The NCTE Language Arts podcast, "Conversation Currents," presents interviews with noted educators discussing current research and practice in the language arts. A new mp3 podcast accompanies each bimonthly issue of Language Arts. Listen by clicking on the audio players below, or subscribe to the free podcast in the iTunes Store.
[The music for this podcast was written and performed by Branden Lisi and is © 2011 Branden Lisi.]
November 2013:
Innovations
Read the November 2013 issue
Conversation Currents: Digital Storyworlds: Transmedia Literature in the ELA Classroom (36:54)
In the Conversation Currents for the November 2013 issue of Language Arts, three author/educators--Kate Pullinger, Amanda Havard, and Melanie Hundley--discuss the emerging field of transmedia literature for children and adolescents and the role of these texts in English language arts classrooms.
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September 2013:
Literacy Learning and Discourse
Read the September 2013 issue
Conversation Currents: On Discourse and Language Learning (37:20)
Two international scholars, David Bloome and Arlette Ingram Willis, discuss the complexity of discourse and language learning. Each researcher problematizes the views of literacy while exploring the fluidity of it. They also explore how the ideologies of educators and researchers impact children in school. Useful resources that guide their thinking are also provided throughout the article.
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July 2013:
Inquiries and Insights
Read the July 2013 issue
Conversation Currents: Learning from Families and Communities (40:45)
Catherine Compton-Lilly, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Eve Gregory, from the University of London, share their latest research involving family members, communities, and the uncovering of varied literacy practices sprinkled throughout homes, faith-based organizations, and community centers. They talk about the reciprocal nature of children’s literacy learning and how what is learned at home comes into school, and what is learned in school also shows up for the children as they interact with family members at home.
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May 2013:
Community Literacies
Read the May 2013 issue
Conversation Currents: Create Partnerships, Not Programs (44:48)
JoBeth Allen, from the University of Georgia, and Valerie Kinloch, from The Ohio State University, talk about their thoughts and experiences working with families and communities.
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March 2013:
Literate Lunch
Read the March 2013 issue
Conversation Currents:Story, Relationships, and Healthy Eating: An Interview with Chef Kevin Gillespie (25:53)
Language Arts editors talk with chef Kevin Gillespie about his involvement with local farmers and communities in promoting quality ingredients in cooking, his participation in food activist organizations, and how these issues relate to families and schools.
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January 2013:
Insights and Inquiries
Read the January 2013 issue
Conversation Currents: Interrupting the Single Story: LGBT Issues in the Language Arts Classroom (35:04)
Jill Hermann-Wilmarth and Caitlin L. Ryan discuss their work and the importance of including LGBT topics in elementary language arts classrooms, even when doing so is hard.
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November 2012:
Development
Read the November 2012 issue
Conversation Currents: Aligning Instruction to Developmental Needs in Critical and Digital Literacies (33:27)
Jackie Marsh and Vivian Vasquez discuss how teachers can use kid-watching to discover individual children’s patterns of development as they engage in reading, writing, critical literacies, and digital literacies in and out of school settings.
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September 2012:
Local Literacies in a Global World
Read the September 2012 issue
Conversation Currents: Learning Local and Global Literacies from Students and Families (19:24)
Sonia Nieto and K. C. Nat Turner, both from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, share their experiences with community–school collaborations and the transformative possibilities that occur when the relationships offer bi-directional opportunities for learning.
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July 2012:
Insights and Inquiries
Read the July 2012 issue
Conversation Currents: Writing: A Mode of Thinking (28:08)
Danling Fu and Jane Hansen
Language Arts editors talk with Danling Fu and Jane Hansen about writing, the thinking that needs to be made visible, the roles of evaluation in writing, and writing across disciplines.
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May 2012:
History of the Word, Part I: Centennial Issue
Read the May 2012 issue
Conversation Currents: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times? (46:53)
Yetta Goodman, Ken Goodman, and Bess Altwerger
Dr. Kenneth Goodman and Dr. Yetta Goodman, from the University of Arizona, and Dr. Bess Altwerger, from Towson University, share their thoughts about the history of reading theory and instruction, how their view of the reading process has evolved, and how literacy theory and instruction have become of interest in public arenas.
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March 2012:
Professional Development in the Age of Nick.com
Read the March 2012 issue
Conversation Currents: Digital Directions in Professional Development (35:05)
Elyse Eidman-Aadahl and Cindy O’Donnell-Allen
Elyse Eidman-Aadahl and Cindy O’Donnell-Allen discuss the influence of 21st century literacies and technologies in today’s classrooms.
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January 2012:
Writing the Image, Writing the World
Read the January 2012 issue
Conversation Currents: Image, Identity, and Insights into Language (37:05)
Jerome C. Harste and Gunther Kress
Jerome C. Harste and Gunther Kress talk about the role of new literacies, critical literacy, and aesthetics in literacy education.
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November 2011:
Beyond PowerPoints and Scavenger Hunts
Read the November 2011 issue
Conversation Currents: Digital Footprints (28 min)
Julie Coiro and Sara Kajder
Julie Coiro and Sara Kajder share their thoughts about what digital tools are available and how they might transform classrooms and literacy learning.
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September 2011:
Shaping Early Literacy Policy and Practice
Read the September 2011 issue
Conversation Currents: The Casualties of Policy on Early Literacy Development (35 min)
Richard Allington and P. David Pearson
Richard Allington and P. David Pearson talk about the impact of policies on curricula and assessment, teacher practices, and the future of professional development.
Conversation Currents: Donald Graves Remembered (27 min)
Tom Romano and Penny Kittle
Tom Romano and Penny Kittle reminisce about their professional and personal relationships with Donald Graves, internationally known writing scholar in the language arts.