- 3402 Sangren Hall
Kalamazoo, MI 49008 - (269) 387-3578
Susan V . Piazza
Western Michigan University, Education, Department Member
- Susan V. Piazza, Ed. D. is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational ... moreSusan V. Piazza, Ed. D. is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Studies and at Western Michigan University. Her research, teaching, and service focus on sociocultural issues in education, culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, and issues of equity in relation to education.edit
- Current and Previous Mentors: Kathryn Au, Taffy Raphael, Patricia Edwards, Karen Feathers, Karen Tonsoedit
The global pandemic has revealed a number of inequalities in education for students in Michigan, USA. Teachers were tasked with a sudden shift to online instruction as school closures across the state (and globe) forced education to... more
The global pandemic has revealed a number of inequalities in education for students in Michigan, USA. Teachers were tasked with a sudden shift to online instruction as school closures across the state (and globe) forced education to operate in virtual classrooms. Given the continued need for online learning, it is necessary to examine the perspectives and experiences of teachers who worked throughout the school closures of spring 2020 and to identify ways to better support both teachers and students as they navigate virtual learning. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate K-12 teachers’ experiences shifting their classrooms online and their overall perspectives on the use of digital literacies as a central part of student learning. Reported in this paper are the survey results from 389 teachers’ perceptions of their effectiveness during the Covid-19 pandemic during the semester spring of 2020. Additionally, a randomly selected a subset of 12 elementary and 13 secondary teachers’ semi-structured interviews were analyzed. Unsurprisingly, teachers reported many challenges meeting their students’ needs as they transitioned to online learning. Findings revealed students who lacked access to reliable Internet and digital devices. Even when access was not an issue, students lacked the necessary digital literacy skills to navigate their online education. Teachers reported many challenges associated with online learning, particularly those related to student engagement, communication, and shifting pedagogies online. Therefore, there is a need for schools and curricula to include operational digital literacy skills earlier in formal education settings, and to prioritize these skills even when face-to-face instruction resumes.
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This study, a follow-up to the research reported by Erlam, investigated K-12 content teachers’ ability to design tasks for content instruction in U.S. schools. Thirty-nine K-12 teachers who were enrolled in an English as a second language... more
This study, a follow-up to the research reported by Erlam, investigated K-12 content teachers’ ability to design tasks for content instruction in U.S. schools. Thirty-nine K-12 teachers who were enrolled in an English as a second language (ESL) teaching methods course participated in the study and each designed two language learning tasks. Two researchers rated the tasks following Ellis and Shintani’s four task criteria, as in Erlam. The study addressed the questions: (1) How successful are content teachers in designing tasks that satisfy Ellis and Shintani’s criteria? (2) Which of the criteria do teachers find easiest and most difficult to satisfy? and (3) Do the teachers improve in meeting the criteria in a second round of task designs? Ninety-two percent and 95% of the tasks satisfied three of the four criteria in task designs 1 and 2, respectively. The teachers excelled most at creating contexts for meaningful communication (92%) and including an information gap (92%) in their f...
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This report from the field showcases authentic examples of initiatives targeting increased family engagement of English learners (ELs) in several culturally and linguistically diverse school districts in the Midwest. The authors use a... more
This report from the field showcases authentic examples of initiatives targeting increased family engagement of English learners (ELs) in several culturally and linguistically diverse school districts in the Midwest. The authors use a framework wherein family engagement spans a continuum starting with traditional notions of school involvement to family engagement wherein families have agency on how they can support their child's learning. This article shares specific initiatives that teachers implemented in their classrooms or school settings such as bilingual game nights, cultural celebrations, creating family books, and conducting home visits. Recommendations are shared to assist educators and school leaders in maximizing engagement with their EL families.
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Research Interests: Art and Reading Process
Background Social equity literacy teaching is the means by which teachers can empower children by seeing their literate capacities and helping them access the literacies and languages needed for full participation in mainstream contexts... more
Background Social equity literacy teaching is the means by which teachers can empower children by seeing their literate capacities and helping them access the literacies and languages needed for full participation in mainstream contexts (Au, 1998). Inequalities prevent many children in high poverty and nondominant cultural communities from realizing their in-born literacy potential. The role of the teacher, then, is to recognize these injustices and offset them. This is not to say that teachers are the only ones responsible for ...
