Browsing by Author "Lenters, Kim"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A Case Study of Service-Learning in Upper Elementary: Implications for Writing Instruction
    (2022-01) Wilcox, Tamra; Roy, Sylvie; Lenters, Kim; Kawalilak, Colleen
    In this case study, I partnered with an educator of upper elementary students, to gain understanding of writing instruction embedded in service-learning to address the problem of diminished engagement as elementary students transition to junior high school. Service-learning is an approach to instruction that offers the unique connection of community engagement with academic aims. A posthuman/postcritical orientation to literacy underpins this work, inviting an expanded view of participants and the productions of their encounters, and a focus on opportunities for relationship building in writing instruction. I collected data through semi-structured interviews with the teacher, conversations from shared readings, observations during in-class and online instruction, and artefact analysis. I used thematic analysis to identify findings related to the design and facilitation of writing instruction through service learning, rhizoanalysis to locate salient assemblages, and writing as an analytical process. The findings of the study reveal that: service-learning provides possibilities for many forms and modes of writing, connecting service-learning with writing instruction can highlight student learning needs and service-learning can support feedback cycles to improve writing. Additional findings from the posthuman/postcritical literacy perspective include mappings and descriptions of salient assemblages and their productions, and instances of social change described as becomings. I provide practical considerations for educators and avenues for future research. This study provides insight to educators in the field, school leaders, curriculum designers, and pre-service teacher education programs.
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    Child Care Directors' Understanding of Leadership
    (2017) Garrow-Oliver, Susan; Lenters, Kim; Seidel, Jackie; Steinberg, Shirley; Groen, Janet; Filipenko, Margot
    Professionals who care for and teach young children are often treated with disrespect, and their voices go unheard. The role of the early childhood educator is not valued. Advocacy efforts for children’s and women’s rights by early childhood educators are rare, resulting in children being placed in unsafe care, and early childhood educators working in environments where they are often bullied, devalued, and silenced. Given this context, it is necessary to ask what role early childhood education (ECE) leaders play in the effort to advocate for change. While research on leadership as position is plentiful, inquiry into the topic of leadership as practice in early learning and child care (ELCC) is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore child care directors’ understanding of leadership and how, or if, it is connected to their role as social justice advocates. Through individual interviews with five child care directors and the telling of their stories, the study explored and considered different views and ideas of leadership as it related to their role as child care directors. The findings indicate that the participants’ understanding of leadership closely aligned with the business model of leadership, that is, leadership as position, with a top-down hierarchical and supervisory approach. Findings also indicate that participants’ advocacy efforts beyond the program level were rare. Participants were overwhelmed with managing their programs, and the practice of advocating for their own rights or those of children and families as a part of their leadership practice was nonexistent. Participants acknowledged a lack of confidence, skill, and knowledge, along with a fear of speaking out or supporting change. This study highlights the need for further exploration and understanding of leadership as practice, along with specific knowledge related to advocating for social justice issues in child care. Furthermore, this study reinforces the urgency for significant change in government investment and societal values as they pertain to early years education and care.
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    Learning to Dance Well Together: Shared/Team Teaching in Higher Education
    (2013-05-15) Lock, Jennifer; Lenters, Kim; Burwell, Catherine; Clancy, Tracey; Lisella, Rita
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    “No, the Real Question Is…”: A case study of kindergarten students’ meaning construction during dialogically organized read-aloud discussions.
    (2025-01-10) Bence Mathezer, Michelle; Aukerman, Maren; Aukerman, Maren; Boyd, Maureen; Spring, Erin; Lenters, Kim; Burwell, Catherine
    This qualitative single case study explores how kindergarten students construct understanding of picturebook read-alouds through idea-sharing in a dialogic classroom setting. The aim was to investigate the processes by which young children engage in the co-construction of textual meanings and develop a knowledge authority role in dialogically organized read-aloud discussions. Over seven months, weekly dialogically organized read-aloud discussions were facilitated with 20 ethnically and academically diverse kindergarten students. Data from 10 book discussions were analyzed using sociocultural discourse analysis and fine-grained conversation analysis to examine students' idea-sharing. The central research question addressed how young students construct meaning through idea-sharing during dialogically organized read aloud discussions, while sub-questions explored variations in the ideas shared, changes over time, and the functions of these shared ideas in the social construction of students' meaning-making. The findings reveal that students' idea-sharing was a complex, individualized process, where each student drew upon personal resources to construct deeply meaningful interpretations of the text. While their interpretations were highly personalized, they were also malleable and evolved in response to peers’ contributions. Analysis of language patterns within the idea-sharing indicated that the students' shared ideas changed over the length of the project. By the end of the study, students employed a greater range of resources, their verbalized ideas became lengthier, contained more reasoning words and included more textual theorizing suggesting the students were engaging increasingly complex textual understandings. Furthermore, the findings suggest three critical factors in the dialogic discussions that aided students’ meaning construction; (a) exposure to shared ideas helped highlight diverse textual ideas for students to explore, (b) unconstrained idea-sharing made visible the thinking processes students engaged in and provided a starting point to collaboratively build off of and, (c) discussions held students accountable to think deeply about the text, explain their interpretations positioning these young students as active textual interrogators. These findings underscore the importance of dialogic environments in supporting young children to become confident and reflective meaning-makers, leveraging both their own and their peers’ resources to construct robust textual understandings. Recommendations for teachers and administrators are provided.
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    You Eat What You Are: Sociocultural Factors That Influence and Inform Food Literacies
    (2023-01-10) Farrell, Pamela; Spring, Erin; Lenters, Kim; Zaidi, Rahat; Dressler, Roswita; Renwick, Kerry
    Numerous and varied definitions and understandings of food literacy exist across health, nutrition, and education disciplines. Food literacy is a contested and subjective topic and has been used across health disciplines to combat dietary-related diseases to improve population health outcomes. Often, the common interpretation of food literacy results in a superficial and autonomous view of food literacy that is restricted to food-related knowledge and skills such as knowing how to cook or being able to read and understand a nutrition label, thereby neglecting the wider contextual influences on food literacy. Viewing food literacy from a literacy as a social practice lens allows us to view food literacies as something people do in social, cultural, and historical contexts. This study examined the sociocultural factors and social practices that influence food literacies using a qualitative case study methodology. Using a narrative writing activity, followed by semi-structured interviews, I explored the concept of food literacy from a literacy as a social practice perspective, focusing on the literacy aspect of food literacy. The findings of this study show how food literacy practices are influenced by a wide variety of sociocultural factors, including social relations, health, gender, economic status, and emotions. As a result, I propose the following definition of food literacy: Food literacy is what we do with food, and why we do it. Food literacy, just like conventional literacy, must be critical, allowing us to “read the world through food” (Sumner, 2015, p. 134). Food literacies are developed over time, are contextual, and are influenced by a variety of sociocultural factors. Further, this study found that participants’ sociocultural self-awareness is critical and well developed; it is a strength that needs to be drawn on when developing and delivering food literacy programming.