Breakthroughs in College Reading: The Promises and Tensions of Disciplinary Reading Apprenticeships

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

How do we help college students become independent learners in their disciplines In this collection, the editors and contributors argue that we do so by supporting students in learning from texts, which entails recognizing reading as a problem-solving process, supporting students to take responsibility for the intellectual work in their classes, and creating strong classroom communities that help students develop identities as scholars.

Reviews

This collection makes available a rich and multi-dimensional pedagogy for the messy art and risky business of reading in the college setting. Faculty teaching online or in person, across first year courses and into the disciplinesparticularly in the sciences and mathematicswill find the ideas and attitudes modeled here extremely valuable for addressing students from diverse backgrounds as active and intelligent learners. I urge college teachers to read and learn from the authors wise stories. -- Eli Goldblatt, author of Alone with Each Other: Literacy and Literature Intertwined
Be prepared to be challenged and inspired by these testimonies of teachers of history, chemistry, math, writing, ESL, librarianship, and more who have integrated Reading Apprenticeship into their practice. These candid accounts of change, growth, and hard-won rewards are simply fantastic-- as are the rich and wise principles that underlie this cogent method of teaching and learning. Read this book and spread the word! -- Professor Deborah Brandt, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, author of Literacy in American Lives
This book offers compelling accounts of how the Reading Apprenticeship framework supports students' work with disciplinary texts. In arguing for three conceptual thresholds that faculty must cross to use reading effectively in their courses, this sweeping collection outlines a transformative teaching practice that has the potential to help students gain the discipline-specific literacy skills they need to succeed in college and beyond. It's a must read for faculty across the disciplines. -- Ellen Carillo, professor and Writing Program Coordinator, University of Connecticut
This collection situates the Reading Apprenticeship program within the college classroom. Faculty from many disciplines will find this work engaging, practical, and thought provoking. -- Karen Manarin, professor, Mount Royal University

Author Bio

Nelson Graff
A former high-school English teacher, Nelson taught English Education from 2000-2015 and is now retired from teaching first-year composition and working with faculty across the disciplines in improving reading and writing instruction. He is a member of the steering committee for the CSU Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC) and the CSU English Council. His research focuses on teaching for transfer of learning, reading and writing pedagogy, and assessment. He has a BA in English from San Jos State University, an MA in English and American Literature and a PhD in Composition Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nika Hogan
Nika Hogan is a Professor of English at Pasadena City College (PCC). She helped to develop the First Year Pathways program at PCC, which was awarded the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office Award for a Student Success Initiative. Since an intensive period of learning and apprenticeship from 2007-2010, she has coordinated the college level work on Reading Apprenticeship for WestEd. From 2011-2023, she supported the California Community Colleges Success network (3CSN) to design and facilitate professional learning for educators across the 116 California community colleges. Her passion is building capacity and helping educators and students alike reach their full potential. She holds an MA and PhD in English with a focus on U.S. multi-ethnic literatures. She lives in Altadena, California with her wife, teenage son, and two incorrigiable terrier mutts.
Rebecca Kersnar
Rebecca Kersnar supports faculty across disciplines as the teaching and learning specialist with the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (TLA) at CSU, Monterey Bay. Before joining TLA, she served for over 14 years as a science and environmental policy communications lecturer with the College of Science. Before then she taught elementary through graduate students in San Francisco, Korea, Hungary, Thailand, and Mexico. Rebecca has a BS in Biology, concentration Botany from San Francisco State University and an MA in TESOL and certificate in Language Program Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She is also a campus Reading Apprenticeship lead, certified Koru Mindfulness teacher, and National Coalition Building Institute facilitator. At CSUMB her work focuses primarily on reading and writing pedagogy, mindfulness and meditation, and equity.