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, Mathematics Education, English language teaching, English Language Learners, Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, and 5 moreClassroom Observation, Teaching English to Young Learners, English Language Teaching, The Siop Model, and Teachers Professional Development
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As teacher educators we agree with April that incorporating a critical literacy approach in En glish education is important but challenging. But before we go any further, we have a confession to make. Although we work to implement a... more
As teacher educators we agree with April that incorporating a critical literacy approach in En glish education is important but challenging. But before we go any further, we have a confession to make. Although we work to implement a critical literacy practice within our university classes, we don’t always know what we’re doing. We have found that applying critical literacy to classrooms has lots of ups and downs. There are days when we struggle to start and sustain discussions. Then there are days where discussions have some ideas about how to go about it, we must also confess that much of what we have learned and have helped others learn is often a result of our fumbling around and trying to make sense out of the literature we read and the things we have experienced. We offer a set of lessons we have learned from our experiences and a few suggestions for others who intend to engage in critical literacy practice.
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Abstract At the middle school level, active family engagement is difficult enough with native English speaking families but even more so with parents of English learners (ELs). Using a funds of knowledge approach in this article, we... more
Abstract At the middle school level, active family engagement is difficult enough with native English speaking families but even more so with parents of English learners (ELs). Using a funds of knowledge approach in this article, we position families as knowledgeable participants with strengths who contribute significantly to their adolescent’s academic and overall development. We provide three cases of middle grades teachers who took the initiative to engage with families of ELs. Each teacher utilized different strategies, but they ultimately all increased EL family engagement in their middle school setting. This article shows that EL families will be more engaged when strategies used are more inclusive and responsive to their needs.
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As teacher educators we agree with April that incorporating a critical literacy approach in English education is important but challenging. But before we go any further, we have a confession to make. Although we work to implement a... more
As teacher educators we agree with April that incorporating a critical literacy approach in English education is important but challenging. But before we go any further, we have a confession to make. Although we work to implement a critical literacy prac tice within our university classes, we don't always know what we're doing. We have found that apply ing critical literacy to classrooms has lots of ups and downs. There are days when we struggle to start and sustain discussions. Then there are days where discussions are vibrant and seem effortless; all the pieces seem to fit together, the class is buzzing with anticipation, and new ideas are being presented and examined. When things go well, our students co-construct new understandings and question beliefs through crirical dialogue around the texts we choose, and when they don't go so well, we learn from those experiences and move on. Because we make it clear that we are implementing a critical literacy approach to our i...
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This study examines culturally responsive pedagogy across the fields of special education, multicultural literacy education, and teaching English language learners. A systematic review of recommendations identified culturally responsive... more
This study examines culturally responsive pedagogy across the fields of special education, multicultural literacy education, and teaching English language learners. A systematic review of recommendations identified culturally responsive practices in five key areas: dialogue, collaboration, visual representation, explicit instruction, and inquiry. Educators are encouraged to adopt a critical and responsive stance that incorporates students’ cultural knowledge and lived experiences when implementing these recommendations. Creating classrooms that promote culturally responsive and effective instruction is grounded in the definition of literacy as a social practice and leads to more equitable learning opportunities in all areas.
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UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Case studies of transactions between boys' lived experiences and text. by Piazza, Susan ...
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This chapter weaves stories of lived experience into traditional literacy assessments and challenges" struggling reader" labels placed on many young adolescent Black males. The researcher narrates her own positionality and... more
This chapter weaves stories of lived experience into traditional literacy assessments and challenges" struggling reader" labels placed on many young adolescent Black males. The researcher narrates her own positionality and addresses how White female teachers might critically examine their own bias during assessments. Sociocultural theories and mixed methods provide a lens for analyzing interviews, assessments, and teachers' roles. Participants shared their views of masculinity, race, and" being cool" during reading, ...
At the middle school level, active family engagement is difficult enough with native English speaking families but even more so with parents of English learners (ELs). Using a funds of knowledge approach in this article, we position... more
At the middle school level, active family engagement is
difficult enough with native English speaking families but even
more so with parents of English learners (ELs). Using a funds of
knowledge approach in this article, we position families as
knowledgeable participants with strengths who contribute significantly to their adolescent’s academic and overall development. We provide three cases of middle grades teachers who
took the initiative to engage with families of ELs. Each teacher
utilized different strategies, but they ultimately all increased EL
family engagement in their middle school setting. This article
shows that EL families will be more engaged when strategies
used are more inclusive and responsive to their needs.
difficult enough with native English speaking families but even
more so with parents of English learners (ELs). Using a funds of
knowledge approach in this article, we position families as
knowledgeable participants with strengths who contribute significantly to their adolescent’s academic and overall development. We provide three cases of middle grades teachers who
took the initiative to engage with families of ELs. Each teacher
utilized different strategies, but they ultimately all increased EL
family engagement in their middle school setting. This article
shows that EL families will be more engaged when strategies
used are more inclusive and responsive to their needs.
