Language and Literacy (Journal)
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Supporting literacy through social justice literature: A conceptual argument for reading time in preservice teaching
No full textPreservice teachers enter teacher education programs with varying reading habits and conceptions of social justice. This specific problem of practice—made visible by personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988), is examined using currere (Pinar, 2020) and Simpson and Cremin’s (2022) concept of the additive trio. This conceptual paper asserts the need to simultaneously support preservice teachers’ reading habits, knowledge of children’s literature, and understandings of social justice by allocating preservice curriculum time toward this purpose. It also reveals the hidden curricular labour required to respond to a problem of practice
2022 Pre-Conference of LLRC: Pandemic Considerations in Literacy Research & Teaching
No full textEditors note: The remaining articles are from the 2022 Pre-Conference of LLRC and have been placed within this special issue of L&L
The Effect of Explicit Instruction on the Acquisition of Words’ Visual-Orthographic Phenomena By Second-Grade French-Speaking Children
No full textThis paper explores the most efficient teaching context to learn words’ visual aspects and by second-grade French-speaking children, including those with special needs. Students came from six classrooms and each classroom was randomly assigned to the control group or to one of two experimental interventions (TFS: explicit teaching of semantic and formal properties of words; TF: explicit teaching of formal properties of words). For students without difficulties, the experimental interventions have contributed equally to the learning of the words’ visual aspect, whereas no progress was observed for the control group. For students with special needs, only the intervention that combined explicit instruction of semantic and formal properties lead to significant progress. These results suggest that explicit instruction should focus on the semantic and formal properties of words, especially for students with special needs
It takes a village: Investigating the scaffolding strategies of writing development to support early literacy among Nova Scotians of African descent communities
No full textSeveral stakeholders, such as community groups, government officials, parents, guardians, and educators have shown concern about the achievement gap between Nova Scotia learners of African descent and their predominantly White peers. Using the African proverb ‘It takes a village’ as a framework, this study involved parents, extended family members and caregivers of children aged 4 to 6 years to explore the scaffolding strategies employed as well as the experiences of participants when supporting children’s emergent writing skills during COVID-19 pandemic. Survey and focus group sessions demonstrated how participants frequently scaffolded emergent writing using highly effective strategies including Africentric approaches. The importance of ‘It takes a village’ proverb in enhancing literacy developmenthas also been established
Reviewing School District and Caregiver Engagement: Toward Building Capacity to Serve English Learners
No full textAbstract
The authors conducted a comprehensive literature review of school district partnerships with caregivers of ELs to inform this project design. This literature review addresses the following research question: What are the needs of caregivers of ELs in K-12 schools, and how are school partnerships supporting these caregivers? This literature review will address these gaps and overcoming EL caregiver underrepresentation by discussing seven focused and three theoretical codes drawn from a comprehensive review of 21 articles.
Keywords: English Learner, caregiver, school districts, partnership
Canada’s Official Languages Act, Border Imperialism, and the Surface Tension of Water
No full textThis paper examines how Canada’s Official Languages Act (OLA) reinforces the socio-political constructs of language barriers and linguistic borders. Questions addressed are: in Canada, who do linguistic borders serve, how do linguistic borders function, and what are the effects of linguistic borders? The theoretical framework draws from raciolinguistics and border imperialism. The method, a socio-diagnostic critique, juxtaposes the discursive practices of the OLA with border governance strategies. Results highlight how linguistic border governance creates the conditions for language-based discrimination to thrive. The paper concludes with a call to disinvest from the OLA, and a turning toward the water-language connection
Beyond the Observable: Conceptions and realizations of enacted multiliteracies in Ontario Social Studies Curriculum–One Multi-verse of Madness
No full textThis research focuses on one teacher’s lived experience as he contributes towards a broader understanding of possibilities and constraints afforded by technologies, materials, and relationality during this recent shift in pandemic pedagogy. The pandemic drastically altered the way curriculum is enacted as there were shifts in the learning environment, the subject matter, and the way teachers and students engaged in literacy practices. To understand this shift, we explore: What are the participating teacher’s perceptions about how multiliteracies are utilized for classroom practice and pedagogy? How did this teacher’s pedagogy continue or change once the pandemic influenced curriculum enactment? This paper focuses on how one grade 6 teacher explored this pandemic pedagogical landscape in his classroom. This experience contributes to learning from the past, navigating the present, and continuing to shape the future of effective instruction in an elementary classroom
Pulled In All Directions: Kindergarten Educator Challenges for Teaching Reading in Play-Based Programs
No full textKindergarten educators are experiencing tensions with pedagogical approaches for early literacy learning (e.g., Forgie et al., 2022; Pyle et al., 2018). They feel pressured to abandon play-based approaches in favour of direct instruction due to changes in provincial curriculum and school board policies (e.g., OHRC, 2022). This paper highlights themes and responses by participants in a study with kindergarten educators during the fall of 2023. Challenges expressed included changing messages from school boards, a lack of clarity regarding direction, and the introduction of prescriptive programs. Suggestions of ways educators can build knowledge and agency through collaborative conversations will be shared
Antle Discovers his Voice: Examining Uses of Oral Language Resources for Mi’kmaw Learners
No full textThis article shares findings from the first phase of program evaluation of Antle, a holistic language resource for teaching, learning and assessment. The program evaluation was guided by understandings that appreciate the interconnections of literacies and identities and is situated within a decolonizing framework that recognizes the transformation of Indigenous knowledges as essential. A quantitative and qualitative analysis was conducted. Analysis revealed the educators valued Antle but did not use the resource consistently. Recommendations include providing information to teachers about connections between literacies theories, curriculum outcomes, and program activities, and additional support for implementation. This article serves as an invitation to researchers and educators across Canada to rethink literacy assessment practices