International journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning, Dec 31, 2022
This is a large-scale, multi-author collaborative autoethnographic study exploring the concept of... more This is a large-scale, multi-author collaborative autoethnographic study exploring the concept of building a tangible teaching commons on the example of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Commons Conference. The project organizers sought to provide a big tent and extended an invitation to attendees to respond to a series of writing prompts about their conference experience. Collaborative writing took place asynchronously over an approximately 60-day period following the close of the conference and generated ≈ 20,000 words. This corpus became the basis for a three-stage emergent coding process, conducted by the four-member steering commit-tee, which led to the identification of three primary themes from the collective experiences of the 2023 SoTL Commons Conference attendees: SoTL as pedagogy, SoTL as a community of scholars, and SoTL as scholarship. Despite some limitations to what the sense of commons represents, the project highlighted the respondents' spirit of appreciative inquiry, a signature mindset of SoTL and engaged participants who were new to the field. We argue that it acted as a form of academic hospitality itself; enabling the sharing of practice, deepening of reflection, strengthening of research skills, fostering of social connections, and, by extension, the advancement of the field as a community of scholars.
Addressing the significant need for literacy education instruction, Missouri teacher preparation ... more Addressing the significant need for literacy education instruction, Missouri teacher preparation programs require eight credit hours of literacy coursework for all preservice teachers. Preparing these future teachers-many of whom lack confidence in their own reading and writing skills-is a salient research topic. Guiding students in re-examining their assumptions around the role of literacy in their own learning will support meaningful integration of these fundamental skills in instructional design. This transformation of students' frames of reference requires a challenge to their current conceptions of literacy, a holding space for exploration, and meaningful reflection. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2012), students' writing performance declines as they advance into secondary grades. Consequently, the Common Core State Standards (2010) include cross-disciplinary literacy standards, "predicated on the idea that content area teachers will use their expertise to teach, guide, and engage students in the reading, writing, speaking, and language relevant to the respective discipline" (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). This is especially relevant in content areas like science, as literacy can support student understanding of the identities, activities, and patterns of thinking within the field (Pytash, 2013). Likewise, writing in math "provides opportunities for students to demonstrate mathematical understanding and construct arguments" .
Exploring the challenges of hyperreading for adult English language learners: Developmental readers in community college settings
This research describes the characteristics and needs of adult developmental readers, the unique ... more This research describes the characteristics and needs of adult developmental readers, the unique challenges of hyperreading—the complex mix of critical reading and information literacy used for selecting, reading, and synthesizing multiple online texts for a generative academic purpose—and the relevance of Experiential Learning Theory as a lens for understanding the experiences of this population as they approach these tasks. This research focuses on how these learners use background knowledge and academic reading strategies to locate texts and navigate in this dynamic online environment. Supporting development of effective academic strategies should help empower these students not only in complex hyperreading tasks for academic purposes but also for the myriad demands for information and media literacies in non-academic tasks. Students enrolled in a developmental reading program at an urban, northeastern community college with a significant population of English language learners were participants in a mixed-methods study using a survey, an online generative task with journey mapping, and semi-structured interviews to explore students’ prior knowledge and experiences and the processes used in hyperreading. Based on analysis of surveys, journey maps, and interviews, several conclusions about developmental readers were drawn: these students have broad social and linguistic resources; they rely on social support networks; they are hyperconnected via technology; they have specific reading preferences based on prior experiences; they conflate reading stances when working online; they express anxiety around hyperreading, especially in following hyperlinks and in avoiding distractions; and they show significant metacognitive awareness and strategy use. Finally, specific recommendations for instruction to capitalize on student prior experience to support successful hyperreading are provided.
