Read STOP Write with Drs. John Strong and Laura Tortorelli 

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy podcast, host Matt Sroka welcomes Dr. John Strong and Dr. Laura Tortorelli to discuss their article, Read STOP Write: Teaching foundational skills in a multicomponent informational reading and writing intervention written by John Z. Strong, Laura S. Tortorelli, and Blythe E. Anderson

Strong and Tortorelli explore the design and impact of Read STOP Write, an intervention developed to support upper-elementary and middle grade students in building foundational reading and writing skills through a multicomponent approach. The intervention integrates multisyllabic decoding, fluency, and vocabulary with strategies for comprehending and writing about informational texts.

Dr. John Z. Strong is Assistant Professor of Literacy Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo. He is also Associate Director of Research in the Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction and Co-PI in the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI. His research focuses on developing and testing reading and writing interventions to support students’ foundational reading skills and comprehension of complex texts. A former high school English language arts teacher, he is coauthor of professional books on literacy instruction in grades 4-12 and has published in leading journals. He has served as associate editor of The Reading Teacher and serves on the editorial review boards of leading journals, including Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

Dr. Laura Tortorelli is an Associate Professor of Elementary Literacy in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Tortorelli's research focuses on the texts, technologies, and evidence-based practices for developing foundational reading and writing skills. She also teaches future teachers how to teach reading in Michigan State’s #1 ranked elementary education program. Her work has been funded by the Institute for Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund, and the International Literacy Association. Her current projects focus on supporting informational text reading and writing in 4th and 5th grade and integrating AI into early reading instruction.

Resources:

Read STOP Write: Teaching foundational skills in a multicomponent informational reading and writing intervention 

https://www.readstopwrite.com/

Redefining and Reimagining Foundational Skills with Dr. Abigail Amoako Kayser and Katie Keown 

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Podcast, host Matt Sroka welcomes Dr. Abigail Amoako Kayser and Katie Keown for a conversation about their article on culturally and linguistically sustaining approaches to foundational skills instruction.

Dr. Kayser and Keown discuss how students’ home languages, dialects, and cultural knowledge are too often overlooked in literacy instruction. Together, they explore how classroom teachers can design joyful, rigorous instruction that honors students’ full linguistic repertoires while building the knowledge needed to access complex academic texts. This conversation is based off the JAAL article: Redefining and reimagining foundational skills: Centering joyful, culturally, and linguistically sustaining instruction in literacy instruction for CLD students written by Abigail Akosua Amoako Kayser, Katie Keown, Carey Swanson, Madeleine Mejia, and Brian Kayser.

Katie Keown serves as a Literary Director at Student Achievement Partners, a nonprofit focused on improving student outcomes by ensuring all children receive equitable and essential instruction. Her work focuses on the organization’s secondary literacy initiatives, including teacher training and aligning systems to ensure all students receive the high-quality reading instruction they deserve. Prior to her time at SAP, she worked on the assessment team at HMH-Riverside and taught middle and high school students in Illinois and Mississippi. Katie is currently in the Reading Science doctoral program at Mount St. Joseph University, where her research interests include adolescent literacy and teacher preparation. She holds a Master’s in Reading Science from the Mount and a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Illinois. 

Abigail A. Amoako Kayser, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Early, Elementary, and Reading Education at James Madison University. She is a Fulbright Scholar and a former elementary school teacher. Her research explores how educators can engage in practices that promote equitable, joyful literacy development in culturally and linguistically sustaining ways for students in both the United States and Ghana.

Primary Resources: 

Special Issue: Foundational Skills in Adolescent Literacy

Redefining and reimagining foundational skills: Centering joyful, culturally, and linguistically sustaining instruction in literacy instruction for CLD students

Additional Resources:

IES Guide for Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9

Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading

Increasing reading Fluency for Middle and High School Students

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory

Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms

Word-Level Reading Skills for Adolescent Learners with Dr. Brennan Chandler

Welcome to the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Podcast! I’m your host, Matt Sroka, and today’s episode as promised continues a series of episodes on the foundational literacy skills for adolescents. These discussions will be taken from a recent special issue of The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, which explores supporting adolescent readers' foundational literacy skills. Last episode I talked with the editors of this special issue. Today, I welcome my first author from this special issue Dr. Brennan Chandler. 

As students progress into middle and high school, the expectation is that they can independently engage with complex texts. However, for students with or at risk for learning disabilities (LD), decoding multisyllabic words remains a significant challenge, often hindering their ability to access content knowledge and read for understanding. 

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy podcast, host Matt Sroka welcomes Dr. Brennan Chandler to discuss the importance of word reading efficiency, the unique challenges faced by secondary students with LD, and the instructional strategies that can help bridge this gap. 

