Recentering the Middle School Classroom as a Vibrant Learning Community: Students, Literacy, and Technology Intersect

Abstract

Technology reshapes our thinking about learning in multiple ways. This article proposes that middle school students can use asynchronous online discussions to improve their responses to literature, increase their engagement with the classroom community, and recenter the classroom around student voices. Working in small groups, students read the same novel. They are prompted to post their responses to the young adult literature in a closed, egalitarian online network. The authors examined online transcripts, interviewed students, and observed lesson sequences in eighth‐grade humanities classrooms over three years. They found that threaded discussions helped these middle school students to Engage with and learn new literacies Examine literature through a more critical lens Socially construct knowledge to create a more authentic community of learners The authors also found that the role of the teacher is transformed by technology to scaffold instruction through participation in online conversations.

The Writer in the Reader

“…Digitized text not only afforded an enhanced reading experience, through the presence of scaffolds and supports, but also provided a malleable reading environment where students could annotate the text through digital thinkmarks and highlights to capture fleeting thoughts and responses. The asynchronous message board also provided an archival space where students could thoughtfully, through written discourse, create dialogue and response (Grisham & Wolsey, 2006 (Larson, 2009). While all participants in the study were proficient readers and strong communicators, they too benefited from the extra thinking time provided by the asynchronous format to formulate and post responses.…”

“…Classroom studies posit that online literature discussions may foster literacy skills, strengthen communication, and build community (Carico, Logan, & Labbo, 2004;Evans & Po, 2007;Grisham & Wolsey, 2006, Larson, 2009Maples, 2010;McWilliams, Hickey, Hines, Conner & Bishop, 2011).…”

impact of past language arts teachers on the reading motivation of twelfth grade students

“…Discussion boards provide students with opportunities for autonomous studentdirected discussion and learning, whereas, within the classroom, teacher-directed learning may be the norm (Grisham & Wolsey, 2006). In a study by Grisham and Wolsey (2006), students engaged in an online discussion board as the whole class read a book.…”

“…Discussion boards provide students with opportunities for autonomous studentdirected discussion and learning, whereas, within the classroom, teacher-directed learning may be the norm (Grisham & Wolsey, 2006). In a study by Grisham and Wolsey (2006), students engaged in an online discussion board as the whole class read a book. The authors of this study replaced traditional classroom strategies and methods, such as Literature Circles, where students share their ideas on books with each other in small groups, with the discussion boards.…”

“…In the study, the student interactions on the discussion boards proved to be more lively, thoughtful and thought-provoking than previously used methods and became a successful means to build community. Increased classroom community created a community of practice, where students worked together for the common purpose of understanding and reflecting on the book, successfully increasing student engagement (Grisham & Wolsey, 2006).…”