Innovations in Literacy Professional Learning

Dana A. Robertson, EdD, is Associate Professor of Reading and Literacy in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. He is a former elementary classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and literacy coach, and conducts research focused on classroom discourse, reading and writing challenges, and literacy professional learning and whole-school literacy improvement. Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, Dr. Robertson was Executive Director of the Literacy Research Center and Clinic at the University of Wyoming. He was named an Emerging Scholar by the Reading Hall of Fame, is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences, was a collaborating author on the International Literacy Association’s Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals (2017), and serves as a board member-at-large for the International Literacy Association. His work has appeared in many journals and books of educational practice and research.Leigh A. Hall, PhD, is Director of Research at Merlyn Mind in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she focuses on understanding and improving K-12 educators' experiences with AI technology in their classrooms. Previously, she was a Professor at the University of Wyoming, where she held the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education. During her time in Wyoming, she focused on how teachers can work with diverse learners to improve their literacy instruction, and the role that technology can play in enhancing and supporting that instruction. Dr. Hall is a recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation award from the International Literacy Association and the Early Career Achievement Award and Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association. She has published in leading journals of literacy research and practice.Cynthia H. Brock, PhD, is Professor at the University of Wyoming, where she holds the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education. Her scholarly research agenda centers on the study of opportunities for learning. Dr. Brock explores the literacy learning opportunities of elementary children from diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds; she also explores ways to work with pre- and inservice teachers and administrators to foster children’s literacy learning opportunities. She has conducted qualitative research in cross-cultural contexts, including in the United States, Australia, England, Fiji, Thailand, Laos, Spain, Chile, and Costa Rica.

"True to its title, this book conveys leading-edge ideas. It offers practical ideas for PL that ensures teachers and students alike are supported to learn and to sustain their learning. The book emphasizes that teachers must continually evaluate and grow their instructional practice through just-right, just-at-the-right-time learning experiences. It shares insights that will make such professional growth a reality. This powerful work is a major contribution to the development of teacher learning."--Diane Lapp, EdD, Distinguished Professor of Education, San Diego State University"This book shows the power of educators working together. When teachers and school leaders collaborate to find solutions for student literacy, students win!"--Wayne Tuttle, MEd, Assistant Principal, Kelly Walsh High School, Casper, Wyoming“From editors and contributors who have successfully implemented PL in a variety of contexts, the book offers detailed insights into issues of equity and sustainability. Readers learn about a range of practices drawing on the role of cognitive access, contextual fit, and agency to address challenges and opportunities associated with PL. This book could be used for graduate-level courses in literacy coaching and supervision. Courses on professional development/learning would benefit from the book, as it takes a wide lens on the overall concepts associated with PL."--Virginia J. Goatley, PhD, Interim Dean, School of Education, University at Albany, State University of New York"In my 30 years of research and involvement in PL, there have been many well-intentioned changes to PL practices--most of them linked to accountability, accreditation, and mandates. Teachers have lacked opportunities to improve their knowledge and pedagogy based on their own understanding of what they and their students need. This book is a breath of fresh air! School, district, and community leaders grappling with the complexities of literacy learning today will find numerous innovative ideas that resonate with their contexts and challenges."--Jan B. Turbill, PhD, School of Education, University of Wollongong, Australia"This volume takes seriously the importance of planning and delivering highly contextual PL for literacy teachers. Resisting the tendency to standardize, commercialize, and scale up PL, the editors and contributors demonstrate the imperative to understand and value the uniqueness of each context and the range of people in it. The adaptive expertise of teachers shines through. The book shows that when literacy PL is personalized, the outcomes are heightened levels of innovation, teacher agency, and sustainability. School leaders, department heads, early-career teachers, and student teachers will see themselves and others in one or more of the case studies, and through that process will better recognize the multiple opportunities and pathways to improve students' learning."--Beryl Exley, PhD, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia-

• Introduction: Innovation, Equity, and Sustainability in Literacy Professional Learning, Dana A. Robertson & Cynthia H. BrockI. Professional Learning as Reflexive Growth-in-Practice1. Developing Adaptive Expertise to Support Effective Professional Learning, Deidre M. Le Fevre2. Innovative Hybrid Professional Learning at Redmond Mountain High School, Cynthia H. Brock, Leigh A. Hall, Erin E. Silcox, & Jeff Makelky3. Professional Learning Designed to Cultivate Continuous Learning and Innovation, Cynthia L. Greenleaf, Mira-Lisa Katz, Mary Stump, & Gayle Cribb4. Enhancing Secondary Teachers’ Opportunities to Learn about Comprehension in Culturally Sustaining Ways, Sarah M. Lupo, Dianna R. Townsend, & Rachel Knecht5. Situated Professional Learning through Targeted Reading Instruction: Building Teacher Capacity and Diagnostic Practice, Steven J. Amendum, Heather H. Aiken, Mary Bratsch-Hines, & Leslie M. Babinski6. Teacher Agency and Sustainable Learning through Literacy Coaching with Teachers of Adolescents Who Are Emergent Bi- and Multilingual Students, Jennifer Sharples ReichenbergII. Professional Learning in/through/with Social Networks and Communities7. Equitable, Accessible, and Sustainable Professional Learning That Makes a Difference: The Case of the Aboriginal Reading Project, Pauline Harris8. Whole-Community Early Literacy Improvement: K−3 Academic Vocabulary Instruction, Susan V. Piazza, Sarah Summy, & Robert Herrera9. Using Digital Tools to Promote Teacher Agency and Enhance Teacher Professional Learning, Lauren Breckenridge Padesky, Dana A. Robertson, Alexis Barney, & Noelle Clark10. Innovations in Elementary Literacy Coaching: Sustaining Coaching Practices in Virtual Spaces, Jacy Ippolito, Rita M. Bean, & Kristine Sacha11. How Micro-Courses Shape Teachers’ Perceptions, Engagement, and Learning in Professional Development, Leigh A. HallEpilogue. Creating Professional Learning That Works: Lessons for Going Forward. Leigh A. HallIndex