Research Summary

Linda McElroy

Book Banning?

What Does the International Literacy Association Say?

The topic of “book banning” is a concern that continues to grow for teachers, librarians, parents, and students. Of course, we all want children to hear and read texts that are developmentally appropriate, interesting, and meaningful. I caution pre-service teachers that there is one “rule” they should always remember: “Before you teach with a book, be sure you have read it all the way through yourself, and you have considered the students who will be reading or listening to the book.” I even share a couple of examples of books that are NOT appropriate for use in instruction with specific children.

This type of teacher evaluation of a particular text for a particular child is vital. However, it does not necessarily mean that the given text should be “banned.” It may be appropriate for other students in other settings.

Any time that we want to know what “research says” about an important topic, the International Literacy Association (ILA) is a reliable resource. If something is published on the ILA website, it has been through stringent peer reviews. Citations of research studies are available for each of the published position statements, journal articles, resource collections, digital events, etc. on the ILA website. In this column, I will be sharing several resources from the website that relate to the topic of banning books.

The ILA website shares a statement from Kenneth Kunz, ILA President of the Board, at the time of publication: “ILA stands against book banning and censorship, both of which violate the principles of our Children’s Rights to Read iniative. To advance literacy, we must advocate for access to books and the ability to choose which to read” (International Literacy Association, 2023).

The Children’s Right to Read Initiative is available from the ILA home Page. Select “Get Involved”, then from the drop-down menu, select “Children’s Rights to Read” (International Literacy Association, 2023a). ILA states:

“The Children’s Rights to Read initiave, founded on 10 fundamental rights every child deserves, was developed to ensure that every child, everywhere, has access to the education, opportunities, and resources needed to read” (International Literacy Association, 2023a).

The 10 points in the Children’s Rights to Read are:

1. Children have the basic human right to read.

2. Children have the right to access texts in print and digital formats.

3. Children have the right to choose what they read.

4. Children have the right to read texts that mirror their experiences and languages, provide windows into the lives of others, and open doors into our diverse world.

5. Children have the right to read for pleasure.

6. Children have the right to supportive reading environments with knowledgeable literacy partners.

7. Children have the right to extended time set aside for reading.

8. Children have the right to share what they learn through reading by collaborating with others locally and globally.

9. Children have the right to read as a springboard for other forms of communication, such as writing, speaking, and visually representing.

10. Children have the right to benefit from the financial and material resources of governments, agencies, and organizations that support reading and reading instruction.

The ILA website elaborates on each of the ten points in its publication The Case for Children’s Rights to Read (International Literacy Association, 2023b). This twenty-six page booklet elaborates on each of the ten points listed above, and supports each explanation with several research citations. ILA encourages us to “Stand Against Censorship” stating:

“Several of ILA’s Children’s Rights to Read are against censorship by nature, but none more direct than Right 3: Children have the right to choose what they read. It is incumbent on everyone who believes in the rights of children to push back against the banning of books from schools and libraires. ILA is proud to stand with United Against Book Bans as a member of the growing coalition working to uphold every child’s right to read” (International Literacy Association, 2023a).

Using data from The American Library Association, ILA also states: “. . . attempts to ban books from libraries continue to rise at an unprecedented level across the country. The American Library Association reported 1,269 attempts to censor library books and resoures in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more thab 20 years ago” (International Literacy Association, 2023b).

The most effective ways to Stand Against Censorship require us to be well informed about appropriate ways to interact with students in schools and libraries. Again, I would like to share below four other ILA resources that are effective and informative position statements and research briefs, resource collections, webinars currently archived on the ILA website, and journal articles.

Position Statements and Research Briefs

ILA publishes these position statements, written by members of the ILA Literacy Research Panel, on its website. Each paper’s principal authors are listed, along with vitations of research sources for each. The statements cover a wide range of topics, archived since 1995 to the ones published in each current year. The following sampling of these papers relate to the topic of effective ways to incorporate varied book choices, roles of literacy professionals in using book choices, and standing against banning books. They can be located from the ILA Resources page.

• Literacy Leadership Brief: The Essential Leadership of School Librarians 2022

• Literacy Leadership Brief: Creating Passionate Readers Through Independent Reading 2019

• Literacy Leadership Brief: The Power and Promise of Read-Alouds and Independent Reading 2018

• Literacy Leadership Brief: Expanding the Canon: How Diverse Literature Can Transform Literacy Learning 2018

• Providing Books and Other Materials for Classroom and Social Libraries, 2000

• Position Statement: Collaborating for Success: The Vital Role of Content Teachers in Developing Disciplinary Literacy with Students in Grades 6-12 2015

• Position Statement: The Multiple Roles of School-Based Specialized Literacy Professionsals 2015

• Research Brief: The Multiple Roles of School-Based Specialized Literacy Professionals. 2015

Resource Collections

ILA Resource Collection: Using Culturally Relevant and Responsive Children’s Literature (International Literacy Association, 2023a). This collection focuses on how to meaningfully use diverse, culturally responsive children’s and young adult literature, a list of recommended book titles, videos, articles, and more information about Children’s Right to Read, including an 18-page manual: Advocating for Children’s Rights to Read: A Manual for Enacting the Rights in Classrooms, Communities, and the World.