This conversation is based on the article written for JAAL titled: Instruction to Support Word-Level Reading Skills for Adolescent Learners with Learning Disabilities written by Brennan W. Chandler, Jessica R. Toste, Elizabeth J. Hart, and Devin M. Kearns. 

Brennan Chandler is an assistant professor of dyslexia and special education in the Department of Learning Sciences at Georgia State University. He received his Ph.D. in Special Education from The University of Texas at Austin with a focus on learning disabilities. His research focuses on improving outcomes for students with dyslexia and other significant reading and writing disabilities through developing, testing, and implementing intensive interventions. 

Resources:

Instruction to Support Word-Level Reading Skills for Adolescent Learners with Learning Disabilities

Foundational Skills in Adolescent Literacy with Drs. Sarah Sarah Lupo, Dianna Townsend, Rachel Knecht, and Dixie Massey

In today’s episode, host Matt Sroka welcomes Drs. Sarah Lupo, Dianna Townsend, Rachel Knecht, and Dixie Massey, guest editors of a special issue of The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy on Foundational Skills in Adolescent Literacy. They discuss the motivation behind the special issue, the collaborative process of putting it together, and key themes that emerged. This conversation centers on their introductory commentary, Recognizing Complexity and Taking Action: Supporting Adolescents' Foundational Literacy Skills in Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Ways

Sarah M. Lupo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Middle, Secondary, and Mathematics Department at James Madison University. Prior to working at JMU, she worked as an English teacher, ESL teacher, reading specialist, and literacy coach in Washington D.C., Istanbul, Turkey, Phoenix, AZ, and Charlottesville, VA. Her research strives to put theory into practice to find practical ways teachers can improve comprehension and disciplinary learning for K-12 students, while positioning all learners’ as capable and bringing cultural and linguistic assets to the reading experience.

Dr. Dianna Townsend’s research centers the language development of adolescents, with specific attention to vocabulary. She examines both the unique language demands of the disciplines and effective instructional strategies to help students understand and use the language of the disciplines. Her most recent book is Words Worth Using: Supporting Adolescents’ Power with Academic Vocabulary, published by Teachers College Press in 2022. Dr. Townsend’s research has been funded by the Spencer Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. She is also a member of the Reading Standing Committee for the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). In Nevada, Dr. Townsend is the co-founder and President of the Nevada Adolescent Literacy Network (NALN) and a lead author of the Nevada State Literacy Plan. Dianna is a winner of the University of Nevada Reno’s Tibbetts Distinguished Teacher Award. She created the innovative Virtual Reading Clinic in the online M.Ed. Program in Reading Curriculum & Instruction to support remote and rural teachers in a graduate-level practicum experience. Within the College of Education and Human Development at UNR, Dr. Townsend is the Program Coordinator of the Literacy Studies Program.

Dr. Dixie Massey teaches at Seattle Pacific University. Her research interests include the role of motivation in literacy learning, the history of literacy instruction, and teacher decision making. She is co-author of Teaching with children’s literature: From theory to practice and Overcoming Reading Challenges: Kindergarten through Middle School.  She is a contributing author for the Social Studies Schools Services. She has served as historian for the Literacy Research Association and the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers and currently chairs the History of Literacy ICG for the Literacy Research Association.

Rachel Knecht is an Assistant Professor of English Teaching at Brigham Young University. A former middle and high school ELA teacher, Rachel’s research focuses on supporting upper elementary and secondary students' reading comprehension, particularly through metalinguistic development. Rachel is also interested in cultivating dialogical spaces and instructional approaches in which students can draw on their cultural and linguistic resources and further develop metalinguistic awareness to comprehend and critically examine text. She is also committed to research-practice partnerships with public schools.

Resources:

Special Issue: Foundational Skills in Adolescent Literacy 

Recognizing Complexity and Taking Action: Supporting Adolescents' Foundational Literacy Skills in Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Ways

Think Like a Linguist with Dr. Amy Crosson 

In today’s episode, host Matt Sroka welcomes Dr. Amy Crosson for an in-depth conversation on vocabulary instruction for multilingual students. They explore her research on academic vocabulary and word analysis through Latin roots, highlighting strategies that empower students to draw on their linguistic knowledge. This episode provides valuable insights into how teachers can harness students' diverse language backgrounds to deepen their understanding and appreciation of words.The discussion centers on the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy article, “Think Like a Linguist: Leveraging Multilingual Students’ Expertise about Language”.

