Engaging Teachers in a Digital Learner-Centered Approach to Support Understanding Foundational Literacy

This chapter describes a graduate level course that is required for the state's reading endorsement and is offered entirely online. The course emphasizes recent research, issues, teaching methods, and new materials in reading at the K-12 level and was intentionally designed as a learner-centered environment using the Technology Integration Planning Cycle. Students in the course (n = 38) were practicing teachers at the elementary, middle, or high school level in a wide range of urban, suburban, or rural settings. The instructor's use of the Technology Integration Planning Cycle to create a learner-centered environment and the teachers' work samples throughout the course are described. Finally, implications for teacher education are discussed.

Building Reflective Practices Through a Digital Literacy Portfolio in an Online Context

Digital storytelling is a way to utilize evidence-based practices in an online context that incorporates foundational literacy content with digital tools. Two literacy professors sought to maximize candidate learning and engagement through authentic, purposeful practices. This chapter details the utilization of a digital literacy portfolio assignment as part of an online, collaborative context to facilitate candidates' articulation of beliefs and understandings about effective literacy instruction. As candidates engage across both the face-to-face and online contexts, they develop understandings about effective literacy instruction, the application of digital tools in the classroom instruction, and a lived sense of the content of the ILA Standards that will inform their future practice. While teacher education programs face political scrutiny and intense pressure to incorporate vast amounts of content, the assignment described in this chapter provides an opportunity to facilitate candidates' learning in an online environment.

Re-Envisioning Authentic Literature Integration for Online Teacher Education

This chapter discusses how the important evidence-based practice of integrating authentic children's literature across literacy learning activities is a critical component of online teacher education. Rather than focus on a single course within an online literacy program, the authors consider the pedagogical practices threaded throughout an entire online program designed for literacy educators. The chapter demonstrates how, utilizing various digital tools, this practice is woven into the online program's theoretical foundations, methods, and capstone courses, ultimately modeling and supporting two literacy teachers to integrate authentic literature into their own literacy instruction and curriculum.

Reflective Practices That Scaffold Teacher Knowledge, Decision Making, and Literacy Leadership

The roles of literacy professionals are organized and contextualized in school settings and are quite varied; university coursework must prepare teachers to serve in literacy teacher, reading specialist, interventionist, and coaching roles. In this chapter, the authors describe two Literacy M.Ed. mid-program practicums that (1) focus on literacy small-group instruction such as guided reading and (2) individual instruction of learners having difficulty with reading. They discuss evidence-based practices primarily focused on reflection—reflections of lessons, including videotaped lessons and peer coaching, online discussions and reflections. Based on the analyses of such practices, insights and implications for program improvement are suggested.

Using Case Methods in Online Teacher Education to Develop Culturally Sustaining Educators

This chapter describes how case methods, namely discussion and reflection on published case studies, were used in online courses to promote the development of linguistically responsive and culturally sustaining practices. Participants included pre- and inservice teachers enrolled in courses for add-on licensure preparing them to work with English learners (ELs) as literacy and language teachers in Pre-K through 12 settings. Content analysis showed that cases (1) served as a catalyst for recognizing educational inequality preventing ELs from succeeding academically, (2) led participants to reflect on their beliefs and practices and make personal connections, and (3) prompted participants to offer practical classroom-level and broader structural solutions to address inequities in education of ELs. Reflections on what worked and considerations for using case methods in online literacy and language teacher preparation are described.

Use of a Metacognitive Tool to Facilitate Teacher Reflection in an Online Graduate Literacy Course

This chapter describes use of a metacognitive tool to facilitate teacher reflection in an online graduate reading practicum course. The Teacher Learning Instrument (TLI) is a tool designed to support the evidence-based practice of reflection on teaching through collaborative inquiry. The purpose of using the TLI in an online reading practicum course is to facilitate candidates' reflections on teaching struggling readers in one-to-one intervention settings with the goal of refining instruction to improve students' reading ability. The analysis of the assignment data associated with use of the TLI demonstrates the potential of the TLI to inform a collaborative, reflective process among practicing teachers within the context of a practicum course, addressing the requirements of Standard 7. The reflective process and sharing of insights among colleagues make literacy instructional practices visible for close examination in an online environment and thus exposes the complexity inherent in the effective teaching of struggling readers.

Discussion Before the Discussion in Virtual Study Groups

The virtual study group project was designed to provide a framework for job-embedded, contextual professional development. Using an open annotation tool, Hypothes.is, provided opportunities for literacy specialist candidates to share marginal notes and written dialogue asynchronously during the process of reading online professional articles. Asynchronous engagement in the digital margins of online texts added another layer of social interaction to the synchronous virtual study groups. Findings indicate that this process supported content-knowledge building and also sparked and supported inquiry-based learning. Successes and missteps are included as well as project improvements.

Building Pre-Service Teachers' Conscious Awareness of Their Literacy Cognitive Processes and Ability to Prepare Quality Think-Alouds

This chapter shares an instructional practice that has been used with undergraduate pre-service teachers to help them become consciously aware of their own cognitive processes for literacy tasks, as well as how to prepare think-aloud demonstrations for elementary age students. Using asynchronous online discussions, pre-service teachers were given a pre-writing or reading comprehension prompt and asked to think-aloud during their own work with a task. Secondly, after instruction in research-based components to include in think-alouds, pre-service teachers prepared a recording of how they would model a related literacy task for elementary age students. The asynchronous format with peer critique allowed pre-service teachers to try out think-aloud practices within an uncritical space, thus encouraging them to take greater risk in sharing their thought processes aloud with others.

Blogging as Online Reflection During Student Teaching

One of the most vital forms of dialogue for a novice teacher is the inner dialogue of reflective practice. Reflection is an evidence-based practice that improves instruction during preservice teachers' practicum experiences. While student teaching, preservice teachers may be so caught up in implementing lessons that they are unable to reflect in action; therefore, reflection-on-action, which occurs after teaching episodes, is critical. This study explores use of blogs as tools for reflection during the student-teaching experience, finding that blogs serve as a means of both self-expression and reflection. Additionally, the study suggests that self-questioning may lead to deeper reflection, and that preservice teachers should balance the articulation of emotions with specific descriptions of teaching and judgments about student learning in order to support reflection that leads to increased professional knowledge.

Peer Review in Online Professional Communities to Support Elementary Disciplinary Literacy Planning

This chapter reports the results of a qualitative case study focused on elementary pre-service teachers' perspectives on planning for disciplinary literacy using peer review in an online professional community (OPC). Seven pre-service teachers enrolled in an eight-week asynchronous, online content literacy course served as participants. Results indicated pre-service teachers' valued extended opportunities for reflection in the OPC and appreciated diverse backgrounds and experiences offered by their OPC colleagues. However, perceived challenges remained that are important to consider when incorporating peer review cycles into online asynchronous coursework. This study considers these perspectives in light of designing and planning online coursework in elementary disciplinary literacy.