The Present and Future of Research in, and the Teaching of, Reading, Writing, and Learning

Professor Karen R Harris

Policy and educational leaders, teachers, principals, curriculum leaders, and researchers need to recognize the present issues in research and practice that are holding back our schools from becoming what is needed to face the future. Paradigm wars, including battles over theories, methods, morals, character, and ownership of social justice, are a central challenge in both research and schools. To achieve our goal of thriving schools set within a socially just society we must work together. No single theory or instructional approach today is capable of addressing all of the challenges we face. The present and future of interdisciplinary research, evidence based practices, and embracing an understanding of complexity and complexity science will be discussed. Integrating what we know across practice, research, and theory will allow us to leverage evidence based practices in reading, writing, and literacy for learning. An example of emerging evidence-based practices in reading and writing to learn will be shared.

Presenter Bio: 

Professor Karen R Harris is the Warner Professor of Education at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University. She is also a Professorial Fellow with the Institute for Learning Sciences & Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University. Her research focuses on theoretically based interventions for the development of academic and self-regulation abilities among students who are at-risk and those with disabilities, as well as effective models of in-service teacher preparation for writing instruction for all students. She developed the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model of strategies instruction and is co-author or co-editor of several books, including Powerful Writing Strategies for All Students and Making the Writing Process Work: Strategies for Composition and Self-Regulation.

Changing How Writing Is Taught: Forty Years of Research

Professor Steve Graham 

While some teachers and schools are doing a phenomenal job teaching writing, this is not the case for most classes and schools across the globe. This presentation first establishes a portrait of typical classroom writing instruction. It then explores five issues that present challenges to teaching writing. This includes: writing is complex, it is not a single thing, it is a challenging skill, it must be taught, and writing development depends on incidental learning too. Next, it examines four aspects of writing (i.e., strategies, skills, knowledge, and motivation) that serve as catalysts for writing development. It concludes by sharing proven evidence-based practices for teaching writing and considers actions that are needed if classroom writing practices are to change.

Presenter Bio: 

Professor Steve Graham is also the Warner Professor of Education at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University and a Professorial Fellow with the Institute for Learning Sciences & Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University. His research interests include writing development and instruction, learning disabilities and the development of self-regulation. Steve is the former editor of Exceptional Children, Journal of Writing Research and Contemporary Educational Psychology, as well as the current editor of Journal of Educational Psychology. He is the co-author of the Handbook of Writing Research, Handbook of Learning Disabilities, APA Handbook of Educational Psychology, Writing Better, Powerful Writing Strategies for all Students and Making the Writing Process Work.