The digital revolution has greatly influenced communication, meaning a current, analytical examination of changing literacy skills is needed. Becoming literate in today's world requires an understanding of traditional and electronic messaging venues in order for communications to not be misled by unrecognized influences. This book examines changes…

The role of knowledge and reading comprehension has seen a recent explosion of attention from researchers, journalists, and policy advocates. Much of this discourse describes knowledge in neutral terms such as knowledge of "the world". That knowledge of the world, however, is woven into the fabric of the gendered world we live in and its…

This article critically examines the life trajectory of Jean Daniel Revel, an immigrant who arrived on the coast of the River Plate during the 19th century. Revel played a pivotal role in the formation of the first Waldensian colony outside the European continent. Through a comprehensive analysis of Revel's diary, epistles, and other historical…

Literacy has become inextricably bound with machine processes, especially in the age of ubiquitous, consequential artificial intelligence (AI). Despite a relatively long history of AI involvement in our everyday reading and writing practices, the public availability of generative AI tools has set off a wave of heated debate--and concern--about…

This retrospective is a group effort between my children and me to make sense of their literacies over the past 26 years. Sharing in the authoring of this retrospective, we take a look back at the ways those literacies unfolded across their childhood. Emily, Tristan, and Simon used different literacies to define who they were and to construct a…

This paper, drawing on Margaret Meek Spencer's work, considers the value of reflecting on literacy histories, whether of children, teachers, authors or academics. Margaret argued that teachers need to be open to literacy as lived, and to look, listen and learn about literacies that develop "without" direct instruction and stretch beyond…

Using our re-readings of Margaret Meek Spencer's work and career, we connect her scholarship to our mapping of contemporary changes in knowledge and our investigations of so-called "knowers": those mobilising knowledge to underpin and control professionals' enactment of policy in primary school literacy. Working from the theoretical…

Purpose: This short article takes the play and passion of children's literacy as its focal point. Rather than orienting reading and writing around what should be taught or how children should respond and understand written text, in this short reflective essay we aim to explore the play and passion inherent in children's literacy practices. We do…

The Society of Music Analysis report indicated that digital music often sits uncomfortably within a curriculum where the main focus is on the non-digital. This article takes as its starting point a broad definition of digital music as both a type of music and a way that music is represented. It will examine how digital music has altered the music…

Learning Development is a field of practice concerned with supporting students to develop their study skills, including academic and assessment literacies. It is strongly rooted in values that are student-centred, collaborative and emancipatory rather than remedial or deficit. However, in the wider dominant culture of UK HE institutions, Learning…

The science of reading movement has done much to improve instruction in foundational skills. But that hard-won progress may be reversed unless we also help children acquire the knowledge and vocabulary they need to understand complex text. At the same time, the science of learning movement has introduced many educators to evidence-based teaching…

Existing work on literacy and affect has posed important questions for how we think about meanings and how and where they get made. The authors contribute to such work by focusing on the relation between text and affect. This is a topic that has received insufficient attention in recent work but is of pressing concern for education as text…

How do classroom exchanges shape the developing forms and functions of literacy learning and teaching as students transition across the years of schooling? We explore this question using excerpts from literacy lessons from primary and secondary classrooms, showing how lesson exchanges develop as trajectories connecting different forms of 'knowing'…

Becoming literate is emotional work. From the time we are born, we engage in multiple literacies, constructing new knowledge and powerful ideas that, together, bridge new understandings. With those new understandings, we are constantly being challenged and provoked with new information. The authors, two educators who have taught many students…

"Reading for Life" seeks to provide a gateway to that research. Reviewing data on reading and literacy and their impact on the physical, mental, and social-emotional components of health, this paper will: (1) Review the current state of children's literacy and health, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) Explore the…