Empowering Learners offers literacy teachers a rich array of strategies and resources for helping their students interrogate and understand texts. It encourages teachers to put readers in an active role by connecting reading and writing through journaling, writing to learn, and conversing through writing with their peers. In addition, students are encouraged to use talking and listening, pair-share, open class discussions and literature circles to unlock texts they encounter. The emphasis on both individual exploration and collaborative work is one of the real strengths of this resource. The authors offer detailed examples and discussions of these strategies, as well as a multitude of other resources to extend or adapt to individual classrooms. Empowering Learners is a carefully researched, clearly articulated resource to which teachers will often return.
— Gary Dohrer, Professor Emeritus, Weber State University, Department of English
Anna J. Small Roseboro and Susan B. Steffel's Empowering Learners is an indispensable guide for educators seeking to create dynamic, inclusive, and engaging classrooms. The authors have skillfully navigated the landscape of teaching and learning for decades supporting new educators in secondary and early college spaces. Here they offer their collective wisdom through practical insights and strategies for launching a first teaching job. From pre-planning for effective class time and fostering a sense of community to delving into contemporary fiction, historical novels, essays, speeches, and poetry, Roseboro and Steffel's expertise shines through. Each chapter offers tried teaching methods, emphasizing the importance of embracing diversity, critical thinking, and creative expression. Empowering Learners is inspiration for educators dedicated to nurturing thoughtful, inclusive teaching and learning experiences.
— Sarah J. Donovan, Assistant Professor of Secondary English Education, Oklahoma State University, Ph.D
Discover an accessible resource for adult learners. This text offers educators invaluable suggestions to enrich their teaching practices. With insights tailored for students ranging from late teens through adulthood, the text equips instructors to navigate the diverse needs of their learners. From fostering nurturing and engaged learning environments to promoting student autonomy through balanced choices, the authors provide a text that empowers educators to create transformative classroom experiences.
Explore a collection of thoughtfully crafted lessons designed to engage college-level learners from various cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The authors' emphasis on cultural relevance illuminates a path towards inclusive teaching, where reading and writing become tools for empowerment. By incorporating multimodal and media texts, the book acknowledges the diverse ways learners engage with content, enhancing accessibility and engagement.
Chapter 2, one of the text's exceptional features, explores the social-emotional power of personal storytelling. This approach not only aids learners in developing efficacy but also equips them to persist through the ever-changing landscape of education. Formative and summative assessment samples empower educators to measure and celebrate student growth, ensuring learners are on a continuous journey of improvement.
Whether you're a seasoned educator, a practitioner-scholar, or just beginning your teaching journey, this text is a valuable companion. Its student-focused pedagogy provides educators with the tools to inspire, empower, and guide learners towards success.
— Mursalata Muhammad, Human Literacies Consultant, Professor at Grand Rapids Community College, Muhammad
When I first began teaching, my head and my heart may have known what effective Language Arts teaching was--but my mind had trouble grasping the practical aspects. How I wish I'd had this book then! Throughout this book, Roseboro and Steffel offer creative, realistic, research-based, and fully executable solutions to the many questions we encounter: How can we keep our student readers actively engaged? How can we be teacher-writers? How can we assess student work fairly? I am glad that my pre-service teachers can utilize this incredible resource.
— Gretchen Rumohr, Associate Provost, Aquinas College, Director of The Center For Teaching Excellence
As a publisher, one of the things I address with my clients is laying the groundwork, which this book significantly elaborates on, as the foundation of each writing project. This resource shares how to guide the writer into unfamiliar territory, allowing them to expand their thinking and writing skills. Also, the teacher can be the light through which students can share and expand their thinking and writing skills through the groundwork presented for open conversations and storytelling. The insights shared in this book can empower teachers to become more effective educators and navigate the journey to guide students in reaching their best writing goals. This book is a tool that every teacher should have in hand.
— Annette West, JATNE Publishing, Professor at Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, Florida
In their book Empowering Learners, Anna J. Roseboro and Susan Steffel draw on their years of experience and vast network of educational experts to create a compendium of new approaches for teachers at the college and high school levels. The book is packed with practical advice and tools that can help teachers improve their pedagogy, teacher efficacy, and student learning.
One of the strengths of Empowering Learners is its focus on evidence-based practices. The co-authors cite research from a variety of sources to support their recommendations. This makes the book a valuable resource for teachers who want to stay up to date on or try new ideas in the classroom. The book has an easy-to-read style, that is concise and avoids jargon. This makes the book accessible to teachers of all levels of experience.
Overall, EmpoweringLearners is a valuable resource for new and experienced teachers alike. It is a comprehensive and practical guide that can help teachers improve their teaching practice and make a difference in the lives of their students. It gives readers a bevy of new tools for their toolbox and offers many novel and effective approaches to improving literacy in the classroom. "Empowering Learners" is an excellent resource for teachers who want to improve their teaching practice.
— Grover Welch, Director of High School Curriculum and Adult Learning at Newport Special School District, Arkansas
How I wish that I had been given Empowering Learners at the same time that I was given a set of keys, a book of essays, and two class lists. I began my educational journey as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Maine when I was also taking classes and writing a thesis. While I had a good knowledge of the general subject matter, I was deficient in the skills of teaching. To this day, I am embarrassed to think about what my students in those first two classes experienced. With no understanding of assessment, lesson planning, teaching strategies, or student engagement, I muddled through my two years. Thankfully, I gained some skills through trial and error, but having a resource like. Empowering Learners would have made a huge difference in my skills and confidence as an educator and in the composition and reading skills acquired by my students.
— Joan Williams, veteran educator, Arcata High School, CA,