21st-Century
Students
• What it means to be a literacy
learner in today’s classroom
• Cultural competence as a
21st-century literacy
• Becoming more effective
researchers, writers, and
communicators
November/December 2018
Volume 36, Issue 3
LITERACY TODAY
Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 36, Issue 3
November/December 2018
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors Christina Lambert & Alina O’Donnell
ILA LEADERSHIP
Executive Director Marcie Craig Post
2018–2019 BOARD MEMBERS
Bernadette Dwyer, Dublin City University,
President; Kathy N. Headley, Clemson
University, Vice President; Douglas Fisher,
San Diego State University, Immediate Past
President; Juli-Anne Benjamin, Marion P.
Thomas Charter School; Wendy Carss,
University of Waikato; Beverley E. Harris,
Mico University College, University of the
West Indies; Kenneth Kunz, Middlesex Public
Schools; Stephanie Laird, Southeast Polk
Community School District; Susan Paasch,
Sauk Rapids Public School District; Stephen
Peters, Laurens County School District 55; Julia
Reynolds, Allendale Public Schools; Jennifer
Williams, Calliope Global Education Initiatives
ADVERTISING
For information, contact Megan Ferguson at
800.336.7323 x 417 or advertising@reading
.org. Acceptance of advertising does not imply
endorsement.
ABOUT US
Literacy Today is the bimonthly membership
magazine of the International Literacy
Association, a nonprofi t that strives to
empower educators, inspire students, and
encourage teachers with the resources they
need to make literacy accessible for all.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Literacy Today (ISSN 2411-7862, Print; 2411-
7900, Online) is included in the cost of ILA
membership. To join, visit literacyworldwide
.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
DE 19714-8139, USA. CANADIAN GST:
Registration number R-129785523. Publications
Mail Agreement No. 40033039. Return
undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box
503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill,
ON, L4B 4R6.
CONTACT US
CUSTOMER SERVICE
800.336.7323
customerservice@reading.org
EDITORIAL
800.336.7323 x 446
literacytoday@reading.org
Write to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
DE 19714-8139, USA.
MAILING LIST RENTALS
ILA rents mailing lists only to groups approved
by the Association. Members can have
their names removed from lists rented by
writing to ILA Customer Service or emailing
customerservice@reading.org.
© International Literacy Association
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
8
Developing Habits of Mind for Evaluating the
Credibility of Online Information
10
How a Blogging Project Created Meaningful Learning Partnerships
12
Establishing Communities of Practice as an Ongoing, Job-Embedded,
Diff erentiated Approach to Teacher Learning
14
Three Perspectives Concerning New Literacies
FEATURES
16
Developing an Ethic of Care for the 21st-Century World
20
What It Means to Be a Literacy Learner in the 21st Century
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
24
Inspiring Student Activism Through Literacy
26
Creating a Classroom Environment Where Students Are Comfortable to
Speak and Write Their Mind
28
Integrating Literacy, Research, and Content Across Disciplines
32
Speaking Digital: Becoming Fully Literate in the 21st Century
34
Multigrade Reading Buddies: A Pathway to Equity, Motivation, and
Literacy Growth
THE ILA NETWORK
36
Bringing Access to Books to Rural Areas of China
38
How Advocacy in Literacy Education Remains a Priority in Texas
40
EVENTS
42
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
20
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
EDITOR’S
NOTE
his issue focuses on the central question:
What does it mean to be a learner in the
21st century?
Although the digital world has
drastically altered the way students and
teachers alike take in information, we
know that 21st-century learning is about
more than learning through technology.
It’s about creating new opportunities to
collaborate and problem solve, making
more meaningful connections in the
classroom community and the world,
and exercising the critical literacy and
responsible citizenship needed to thrive in
both digital and analog environments.
Fortunately, literacy educators are
uniquely positioned to create the 21st-
century classrooms and learners that
today’s world demands.