Confirmation Bias, Critical Thinking, and the Impact of Informed Perspectives
Key to adult development is analyzing and synthesizing multiple perspectives to develop informed ... more Key to adult development is analyzing and synthesizing multiple perspectives to develop informed opinions. This research explores the impact of students’ beliefs about a controversial topic on their perception of text. Students completed an anticipation guide before reading a set of primary source documents with conservative or liberal interpretations of images and/or information. After small-group discussion over shared materials, students marked an opinion spectrum, ranging from the liberal to conservative. At the top, students marked their opinion; at the bottom, they marked the opinion represented by the information in the articles. Conclusions and implications for practice will be discussed
English Language Learner enrollment and technology use continue to increase at postsecondary inst... more English Language Learner enrollment and technology use continue to increase at postsecondary institutions. In addition to navigating increased academic demands, these students must negotiate identity in an unfamiliar culture. Reliance on technology may provide support or limit acculturation. Our discussion seeks to engage around the results of a survey given to students in the United States and Switzerland to answer the question: How could technology help to facilitate transformation for international students? Published in proceedings of the XII International transformative learning conference, 20-23rd October 2016, Tacoma, Washington, pp. 193-202 which should be cited to refer to this work.
Evidence-Based Faculty Development Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), 2020
Using the SoTL framework provides students with an accessible, relevant model of professional and... more Using the SoTL framework provides students with an accessible, relevant model of professional and critical reflection on practice. Explicit participation in this research can benefit students with scaffolded practice applying reflection to instruction. Guiding students in examining assumptions around literacy supports meaningful integration of these skills in instructional design. This transformation of students' frames of reference requires meaningful reflection and a challenge to their current beliefs about disciplinary literacy. This study uses Reading/Writing Workshop format to individualize instruction, engage students in self-directed learning, and facilitate differentiation and formative assessment. This redesigned course used experiential learning and a social constructivist model to build collaboration and real-world communication skills. Transformation is supported through structured reflection. Thus, a data collection instrument was adapted from Brookfield's Criti...
The Impact of Language Use and Academic Integration for International Students
International Journal of Technology-Enabled Student Support Services, 2019
This article investigates the prevalence of online activity and preferred language use in these t... more This article investigates the prevalence of online activity and preferred language use in these tasks. A survey was administered to students enrolled at three institutions to determine the frequency of their engagement in different online tasks in addition to the language(s) that they used. This work uses Transformative Learning Theory as a lens to examine how these students use language to navigate their transition into their new roles as college students and members of new communities. Several differences were noted among the study sites, reflecting the culture of the region and the varied student populations. The authors suggest minor revisions of the measure and continued investigation with additional international study sites to broaden data and allow for specific, culturally-based suggestions for improved student support. Increases in both international student enrollment and technology use require exploration of how these students use the Internet. This work is unique address...
Reading the Ink Around Us: How Karen Refugee Youth Use Tattoos as an Alternative Literacy Practice
Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 2019
ABSTRACT This work uses the lens of new literacy studies to examine the narratives told through t... more ABSTRACT This work uses the lens of new literacy studies to examine the narratives told through the tattoos of Karen youth refugees living in the United States. This insight into a single ethnic group, currently under-represented in the literature, seeks to broaden teacher perspectives on what “counts” as literacy. This work is based on a series of interviews with Karen refugees and takes a sociocultural perspective on the ways living in a divided cultural and linguistic space shapes Karen youth’s literacy practices and is shaped by their out-of-school lives. Findings are explored in two thematic groups related to Karen youth tattooing: tattoos as expressions of solidarity and tattoos that signify remembering. Implications and discussion sections include ways that teachers may specifically begin to consider and utilize student tattoos and other alternative literacies in the classroom.
Reflections on a collaborative SoTL writing initiative to foster faculty learning
Faculty learning can be centered either around knowledge acquisition or around a practice-based a... more Faculty learning can be centered either around knowledge acquisition or around a practice-based approach, which considers the contextualized nature of a teacher’s professional growth and identity focused on the engagement in daily, dynamic classroom practices involving problem solving and action. (Su, Feng, & Hsu, 2018). SoTL is one way to promote this approach bringing evidence-based results to inform future pedagogical decisions. In this discussion, we will share our experiences working with authors from five continents and diverse backgrounds. We will specifically address the evolution of how we make meaning of SoTL as both faculty members and faculty developers around the question: how can we experience SoTL as a practice-centered approach to promote faculty learning
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Papers by Michelle Amos