Bringing research into practice occurs when exemplary research is used to inform educational practices. Planning learning experiences that are informed by research supports all students and young children in their wellbeing and learning.
美姬社区supports research from experts in the fields of literacy and language, as well as English curriculum instruction.
Videos and articles from educational experts can be found below. 美姬社区has permission to make these resources available to support professional learning.
ALEA has received permission from Mary McVee as Director, Centre for Literacy and Reading Instruction (CLaRI), P. David Pearson and Fenice Boyd to share the link to their recent webinar/ discussion.
View P. David Pearson and Fenice Boyd in discussion about the ‘Science of Reading’ in this video from the ClaRI Fall Colloquium Series.
Fact-Checking the Science of Reading .jpg)
In their 2024 book, Face-checking the Science of Reading: Opening up the conversation,
Robert J. Tierney and P. David Pearson explore the validity of claims associated with
the Science of Reading as they have appeared in social media, the popular press,
and academic works.
Their book offers a comprehensive review of these claims—analyzing the evidence,
reasoning, assumptions, and consequences associated with each claim—and closes
with ideas for moving beyond the debates to greater consensus or accommodation of
differences. The book is a must read for educators involved in teaching reading,
as well as parents, policy makers, and other stakeholders.
You can read the book Fact-Checking the Science of Reading: Opening up the Conversation
by Robert J. Tierney & P. David Pearson on the Literacy Research Commons
website .
Dr Maren Aukerman - 2024 Ithaca College Educational Freedom Lecture
We are delighted and grateful 美姬社区has been granted permission share Ithaca College’s recording of Dr. Maren Aukerman, Werklund Research Professor at the University of Calgary, lecture with our members!
Dr Aukerman’s presentation, Toward Comprehensive, Research-Informed Literacy Instruction: Thinking With, Against, and Beyond the Science of Reading, was the Ithaca College Department of Education annual Spring Educational Freedom Lecture 2024.
Dr. Aukerman is currently the Werklund Research Professor in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Formerly, she served on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. A specialist in classroom discourse and reading comprehension research, she has served on the editorial review boards of literacy-focused research journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Research in the Teaching of English, Language Arts, the Journal of Children’s Literature, and the Journal of Literacy Research.
Her expansive research interests include the role of dialogue in children’s meaning-making about texts, the language and literacy strengths of second-language learners, children’s inquiry, and “re-envisioning teaching to better serve children and democracy.” Her teaching, scholarship, service, and advising have all been recognized for excellence. She shares the commitment to social justice for all learners and the deep respect for young people that have characterized the Department of Education’s Spring Lecture focus since the program’s inception in 2018.
Dr. Aukerman’s body of research continues to move the field of literacy toward more evidence-based, theoretically-sound, democratic, and humanizing frameworks for classroom teaching and learning.
Research into Practice Conversations (ALEA, FFLL, PETAA, & ACTA video series)
The Australian Literacy Educators’ Association has collaborated with the Foundation for Learning and Literacy, the Primary English Teachers Association Australia, and the Australian Council of TESOL Associations to bring our combined membership, friends, and broader audiences this series of videos that create a space for professional conversations between teachers, school leaders and researchers. Each video demonstrates the high levels of professionalism of our teachers and their commitment to draw on contemporary, valid, rigorously conducted and school-tested research to inform their judgements when targeting their teaching to support all children and young people they work with. The important partnership between those in the classroom and those conducting and drawing together the research is highlighted.
Title: Inquiry into teaching spelling
Background: Two teachers at Unley Primary School researched a meaning-based approach to teaching spelling through structured inquiry informed by the work of Peter Bowers, Christine Topfer and Misty Adoniou. The evidence-based approach to teaching spelling has now been adopted across the whole school through a process of practitioner inquiry and sharing good practice.
Researcher mentor: Dr Jill Colton, University of South Australia
Teacher researchers: Amy Reid and Tam Jarowyj, Unley Primary School
Guest Researcher: Lyn Wilkinson, Flinders University (retired)
Title: Teaching Writing - High Expectations in the Early Years Classroom
Part 1 - Leading Change
Part 2 - Implementing Change - the work in the classroom
Background: Associate Professor Misty Adoniou has been working with teachers and leaders at Strathmore North Primary School in Melbourne for 3 years around a focus on improving student’s writing. In these two videos she firstly chats with Assistant Principal Clare Spillane about the strategic planning the leadership team has undertaken to manage the change and improvement process each year and how the staff have been supported and empowered through targeted professional learning and year level PLCs to collaboratively work with new strategies.
In the second video, Misty chats with classroom teacher Emily Dropuljic about the shifts in student writing outcomes that have been achieved using high expectation, high support strategies and quality literature.
Researcher: Associate Professor Misty Adoniou - Adjunct, University of Canberra, Principal Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Teacher: Emily Dropuljic
School Leader: Clare Spillane
The following FFLL resources on Writing support the conversations in these videos:
Background: What happens when you focus as much on the language, as the science of climate change? In this interview, year 6/7 teachers, Michael Cannavan and Louise Kelly talk about working with PETAA researchers to teach students the technical language needed to explain the enhanced greenhouse effect. Understanding the greenhouse effect and how human activity contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect, is central to understanding climate change. Louise and Michael discuss how they strategically develop the language students need to talk and write about what’s happening in the atmosphere and how that’s warming our planet. The discussion highlights the language and literacy demands of the primary science curriculum..
Researcher mentor: Ms Julie Hayes and Dr Bronwyn Parkin PETAA
Teacher researchers: Michael Cannavan and Louise Kelly, Cowandilla Primary School
Background: The research project developed resources and a professional learning program in order to create capacity for primary school teachers to implement the plurilingual strand of the new EAL curriculum in Victoria. The resources and professional learning were designed to align with the English curriculum. The project supported the learning of a range of students in diverse classrooms 鈥� including EAL students and students proficient in English. The approach taken also supported teachers’ and students’ use of digital technologies and literacies.
The professional experience teachers brought from different teaching and learning contexts was invaluable in making this initiative a success. In the project, student and teacher engagement was investigated through lesson documentation, teachers’ written reflections, group discussions, students’ work samples and interviews. The project was funded by the Department of Education and Training, Victoria.
Researcher mentor: Dr Marianne Turner, Dr. Anne Keary and Dr. Katrina Tour
Teacher researchers: Michelle Andrews, Dan Thomas, Ryoki Fukaya and Hien Webb
