Prelims

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Global Meaning Making

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Advances in Research on Teaching

Series Editor: Cheryl J. Craig

Co-Series Editor: Stefinee Pinnegar

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Advances in Research on Teaching Volume 39

Global Meaning Making: Disrupting and Interrogating International Language and Literacy Research and Teaching

Edited By

Lori Czop Assaf

Texas State University, USA

Patience Sowa

RTI International, USA

And

Katina Zammit

Western Sydney University, Australia

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Editorial matter and selection © 2022 Lori Czop Assaf, Patience Sowa and Katina Zammit.

Individual chapters © 2022 the Authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80117-933-1 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80117-932-4 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80117-934-8 (Epub)

ISSN: 1479-3687 (Series)

Dedication

To all the teachers who are grappling on a daily basis to improve the social and educational outcomes for all students.

List of Figures and Tables

About the Editors

Dr Lori Czop Assaf, PhD, is a Professor at Texas State University in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches undergraduate and graduate literacy courses and coordinates the Early Childhood – 6th ESL Undergraduate Program. Assaf directs a study abroad program in rural Eastern Cape of South Africa and conducts research in Chile. As a Fulbright Scholar, Assaf worked in Indonesia with university faculty, local classroom teachers, and primary grade students teaching language and literacy instruction. Her research includes teacher education, writing instruction, and multicultural teaching and learning with a special focus on emergent bilinguals and English language learners.

Dr Patience Sowa, PhD, is a Senior Literacy and Language Advisor in the International Education Division of RTI International's International Development Group. She provides technical support in language, literacy, teacher professional development and preparation to RTI projects in low and middle income countries. Sowa has worked in multicultural and multilingual contexts in Africa, the Middle East, and North America, as a teacher and teacher educator. Her research interests include preservice teacher preparation and teaching literacy and language in bi/multilingual contexts.

Dr Katina Zammit, PhD, works at Western Sydney University in the School of Education. She teaches literacy courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. As Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching, and Deputy Dean, Zammit guides the development and accreditation of teacher education programs and postinitial teacher education programs. Zammit works closely with colleagues in school and fellow academics in Australia and other countries to improve student engagement in learning and literacy outcomes for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and/or living in poverty. Her research interests include multiliteracies, writing and creating texts in multiple modes, transformative pedagogies, and pedagogical leadership.

About the Contributors

Ms Odelia Caliz serves in Belize's Ministry of Education as an education officer supervising schools for the island schools of San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Her research interests focus on sustaining cultural and sociolinguistic writing pedagogies. From the rural Toledo District of southern Belize, Odelia's identities include Mopan Maya, Spanish, and East Indian. Her educational experience includes attending a rural multigrade primary school, an urban secondary school, and face-to-face learning in graduate studies at a US university. Through partnerships, she leads an annual children's literacy camp in the community to sustain literacy through a cultural and linguistic context.

Ms Amanda Denston PhD is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury. Her whakapapa affiliates with Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, and Ngāi Tahu iwi (tribal groups). Amanda's research interests include language and literacy development and the relationship between literacy and psychosocial development and student well-being. Amanda has worked extensively with children and teachers within schools, as well as with other professionals around pedagogical strategies related to literacy.

Dr María Constanza Errázuriz teaches Spanish, and she holds a PhD in Latin-American Discourse. She is an Associate Professor at Campus Villarrica (Southern Chile's Pontificia Universidad Católica) where she trains teachers and coordinates the university's writing center.

Dr David Taufui Mikato Fa'avae is the son of Sio Milemoti and Fatai Onevai Fa'avae. He is of Tongan and Samoan ancestry, born in Niue, and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand. Currently, David is a Senior Lecturer in Pacific Education at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.

Dr K. Dara Hill, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, USA, where she prepares pre- and in-service teachers for work in urban and diverse teaching contexts.

