Collapsing the Space That Divides Us with Community Engaged Literacies

• Published in: Journal of adolescent & adult literacy Vol. 65; no. 5; pp. 441 - 445
• Main Authors: Rust, Julie, Brown, Carolyn, Ballard, Sarah, Sánchez, Lenny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley 01-03-2022; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: 3‐Early adolescence; 4‐Adolescence; 5‐College/university students; Action research; Action research, teacher research < Research methodology; Collaboration; Community Literacies; Curricula; Curriculum and Materials < Instructional; Development/Mentoring; Digital literacy; Digital, Online, and Networked Literacies; Discussion strategies < Instructional Practices and Methods; Distance learning; Educational Cooperation; English Instruction; In‐service < Professional; Literacy; Place Based Education; Practices and Methods; Reading Materials; School Community Relationship; Sociocultural < Theoretical perspectives
• ISSN: 1081-3004; 1936-2706
• DOI: 10.1002/jaal.1217

Too often, our reading lists center one‐size‐fits‐all authors and experiences that don’t make space for the wide array of cultures and histories that enliven our classrooms. Too often, our schools operate as if on an island, largely unaware of what is happening next door. Community engaged literacies, meaning‐making opportunities connecting local groups around historically‐steeped issues of local interest, offer one antidote to these common missteps. To illustrate, we share the story of one simple collaboration engaging two English classes from different schools in a zoom‐mediated conversation about a locally‐situated text.