Through weaving new literacies
into all aspects of the curriculum and
focusing on the 21st-century skills
we know our students need, we will
empower students to become critical
thinkers and lifelong learners. But it’s
also important to acknowledge the fluid
nature of learning.
Our classroom environments, school
communities, and the world around us
continuously evolve, and so must our
teaching and learning. Welcome that
change, embrace risk taking, and model
the lifelong learning habits you aim to
instill in your students.
The complex problems of tomorrow
will be solved by the creativity of the 21st-
century students before us today.
Warmly,
21ST -CENTURY
LEARNING
Learn more and share your feedback at
literacyworldwide.org/glossary
ILA’s Literacy
Glossary—
Together, we can define
our profession,
one word at a time
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Recognizing Distinguished Programs
That Prepare Reading/Literacy Specialists
The International Literacy
Association Certificate of
Distinction for the Preparation
of Literacy Professionals (ILA
CoD) recognizes outstanding
licensure, certificate, and
endorsement programs that
prepare reading/literacy
specialists.
Earning an ILA CoD
demonstrates that the institution
adheres to a rigorous set of
standards, setting it apart from
similar programs. This seal
of approval shows that the
program meets or exceeds ILA’s
high standards for excellence.
WHAT ARE THE
ILA COD BENEFITS?
The benefits of the ILA CoD begin as soon as the institution starts
the review process and continues well after the designation is earned.
The review process helps institutions ensure each program is in
alignment with Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals
2017 (Standards 2017)*, which shows that its teacher candidates are
fully prepared to enter the profession.
Once your institution has earned an ILA CoD,
you will be able to use this designation to help you
� Market your program to potential students and the literacy profession
� Validate your status as an essential program in the university setting
and obtain new resources from your university/college
� Obtain new grant funding from foundations, the state, or federal
government
ILA will spotlight institutions who have earned
the ILA CoD with
� Recognition on the ILA CoD webpage
� Acknowledgement in an ILA press release
� An opportunity to present at a session at ILA’s annual conference
To learn more about the ILA CoD, visit ilacertification.org
Currently, programs that prepare reading/literacy specialists.
In the future, ILA will expand the certification to include programs
that prepare the following literacy professional roles:
� Pre-K/primary classroom teachers
� Elementary/intermediate classroom teachers
� Middle/high school classroom teachers
� Literacy coaches
� Literacy coordinators
WHO SHOULD APPLY
FOR THE ILA COD?
* To get more information about Standards 2017, or to purchase a copy, visit
literacyworldwide.org/standards2017
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LIT BITS
Children’s Rights to
Read Available in
Additional
Languages
Where We Stand
The following literacy leadership briefs from ILA are now
available at literacyworldwide.org/statements:
Released in August, Exploring the 2017 NAEP Reading
Results: Systemic Reforms Beat Simplistic Solutions,
unpacks the 2017 reading scores released by the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
earlier this year and discusses systemic approaches to
improving reading comprehension.
Beyond the Numbers: Using Data for Instructional
Decision Making, published in October, discusses
how data can provide insights into student learning by
acting as a portrait, a highlighter, and a springboard.
ILA’s Children’s Rights to Read—a list of
10 fundamental rights ILA asserts every
child deserves—can now be downloaded
in all six of the official United Nations
languages: Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian, and Spanish. In addition,
versions in Japanese and Maori are also
available.
Download the PDFs at rightstoread
.org, where you can also learn more
about the campaign, order the limited
edition poster of the Rights, and sign on
in support.
LITERACY TODAY | November/December 2018 | literacyworldwide.org
Membership Name
Changes
Two membership name changes went into
effect on October 15. Basic Membership
is now Regular Membership, and Emeritus
Membership is now Retired Membership. All
benefits and dues remain the same for these
membership types. Questions? Please
reach out to customerservice
@reading.org.
