"A Virtual Community Literacy Partnership: A Place-Based Reading and Writing Initiative between College of Education Students and Urban Middle School Students"

Authors

Anne Katz Ph.D., Georgia Southern UniversityFollow
Justin Hanson, Georgia Southern University

Abstract

How can I reflect on my practice as a literacy teacher? “I want to be the type of teacher who inspires great writing from my students, and makes them yearn for more knowledge.”

As a reading professor, I am inspired by the words Justin wrote in the pre-project survey at the beginning of the semester. In the midst of a pandemic, how could I create a learning experience to facilitate a literacy collaboration with local middle school students? I planned the community literacy partnership in the context of a College of Education grant written the previous year. This format anticipated a face-to-face environment and opportunities for field trips between educational spaces as a forum for writing and visual literacy conferences. In light of current circumstances, it was time to change my paradigm and adapt to the circumstances. However, my commitment to the initiative remained strong. I hoped the impact—for both university and middle school students—would persist. This experience led me to consider the following questions— “In what innovative ways can educators partner with local students and foster collaboration?” and "What lessons from online learning can inform future in-person teaching and learning?”

Recommended Citation

Katz, Anne Ph.D. and Hanson, Justin (2022) ""A Virtual Community Literacy Partnership: A Place-Based Reading and Writing Initiative between College of Education Students and Urban Middle School Students"," Literacy Practice and Research: Vol. 47: No. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/lpr/vol47/iss1/1