Read. Consider. Do. Volume 2

In Volume 2 of our Read.Consider.Do. feature, we offer a thought-provoking article for you to read, some questions for you to consider, and some things you can do to share, deepen, or implement your learning.  We hope you join us in this independent professional learning opportunity!

READ.

The International Literacy Association's 2018 What's Hot in Literacy Report

For this annual report, the International Literacy Association (ILA) surveyed over 2,000  literacy leaders from across the globe to find out their thoughts on what's hot and what's important in literacy. The topics that were deemed as "hot" are not the same as those thought to be "important."  The top five of seventeen topics are listed below for each category.


Top Five Hot Topics
  1. Digital literacy
  2. Early literacy
  3. Summative assessments
  4. Formative assessments
  5. Strategies for differentiating instruction

Top Five Important Topics

  1. Early literacy
  2. Equity in literacy education
  3. Teacher preparation
  4. Strategies for differentiating instruction
  5. Access to books and content

Five themes emerged across the topics that were considered important. The themes were:

  1. Equity issues
  2. Community-literacy connections
  3. Excellence in Literacy Education
  4. Personalizing Literacy Instruction
  5. Building 21st-century skills

CONSIDER.

  • What topics do you think are "hot"? "Important"? Why? How do your choices align with the topics identified in the survey?
  • What do the "hot" topics say about the priorities in education? In literacy education?
  • What do the "important" topics say about the priorities in education? In literacy education?
  • What did you find surprising in the survey?
  • In your school or district, are the "hot" topics and the "important" topics the same? Why or why not?  Should they be?
  • What implications does this information have for your work?

DO.

  • Share and discuss this article with colleagues.
  • Advocate for topics that you feel are important but are not getting enough attention.
  • Research topics in the report that you would like to know more about.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about this article or Read.Consider.Do. with Janet N.Y. Zarchen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Additional Info

  • Resource Topic: Literacy
  • Source: SERC
  • Year of Publication: 2018
  • Resource Type: Article (web page)
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