Submit a Nomination
for the ILA Board
The Board of Directors of ILA plays a critical
role in ensuring the financial health and well-
being of the organization. Do you know
someone who is dedicated to literacy and has
a passion for service? Maybe even you? We’re
currently looking for leaders to serve on the
Board, guiding ILA’s direction and enhancing
value for members. You can submit a
nomination for yourself or a colleague through
December 20 at literacyworldwide.org/get-
involved/leaders-wanted. Keep an eye out for
elections opening around the end of March.
#ShowUsYourBooks
We recently asked our Twitter followers to show off their
classroom libraries using the #ShowUsYourBooks hashtag, and
five lucky teachers were chosen at random to receive a copy of
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman.
Thank you to all who participated and to Random House
Children’s Books for making it happen.
shared by @primaryshannon
shared by @lissawheels
shared by @teacherdarden
The International Literacy Association (ILA) is
my resource for instruction, leadership, and
professional development. Along with providing
these resources, ILA also offers many opportunities
to get involved. For instance, along with my newly
elected role of vice president, I’m also completing
committee work that focuses on adolescent
literacy.
The Adolescent Literacy Committee embraced
the charges launched by Immediate Past President
Douglas Fisher to update the Adolescent Literacy
position statement published in 2012 when we
were the International Reading Association (IRA).
The extensive work of transitioning from IRA to ILA
has involved closely examining and updating past
advocacy and research pieces.
Joining me in updating the archived position
statement are my adolescent literacy colleagues
Jennifer Aragon, Gwynne Ash, George Boggs,
Anna Marie Bonafide, Heather Casey, Victoria Gillis,
Denise Morgan, Brian Murphy, Janine Nieroda, Evan
Ortlieb, Justin Overacker, and Jane Saunders. This
is quite a team!
Together, we have extensively researched
adolescent literacy to bridge the knowledge
base from the previous position statement to
the upcoming one that will serve as an up-to-
date advocacy document that can be used by
educators, schools, districts, and ILA’s chapters
and affiliates. Once approved by the ILA Board
of Directors and edited for publication, the new
statement will be available on the ILA website at
literacyworldwide.org/statements.
Until then, I thought I’d share some of the
wonderful ILA resources already available that
helped us as we dove into our research on
adolescent literacy. We explored recent journal
articles from The Reading Teacher, Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Reading Research
Quarterly, and our committee also accessed recent
Resources at Your Fingertips
ILA UPDATE
position statements and literacy leadership briefs
issued by ILA that informed our work. In particular,
we found the following useful:
Collaborating for Success: The Vital Role of
Content Teachers in Developing Disciplinary
Literacy With Students in Grades 6–12 (2015).
This position statement was developed
by ILA’s Common Core State Standards
Committee and provides a thorough look at
content area literacy and disciplinary literacy.
Instead of the expected debate over which
one is most important, the authors distinctly
describe the significance of each.
Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy:
Strategies and Frameworks (2017). Principal
authors Amy Wilson-Lopez and Thomas
Bean continue the conversation about these
two approaches to literacy instruction.
Of particular instructional support is the
brief’s closing table, “Sample Combination
Approaches Using Literacy Strategies and
Disciplinary Literacy Frameworks.”
The Position Statements webpage on the ILA
website has an array of recent resources such
as these that are quick overviews packed with
references to other professional information.
From 2018 alone, you’ll find the following literacy
leadership briefs:
What Effective Pre-K Literacy Instruction Looks
Like
Explaining Phonics Instruction: An Educator’s
Guide
Literacy Coaching for Change: Choices Matter
Reading Fluently Does Not Mean Reading Fast
Democratizing Professional Growth With
Teachers: From Development to Learning
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Transforming Literacy Teacher Preparation:
Practice Makes Possible
Improving Digital Practices for Literacy,
Learning, and Justice: More Than Just Tools
Exploring the 2017 NAEP Reading Results:
Systemic Reforms Beat Simplistic Solutions
Although the position statement our committee
is working on updating primarily reports recent and
upcoming resources related to adolescent literacy,
ILA as an organization meets professional learning
needs for all ages. We have a vibrant group of
educators enthusiastically dedicated to young adult
learners. No matter your learner level, I encourage
you to explore the professional development and
professional learning resources and opportunities
ILA has to offer.
