This study examines the ways pre-service English language arts teachers (PSTs) conceptualized activism and experimented with visual and multimodal approaches to composing about activism. Drawing on qualitative methods, we examined 22 PSTs' graphic narratives completed as part of their teacher preparation coursework, and center our discussion on…

This article examines the recent increase of book bannings and challenged books and their possible effects on marginalized youth, including students who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, and/or identify as LGBTQIA+. Arguing against these reading restrictions, this article breaks down the normative ideologies inherently promoted through book…

The 2016 presidential election marked the beginning of a so-called "post-truth era" in which mis- and disinformation have contributed to political polarization and violence, the acceleration of global warming, and thousands of preventable deaths. In this paper, I draw on the results of a 2-week, practitioner inquiry-informed case study…

Culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012) has emerged as an essential way to value the evolution of culture among diverse learners. Discussions around teaching in a culturally sustaining manner in the English language arts classroom, specifically when teaching literary analysis, often address the need to incorporate multicultural literature so…

In this case study, ELA teacher candidates used video editing software to create mash-ups of popular YouTube videos in order to express critical commentaries about a range of educational issues and perspectives. Operating from a critical media literacies framework, candidates researched dissenting ways teaching and school(ing) were represented on…

The author discusses the theoretical foundations for creative criticism, a term denoting the application of multimodal responses to literature for the construction of meaning. The author develops a theoretical framework from Bakhtin's principles of dialogical interpenetration, internally persuasive discourse, and utterance, as well as Dewey's…