Literacy for a Better World

by Vanderploeg, Laura Schneider; Schaafsma, David

• ISBN13: 9780807753514
• ISBN10: 0807753513
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-10
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

This book brings literacy research and culturally relevant pedagogy together to offer a comprehensive vision of what socially just teaching looks like in the secondary English classroom. The author, an experienced professional developer and teacher, provides a powerful framework for analyzing classroom instruction with regard to ideals of stance, relevance, access, identity, and agency. Chapters provide models that have worked in real classrooms, including a model for developing units of study in social justice. The final chapter addresses how educaitonal leaders can create conditions for socially just teaching and learning in today's diverse schools. This book features: a focus on the challenges teachers are likely to face, particularly in schools with struggling, disengaged students; strategies for responding to critical moments in the classroom; lesson plans and vignettes from urban schools; and leadership principles for putting socially just teaching into action.

Author Biography

Laura Schneider VanDerPloeg is a national consultant with extensive experience working with schools and districts to improve student reading, writing, and thinking. In her 23 years as a classroom teacher, researcher, and professional developer, her work has focused on supporting secondary students and teachers in diverse and underserved schools.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction: Minding the Gap-Why We Need Socially Just Teaching	p. 1
Navigating the Challenges of Teaching in Real Classrooms	p. 3
Making a Case for Socially Just Teaching	p. 5
Constructing a Vision of Socially Just Teaching	p. 9
Lenses for Denning and Studying Socially Just Teaching Practice	p. 10
Assessing Your School and Classroom Context	p. 22
Building Better Classroom Communities: Putting Student Voices at the Center	p. 26
A Portrait of Community in Alissa Niemi Heikkila's Class	p. 26
What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do in a Classroom Community That Supports Social Justice Work	p. 30
Creating Conditions for Learning to Think as a Member of a Literate Community	p. 33
Assessing Your Learners and Choosing a Focus	p. 42
The Right to Their Own Ideas: Socially Just Classrooms Thrive on Students' Voices	p. 44
Getting Them All Talking: Creating Structures for Talk and Teaching the Skills of Discussion	p. 46
Raising the Level of Thinking Through Student Talk	p. 53
Teaching for Ownership and Independence: Helping Students Develop Purpose for Their Learning	p. 66
Independence and Ownership as Matters of Social Justice	p. 67
An Overview of a Unit in Reading as Personal Inquiry	p. 70
Conclusion	p. 86
When Things Don't Work Right: Challenges and Opportunities for Socially Just Reading	p. 87
Inquiring into Students' Reading as a Matter of Social Justice	p. 87
Putting Socially Just Reading in Context	p. 89
Putting It All Together: Examining a Critical Moment in the Classroom	p. 101
Reenvisioning Socially Just Reading in the Classroom	p. 108
Practicing the Art of Socially Just Teaching: Strategies for Everyday Classroom Use	p. 109
Responding to Critical Moments in Classroom Reading	p. 110
Closing Thoughts	p. 129
Putting It All Together: Developing a Unit of Study for Social Justice	p. ' 130
What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do to Read, Write, and Think in Socially Just Ways	p. 130
Lenses for Socially Just Reading	p. 131
A Sample Outline of an Inquiry Unit on Social Justice	p. 134
Closing Thoughts: Leading for Socially Just Teaching and Learning	p. 144
Going Beyond the Classroom Teacher: The Case for Socially Just Leadership	p. 145
Putting Socially Just Leadership into Action	p. 147
Conclusion	p. 153
Notes	p. 155
References	p. 157
Index	p. 163
About the Author	p. 173
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