Which leads me back to our Adolescent
Literacy Committee efforts. Watch for the release
of our position statement and white paper in the
coming months, and for a preconference institute
at ILA 2019 based on our findings and practical
applications.
Kathy N. Headley
Vice President of the Board
© 2018
ISBN 978-0-87207-379-1
Nonmembers: $28.15
Members: $22.50
Standards for the Preparation of Literacy
Professionals 2017
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY ASSOCIATION
Developed by literacy experts across the United States, Standards for the
Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 sets forth the criteria for developing
and evaluating preparation programs for literacy professionals. These updated
standards focus on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effective
educational practice in a specific role and highlight contemporary research and
evidence-based practices in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership.
ORDER TODAY! literacyworldwide.org/standardsbook
800.336.7323 (U.S. and Canada) | 302.731.1600 (all other countries)
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LITERACY TODAY | November/December 2018 | literacyworldwide.org
ecently, much attention has been placed on the need to help students develop
the ability to evaluate the credibility of online information. Students need such
an ability in order to be engaged citizens within a democratic-, information-,
and technology-based society as they research answers to both personal and
professional issues, a process that often occurs on the internet.
In online contexts, where anyone may publish what he or she wishes and little
information is vetted before it reaches readers, the ability to evaluate credibility
is especially important. So how should we go about teaching students to evaluate
credibility?
Although there are many skills, strategies, and habits of mind that go
into evaluation, developing the habits of mind—the ways of being, thinking,
and approaching text—can serve as the foundation from which to engage in
evaluation. Helping an online reader see herself as a “frontline judge,” responsible
for determining the extent to which information is credible, positions her to more
effectively evaluate.
Frontline judges of credibility take a critical stance, use flexible thinking,
triangulate evidence within and across texts, and view evaluation as an iterative
process. These habits of mind interact with and support one another throughout
the evaluation process.
Take a critical stance
Readers who take a critical stance, or attitude, toward text question the authority
of information as they use their own prior knowledge to construct meaning.
Thus, critical readers engage in parallel processes of questioning accuracy and
constructing meaning. Readers who take a critical stance analyze and evaluate
the meaning of text while considering how the author’s purpose, point of view,
and biases may impact this meaning, and while considering alternative points of
view. Because such a stance assumes that information is not necessarily all true,
or is not necessarily representative of multiple viewpoints, it allows readers to
approach text from a position of questioning credibility.
Use flexible thinking
Rather than viewing a single text as completely credible or completely
noncredible, viewing texts along a credibility continuum, as more or less
credible, may be helpful. Using flexible thinking also means considering multiple
credibility clues rather than forming conclusions about credibility on the basis of a
single clue alone.
For example, instead of concluding that a website is credible because it
uses a “.org” URL address—what we can think of as rigid, rather than flexible,
thinking—readers can use this as one of many clues. In fact, anyone may purchase
whatever type of URL address he or she wishes. Similarly, if readers generally
trust information from a certain publisher, they should still consider the
credibility of each new article they read, using multiple pieces of information from
Developing habits of mind for evaluating the credibility of
online information
FRONTLINE JUDGES
By Elena Forzani
Elena Forzani
(elenaforzani@gmail
.com), an ILA member since
2012, has taught students
in kindergarten through
12th grade. She is currently
an assistant professor in
literacy education at Boston
University in Massachusetts,
where her work focuses on
understanding how students
comprehend and evaluate
texts in online contexts.
Forzani is the recipient of the
ILA 2018 Timothy & Cynthia
Shanahan Outstanding
Dissertation Award.
LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
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