ satisfaction levels

How Students Comprehend Using E-readers and Traditional Text: Suggestions from the Classroom

Since Durkin's groundbreaking research on comprehension in 1978, the quality of comprehension instruction has been a core research topic in reading comprehension research circles. However, the majority of this research over the past 30-plus years has focused primarily on comprehension of print text. We know from research that skilled readers read with purpose, preview the text, activate their background knowledge, make connections between old and new information, ask questions, use strategies to fix meaning when it fails, and self-monitor their understandin

A Model For Online Instructor Training, Support, And Professional Development

Online learning is a popular learning option for millions of students in US colleges and universities. Online facilitation plays an important role in student learning. With a growing number of courses offered online, there are many challenges associated with the quality of online instruction. This chapter presents information on a large-scale online project for preK-12 educators. The author presents detailed information on a model for training, support, professional development, and monitoring of online instructors. The author also discusses implications for further development and monitoring of online instructors\u27 knowledge, skills, and dispositions that promote successful online experiences and learning for students. © 2013, IGI Global

Promoting Collaborative Learning In Online Teacher Education

Online learning continues to grow as a learning option for millions of students in US colleges and universities. Collaboration plays an important role in student learning. This chapter presents information on how collaborative learning was designed and implemented in a comprehensive online course in reading for pre-service and in-service educators in grades P-12. The author presents details on course design issues, instructional practices, benefits, and challenges associated with collaborative learning in this online course, and implications for further development and evaluation of collaborative learning in teacher preparation programs. The author also provides recommendations for promoting collaboration in online teacher education courses

Teaching Discipline-Specific Literacies In Grades 6-12: Preparing Students For College, Career, And Workforce Demands

Comprehensive, timely, and relevant, this text offers an approach to discipline-specific literacy instruction that is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and the needs of teachers, students, and secondary schools across the nation. It is essential that teachers know how to provide instruction that both develops content and literacy knowledge and skills, and aims at reducing student achievement gaps. Building on the research-supported premise that discipline-specific reading instruction is key to achieving these goals, this text provides practical guidance and strategies for prospective and practicing content area teachers (and other educators) on how to prepare all students to succeed in college and the workforce. Pedagogical features in each chapter engage readers in digging deeper and in applying the ideas and strategies presented in their own contexts: Classroom Life (real 6-12 classroom scenarios and interviews with content-area teachers) Common Core State Standards Connections College, Career, and Workforce Connections Applying Discipline-Specific Literacies Think Like an Expert (“habits of thinking and learning” specific to each discipline) Digital Literacies Differentiating Instruction Reflect and Apply Questions Extending Learning Activities The Companion Website includes: Lesson plan resources Annotated links to video files Annotated links to additional resources and information Glossary/Flashcards For Instructors: All images and figures used in the text provided in an easily downloadable format For Instructors: PowerPoint lecture slides