Literacy Now

Flashback to the summer of 1989.

I was four years old, and my father had finally managed to secure a hard-won student visa to study at Louisiana State University. While my mother and I waited for our chance to join him, I lived with my aunt and cousin in Beijing, a few miles away from Tiananmen Square, the heart of China’s government.

For many at the time, Tiananmen Square was the epicenter of a rising democratic movement breaking out all across the country. Throughout the spring of 1989, hundreds of thousands of young university students had gathered in the square to raise their voices against the government.

For me, the massive crowd in Tiananmen Square was a tourist attraction. We didn’t have much in our little Beijing hutong—no hot water, no air conditioner or heater, no private bathroom, precious little to do. So, to entertain us, my aunt took my cousin and me out to the square every weekend. I still remember looking on, one of my small hands in my aunt’s, the other clutching a melting popsicle, as the crowds grew steadily larger, as the students erected a white Statue of Liberty model in the square, as their leaders shouted into megaphones and the crowds answered with fervor.

The last day we watched the students was the day the government cracked down on them.

I remember going out to the square on the day of the massacre. My older cousin was throwing a fit that day, wailing after my aunt refused to let him wear his favorite red overalls—red being a revolutionary color that could draw unwanted, dangerous attention. So, as he stayed home in his tantrum, I accompanied my aunt to the square.

It was a warm, sticky day in early June, and the square was packed with people. There were already tanks in the streets, sitting quietly for their next orders. Soldiers stood in lines against the protesters, staring each other down.

The tanks waited and the soldiers waited. The students waited. And we waited, not knowing what would happen next.

I remember my aunt leaning down to me. Whatever she sensed in the air that I couldn’t, it made her say, “Let’s go home early. This isn’t a good day to be here.”

For years afterward, I would hear two different versions. One, the version from China and from family members, was that the protesters were rabble-rousers the state was forced to stop in order to preserve order. Two, the version from the rest of the world, was that these unarmed college students were gunned down for daring to speak their minds.

Being a child, of course, I didn’t know what any of it meant. I didn’t understand why my parents taught me not to speak of it, or why they’d always say this in a hushed tone, as if someone could hear us. I didn’t grasp the era they had survived, the things they had seen. I didn’t understand why I stayed home from kindergarten the next day because school had been canceled all across Beijing.

But I knew what a tank was. The image of them in the streets, waiting, has always stayed with me.

To read Marie Lu’s complete article, check out the open access March/April issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine.

Marie Lu, the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-selling series The Young Elites and the blockbuster best-selling Legend series, will speak at the Closing General Session of the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits on Monday, July 17. For more information, visit ilaconference.org.

Before the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits kicks off on July 15 in Orlando, many attendees choose to warm up their brains at the interactive Preconference Institutes: focused, full-day sessions that unpack research, techniques, and strategies to apply in the classroom. If you will be in the Orlando area on July 14 and are looking to hone a new skill, check out the complete list of institutes and consider these seven perks:

• Intensive and immersive learning experiences: The 10 Preconference Institutes each concentrate on a hot topic in literacy, including equity in early literacy, supporting English learners, digital storytelling, accommodations for learning disabilities, and more. This offers you an opportunity to focus on a specific challenge or area of interest.
• Face-to-face connections: The intimate setting and extended time allows for more opportunities to form new professional relationships and strengthen existing ones. Preconference Institutes offer an ideal environment to exchange relevant ideas, insights, and experiences with literacy leaders from around the world.
• Lay the foundation: Preconference Institutes offer an in-depth look at topics explored at conference sessions and events. This provides the basis for a stronger conference learning experience.
• Interactive learning formats: Several of the institutes incorporate videos, discussion, paired exercises, digital demonstrations, and more.  
• Meet experts: You will have the opportunity to speak with and learn from respected literacy scholars and practitioners as they highlight critical insights from their research, present the practical applications of their findings, and lead breakout and informal discussions. 
• One-day registration: If you don’t have the time or resources to commit to the full ILA Conference & Exhibits, you can register for one all-day institute at a lower cost.  See conference registration for the complete range of prices.
• Get ramped-up: Former attendees have said that the Preconference Institutes jumpstart their learning and set the enthusiastic tone of the entire conference.