Dr Meagan A. Hoff is a Professor of English at Collin College. She earned a PhD in Developmental Education from Texas State University with a focus on literacies. As a Peace Corps Coverdell Fellow, she earned an MA in International and Cross-Cultural Education from Bowling Green State University. Her research focuses on the intersections of language and learning, sociocultural literacies, audibility, and college readiness. Meagan's most recent research examines the academic literacy development of students from refugee backgrounds and the impact of forced migration on the transition into postsecondary studies.

Dr Chinwe H. Ikpeze is an Assistant Professor in the Inclusive Education Department at St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY. Her research focuses on literacy instruction and pedagogy, teacher education, urban education, culture-based education, and digital pedagogy. She is the author of the book Teaching across Cultures, Building Pedagogical Relationships in Diverse Contexts and the coeditor of the book Reprocessing Race, Language and Ability, African Born Educator and Pedagogy in Transnational America.

Dr Lijun Jin is a Professor in the Elementary Education Department at Towson University, Maryland, USA. Her areas of research include early literacy development, reading motivation, multicultural education, and high-leverage practices in teacher education. She has also devoted herself to increasing K-12 classroom teachers' knowledge of modern China through multiple Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad that have resulted in implementations of new curriculum and instructional strategies in classrooms across the United States.

Dr Shea N. Kerkhoff is an Assistant Professor of literacy and secondary education at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Her research on teaching and learning has spanned three continents, including schools in the United States, Belize, China, India, and Kenya.

Mr Ray Lawrence Sr is a Belizean secondary school principal whose early educational background was in mathematics education. He spent 26 years as a secondary school educator, serving as department chair, staff representative, board member, and vice principal of students' affairs at Stann Creek Ecumenical College. Ray completed a Master's Degree in Social Science at Galen University. His research interests include curriculum development, reading and classroom assessment, teacher education, and mathematical literacy for secondary school students, and he has also presented his work at AERA. He also serves on the National Curriculum Reform Steering Committee for Belize. Ray identifies as Belizean Creole.

Ms Carol Abiri Leo has been a postgraduate student at the School of Education at Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia. She is a teacher educator with extensive experience in teaching English as a Foreign Language in secondary and primary teacher education institutions in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She has also been involved in primary literacy curriculum development and training for elementary and primary school teachers. Her research is focused on teaching reading comprehension in early primary grades using the sociocultural theoretical perspective. Carol is particularly interested in exploring how Grade 4 primary school teachers facilitate reading comprehension using English texts drawing from students' linguistic repertoires including translanguaging pedagogy to facilitate comprehension. She is also interested in reimagining indigenous education and how the teaching of literacy has shifted in the twenty-first century to include multimodal texts with new and varied forms of representation.

Ms Rachel Martin is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago. Rachel affiliates with Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, and Ngāi Tahu iwi (Tribal groups). Rachel's research interests include culturally and linguistically sustaining Te Tiriti-based frameworks for research. Rachel holds extensive experience in bilingual education, Māori Education, intergenerational transmission of Te Reo Māori (the language of Indigenous Māori peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand), intergenerational and historical trauma, Kaupapa Māori research, primary teacher education, and Indigenous education.

Mr Rashid Murillo has been a Primary School Teacher in Belize City for 15 years. Although he teaches all subjects, his scholarly interest is in multicultural literature and its impact on children's reading motivation. Having a mix of cultural heritages that include Jamaican, Mexican, and Miskito Indian, Rashid identifies as Belizean Creole. Throughout his career, Rashid has had the opportunity to participate as well as conduct Continuous Professional Development workshops in language arts, reading, and financial literacy. Rashid was an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Belize, teaching courses in the Bachelor's Degree program in Primary Education.

Dr Lucía Natale teaches academic writing, and she holds a PhD in Linguistics. She is a Teacher-researcher at Universidades Nacionales de Luján and General Sarmiento (Argentina). She coordinates a curricular space known as “Acompañamiento a la Lectura y la Escritura en las disciplinas” (ALED) – “Reading and Writing Assistance in the disciplines.”

