Reflections

Abstract

The Reading TeacherVolume 73, Issue 4 p. 397-398 From the EditorFree Access Reflections First published: 27 December 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1888AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Words often have multiple meanings. Take the word reflection, for instance. A reflection can be defined as “an image seen in a mirror or shiny surface….[or as] serious thought or consideration” ("Reflection," 2019, definitions 1.2 and 2). We selected Reflections as the theme for this issue because both definitions are used throughout the invited and peer-reviewed content. Some of the articles prompt for serious thought or consideration of new and familiar ideas. Others encourage literacy teachers to help students see themselves in the books they read and in class discussions. The Inside Track In this issue's The Inside Track, Yoo Kyung Sung presents a thought-provoking evaluation of the representation of South Korean culture and Korean Americans in children's literature. Undoubtedly, publishers, authors, and educators have heard the call for more diverse representations in children's books since Bishop's (1990) initial challenge to use books as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. However, we must also examine the quality of those books. Sung invites us to think critically about the folklore-oriented approaches in children's literature that romanticize Korean culture and to carefully examine terminology and imagery. Educators will find the explanation of three common misrepresentations in children's literature helpful as they evaluate which books to bring into the classroom. Finally, Sung offers recommendations that can help us guard against “superficial diversity commitment.” Feature Articles This issue's feature articles challenge us to think critically, engage in out-of-the-box thinking, and revisit established instructional principles. Related to The Inside Track, in the first feature article, Ward and Warren examine 45 pieces of children's literature that can serve as discussion starters about childhood refugees. In a similar way, Driessens and Parr recommend quick writes, initiated by carefully crafted invitations, as low-risk spaces for students to address issues related to social justice and civil rights. Student agency, although identified as an important aspect of literacy learning, has lacked a viable instrument to measure student agency with elementary students. Vaughn, Premo, Sotirovska, and Erickson introduce the Student Agency Profile, validated with over 1,700 students and aimed at capturing and documenting student growth on affective dimensions of literacy learning. Like agency, modeling is widely accepted as a valuable instructional tool, yet Schutz and Rainey grappled with how to define and represent this concept to preservice teachers. In their article, Schutz and Rainey describe their journey and make recommendations that teacher educators and classroom teachers might find beneficial. Several articles in this issue encourage teachers to consider multimodal texts. Like many education systems around the world, early-years teachers in Australia find that printed text is commonly privileged in literacy teaching. Brosseuk, Exley, and Neumann present the literacy pedagogical approach LAUNCH, which encourages multimodal expressions with young learners. In their article, Reid and Moses describe a comics writers' workshop unit in a fourth-grade classroom. The focal teacher encouraged students to use words, images, and design features to create meaning. Relatedly, Mayes, Coppola, and Fa highlight a theatre-based intervention in which students learn about settings, main characters’ motivations, and the role that additional characters play in story development. The authors explain the transfer of those understandings to students’ writing. The final three feature articles invite readers to take a new look at familiar instructional concepts. First, Grysko and Zygouris-Coe review five instructional strategies for teaching students in grades 3–5 to read, write, and think in scientific ways. Next, drawing on research-informed principles for primary-grade vocabulary instruction, Manyak and Latka developed a series of engaging vocabulary units for a first-grade class. Finally, Lupo, Berry, Thacker, Sawyer, and Merritt present a text set framework that builds content knowledge along with literacy skills. Teaching Tip and Voices From the Classroom In this issue's teaching tip, Barone, Khairallah, and Gabriel remind us that running records are an efficient tool for analyzing reading behaviors. When analyzed, running records reveal students’ applied strategic actions and point teachers toward teaching decisions. In the first Voices From the Classroom essay, third-grade teacher Feliciano echoes the theme of books as reflections. She describes her own childhood experiences and those of the students in her classroom who appreciate books that serve as reflections of their own lives. Reading specialist Cozart shares a reflection on the power of asking why. When teachers ask, “Why do you think that?” they can gain valuable insight about a student's thinking. Departments In the Digital Literacy department, McLean draws on her years of teaching in Caribbean schools. She proposes a modern take on the purposes and methods of reading by challenging literacy educators to be inclusive of digital and screen reading. Finally, we end the issue with the Teaching Bi/Multilingual Learners department. Leija examines the cultural practice of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in a second-grade classroom that featured a 50/50 Spanish–English dual-language program. Using a family inquiry assignment, the teacher was able to tap into and integrate family cultural knowledge. Reflections We invite you to consider the contents of this issue as reflections on your instructional practices. You might consider where you see your own practices reflected and where you might reflect on your practice as what it could become. References Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix– xi. Reflection. (2019). In Lexico. Retrieved from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/reflection Volume73, Issue4January/February 2020Pages 397-398 ReferencesRelatedInformation