Register now and receive Standard rates through July 12.

Alina O’Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.

Not just anyone can be an effective teacher, let alone an effective literacy teacher. Yet the tenor of recent policy debates in the United States has often been highly critical of the nation’s teaching corps, and especially so with respect to initial licensure programs.

While these programs demonstrate differing levels of quality and rigor, the creeping assumption has been that the nation’s schools need better teachers than they are getting, and that alternative pathways to teacher certification should be an urgent priority.

But there’s a crucial defect at the very root of the discussion, a defect which a combined task force of the International Literacy Association (ILA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has now brought to light, namely the lack of research behind many of the negative claims regarding teacher preparation.

The ILA–NCTE Literacy Teacher Preparation research advisory was researched by the joint task force and drafted by Victoria J. Risko (pictured on the right), professor emerita at Peabody College's Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University, and Louann Reid (pictured below), professor and chair of the Department of English at Colorado State University. It brings to the policy clash a much-needed counterpoint, answering the narrowness of political remedies with a set of defining, evidence-based characteristics of effective teacher preparation programs.

Predicated on an extensive review of the research findings, the advisory acknowledges the lack of any large-scale, longitudinal study to date that follows teachers across their coursework and into their careers.

However, it emphasizes that a convergence across numerous studies of teacher learning and practice, as well as evidence from analyses of effective teacher preparation programs, identify four critical quality indicators for prospective teachers’ learning and new teachers’ performance:

• Knowledge development. Teacher preparation entails the acquisition of a foundational knowledge of multiple literacies, literacy learning, language development, curriculum, theories of teaching and learning, and subject matter content and pedagogy. Coursework addresses issues such as race, class, gender, culture, language, educational equity, and teaching for social justice. This preparation broadens new teachers’ perspectives and helps them to see students’ differences as assets.
• Authentic contexts. Instructional competency is developed by strong field experience in authentic settings. Field experience with guidance and mentoring develops prospective new teachers’ skills in providing differentiated instruction, including engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse students. It also develops their personal approaches to pedagogy and assessment, and encourages them to join professional learning communities. Lacking such preparation, a new classroom teacher may become overwhelmed.
• Ongoing teacher development. Effective teacher preparation programs equip prospective teachers to engage in self-critique and analytical thinking and inspire them to seek continuous professional learning. They provide carefully planned and mentored opportunities for debriefing and reconciling prior beliefs with new knowledge and theories about pedagogy. Without this guidance, prospective teachers may struggle with adapting their approaches to meet students’ needs and responding to the challenges every classroom presents.
• Ongoing assessments. Four critical assessment points are prominent across teacher preparation programs of excellence: program admission, monitoring students’ progress, benchmarking students’ accomplishments (for example, by building personal teaching portfolios), and tracking success by gathering data on graduates.

Risko, who served as ILA’s lead on the project, emphasizes that claims disavowing the value of teacher education programs are not supported by research.

“We are reporting on the substantial evidence documenting the impact of teacher preparation courses on teachers’ learning, on their teaching practices in the classroom as new teachers and, with some investigations, the impact of teacher preparation on pupil learning,” Risko says.

Reid, who served as NCTE’s lead, stresses two additional points about the advisory.

“An expert teacher never stops learning, and novice teachers need to realize that it’s OK not to know everything right away,” she says.

Reid recommends that preparation programs include partnerships with school districts that have strong induction programs.

 “Some new teachers heed the advice to forget everything they learned in the university because they are now in the real world,” she says.  

