Literacy, Diversity and Education: Meeting the Contemporary Challenge

Berger, Marie Josée; Die, George Sefa; Forgette-Giroux, René

doi:10.5206/cie-eci.v38i1.9124

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As Pollock and Briscoe (2019) state, school principals play an important role in their school communities to "either promote or undermine equity" (p. 519) for EAL/D students. In countries such as Canada, the role of principals in creating equitable spaces in their school environments has been acknowledged (Berger et al, 2009;Pollock & Briscoe, 2019), and studies in the United States also suggest that principal leadership is central to the development of inclusive and socially just learning and teaching environments (Kose, 2009(Kose, , 2011. In light of this, Theoharis and O'Toole (2011) have called for principals to employ and advocate for 'social justice leadership', that is, a type of leadership that "advocates for the needs of marginalized students" (p. 648).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School leadership attitudes towards EAL/D students and their commitment to professional learning for diverse contexts

Veliz,

Bonar

2023

TiC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Due to the increasingly diverse nature of classrooms in Australia, a great deal of attention has been understandably dedicated to the pedagogical approaches, resources and conditions needed to cater for the needs of English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) learners in mainstream settings (see Dobinson & Buchori, 2016; Taplin, 2017). However, research has demonstrated that while the practices that take place within the classroom are essential to supporting EAL/D students, the institutional practices of the school community driven and underpinned by school leaders’ positionings, views on and attitudes towards diversity are fundamental to the creation and facilitation of opportunities for teachers across the curriculum to support a socially-just environment for all learners, including EAL/D students (Brooks et al., 2010; Theoharis & O’Toole, 2011). To better understand the views of school leaders, this article reports on a study into principals’ perceptions about the diverse needs of EAL/D learners in mainstream settings. Grounded in the premises of qualitative research methodologies (Stake, 2010), data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews that explored (i) principals’ views on diversity, (ii) the perceptions and positioning of EAL/D students in schools, and (iii) the role of suitable pedagogical approaches and their commitment to opportunities for professional learning to enhance responsiveness to EAL/D learners’ needs in mainstream settings. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that principals’ views on diversity acknowledged the pervasive presence of Anglophone teaching and leadership staff in school communities which contributes to colourblind perspectives on and deficit framings of EAL/D students and of their needs. To address these systemic and structural issues which heavily impact the classroom, principals indicated that suitable pedagogical approaches are needed along with effective avenues for professional learning (PL) to support EAL/D students in mainstream classes. Though small scale in design, this study also contributes empirical data to this under researched area of principals’ attitudes towards EAL/D students.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School leadership attitudes towards EAL/D students and their commitment to professional learning for diverse contexts

Veliz,

Bonar

2023

TiC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Principals are uniquely positioned to either promote or undermine equity in their schools. Their role in creating equitable schools is especially important in Ontario, Canada, as student populations are becoming more diverse along cultural, linguistic and religious lines, in addition to race, gender, sexual orientation, ability and socioeconomic status (Berger et al, 2009;Dei and James, 2002;Goddard and Hart, 2007;Government of Ontario, 2016;Martino and Cumming-Potvin, 2016). Even though, overall, Ontario is recognized as having a successful public school system (Barber et al, 2010), not all groups of students are experiencing the same degree of success in schools.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

School principals’ understandings of student difference and diversity and how these understandings influence their work

Pollock

Briscoe

2019

IJEM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how Ontario principals make sense of difference within student populations and how this sensemaking influences how they do their work. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on a qualitative study in Ontario, Canada that included 59 semistructured interviews with school principals from English public, secular school districts in Southern Ontario. Findings Four themes emerged in principals’ descriptions of student populations: perceiving everyone as the same, or homogeneous; perceiving visible differences associated with particular religions, race and cultures; perceiving invisible or less visible differences, such as academic differences, socioeconomic status, mental health issues, gender identity and sexual orientation; and perceiving both visible and less visible differences through an inclusive lens. When asked about how their understanding of difference influenced how they did their work, principals’ responses varied from not influencing their work at all to influencing practices and activities. Participants’ context – both personal and local – influenced some of the work they did in their role as school principal. Lastly, multiple sources of disconnect emerged between how principals understood difference and the practices that they engage in at their school site; between their sensemaking about difference and diversity and preparing students for the twenty-first century competencies as global citizens; and between principals’ understanding of difference and diversity and existing provincial policy. Research limitations/implications Study insights not only contribute to an existing body of literature that examines principals’ sensemaking around difference, but also extend this line of inquiry to consider how this sensemaking influences their professional practice. These findings pose additional research questions about how to approach principal professional learning for inclusive and equitable education. For example, even though principals are contractually responsible for students in their care, why is it that their efforts toward equitable and inclusive schooling appear to be limited to the school site and not the wider community? Practical implications Study findings can be used to inform principal preparation programs and professional learning opportunities. Namely, these programs should provide the skill development required as well as the time needed for principals to reflect on their local context and beliefs, and to consider how their local context and beliefs are connected to larger societal efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Social implications School leadership is integral to creating and building more inclusive and equitable public education that improves all students’ success at school. As Ontario’s general population becomes increasingly diverse, it is imperative that principals support success for all students; this can only happen if they understand the complexity of difference within their student populations and beyond, how to address these complexities and how their own understandings and beliefs influence their leadership practices. Originality/value Although other papers have examined how principals make sense of difference and diversity in student bodies, this paper also explores how this sensemaking influences how school leaders do their work.

show abstract

Multiple Literacies and Success for All: An Analysis of Ontario Educators' Survey Responses

Berger

Dei²,

Forgette-Giroux

2009

JCIE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This essay reports on the survey findings of a study examining the teaching and evaluation strategies used by teachers in the classroom. The study focussed on 304 French and English schools in Ontario representing both urban and rural Ontario school boards. The essay begins with a review of the literature and highlights key points noted by educational theorists and practitioners regarding the importance and challenges of literacy education. We then move to discuss our discursive framework with regards to employing cognitive and social constructivism as theoretical lenses. Survey responses are presented under the broader categories of teaching and pedagogical practice and evaluation of teaching strategies. In analyzing the survey results, we highlight the following as being effective in the promotion of critical literacy: a teacher's own knowledge; pedagogical skills and approaches; the level of school and off-school/local knowledge of students; the affirmation of the identity, culture and history of learners, as well as one's knowledge of the local community.

show abstract

Literacy, Diversity and Education: Meeting the Contemporary Challenge

Cited by 3 publications

References 7 publications

School leadership attitudes towards EAL/D students and their commitment to professional learning for diverse contexts

School leadership attitudes towards EAL/D students and their commitment to professional learning for diverse contexts

School principals’ understandings of student difference and diversity and how these understandings influence their work

Multiple Literacies and Success for All: An Analysis of Ontario Educators' Survey Responses

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About