Goodson, B., Werner, T., Athanases, S. Z., Higgs, J. (accepted for 2022 issue). Are you there?: Creating a safe space for vulnerability as a catalyst for learning. Language Arts Journal.

This paper explores ways in which two teachers worked to connect with students and their needs in culturally and linguistically diverse classes, despite the challenge of near-invisibility during remote teaching and learning.

Higgs, J., Athanases, S. Z., Williams, A. P., Martinez, D., & Sanchez, S. (2021). Amplifying historically marginalized voices through text choice and play with digital tools: Toward decentering whiteness in English teacher education. CITE English Journal (online, open-access journal).     

This article reports on a case study of an English language arts (ELA) teacher education course that prioritized amplification as a method to decenter whiteness in English teacher preparation. The researchers demonstrate how they engaged in designing a course that aimed to use interactive digital technologies and multimodal texts to amplify racially and ethnically marginalized voices in ELA preservice education. Design principles that facilitated amplification included saturation of the learning environment with mediational resources and tools (Gutiérrez & Vossoughi, 2010) and the notion of “low floor and wide walls” (Resnick & Silverman, 2005). The analysis revealed ways in which the course design supported engagement with culturally sustaining pedagogies and the amplification of authors, literary characters, and preservice teachers from historically marginalized groups. Concrete examples are provided of intentional design decisions and course features that opened up opportunities for preservice teachers to engage in discourse that foregrounded identities related to race, ethnicity, language, and gender/sexual orientation.

Higgs, J., Welsh, M. E., & Athanases, S. Z. (2021). “It’s so similar but so different from my real-life classroom”: Using AR in learning to facilitate discussion in diverse ELA classes. In C. Moran & M. Rice (Eds.), Augmented and virtual reality in English Language Arts. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. 

This chapter examines the affordances and constraints of using augmented reality technology to help teachers practice discussion facilitation in two teacher learning contexts: a teacher inquiry course and a monthly workshop for in-service teachers we refer to as Teacher Partners. We examined the AR explorations of eight culturally and linguistically diverse teachers—five preservice, three in-service. 

Patterson Williams, A. D., Athanases, S., Higgs, J. & Martinez, D. C. (2020). Developing an inner witness to notice for equity in the fleeting moments of talk for content learning. Equity and Excellence in Education, 53(4), 504-517. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2020.1791282

In this conceptual article, we present a framework that draws upon conceptions of noticing for equity. The focus is the micro-moments within fleeting classroom discourse when equity themes and issues arise and warrant redress. In addition, we contribute a multi-lensed framework to surface and map the nuances and complexities of this equity-focused work in real moments of classroom practice. We describe ways we have worked with our teacher partners on this process. Finally, we offer teachers, education leaders, and teacher educators activities to guide equity-informed noticing, reflecting, and action—particularly in the realities of competing priorities of classroom and school life.

Patterson Williams, A., Higgs, J., & Athanases, S. Z. (2020). Noticing for equity to sustain multilingual literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63(4), 457-461. 

To illuminate aspects of our noticing for equity framework and demonstrate the applicability of the framework to diverse learning contexts, we offer two vignettes: one from a secondary English education setting and one from a middle school science setting. We argue that to sustain multilingual literacies, teachers must (a) develop commitments to ways that race, language, history, and justice matter to their students, and (b) receive support in learning how to notice and take action for equity. 

Patterson Williams, A. (2020). Sustaining disciplinary literacy in science: A transformative, just model for teaching the language of science. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 64(3), 333-336. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1025 

In this column, I argue for a radical transformation of science teaching and learning, where students do not have to shelve their everyday language practices and identity to succeed in science. Science teaching requires attention to the language of science and the content, yet learning academic language is an emotional and potentially harmful process. Thus, science teachers need to attend to emotions as a means of ensuring that the learning environment remains additive for culturally and linguistically diverse students. WSP promotes an approach to teaching science that is personally relevant and useful for students while emphasizing the need for teachers to develop practices of deep self‐analysis and attention to students’ wellness (Patterson & Gray, 2019). This approach to science teaching can provide teachers with the opportunity to attend to the role of emotions, thus the ability to notice emotion and teach disciplinary language in culturally sustaining ways.