The ILA–NCTE advisory is a treasure trove for policy advocates and literacy researchers. More than 140 key reference citations are included in its reference and resource sections. Risko and Reid gave additional insights about the piece in an interview on Education Talk Radio.

Dan Mangan is the director of public affairs at the International Literacy Association.

Though the true origins remain unknown, some speculate that the city of Orlando was named after a character from Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Lending credence to this theory, Orlando’s lover in the comedy is named Rosalind, which is also the name of the main street that traverses the city. 

The reference would be fitting for a city that’s been home to a number of new and established literary icons, including Billy Collins, Campbell McGrath, John Green, Zora Neale Hurston, and Jack Kerouac. Today, Orlando has been called one of the best vacation spots for book nerds.  

Make the most of your time in Orlando by fitting in a few of these local literacy lures before, during, or after the International Literacy Association (ILA) 2017 Conference & Exhibits.

ILA Events

Poetry Olio: This verse and song presentation (to take place Saturday, July 15th at 7:30 p.m.) will feature poets, songwriters, and musicians and include open mic readings, surprise guests, and prizes.

Informal Storytelling Gathering: Listen to factual and fictional stories or share one of your own at the Informal Storytelling Gathering on Sunday, July 16th from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Featured storytellers will present first at this informal gathering, and any audience member who wishes to speak may sign up to tell his or her story during the second half of the event.

Park Attractions

Literacy Night at Universal Orlando Resort™ caps off the first day of ILA 2017 on Saturday, July 15th beginning at 7:00 p.m. and going until the park closes. Attendees will receive discounted admission to Universal Studios Florida™ and the literature-themed Universal's Islands of Adventure™ as well as free shuttle service to and from the parks. 
 
Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™: One of the most popular attractions in Universal Studios, Harry Potter fans can wander through 20 acres of cobblestone streets, detailed facades, and labyrinthine passageways, breaking to drink butter beer, shop for magical wares, or exchange money at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Seuss Landing at Universal's Islands of Adventure™: You won’t find a single straight line on Seuss Landing—even down to the curved palm trees—which are replanted survivors of Hurricane Andrew. Attractions include the Green Eggs and Ham Café, the All the Books You Can Read bookstore (which offers every Dr. Seuss book ever written) and Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear! a regular live performance of Dr. Seuss books.

Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal's Islands of Adventure™: A draw for graphic novel, manga, and comic book lovers, the architecture on Marvel Super Hero Island looks like pop art. Visitors can meet Marvel heroes and villains and an impressive Comic Book Shop stocked with single-issue comic books, trade paperback collections, action figures, and other collectibles. 

Events

S.A.F.E.! Words! Poetry! Slam!: A raucous biweekly spoken-word event hosted by local writer Curtis Meyer. In the weeks between slams, he hosts a live, open-to-the-public writing and performance workshop series where two guest speakers share tips on the craft.

Orlando Shakespeare Theatre: This theater company produces classic, contemporary, and children’s plays, including several Shakespearean comedies.

Shops

A Comic Shop: Voted Best Comic Store by the Orlando Weekly, beyond its massive selection A Comic Shop serves craft beer and comfort food, and hosts weekly events including trivia, karaoke, dance night, and movie premieres. 

Literary Landmarks

Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts: Located just outside of Orlando, Hurton’s hometown of Eatonville was the first African-American town to be incorporated after the Civil War. The Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts features works by artists of African descent. At the museum visitors can obtain maps for self-guided tours that will lead them to Hurton’s last home, the school where she taught, her church, and her unmarked grave.

The Jack Kerouac Project: Kerouac sought seclusion in a cottage in Northwestern Orlando from 1957–58 while completing On the Road and starting Dharma Bums. Today the house (which still contains several of Kerouac’s personal belongings) is run by the Kerouac Project, which has renovated and opened it to writers who are selected for a three month-long residence. The nonprofit occasionally opens the house to the public, or visitors can make a donation to arrange a private tour.

