Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Podcast

Have you ever found yourself frustrated that students are unprepared to read and comprehend the texts in your class? Do you ever find yourself not knowing what to do about it? In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy Podcast, I chat with Dr. Min Choi and Dr. Joseph Todaro about their article, “From Considerate to Challenging Texts: A Four-Tiered Text Approach to Thematic Reading”. 

Dr. Min Choi is an Assistant Professor of Education and Academic Literacy at Bronx Community College (CUNY). Her research interests include postsecondary reading instruction, disciplinary literacy, and integrated reading and writing instruction. Additionally, her research examines the use of narrative to explore the lived experiences of students, refugee populations, and immigrants. 

Dr. Joseph N. Todaro is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education and Academic Literacy at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York where he teaches courses in developmental reading as well as creativity and the arts in early childhood education. 

Areas of academic interest include reading assessment and the impact of text and text complexity on comprehension.

Related Article:

 “From Considerate to Challenging Texts: A Four-Tiered Text Approach to Thematic Reading”. 

Contact Information:

Dr. Min Choi

Dr. Joseph Todaro

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy Podcast, I (Dr. Matt Sroka) chat with Dr. Theresa Redmond about her article, “Sparking Learning through Remix Journaling: Authenticating Participatory Ways of Knowing”. 

Theresa Redmond is a Professor of Media Studies at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, USA. Her research comprises a hybrid agenda focused on the intersections of media, literacy, curriculum design, and the arts.

In this episode we explore what Remix Journaling is, why it's important, and how we can bring it into our own classrooms. 

Related Article:

“Sparking Learning through Remix Journaling: Authenticating Participatory Ways of Knowing”

Connect with Dr. Theresa Redmond:

- LinkedIn

- Twitter 

- Webpage

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy Podcast, I (Dr. Matt Sroka) chat with Dr. Susana Ibarra Johnson and Dr. Mary Neville. 

Susana Ibarra Johnson is an assistant professor in bilingual/TESOL education in department of Curriculum and Instruction at New Mexico State University. Ibarra Johnson is one of the co-authors of The Translanguaging Classroom: Leveraging Student Bilingualism for Learning. Her commitment to improving the education of bilingual students is grounded in her experience as a bilingual learner and teacher. Her research focuses on biliteracy and translanguaging pedagogy in bilingual education and English language development contexts.  

Mary Neville is an assistant professor of literacy education at New Mexico State University. She is a former middle and high school English language arts teacher and is interested in culturally sustaining and responsive English language arts curriculum across secondary classrooms and teacher education contexts.

On this episode we explore what deficit-based thinking and acting look like for our bilingual and multilingual students in the school the system with some specific examples. We then talk about the types of assignments teachers can use to counteract these deficit approaches and work towards humanizing all of our students. We also touch on the power of collaboration amongst colleagues. 

Related article:

Neville, M., & Johnson, S. I. (2022). “My literacies expand over two languages”: Language and literacy autobiographies as justice‐oriented teacher education. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 66(2), 111-121.

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy Podcast, I (Dr. Matt Sroka) chat with Dr. Jenny Theriault. As an Assistant Professor in the College of Education, Dr. Theriault joined the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio in 2021. There she teaches courses at the undergraduate, master, and doctoral levels such as Human Growth and Development, Integrating Reading Assessments and Instruction, Research in Reading, and Inviting Environments to Facilitate the Affective Domain. Dr. Theriault also runs the University of Findlay's Reading Clubhouse Center and serves on dissertation committees. 

Dr. Theriault and I delve into the power of metaphors in the reading process. We examine how education reinforces or challenges these metaphors and how educators can guide students through different reading purposes to avoid the dangers of "reading as compliance". We also explore text complexity and ways to encourage students to navigate challenging texts transactionally and creatively, while considering the roles of both teachers and students in this process.

Related article:

Theriault, J. C. (2022). College students' conceptualizations of academic reading: What metaphors suggest about the important role of purpose in college reading and learning. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 66(1), 15-22.

In this episode of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy Podcast, I talk with Dr. Erin McNeill. As a Curriculum and Instruction department member at Indiana University and a Literacy Program Specialist at Central Indiana Education Services Center, Dr. McNeill teaches English education courses and creates professional development materials for educators.

Dr. McNeill and I explore the concept of "funds of knowledge," which refers to the cultural and linguistic resources that students bring from their homes into the classroom. We discuss why it is important to recognize and leverage these funds of knowledge in designing lessons that are culturally responsive and relevant to students' lives. We also discuss how to create a safe and inclusive classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing their stories and experiences.

Resources Related to the Podcast:

McNeill, E. (2022). Immigration stories to reveal funds of knowledge and brave spaces in literacy curriculum. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 65(4), 287– 296.

Dr. Erin McNeill’s Website

Matt shares what you can expect from the JAAL Podcast