Athanases, S., Sanchez, S., & Martin, L., (2020). Saturate, situate, synthesize: Fostering preservice teachers’ conceptual and practical knowledge for learning to lead class discussion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102970 

To develop preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) knowledge and practice for complex teaching, a pedagogical innovation featured a design of saturate, situate, and synthesize. Small-group inquiry into English teaching challenges was guided by a course saturated with diverse resources, situated in K-12 classrooms, and supported by visualization tools and reflection for synthesis. A case of one diverse group analyzes how they developed knowledge and practice for facilitating discussion to support critical response to text. Supported by diverse resources and synthesizing tools, discourse analysis into their culturally and linguistically diverse students’ interactions, social dynamics, and perspectives shaped PSTs’ conceptions of students co-constructing discussion.

Under Review

Ferdinandsen, T., Hutchings, M., Athanases, S. Z., Higgs, J., Aiello, L. (under review; revised and resubmitted). Remotely (re)discovering the how, where, and when of student crosstalk. English Journal. 

Blair, K., Banes, L., Martin, L., Ye, X, & Hall, L. (under review) . Fostering noticing of classroom discussion features through analysis of contrasting cases. Instructional Science.

This paper examines how preservice teachers and undergraduate students made sense of transcript-based contrasting cases developed to highlight features of uptake of student ideas during a classroom discussion. Analysis of how engaging with the cases influenced what the learners noticed in videos of classroom discussion before and after the learning activities.

In Preparation

Athanases, S. Z., Sanchez, S. L., Aiello, L. T., & Morales, A. Challenges and tensions in preservice teachers’ early attempts at facilitating ELA discussion in diverse classrooms. (in process for submission March 2021). (to be submitted to a journal on teaching and teacher education)

Earlier conference versions:

Athanases, S. Z., Sanchez, S. L., & Houk, J. (2020). Tensions in developing dialogic instruction in diverse classrooms. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Denver. Accepted but unable to present due to COVID-19 pandemic impacts on public gatherings.

Athanases, S. Z., & Sanchez, S. L. (2019). Challenges for preservice teachers in learning to lead discussions: Inquiry in diverse classrooms. AERA Annual Meeting, Toronto.

Catalogs and characterizes challenges a cohort of pre-service teachers named in their efforts to teach ELA dialogically. This paper pays close attention to a subset of PSTs who expressed the challenges in terms of tensions. We are drawn to these PSTs reflections because of the patterns that characterize these tensions – many were expressed in a way that referenced competing priorities that the teachers had in going dialogic. Frequently, these tensions referenced the PSTs discoveries in their teacher education coursework on dialogism, which intentionally invited teachers to explore dialogism using sources beyond the course text. We propose these tensions are rich sources of learning for these PSTs.

Sanchez, S. L., & Athanases, S. Z. (in process for submission February 2021). Dialogic teacher inquiry to explore complexities of teaching: The case of learning to facilitate class discussion. (To be submitted to Journal of Teacher Education or Teacher Educator).

Examines one preservice teacher’s process of dialoguing with and among multiple resources for teacher learning, with particular focus on student discourse data collected and analyzed from audiotaped class discussion.

Banes, L. C., Houk, J. G., Athanases, S. Z., & Sanchez, S. L. (in process for submission February 2021). Baseline challenges in preservice teachers’ first attempts at leading discussions in diverse ELA classrooms. (To be submitted to Teachers College Record).

Earlier presentation version: 

Athanases, S. Z., & Sanchez, S. L. (2018). Collective inquiry as a scaffold for learning to lead discussions in diverse classrooms. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting, Indian Wells, CA.

Draws upon reflective writings and selected video tryouts of preservice teachers (N=83) in the context of a teacher inquiry course focused on learning to facilitate ELA discussions. Reports five categories of interactional patterns noticed and challenges in very first attempts at leading discussions of literature and other texts. A focus on fostering multiparty talk was a most salient concern, and challenges in co-constructing understandings emerged as most challenging.