Alina O’Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.

Although school boards and state legislatures mandate how to teach history and current events, as well as how to define concepts such as race, discrimination, and social justice, teachers are the ones who hold the power to contextualize, connect, and give meaning to these lessons.

Where does the lesson begin and where does it end? Can we—and should we—teach students how to apply these ideas outside of the classroom?

According to Nikole Hannah-Jones, an investigative reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine, these conversations—however difficult—are critical.

“It’s important to teach students about the real world,” says Hannah-Jones. “Not just phonics and math, but how to think, to process, to examine the larger society.”

In the United States, escalating racially motivated violence has spurred many educators to stretch the boundaries of their curricula and engage their students in inclusive conversations about their own racial identities and experiences.

At the ILA 2016 Conference & Exhibits, which took place just days after the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge, LA, and the Dallas, TX, murder of several police officers gunned down in a seemingly retaliatory effort, educator Cornelius Minor engaged attendees in an impromptu conversation to demonstrate how teachers should talk about emotionally charged and controversial topics. Minor, lead staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, hoped to model how many educators feel leading these conversations in the classroom: underprepared and uncomfortable.

Minor’s standing room–only session inspired ILA to add a new Current Events Panel to the 2017 Conference & Exhibits lineup. “Disrupting a Destructive Cycle: How Literacy Drives Social Change,” moderated by Hannah-Jones and emceed by Minor, will include panelists Monita K. Bell, senior editor of Teaching Tolerance; Deborah S. Delisle, executive director and CEO of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Zareen Jaffery, executive editor of Salaam Reads; Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, assistant professor in the Literacy, Culture, and International Education Division at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education; and Gene Luen Yang, (U.S.) National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

After delivering a short keynote at the ILA 2017 event, Hannah-Jones will moderate a discussion that includes exploring the more expansive and evolving definition of literacy—particularly because she sees digital literacy and political literacy as key agents of civic engagement and social change.

“We have focused so much on literacy in terms of how well someone can perform on a test, but it’s also about your ability to exercise your rights as a citizen and to participate fully in democracy,” she says. “A hallmark of segregation is that it disenfranchises and allows us to ignore large swaths of communities that don’t have the political acumen to fight for their rights, and don’t understand what their rights are.”

Earlier that day, attendees can learn more about these issues at a special screening of Teach Us All, a documentary on educational inequality and the resegregation of America’s schools set against the backdrop of the 1957 Little Rock, AR, school crisis. Hannah-Jones was interviewed for the project by the film’s auteur, Sonia Lowman, and appears throughout. A brief discussion facilitated by ILA Board member Stephen Peters will follow the film.

The documentary resonates with Hannah-Jones, whose latest book, The Problem We All Live With (expected to be published in 2019), examines the history of school segregation in the United States and argues that the public school system was not designed to deliver an equal education to black students and white students.

Hannah-Jones is a firm believer in literacy as the foundation of all learning.

“From spending time in classrooms in high-poverty, racially isolated schools, I can tell you that if you don’t have a strong foundation in literacy, there’s no way you can catch up,” she says. “You can’t do well in any of your subjects if you don’t have strong literacy.”

Hannah-Jones says she hopes that educators who attend will leave with a set of tools they can use to facilitate constructive conversations and empower their students to promote social justice.

“I hope that they will gain some insights on how to think about literacy and push for the supports that their students need,” she says. “But also how to talk about these inequalities with direct language and a clear-eyed understanding of what the problems are and the solutions should be.”

She encourages those planning to attend the panel to prepare themselves by practicing introspection and reflecting on the stereotypes that inform their own biases.

“Teachers first have to deal with addressing biases and racial anxieties they may have themselves,” Hannah-Jones says. “It’s important to teach students to be tolerant, but that’s difficult to do if the teachers themselves [hold biases].”

To learn more about the Current Events Panel, visit the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits app.

Alina O’Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.