Language Arts
Language Arts is the premier journal for the teaching of language arts, focusing primarily on issues concerning children of preschool through middle school age.
Language Arts Podcasts
The NCTE Language Arts podcast, “Conversation Currents,” accompanied issues published from September 2011 through July 2016 and presented interviews with noted educators discussing current research and practice in the language arts. Access each episode by clicking on a title below. The music for this podcast was written and performed by Branden Lisi and is © 2011 Branden Lisi.
July 2016: Insights and Inquiries
Conversation Currents: Final Thoughts from the Editors (23:39)
In the final Conversation Currents (for the July 2016 issue of Language Arts), coeditors Peggy Albers, Amy Seely Flint, Teri Holbrook, and Laura May reflect on their process and journey asLA editors (with Caitlin McMunn Dooley) from 2011 to 2016. They share their surprises, favorites, and insights, and recall important moves they made as an editorial team.
May 2016: Biliteracy in Schools and Communities
Conversation Currents: The Continua of Biliteracy (37:12)
In the Conversation Currents for the May 2016 issue of Language Arts, guest coeditor Iliana Reyes (research scientist at CINVESTAV, Mexico City, and associated faculty in Language, Reading, and Culture at the University of Arizona) talks with Nancy H. Hornberger (University of Pennsylvania) about the continua of biliteracy and how teachers have used it to better acknowledge student language as a resource.
January 2016: Insights and Inquiries
Conversation Currents: On Stories and Revolutions with Brian Williams and Deborah Wiles (27:04)
In this video Conversation Currents for the January 2016 issue of Language Arts, Brian Williams, expert in cultural relevancy, and children´s book author Deborah Wiles discuss making the multidimensional nature of history available to young readers and the affordances of multigenre texts in allowing different perspectives to sit side by side.
November 2015: Teacher Performance Assessment
Conversation Currents: Teaching ELA: An International Comparative Perspective (35:50)
In the Conversation Currents for the November 2015 issue of Language Arts, guest editors Mark Conley and Robyn Seglem talk with Marc Tucker about his views on English language arts instruction in an international comparative context. Tucker is head of the National Center on Education and the Economy, a founder of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and a frequent writer about international comparisons among countries with regard to their educational systems and educational achievement.
September 2015: Embodiment
Conversation Currents: A Talk with Poet Marilyn Singer (31:14)
In the Conversation Currents for the September 2015 issue of Language Arts, Nancy L. Hadaway and Terrell A. Young talk with Marilyn Singer, winner of the 2015 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.
May 2015: Writing as Creative Construction
Conversation Currents: Creativity–An Investment (19:29)
In the Conversation Currents for the May 2015 issue of Language Arts, Robert J. Sternberg of Cornell University talks about ways to encourage creativity in the classroom, especially in an age of Common Core State Standards.
March 2015: Information Is Power?
Conversation Currents: Considering Informational Texts (36:20)
In the Conversation Currents for the March 2015 issue of Language Arts, Eric Tribunella and Carrie Hintz, two researchers of children’s and young adult literature, discuss the complexities that surround informational texts.
January 2015: Insights and Inquiries
Conversation Currents: Students as Writers and Composers: Workshopping in the Digital Age (30:17)
In the Conversation Currents for the January 2015 issue of Language Arts, Troy Hicks and Franki Sibberson, two educators who actively integrate technology into their language arts teaching, as well as into their work in teacher professional development, discuss what happens when we think of writing workshop as a structure for supporting students as composers.
November 2014: The Arts in Language Arts
In the Conversation Currents for the November 2014 issue of Language Arts, the LA editors talk with Sir Ken Robinson about the arts, creativity, passion, and innovation in education.
September 2014: Kids as Researchers
Conversation Currents: Co-researching with and among Children and Youth (50:56)
Nadjwa Norton and Heather Oesterreich
In the Conversation Currents for the September 2014 issue of Language Arts, Nadjwa Norton (City College, CUNY) and Heather Oesterreich (New Mexico State University) discuss how they got started with children as co-researcher methodologies and the challenges and tensions in this work.
July 2014: Insights and Inquiries
Conversation Currents: Watercolor as Storytelling: A Conversation with Jerry Pinkney (22:30)
In this special video episode of Conversation Currents for the July 2014 issue of Language Arts, coeditor Laura May talks with Jerry Pinkney, award-winning children’s book illustrator. Watch to learn his thoughts on his artistic process, on his work, and on guiding child artists.
May 2014: Language and Literacy Brokering
Conversation Currents: Language Brokering and Translanguaging in School (52:34)
Marjorie Faulstich Orellana and Ofelia García
In the Conversation Currents for the May 2014 issue of Language Arts, Marjorie Faulstich Orellana (UCLA) and Ofelia García (The Graduate Center, CUNY) discuss translanguaging and new ways of thinking about the crossing of linguistic borders, and about exciting new ways to consider the language resources children bring to classrooms and other educational settings.
March 2014: Common Core or Rotten Core?
Due to technical difficulties, the March podcast will not be available. Please read the interview with Patrick Shannon, Anne Elrod Whitney, and Maja Wilson here.
January 2014: Insights and Inquiries
Conversation Currents: Teacher Performance Assessments in Chicago and Beyond (47:54)
John Barker and Mark Conley
In the Conversation Currents for the January 2014 issue of Language Arts, John Barker, Chief Accountability Officer for Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) Office of Accountability, and Mark Conley, professor at the University of Memphis, discuss teacher performance assessments.
Conversation Currents BONUS: NCTE’s 2013 Outstanding Educators: Yvonne and David Freeman (35:55)
In a special bonus Conversation Currents podcast, Language Arts editors talk with Yvonne (Bonnie) and David Freeman, Professors Emeriti at the University of Texas-Brownsville, recipients of NCTE’s 2013 Outstanding Educators in the English Language Arts Award.
November 2013: Innovations
Conversation Currents: Digital Storyworlds: Transmedia Literature in the ELA Classroom (36:54)
Kate Pullinger, Amanda Havard, and Melanie Hundley
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.
September 2013: Literacy Learning and Discourse
Conversation Currents: On Discourse and Language Learning (37:20)
David Bloome and Arlette Ingram Willis
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.
July 2013: Inquiries and Insights
Conversation Currents: Learning from Families and Communities (40:45)
Catherine Compton-Lilly and Eve Gregory
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.
May 2013: Community Literacies
Read the May 2013 issue
Conversation Currents: Create Partnerships, Not Programs (44:48)
JoBeth Allen and Valerie Kinloch
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.
March 2013: Literate Lunch
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.
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
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.
November 2012: Development
Conversation Currents: Aligning Instruction to Developmental Needs in Critical and Digital Literacies (33:27)
Jackie Marsh and Vivian Vasquez
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
November 2011: Beyond PowerPoints and Scavenger Hunts
Read the November 2011 issue
Conversation Currents: Digital Footprints (28:12)
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.
September 2011: Shaping Early Literacy Policy and Practice
Conversation Currents: The Casualties of Policy on Early Literacy Development (35:40)
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 (27:20)
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.