Literacy for Self-Discovery: Critical Conversations in the Secondary ELA Classroom

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: (Re)defining and Exploring the Possibilities of Literacy Teaching, Learning, and Assessment in the K-12 Classroom

Abstract

This qualitative study examined a critical incident in a secondary English language arts classroom serving a small group of students with disabilities. The research centered on the asset-based conception of literacy held by Albert—an English teacher and teacher of students with disabilities—and the ways this conception of literacy crossed the boundary into his classroom. Despite the U.S. educational system's over-emphasis on standardized assessments to identify flaws in students’ literacy development, teachers like Albert can leverage students' literacy practices to engage in critical conversations that relate to students' understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Author

• Katie F. Whitley, Montclair State University