Ms Denise Neal is a rural primary school Principal whose research interest includes writing pedagogies and exploring best practices for teaching writing to English learners. She identifies culturally as Belizean Creole and grew up on the south side of Belize City. Throughout her 27 years of experience in education, Denise had the opportunity to teach all elementary grade levels. As a school leader, she presented at the Belize Literacy Symposium on Writing Strategies for Elementary Students and the OSU Symposium on Writing Instruction.

Dr Juan Antonio Núñez Cortés teaches Language Teaching, and he holds a PhD in Education. He is a teacher at the “Departamento de Filologías y su Didáctica de la Facultad de Formación de Profesorado y Educación,” where he also coordinates the faculty's writing center.

Dr Kristie O'Donnell Lussier is a Professor of English and Integrated Reading and Writing at Collin College. She is a graduate of Texas State University where she earned a PhD in Developmental Education – Literacy and an MA in Rhetoric and Composition. Kristie's professional interests lie in literacy education, academic literacies, postsecondary educational transitions, and the role of language in personal and educational development. Kristie has presented and published on college student literacy development, teacher education in international and multilingual settings, student identity development, humanizing pedagogy, and language and literacy development in international settings.

Dr Desireé Pallais, PhD, PhD, is a clinical faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, teaching graduate and undergraduate students, and is also the coordinator of a bilingual preservice teacher cohort. She investigates cross-language and cross-cultural aspects of teaching and learning, especially with Spanish-speaking and Latinx populations. She has been a literacy consultant and a program evaluator in Latin America and maintains collaboration with several literacy initiatives in the region. In the United States, her research has addressed the linguistic and pedagogical contributions of bilingual teacher candidates as part of creating and teaching with informational texts that incorporate the background knowledge and experiences of Latinx individuals. Her areas of specialty include research and evaluation methods in multilingual settings, second language acquisition, literacy development, and teaching methodologies. She is interested in turn-around pedagogies in reading and writing that integrate skill development into a framework where the social context is considered, and where students' personal dimensions are at the center.

Dr Jiening Ruan, PhD, is a Professor of Reading Education in the Department of Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma. Her current research interests include literacy practices in the international context and culturally responsive teaching practices in K-6 and teacher education settings.

Dr Jessica Cira Rubin is a Senior Lecturer in Literacy Teacher Education at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Jessica's research interests include teacher education and the literacy practices of children and adolescents, particularly as those topics relate to priorities of nonviolence and social and ecological justice.

Dr Jennifer Sanders is a Professor of Literacy Education at Oklahoma State University. Her scholarship focuses on writing pedagogy, diverse representations in children's and young adult literature, and literacy teacher education. She has published a coedited book on multiliteracies called Literacies, the Arts, and Multimodality (2010) and a coauthored book on writing peer tutoring called They're All Writers: Teaching Peer Tutoring in the Elementary Writing Center (2017). She is also the cofounder of The Whippoorwill Book Award for Rural YA Literature. Culturally, she identifies as a half-Korean-American who grew up in Japan and the southern United States.

Dr Susan M. Schultz is a Professor at St. John Fisher College in the Inclusive Education Department. She teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels and supervises Student Teachers and Doctoral Candidates. Her research interests include urban and rural special education. She is on the Board of Directors for the American Council for Rural Special Education. She is also a board member for The New York State Monroe # 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Teacher Center Policy Board. She has several publications in refereed journals.

Ms Yvonne Tyndall-Howell works in the teacher education department of Belize's Ministry of Education. She coordinates professional learning opportunities for teachers across the country and serves as an assessor and a team leader of the Ministry's Associate of Arts in Primary Education Program. As part of her work, she also mentors newly qualified teachers enrolled in the Ministry's one-year Induction program. Before working with the Ministry, she taught for 20 years in Belize's elementary schools and has served both rural and urban communities in multicultural settings. Her professional interests include comprehensive literacy framework, critical literacy, culturally sustaining pedagogies, and technology pedagogies.

