This book addresses crucial and controversial questions facing today's reading scholars, educators, and professionals. Demonstrating the diverse, and often divisive, opinions that characterize the field, leading contributors including--Isabel L. Beck, Vivian L. Gadsden, Taffy E. Raphael, Jane Hansen, Peter Afflerbach, P. David Pearson, Michael Pressley, Richard Anderson, and Marilyn Jager Adams--offer their insights and expertise on such issues as the phonics/whole language debate, the state of reading comprehension instruction, the validity of and need for standards and assessment, effective methods of teacher preparation, and family literacy.

This book lays out a new vision for the teaching of English, building on themes central to Wilhelm's influential "You Gotta BE The Book." With portraits of teachers and students, as well as practical strategies and advice, they provide a roadmap to educational transformation far beyond the field of English. --from publisher description

With the rise of new technologies and media, the way we communicate is rapidly changing. Literacies provides a comprehensive introduction to literacy pedagogy within today's new media environment. It focuses not only on reading and writing, but also on other modes of communication, including oral, visual, audio, gestural and spatial. This focus is designed to supplement, not replace, the enduringly important role of alphabetical literacy. Using real-world examples and illustrations, Literacies features the experiences of both teachers and students. It maps a range of methods that teachers can use to help their students develop their capacities to read, write and communicate. It also explores the wide range of literacies and the diversity of socio-cultural settings in today's workplace, public and community settings. With an emphasis on the 'how-to' practicalities of designing literacy learning experiences and assessing learner outcomes, this book is a contemporary and in-depth resource for literacy students.

This innovative resource describes how teachers can help students employ "literacy tools" across the curriculum to foster learning. The authors demonstrate how literacy tools such as narratives, question-asking, spoken-word poetry, drama, writing, digital communication, images, and video encourage critical inquiry in the 5-12 classroom. The book provides many examples and adaptable lessons from diverse classrooms and connects to an active Website where readers can join a growing professional community, share ideas, and get frequent updates: http://literacytooluses.pbworks.com

Few resources exist to give literacy teacher educators a comprehensive view of effective, innovative practices in their field, making this uniquely practical volume an important addition to the literature. Each chapter describes research findings and pedagogical methods, with an emphasis on what teachers really need to know to succeed. Woven into the text are more than 30 detailed activities and assignments to support teacher development, written by outstanding teacher educators. Links to professional teaching standards and the Common Core State Standards are highlighted throughout. Supplemental materials, including forms, checklists, and handouts, can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

What does it mean to be an effective literacy coach? Former teacher and veteran literacy coach Stephanie Affinito shares a core set of beliefs about literacy coaching and how it can transform teacher and student learning. While chart paper, sticky notes, and notebooks will always be essential teaching tools, Stephanie shows that by thoughtfully incorporating digital tools into your coaching, you can personalize teacher learning even more and provide greater options to increase motivation and collaboration. In Literacy Coaching, she explores the ways coaches and teachers can incorporate technology to: cultivate and innovate teacher learning communities redesign professional development collaborate to impact and elevate student learning find inspiration for their continued journey. Technology is changing the way we work, learn, and play. It has the ability to expand what is possible for teachers and students. Stephanie offers concrete steps to enhance coaching with both digital and non-digital tools. Ultimately, the goal is to strengthen teaching practice and elevate the level of literacy instruction in classrooms and schools. Literacy Coaching is not just about coaching with technology; it's about making teacher learning more meaningful, relevant, and student-centered. Match teachers with the right tools to help bring teaching ideas and goals to life.

This book discusses current issues in literacy teacher education and illuminates the complexity of supporting self-efficacious educators to teach language and literacy in the twenty-first century classroom. In three sections, chapter authors first detail how teacher education programs can be revamped to include content and methods to inspire self-efficacy in pre-service teachers, then reimagine how teacher candidates can be set up for success toward obtaining this. The final section encourages readers to ruminate on the interplay among teacher candidates as they transition into practice and work to have both self- and collective- efficacy.