Amy Crosson is an associate professor at Penn State’s College of Education and is a faculty affiliate of the Center for Language Science at Penn State. She started her career teaching English as a Second language in a middle school in rural Guatemala and then as a bilingual Spanish-English kindergarten teacher in urban school districts in Massachusetts.

Amy’s research focuses on developing and evaluating instructional programs that are designed to improve and accelerate learning for multilingual learners in public school settings. Her work has focused on supporting multilingual learners (1) to sharpen their metalinguistic and language awareness, (2) to utilize their metalingual resources; (3) to engage in oral and written argumentation; and (4) to read with understanding.

In addition to the JAAL article on “Think Like a Linguist”, she and her colleagues recently published an article on the instructional program-- English Learners’ Robust Academic Vocabulary Encounters (EL RAVE)-- that gave rise to Think Like a Linguist. That article addresses the effects of Think Like a Linguist and the overall EL RAVE instructional program on multilingual adolescents’ language and reading outcomes. You can read about that in the journal, Scientific Studies of Reading (2025).

Article: “Think Like a Linguist: Leveraging Multilingual Students’ Expertise about Language”

Other Related Resources:

EL RAVE Website: https://sites.psu.edu/elrave/

Words as Tools: https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/awards/words-tools-vocabulary-development-emergent-bilinguals-science-and-beyond?ID=5857

Carlson, M. & Crosson. (2025). The synchronic status of historical bound roots in the mental   lexicon: A dynamic, psychocentric perspective.  The Mental 

Lexicon.

Crosson, A.C., Kieffer, M.J., McKeown, M.G., & Nagy, W. (2025). Cross-language   morphological analysis improves academic word learning for multilingual 

adolescents. Scientific Studies of Reading [Special issue on the science of teaching   reading.] 10.1080/10888438.2024.2415916

Crosson, A.C. & Silverman, R.D. (2022). Impact of COVID‐19 on early literacy instruction for emergent bilinguals, Reading Research Quarterly, 57. 5-14. 

10.1002/rrq.456 

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Lei, P., Zhao, H.*, Li, X.*, Patrick, K. & Brown, K. & Shen,   Y.* (2021). Morphological analysis skill and vocabulary 

knowledge are malleable through intervention and may contribute to reading comprehension for multilingual adolescents.  Journal of Research in 

Reading, 44, 154-174. 10.1111/1467-9817.12323 {Winner of the 2022 United Kingdom Literacy Association/Wiley Research in Literacy Education 

Award]

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Robbins, K. & Brown, K. (2019). Key elements of robust vocabulary instruction for emergent bilingual adolescents.  

Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50, 493-505. 10.1044/2019_LSHSS-VOIA-18-0127

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Moore, D.W. & Ye, F. (2019). Extending the bounds of morphology instruction: Teaching Latin roots facilitates academic 

word learning for English learner adolescents. Reading and Writing, 32, 689–727. 10.1007/s11145-018-9885-y 

Unmasking hidden challenges for migrant learners with Drs. Marco Triulzi and Andrea DeCapua

In today’s episode, host Matt Sroka sits down with Drs. Marco Triulzi and Andrea DeCapua to explore the literacy challenges faced by migrant workers. They discuss the hidden barriers embedded in language learning textbooks and how educators can navigate these obstacles while leveraging students’ existing backgrounds and cultural resources. This conversation centers on their article for The Journal for Adolescent & Adult Literacy titled: Unmasking hidden challenges for migrant learners with few prior experiences with formal education: An exploration of language learning textbooks

Dr Marco Triulzi is an applied linguist whose research focuses on German as a second and foreign language, multilingualism and language education. He received his PhD from the University of Cologne (Germany) in 2023 with a dissertation on biliteracy in Italian and German, focusing on multilingual children's transition from bilingual primary to monolingual secondary school. His work combines linguistic, sociological and educational perspectives.

Currently, Dr Triulzi is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich (Germany), where he teaches Applied Linguistics and German as a Foreign Language, coordinates the International Research Centre for Multilingualism, and supervises undergraduate and graduate theses in these subjects. Previously, he was a DAAD exchange lecturer for German as a Foreign Language at the Sapienza University of Rome from 2019 to 2024 and a research fellow at the Mercator Institute for Literacy and Language Education at the University of Cologne from 2016 to 2019. From 2014 to 2015, he taught in German as a Second Language courses for recently arrived migrants and refugees, including learners with emergent literacy skills.

His research focuses on multilingual language diagnostics, bilingual education and second language acquisition. Dr Triulzi has published extensively on multilingualism and second language acquisition and teaching, including a monograph and articles in high-impact journals, and has actively participated in several international conferences.