Webinars Currently Archived on ILA website

• Literature and Democracy: Children’s Rights to Read

This webinar has a focus on the power of story and how you can advocate for Children’s Rights to Read, the 2023 Notable Books for a Global Society list, how the titles can be used for classroom instruction as well as pleasure reading, how to incorporate socialemotional learning, how to pair books and decodable texts in prescribed programs, and how to leverage these and other works of literature across content areas. Offered last April, the archive of the webinar can be accessed by registering and paying the fee.

• Censorship in School Libraries Across the Globe (International Literacy Association, 2023c).

Breakout topics include advocacy for families, caregivers, and communities; book access; disinformation; and more.

Journal Articles

ILA Journals include articles that support Children’s Rights to Read, as well as concerns related to book banning. I am going to discuss just one representative article from a policy column in The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, September/October 2022. The article is “’Let Me Just Close My Eyes’: Challenged and Banned Books, Claimed Identities, and Comics” (Dallacqua, 2022).

The research project was set in an Advanced Placement English class where students were asked to design a project in response to books in schools having “literary merit” and dealing with issues such as the Holocaust, civil rights, and discrimination. These issues can be painful, but learning to deal with them is important. One response project was done by Ava, who was a young, bilingual, Hispanic woman. Her multimodal project used four books, three of which have been challenged in some way. She used graphic/comic drawings to represent the four books, including Lowriders to the Center of the Earth, Maus, and Out of Darkness, in four segments of the multimodal project. Ava created a border for her project with these words: Segregation, Oppression, Survival Mode, Holocaust, Internment, Civil Rights, Mexican American, Discrimination. In the center of her multimodal project, she drew a girl’s face, with a pair of hands reaching from behind and covering the eyes. Her message was that young people who have found themselves in banned books are being told that their stories and identities are controversial. Their identities are being silenced, and access to their stories is being denied.

Our tasks are clear and challenging! We, as a profession of literacy professionals, must defend children’s rights to read. We must consider carefully our choices of instructional materials, evaluating those we include in our instructional activities, recognizing that young people need our support in dealing with difficult topics in ways that will support each of our learners in feeling valued and recognized, not in feeling marginalized and banned. Many more resources from the International Literacy Association will support us.

References

Dallacqua, A.K. (2022). “Let Me Just Close My Eyes”: Challenged and Banned Books, Claimed Identities, and Comics. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 66(2), 134-138.

International Literacy Association. (2023a). Children’s rights to read. Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/get-involved/childrens-rights-to-read

International Literacy Association. (2023b). The case for children’s rights to read. Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/resource-documents/thecase-for-childrens-rights-to-read.pdf

International Literacy Association. (2023c). Censorship in school libraries across the globe. Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/meetings-events/ila-digitalevents/free-for-everyone/censorship-in-school-libraries

Dr. Linda McElroy is a professor at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She previously taught in Oklahoma schools as a classroom teacher and as a reading specialist.

Tech Talk

Shelley Martin-Young

Integrating Technology with UDLto Intentionally IncludeAll Students

Classrooms today are more diverse than ever before. Children come to our classrooms with various cultures, ethnicities, family structures, but also a wide variety of learning needs. Using the Universal Design for Learning method, I delve into how we can intentionally include all our students in literacy instruction whatever their needs may be. This article was inspired by Integrating Technology in Literacy Instruction (Lisenbee et. al., 2020) specifically chapter 3, “Universal Design for Learning Within a Multiliteracies Perspective.”

Universal Design for Learning

Intentional architectural design considers access for all people, whether that is including ramps into buildings, making doors wider, or lowering sinks in bathrooms. These intentional choices are called Universal Design (UD). Not only does UD apply to how buildings are designed, but it also applies to the classroom and how learning is made easily accessible to all our students (UDL). While UD is designed to benefit those in the margins of society (blind, wheelchair bound, deaf, someone using a cane or crutches), it also benefits those without special needs (Lisenbee et.al., 2020).

Keeping in mind that the learners in our classrooms learn in a wide variety of ways and show their learning in multiple modalities, the concept of UD fits perfectly in designing content and instructional strategies. Remember, “the goal of education should not be just the mastery of knowledge but the mastery of learning” (Houston, 2018, p. 96). In the book mentioned above, Lisenbee et. al. (2020) stress the importance of adapting the curriculum to meet the students’ needs, not requiring the adaptation of the students. The UDL includes three principles that allows all students access and gives them multiple ways to demonstrate their knowledge. These principles are multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. For the remainder of the article, I give suggestions for technology tools to incorporate into your classroom that provide those multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement.

