Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice

by Kylene Beers (Editor)

A study guide is available for this title. to download (PDF, 117KB). This is the time to think boldly about adolescent literacy. So much of what we know about adolescents and their learning has changed in the last decade, and since then both the world of education and the world at large have become very different places. Adolescent Literacy convenes a conversation among today's most important educational thinkers and practitioners to address crucial advances in research on adolescent learning, to assess which of our current practices meets the challenges of the twenty-first century, and to discover transformative ideas and methods that turn the promise of education into instructional practice. In Adolescent Literacy renowned educators Kylene Beers, Bob Probst, and Linda Rief lead twenty-eight of the most important and widely read educators across the country in a conversation about where we are in the teaching of literacy to adolescents and how best to move forward. From researchers to classroom teachers, from long-treasured voices to important new members of the education community, Adolescent Literacy includes the thoughts of central figures in the field today. Adolescent Literacy discusses the most provocative issues of our time, Each of its chapters builds on the previous to create a unified story of adolescent literacy that will help all middle and secondary teachers and administrators envision literacy instruction in exciting new ways. In addition Adolescent Literacy 'sassessment rubrics for teachers, administrators, and staff developers make it an ideal resource for schoolwide and districtwide professional development, while its accompanying study guide is perfect for small-group discussions. Now is indeed the time to create a powerful vision of how to teach adolescents. The research on their learning has reached a critical mass, modern technology has allowed them to engage in a far wider range of literate behaviors than ever before, and their world has become increasingly connected, increasingly competitive, and increasingly polarized. Read Adolescent Literacy , consider the thoughts of leading educators, and join a conversation about what it means to teach and learn in this dynamic new environment. And do it soon, because the need to turn education's promise into classroom practice has never been more urgent.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Writing, Academic

432 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2007

Reviews

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Educational Resource

Rating: *****This was a very helpful resource. Each chapter was written on a different literacy topic by a different person in the educational world. The chapters read more like articles and include not just theory but also a lot of practical ideas.

Summary: Kylene Beers, Robert Probst, and Linda Rief invited over 30 educational writers/researchers to contribute their latest thoughts on literacy in the 21st century. It is meant to be a handbook for secondary teachers, administrators, and policy makers and fits nicely with the Response to Intervention movement. Literacy demands are changing and becoming more complex. How students are educated is an increasingly important issue.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection from leading educational researchers in the field about various aspects of adolescent literacy, including: Social Emotional needs, comprehension, multi-literate youth, vocabulary instruction, oral reading, teaching writing, student choice, assessment, underachievers, and effective teachers in the secondary school.

Interestingly, popular young adult fiction author Chris Crutcher has a chapter called, Flying Blind.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't love every chapter (unsurprising with such a variety of authors). I thought there were many of value and approved of the general philosophy and tone. It was a much stronger book than Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** Adolescent Literacy Turning Promise into Practice is a great resource for teachers. It is written in a very user friendly manner. I particularly enjoy that it is meant to be a conversation between the reader and the book. It contains useful information and points to ponder from the leading experts in the field of language arts. The book addresses reading, writing, speaking, effective teaching, and even what it takes to be a literacy coach. While this book is geared towards middle school and high school teachers, teachers at any level would get something out of it. I enjoy finding out what the leading experts say should be happening at the high school and middle school level because it gives me an idea of what is going on in my profession in other grades.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of articles on various aspects of literacy. I was blown away by an article about the tough lives of our students and how we define literacy in a digital age (including a look at gaming that defends it as interactive rather than passive "reading"). Overall, the format works well as one can skip around and read articles on topics that are of interest and ignore the rest.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The leading experts in the field of literacy each wrote a chapter while Beers, Probst and Rief wove it together with their comments. It was slow reading with much to process. As a teacher I took much from it----especially ready to use storyboards with my boys class next school year. It would be the perfect study/discussion book for teachers!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a treasure chest of research, knowledge, and practical suggestions for a literacy based classroom. Equal parts of each of these elements are present in such a way that it is hard not to draw thoughtful conclusions and generate a list of things to do differently in your classroom. This will be one of my new go-to books for those "what do I do now?" moments.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

How fortunate! My grad school homework last week was to read two chapters stored on e-reserve at the library, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a text that I had already purchased and began reading based solely on my own interest in adolescent literacy. Yay! Go learning! Haha.

[Sheryl]

I used this book quite a bit in my research for my MAT capstone project. One of the essays talks about a timeline of books in your life that helped shape your identity. This idea is currently brewing in my head, both for myself and for my students.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some articles were better than others. Some of the information was repetitive (the parts about writing were all learned in NWA Writing Project), but certain aspects provided new information. I found several passages that I would like to share with other educators.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier chapters were better than later chapters, I thought. It did get repetitive, and sometimes I got tired of the theory and wanted more ideas than problems. "We all know it's challenging teaching kids to read and write, now get to the point."
Still, it got me thinking, so that's good.

[Kaitlin Bevis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very helpful resource. Each chapter was written on a different topic by a different person, which gives a wide lense to adolescent literacy. It didn't read like a textbook, more like articles. Which was nice.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished! It is a good read and gave me many ideas for different things I want to try in my classroom. I read it slowly so that I could really think about each chapter. This is a book to take in and return to - it's filled with ideas.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though this book has several strong essays and includes writing from many of my teacher heroes, it reads much more like a textbook (without a strong through line) than a compelling book about literacy.

[Angela Harger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the essay collection format of this book. It is quite interesting to read from such a wide array of professional educators and authors and be able to compare their thoughts on adolescent literacy side-by-side.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into issues of modern literacy education. A must read for all those looking to inject some further substance - and life - into their classroom repertoire.

[Mr. MacConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into issues of modern literacy education. A must read for all those looking to inject some further substance - and life - into their classroom repertoire.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!

[Mr. MacConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into issues of modern literacy education. A must read for all those looking to inject some further substance - and life - into their classroom repertoire.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

for the second time!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Each chapter is by a different researcher - there is a wealth of information here.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable! Some chapters were better than others. Good resource!

[Tina McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inventive, but the strategies rely too much on technology.

[Kacy Smith Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful overview about the many perspectives and aspects of teaching children and teens to comprehend and engage with text.

[Sheila Bracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m coming to this a bit late—12 years after it was written—and even though some of the information is dated, more of the ideas remain relevant. Facilitating a study of this for my school district necessitated a close study and much reflection of my own practices and allowed me to engage others in discussions regarding their understanding and practices. It’s well worth the time & energy to read & discuss, especially for those who want to make a difference in the world. In order to do that, “Teachers of adolescents must read, must write, & must teach from our literate experiences & literary passions.” Nancie Atwell (p.313)

[James Prothero]

Didn't finish because I was hungry for fiction, but the essays I read were thoughtful and helpful