Andrea DeCapua, Ed.D. is an educator, researcher, and educational consultant with over thirty years of experience, both here and overseas. She has held academic appointments at various institutions, including Assistant Professor in Multilingual Multicultural Studies at the College of New Rochelle, NY and adjunct appointments at New York University and the University of North Florida. Now retired from her academic appointments, Dr. DeCapua focuses on writing, research on and training for teachers working with low-educated adolescent and adult learners. 

Her research interests include second language acquisition and non-traditional approaches to classroom learning and language for struggling culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dr. DeCapua has published articles in the European Journal of Applied Linguistics, Language and Linguistic Compass, the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Urban Review, ELT Journal, and TESOL Journal among others. 

She is also the author/co-author of eight books, the most recent of which is Breaking New Ground for SLIFE: The Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm (2nd ed.) This book is the third in the series she has co-authored with Helaine W. Marshall that focus on the innovative Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm® (MALP®) approach for successful classroom learning and inclusive school environments for low-educated adolescent and adult learners.

Resources:

Article: Unmasking hidden challenges for migrant learners with few prior experiences with formal education: An exploration of language learning textbooks

Other Related Resources:

Checklist for learning materials evaluations for LESLLA/SLIFE learners 

https://malpeducation.com/

Community Inquiry and Semiotic Analysis with Drs. Matthew Deroo, Daryl Axelrod, and Jennifer Kahn 

In today’s episode, host Matt Sroka welcomes Drs. Matthew Deroo, Daryl Axelrod, and Jennifer Kahn to discuss engaging students in community-based inquiry utilizing multimodal artifacts to analyze signs and symbols. The conversation explores how students can draw upon their own cultural and linguistic resources to analyze artifacts. Together, we also discuss how teachers can do similar work in connecting school literacy with student and community resources. This conversation centers on their article for The Journal for Adolescent & Adult Literacy titled: Engaging culturally and linguistically diverse youth in semiotic analysis for community-based inquiry

Matthew R. Deroo is Associate Professor of Digital Literacies for Multilingual Students in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami. In his research, Matt seeks to learn with and from youth and their communities. His language and literacies-oriented research includes examination of the social and cultural contexts of immigrant and refugee youth, critical, digital media literacies, language education, and citizenship, civic engagement, and belonging.

Dr. Axelrod a Learning Specialist at Columbia University’s Disability Services, a part of Columbia Health. His collaborative learning with digital literacies research covers two primary areas of interest. One is emergent bi/multilingual students’ multimodal composing practices, such as how adolescents create digital compositions using augmented reality apps on mobile devices. He also examines youth and families’ storytelling practices that incorporate data visualization tools, such as families telling migration stories while examining related census data maps. His other line of inquiry concerns qualitative and quantitative research design accessibility, specifically for young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities and autism.

Jennifer Kahn, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Learning and Learning Scientist in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami. Dr. Kahn studies how to broaden participation in interdisciplinary, technology-rich activities to support youth learning across school and community settings. 

Resources:

Article: Engaging culturally and linguistically diverse youth in semiotic analysis for community-based inquiry

Other Related Resources: Activity Guide 

Questions to Consider in your group's Semiotic Analysis:

What is the content of your artifact?

What text or numbers are present?

What signs or symbols are present?

What is the color scheme?

How are the words and images positioned? 

What is foregrounded or backgrounded?

Are facial expressions present, if so, what are they?

Then Discuss:

How might this artifact be understood within a specific cultural or language based context?

How did your group make meaning (make sense of) your artifact?

Finally:

Write a Memo- narrative form below (about your meaning-making process and your group’s analysis of the artifact)

Teachers’ Perceptions of Disciplinary Literacy with Drs. Heather Waymouth and Madison Weary 

In today’s episode, host Matt Sroka welcomes Drs. Heather Waymouth and Madison Weary to discuss their study on the language teachers use within disciplinary literacy instruction. The conversation explores the power that teachers have in shaping how students view and use literacy in their classroom. Offering critical insights, this episode encourages educators to reflect on their own practices to ensure they empower all learners equitably. This conversation centers on their article for The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy titled: Teachers' perceptions of disciplinary literacy: A critical discourse analysis. 

Heather Waymouth is an assistant professor in the Literacy Department at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She teaches classes on literacy across disciplines for undergraduate and graduate students, middle grades literacy for undergraduate students, literacy development and assessment for graduate students, and college reading and study skills for undergraduate students. As a previous high school literacy specialist with additional certifications in middle and high school Biology and general science, she is passionate about the ways literacy and science complement one another.

