The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect that participating in online literature discussions would have on the discourse and learning of adult students. Would electronic literature (e-lit) discussions promote grand conversations? Would students feel that e-lit discussions enhanced their understanding of what they read, and, if so,…

With over 125 references to music, John Steinbeck's "The Pearl" almost cries for popular music as part of its instructional delivery. The teaching of popular music within the classroom responds to many of today's accepted practices: reader response, writing instruction, humanities exploration, multiliteracy, multiple intelligences, and…

The recent emergence of assistive technology encourages researchers and educators to explore its possible benefits for students who lack the reading and writing skills necessary for success in higher education. Assistive technologies include text-to-speech software, word-processing programs, voice-recognition software, and software for organizing…

Learning logs, or reading response logs, have long been established as an effective reading strategy that helps students learn from text (Atwell, 1987; Blough & Berman, 1991; Calkins, 1986; Commander & Smith, 1996; Kuhrt & Farris, 1990; Reed, 1988; Sanders, 1985). In this paper, the author describes her experiences using learning logs as a…

With the publication of the report of the National Reading Panel (National Institute for Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000), reading fluency has become more recognized as a key element in successful reading programs in the primary grades. This article describes a study that assessed the decoding accuracy and fluency levels of a…

This qualitative study investigates the ability of adult low-skilled readers to talk about the thought processes and phonetic strategies they use to make decisions about their spelling. Four adult learners, all exhibiting word knowledge at a second-grade level or below, participated in individual 45-minute audiotaped interviews. Selected portions…

The critical literacy classroom is characterized by an emphasis on students' voices and on dialogue as a tool with which students reflect on and construct meanings from texts and discourses. Is it appropriate, however, to teach critical literacy in settings such as penal institutions where student voices are deliberately discouraged and silenced?…

English as a second language (ESL) content-based texts are often evaluated for their presentation of sound second-language teaching practices. While such reviews are important and valuable, they ignore an examination of the race, class, and gender issues introduced in the texts. A critical perspective on textbook evaluation organized around the…

Suicide, the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States, is preventable. Nearly 80% of individuals who commit suicide have demonstrated signs well in advance. Adolescent suicide prevention efforts require collaboration with teachers--individuals who know students well. Literacy educators have a role in suicide…

The author discusses the influence of video games and other technologies on modern family life, drawing on her own experiences. The implications of digital and other "new" and multiple literacies are described, with reference particularly to the work of Patrick Shannon and James Paul Gee.

Students in the middle grades need the skills not only to read independently but also to make decisions, so that interest in text and thorough comprehension will be promoted. This article describes integrated techniques and activities that the author used to develop these sophisticated skills in a one-on-one setting in her regular classroom with…

Using picture books in teacher education courses allows instructors to set theory in context, create a visual representation of it, and make theory come alive. The benefit of picture books does not stop at the college door, because when students graduate and have classrooms of their own they can use the stories and pictures to remember and apply…

Combined-text picture books unite multiple genres, providing nuanced information on a single topic from the unique lens of each genre. By providing guided practice in reading and writing a combined-text picture book, teachers can help students develop sensitivity to different types of texts, to what they do and how they do it. Such sensitivity can…

This study addresses the impact of functional adult literacy on the empowerment of women in the absence of formal schooling. It examines whether the effects of functional literacy are exclusively content specific or whether there are gains going beyond the obvious benefits and extending to other spheres of everyday functioning, such as…

As new information and communication technologies permeate classrooms and libraries, educators have the responsibility to assist students in comprehending and understanding the information that is now available online. How can we instruct students to become skilled, strategic readers when they encounter online texts and hypertextual formats? By…