This article explores how TCTELA's 2024 Teachers of the Year forged the future through their literacy teaching at the elementary, middle school, high school, and college levels. Each essay captures how they understand their work as literacy educators and intentionally educate their students toward a brighter future amid trying local contexts. The…

Papay (2011) noticed that teacher value-added measures (VAMs) from a statistical model using the most common pre/post testing timeframe--current-year spring relative to previous spring (SS)--are essentially unrelated to those same teachers' VAMs when instead using next-fall relative to current-fall (FF). This is concerning since this choice--made…

The purpose of this phenomenological case study is to explore the reading attitudes and decision-making skills of college freshmen enrolled in remedial language arts courses. The theoretical framework guiding this study is qualitative phenomenology explained by Baxter and Jack (2008). This specific type of research "provides tools for…

We examined middle years adolescents' (ages 12-13) responses to reading and viewing advertisements as part of integrated language arts and health education lessons. We report here on the qualitative results from student and teacher focus groups, and from student journals. Three regular classroom teachers co-developed (with university…

This report describes the development and implementation of a process-oriented teacher education model for undergraduates in the area of reading/language arts, which stresses understanding of decision making for the classroom teacher. The historical development of the project is discussed, including: (a) conceptualization during the first year,…

Discusses the Teaching Act Model and the very complex set of contexts that determines why each teacher does what she or he does and that makes the appropriateness and effectiveness of those decisions not completely determinable by observation alone. (HTH)

The teacher as decisionmaker is a fairly new concept, and yet the choices teachers make--among alternative approaches--afffect the attitudes, knowledge, and skills students carry into adult life. This booklet's chapter titles are as follows: (1) New Image for Teachers--Decision-Maker; (2) Decisions Teachers Make; (3) A Rational Model; (4) Planning…

The traditional approach to education has placed more importance on the role of the teacher in the teacher-student relationship. Such an approach has produced a nation of passive learners who can regurgitate facts but have little ability to reason, solve problems, or think critically or creatively. A junior high school language arts teacher who…

The "Voices of Love and Freedom" project uses current children's literature to help children connect with their teachers and classmates in a personal way while teaching children ethical decision making skills, multicultural understanding, and literacy. The model also provides teachers with an easily understandable method for integrating…

This document presents eight models of the exploratory vocational wheel for the middle/junior high school and a collection of career development activities designed for infusion in various curriculum areas. The wheel is a scheduling strategy that allows middle schools students to explore elements of several different occupations as classes rotate…