Ms Deborah Williams teaches English language arts and reading at a rural high school in Toledo, Belize. She is the head of the department for English language arts at the high school where she currently teaches. Her passion for literacy has led her to coordinate a reading intervention program for underserved or marginalized students at the ninth grade level. She also lectures at the University of Belize, Toledo Campus, teaching College English at the associate degree level. Her scholarly interests include culturally relevant pedagogy, critical literacy, and adolescent literacy for English learners.

Dr Ming Yi was an EdD candidate and research assistant in the Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, at the time of the study. He is now a Lecturer at Shenyang Normal University in China. His research focuses on global education and teacher identity studies.

Preface

Global meaning-making: Venturing beyond the “out-of-bounds”

Robert J. Tierney

Preface for Katina Zammit, Lori Czop Assaf and Patience Sowa (Eds.), Global Meaning Making: Disrupting and Interrogating International Literacy Research and Teaching. Emerald Publishing.

The contributors to this volume explore global meaning-making – the pursuit of global moves that emanates from the foundational deliberations and objectives of global and Indigenous educators, postcolonialists, and others. Instead of emphasizing comprehension approaches that focus on reading simply for understanding, global meaning-makers examine our worlds – including how ideas and peoples are positioned – to unmask, reflect, and act upon sociopolitical analyses. Central to global meaning-making are changes that embrace pluralism and multiculturalism.

Anchoring the book is the suggestion that a shift to global meaning-making can contribute to a wave of change that considers the crucial roles our diversities play in our futures. To this end, the editors and authors detail how the goals and nature of their pursuits step out of the bounds of standardization and buck monolinguistic, assimilative tendencies. They initiate practices aligned with multitopic or pluriverse imaginaries – forms of literacy that extend to agency, activism, and alternatives.

To foster this aspirational imaginariness of global meaning-making, the editors and authors foreground endeavors that pursue spaces where pluralism is embraced. As editors Katina Zammit, Lori Czop Assaf, and Patience Sowa state in their introduction:

The authors of this edited book are global meaning-makers. In a multiplicity of research contexts around the world about teachers, teacher educators, teacher candidates, communities and students, their chapters illustrate their willingness to question and self-interrogate, cross borders, collaborate, translanguage, promote indigenous languages, decolonize, reimagine, transform, and adapt research and pedagogical practices in language and literacy.

Further, the editors note how the authors draw upon the notion of global meaning-making in concert with a Freirean advocacy for “reading the world” (Freire & Macedo, 2005):

The authors in this book are educational activists, taking action in their own contexts to question the dominant educational and language and literacy discourses. They employ critical pedagogy in which “literacy becomes a meaningful construct … viewed as a set of practices that functions to either empower or disempower people… [and] is analyzed according to whether it serves to reproduce existing social formations or serves as a set of cultural practices that promotes democratic and emancipatory change” (Freire & Macedo, 2005, p. 220). The authors have given voice to marginalized communities, interrupting the existing educational discourses, questioning and critiquing the enacted language and literacy policies and practices, recommending alternative ways for local, indigenous communities to be heard and included, and offering possible strategies for the use of researchers, teacher education students, teacher educators, teachers and policy makers to encourage them to also become educational activists. They demonstrate global meaning making in action.

Acknowledgment

Firstly, we would like to acknowledge the local and Indigenous people and communities around the globe who allowed us to enter their spaces and lives and learn with them. We acknowledge the power we hold as researchers and are aware of our responsibility to authentically represent the lived experiences and voices of the students, teachers, and families.

A big thank you to our peers in the Literacy Research Association International Innovative Community Group and Dr. Rob Tierney who instigated our inquiry into global meaning making and served as thinking partners and cocollaborators on this book. We are grateful to Stefinee Pinnegar who was instrumental in helping us pursue the critical aspects of meaning making and supported this edited book. Finally, we are so grateful to our families who are always supportive and who inspire us to follow our passions.