Multiple Means of Representation

For centuries the printed word has been the primary way students receive knowledge. For many of our students, the printed word is a barrier to learning. An environment that is not only print rich, but also digitally rich allows all students access to content. “Multiple means of representation provide for the use of various forms of literacy learning to help students access all disciplines” (Lisenbee et. al., 2020, p. 33). Some great tools for multiple means of representation include:

• Speech-to-text tools o Apps such as Google Gboard orApple Dictation allow those students that struggle with writing a way to speak their thoughts and get them down on paper. Google Docs also allows for voice typing. Voice Dream Scanner is another great tool.

• Language translators o Microsoft Translator for Education is an excellent tool designed for deaf, hard of hearing, and EL students. The Translator provides free resources and tools for captioning and translating in the classroom. With this tool you can translate entire documents or have a conversation with someone you might not have been able to have before.

• QR codes o QR codes are an invaluable tool for your classroom. QR codes are easy to generate and provide quick access to differentiated content. Classrooms are print rich environments – word walls, charts, labels, calendars, etc.An easy way to make this environment meet all your students’needs would be the addition of a QR code. Students can scan the code to hear the pronunciation of the word. Add QR codes to vocabulary lists that link to pictures of the words. o QR codes can be linked to audio books, audio directions for a task, or a video to watch as an extension of a lesson.Add QR codes to pages in the textbook that link to more information, vocabulary assistance, or a quiz. The QR code could also be linked to content at differing reading levels. o There are several free tools to generate QR codes including: QR Code Generator, Qrafter, QR Code Generator (for android), and QR Code Extension (for Chrome) o Then students need a reader. Use the following free tools to read the QR code: inigma, Free Scan, QR Reader for iPhone, and Page Loot

• Websites that adjust the reading level of articles o Leveled reading websites allow students to read the same content, but at the level they need. Below is a list of the top 8 leveled reading websites:

▪ Newsela

▪ News In Levels

▪ ReadWorks

▪ Rewordify

▪ CommonLit

▪ Tween Tribune

▪ Breaking News English

▪ Books that Grow

Multiple Means ofAction or Expression

Just as print has been the primary mode of learning, writing has been the primary way students have communicated that learning. Students with fine motor issues, processing problems, or other physical disabilities are at a disadvantage if writing is the only means by which they can communicate. Tools for multiple means of action or expression include:

• Dictation o Dictation is a built-in feature on iOS devices. This allows students to speak their answers instead of writing or relying on a keyboard to type.

• Speech- to-Text tools (mentioned above)

• Video tools are a great way for students to demonstrate their learning in creative ways. Explore the following video tools: o Clips o iMovie o Animoto o Biteable o Vimeo

• Instead of making full videos, students can use the following tools to create audio files to share their thoughts and learning: o Garage Band o Audacity o Google Keep o Book Creator – allows voice recording. o Free Speech – open sourceAAC (Augmentative and Assistive Communication) o Voiceitt – voice recognition for students with speech difficulties

Multiple Means of Engagement

Engaging and motivating all our students is an important aspect of the UDL design. Lisenbee et. al., 2020) suggest that by “offering choices, enhancing relevance and value, and creating environments that reduce frustration and distractions from learning” (p. 34), we are encouraging and supporting all learners. Tools for multiple means of engagement include:

• Video Sharing o Flip (formerly Flip Grid)

• Online Bulletin Boards o Padlet o Wakelet

• Messaging o Google Hangout o Slack o Remind

• CollaborativeAnnotation Tools o Hypothesis

• Student Response Tools o Socrative o Pear Deck o Nearpod

• Digital Flash Cards and Quizzes o Quizlet o Go Conqr o Quizalize o Kahoot

The goals of every teacher include reaching all learners. That is not always an easy task. By incorporating some of the listed technology tools, all students will be represented, have multiple ways to express themselves, and be engaged in the classroom.

On a personal note, I have been involved with The Oklahoma Reader in some capacity since 2017. When I started, I was a graduate teaching and research assistant.As a full time, teaching assistant professor at OSU, my workload has greatly increased, and it is time for me to take a step back and focus on other opportunities. With that said, this will be my last Tech Talk column for this journal. I have enjoyed the journey, from assisting the journal to go digital, to writing the Tech Talk column. I have faith that the new editors and contributors will carry on in an exemplary fashion.

References

Houston, L. (2018). Efficient strategies for integrating universal design for learning in the online classroom. Journal of Educators Online, 15(3), 96-111.

Lisenbee, P. S., Pilgrim, J., & Vasinda, S. (2020). Integrating technology in literacy instruction: Models and frameworks for all learners. Routledge.

Dr. Shelley Martin-Young is a TeachingAssistant Professor of Elementary Education at Oklahoma State University. Her research interests include hidden history, place-based education, children’s literature, and technology. She can be reached at dawn.martin-young@okstate.edu.