Welsh, M. E., Patterson Williams, A., & Higgs,  J. (in process for submission Winter 2022).  Supporting Teacher Noticing for Equity Using Progress Monitoring Tools  (To be Submitted to Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation)

A practitioner-oriented paper that shows how progress monitoring tools can be used to support teacher noticing for equity. The paper defines teacher noticing for equity, describes what progress monitoring tools, and includes directions on how to implement progress monitoring using widely available, no-cost tools.

Welsh, M. E., Ghosh, S. G., & Higgs,  J. (in process for submission Summer 2022). Using Evidence Centered Design to Develop Simulation-based Assessment. (To be Submitted to Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice)

Discusses the challenges to developing a valid simulation-based assessment, especially with regard to the influence/importance of the Simulation Actor. Uses transcripts from work with Andrea to highlight how involving Simulation Actors at all stages of the assessment–design, training, analysis of piloting–helps to improve validity while also noting all of the ways that the SA 

Mastrup, K. L., Welsh, M. E., &  Higgs,  J.(in process for submission late Spring 2022, authorship order still being considered – Mastrup & Welsh have equal contribution). Measurement Principles that Enhance Teaching Simulations. (To be Submitted to Educational Researcher)

A review of the increasing ubiquitousness of Mursion-like systems in Teacher Ed. Discussion of the importance of standardization of the experience–to be able to use as a research tool and to be able to take advantage of exposing teacher candidates to consistent experiences. Discussion of how fidelity of implementation is addressed currently and how it could be improved.

Conference Proposals

Higgs, J.M., Athanases, S.Z., Patterson Williams, A.D., Martinez, D.C., Sanchez, S.L. (2022, April 21-26). Amplifying Historically Marginalized Voices through Texts and Tools: Toward Decentering Whiteness in English Teacher Education. In Critical Practices in English Teacher Education: Challenging, refining and reimagining teacher learning [Paper Session]. To be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA. 

This conference presentation reports on a teacher education course that prioritized amplification as a method to decenter whiteness in English education. We demonstrate how teacher educators engaged in designing a course that used digital technologies and multimodal texts to amplify racially and ethnically marginalized voices in ELA preservice education. Design principles that facilitated amplification included saturation of the learning environment with mediational resources and tools, and the provision of “low floor and wide walls.” Analysis suggests that course design supported engagement with culturally sustaining pedagogies and the amplification of authors, literary characters, and preservice teachers (PSTs) from historically marginalized groups. We specify design elements that opened opportunities for PSTs to foreground identities related to race, ethnicity, language, and gender/sexual orientation.

Banes, L., Wong, J., Martin, L., & Blair K.P. (2022, April 21-26). Using Contrasting Cases to Foster Preservice Teacher Noticing around Valuing Student Language and Ideas. In K. Seltzer (Chair), Centering Multilingual Ideologies and Practices in Disciplinary Teaching and Learning [Symposium]. To be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA. 

Noticing racialized multilingual youths’ dynamic use of language(s) for learning is a prerequisite for affirming and leveraging learner assets to disrupt deficit-oriented pedagogies that perpetuate inequities in educational opportunities (García & Sylvan, 2011). In a secondary English credential program, this study explored a pedagogical innovation to surface and deepen 14 preservice teachers’ (PSTs) understanding of how diverse youths’ language and ideas may be valued or devalued in classroom discussions. We asked,  How can a pedagogical task involving contrasting cases shift PSTs’ understanding and noticing of discussion features?

Mastrup, K. L., Aiello, L., Athanases, S. Z., Blair, K.P., Higgs, J., Martin, L., Martinez, D. C., Welsh M. E., Patterson Williams, A. (under review). Discussion-Oriented Teaching in the Digital Classroom: Teachers’ Collaborative Adaptation in the Face of Disruption [Short paper]. To be presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan. 

Teacher learning unfolds when teachers engage in activities that lead to change in knowledge and practice. We examine how a team of university teacher educators and teacher partners engaged in activities to support teachers’ adaptive learning in the face of disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine how a researcher-practitioner research group collaborated to adapt noticing practices. Our team used a progress monitoring tool and ethnographic field notes to support teacher partners’ systematic reflection on their teaching efforts and to gauge teacher learning. Findings suggest that these tools helped identify tensions around implementing online class discussions. After just a few iterations, tremendous growth can be seen in how the teacher partners were re-conceptualizing engagement, participation, and interaction.