Madison Weary is an adjunct professor in the Literacy Department at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She also teaches classes on literacy across disciplines and literacy development and assessment for graduate students, and college reading and study skills for undergraduate students. She works as an MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) Coordinator in a K-12 setting, and has previous experience as a reading specialist and middle school social studies teacher. Her work on disciplinary literacies focuses on classroom practice, professional development, and teacher education.

 Article:

Teachers' perceptions of disciplinary literacy: A critical discourse analysis. 

Additional Resources:

Tucker-Raymond, E., Gravel, B. E., Kohberger, K., & Browne, K. (2017). Source Code and a Screwdriver: STEM Literacy Practices in Fabricating Activities Among Experienced Adult Makers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(6), 617–627.

‪Angela Calabrese Barton - ‪Google Scholar

‪Daniel Morales-Doyle - ‪Google Scholar

Community-Based Book Clubs with Mary McConnaha and Dr. Joanne Marciano 

In today’s episode, host Matt Sroka welcomes Drs. Mary McConnaha and Joanne Marciano to discuss student-led community-based book clubs focused on racial justice. The conversation explores how students perceive these book clubs compared to their school-based reading experiences and the critical role of thoughtful text selection. Together, they unpack how book clubs can inspire meaningful change, foster deeper discussions, and empower students as readers and thinkers. The episode also offers insights for teachers on how to nurture students’ reading lives both inside and outside the classroom. This conversation centers on their article for The Journal for Adolescent & Adult Literacy titled: “They can learn it through us”: Youth seeking racial justice through a community-based book club

Mary "Maggie" McConnaha is a doctoral student in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education program at Michigan State University. Her research interests include English education, the school-to-prison nexus, and young adult literature. She has been published in the Language Arts Journal of Michigan and EdWeek and has been featured on CNN. 

Dr. Joanne E. Marciano is an Associate Professor of English Education in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University, and a former New York City public high school English teacher. In 2019, she collaborated with community partners to start The Youth Voices Project, an on-going community-based Youth Participatory Action Research initiative that seeks to disrupt educational inequities while acknowledging and extending youth participants’ literacy practices as strengths across varied contexts. She is currently PI of the National Science Foundation-funded project Community-Situated Data Practices in Multiethnic, Youth-Led Research Partnerships. Dr. Marciano’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Harvard Educational Review, Urban Education, Journal of Teacher Education, and Journal of Literacy Research. She is co-author with Dr. Michelle Knight-Manuel of the books Classroom cultures: Equitable schooling for racially diverse youth and College ready: Preparing Black and Latina/o youth for higher education – a culturally relevant approach, both published by Teachers College Press.

Resources:

Article: “They can learn it through us”: Youth seeking racial justice through a community-based book club

Other Related Articles:

Marciano, J.E., Peralta, L. M. & Lee, J. S. (2024). Examining the schooling desires of youth during the COVID-19 crisis. Harvard Educational Review, 94(3), 425-447.

Marciano, J.E., Johnson, L.& Beymer, A. (2023). “Our voice and dreams matter”: Supporting youths’ racial literacy. Journal of Literacy Research, 55(2), 145-169.

Marciano, J.E., Peralta, L. M., Lee, J. S., Rosemurgy, H., Holloway, L., & Bass, J. (2020). Centering community: Enacting culturally responsive-sustaining YPAR during COVID-19. Journal for Multicultural Education, 14(2), 163-175.

ChatGPT as a Writing Support with Drs. Sarah Levine and Sarah Beck 

In this episode, host Matt Sroka chats with Drs. Sarah Levine and Sarah black about how students are using ChaptGPT in the classrooms and what this means for teachers. This conversation stems from their article for The Journal for Adolescent & Adult Literacy titled: How do students use ChatGPT as a writing support?

Sarah Levine is an assistant professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education. She studies teaching and learning of literary interpretation and writing in urban high schools. She also studies ways that students can use AI and digital media (for example, natural language processing models like ChatGPT; visual representations of text like word clouds; and radio production) to support their writing.

Sarah Beck is a teacher educator and literacy researcher on the faculty at New York University. In addition to the JAAL article on students' use of ChatGPT, she and Sarah Levine have also written a conceptual paper on imagining futures for generative AI in literacy, published in Reading Research Quarterly.  She has also published widely on dialogic writing assessment, in JAAL, Literacy, and English Teaching: Practice and Critique. Her book-length description of this approach is A Think Aloud Approach to Writing Assessment (2018) Teachers College Press.  

Resources:

How do students use ChatGPT as a writing support?

The Next Word: A Framework for Imagining the Benefits and Harms of Generative AI as a Resource for Learning to Write

Beyond CheatBots: Examining Tensions in Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Cheating and Learning with ChatGPT