The International Reading Association released its annual list that forecasts "hot" topics in literacy education. Hot is not the same as important, but indicates an area of high interest or even debate among reading experts. Conducted by Jack Cassidy and Stephanie Grote-Garcia, the 2014 survey polled 25 leading literacy scholars and researchers to find what's hot and what's not.
2014 IRA LITERACY SURVEY
2014 IRA LITERACY SURVEY
HOT AND SHOULD BE HOT:
- Common Core State Standards
- Close Reading/Deep Reading
- Disciplinary/Content Area Literacy
- College and Career Readiness
- Informational/Nonfiction Texts
- Text Complexity
NOT HOT BUT SHOULD BE VERY HOT:
- Preschool Literacy Instruction/Experiences
- Adolescent Literacies
- Motivation/Engagement
- Struggling/Striving Readers (4th grade +)
- Writing
NOT HOT BUT SHOULD BE HOT:
- Literacy Coaches
- Critical Reading and Writing
- Differentiated Instruction
- Early Intervention (K-3)
- Formative Assessment
- Professional Development for Inservice Teachers
- Teacher Education for Preservice Teachers
NOT HOT AND SHOULD NOT BE HOT:
- Phonics
- Phonemic Awareness
- Fluency
- International Comparisons
(Cassidy & Grote-Garcia, 2013)
Surprisingly, lukewarm topics include digital literacies, English language learners, and political/policy influences, along with waning topics comprehension and vocabulary. The experts agree these should all be hotter!
Can you speak to your recommendation that phonemic awareness NOT be on the hot list? Phonemic awareness and early intervention go hand-in-hand. Help me out on this one, please.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to hear the rationale behind leaving phonics and phonemic awareness off the hot list. Does this pertain to Kindergarten students? Please clarify.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that PA, phonics, and fluency should not be the topics of professional development for in-service teachers; for pre-service teachers in teacher preparation programs, yes, but as veteran teachers, we all know that these are fundamentals of reading, and we know there are stacks of resources available for learning about and teaching the skills. There's not a whole lot more to say about the fact that explicit skills instruction with our K-1 grade students, in very small doses, balanced with big helpings of authentic book experiences, is best practice for supporting reading and writing development.
ReplyDeleteWhat's more compelling, and urgent, for teachers to be exploring these days is how the CCSS-ELA frames the teaching of reading foundational skills, including PA, phonics, and fluency.
Hmmmm, how CCSS-ELA "frames" it?
DeleteHot and Should Be Hot Topics are great ideas for research now because they will get more attention than Not Hot topics...
ReplyDeleteAlso the intro paragraph states that 'hot' doesn't mean important but currently popular. So 'not hot' topics are important too, just not currently popular with the experts.
There is no doubt that phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency are pillars of reading! I believe they are not hot topics because they have been addressed so frequently - especially as one of the 5 components of reading.
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ReplyDelete