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This quasi-experimental study examined an eighteen-month professional development project focused on improving instructional practices for emerging bilingual and multilingual English learners (ELs). The study is grounded in sociocultural... more
This quasi-experimental study examined an eighteen-month professional development project focused on improving instructional practices for emerging bilingual and multilingual English learners (ELs). The study is grounded in sociocultural and interactive learning theories related to teaching ELs. Professional development activities included seven graduate-level courses, practical field experiences in schools, instructional coaching from peers and a qualified instructional ESL coach, video demonstrations and observations, and participation in a one-day ESL conference. The research team conducted pre and post classroom observations for 23 in-service teachers over an 18-month period and corroborated findings with participant reflections about instructional practices using the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). Results reveal that participants made statistically significant increases in six of the seven areas of instruction: lesson preparation, building background, strategies, interaction, practice and application, lesson delivery, and review/assessment, and no significant change in the area of comprehensible input. The control group showed no significant increases. The discussion of findings identifies strong areas of improvement, moderate areas of improvement, and discusses the one area that showed no significant improvement. Implications for teacher education and professional learning with teachers of ELs are shared along with considerations for future research.
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This report from the field showcases authentic examples of initiatives targeting increased family engagement of English learners (ELs) in several culturally and linguistically diverse school districts in the Midwest. The authors use a... more
This report from the field showcases authentic examples of initiatives targeting increased family engagement of English learners (ELs) in several culturally and linguistically diverse school districts in the Midwest. The authors use a framework wherein family engagement spans a continuum starting with traditional notions of school involvement to family engagement wherein families have agency on how they can support their child's learning. This article shares specific initiatives that teachers implemented in their classrooms or school settings such as bilingual game nights, cultural celebrations, creating family books, and conducting home visits. Recommendations are shared to assist educators and school leaders in maximizing engagement with their EL families.
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Abstract How do formative reading assessments influence educators' ability to assess readers' understandings in culturally responsive ways? This study examines three formative reading assessments to explore the capacity of each measure to... more
Abstract How do formative reading assessments influence educators' ability to assess readers' understandings in culturally responsive ways? This study examines three formative reading assessments to explore the capacity of each measure to fairly represent readers' understandings without being influenced negatively by social and cultural diversity.
Parental incarceration, poverty, urban violence, and drug use can be underlying factors of academic achievement gaps between Black urban males and their counterparts. These risk factors have the potential to position low-income urban... more
Parental incarceration, poverty, urban violence, and drug use can
be underlying factors of academic achievement gaps between
Black urban males and their counterparts. These risk factors have
the potential to position low-income urban students as struggling
readers. Two qualitative case studies obtained from a larger mixed
methods study illustrate exemplary after-school literacy engagements with Black urban adolescent males, each with an incarcerated parent. Two researchers, a counseling psychologist and a teacher educator, collaborated to create a strengths-based after school program with culturally relevant literacy instruction as their primary objective. The 2 case study findings reveal the complexities of choosing culturally relevant texts, the need for motivation and
engagement in order to build skills, and the fact that relationships
are essential in the delivery of culturally responsive literacy instruction. The article concludes with recommendations for teachers working with at-risk Black adolescent males that focus on student empowerment, academic success, and building successful futures.
be underlying factors of academic achievement gaps between
Black urban males and their counterparts. These risk factors have
the potential to position low-income urban students as struggling
readers. Two qualitative case studies obtained from a larger mixed
methods study illustrate exemplary after-school literacy engagements with Black urban adolescent males, each with an incarcerated parent. Two researchers, a counseling psychologist and a teacher educator, collaborated to create a strengths-based after school program with culturally relevant literacy instruction as their primary objective. The 2 case study findings reveal the complexities of choosing culturally relevant texts, the need for motivation and
engagement in order to build skills, and the fact that relationships
are essential in the delivery of culturally responsive literacy instruction. The article concludes with recommendations for teachers working with at-risk Black adolescent males that focus on student empowerment, academic success, and building successful futures.
EJ887689 - Challenging Texts: Engaging with Critical Literacy--Reflections on Teaching and Learning.
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Some of us may benefit from a day spent sorting and purging shelves and piles ofpapers in our classrooms to create more space. However, the space addressed here does not require days of dusty labor; instead, it requires that teachers... more
Some of us may benefit from a day spent sorting and purging shelves and piles ofpapers in our classrooms to create more space. However, the space addressed here does not require days of dusty labor; instead, it requires that teachers become critical about everyday language and literacy instruction. Rather than moving desks to create writing workshops or comfortable reading areas in your classrooms, the kind of space I wish to explore involves the social spaces we occupy during our time with children.
Developing students' abilities to take a critical literacy stance when reading texts is an important aspect of literacy instruction (Stevens & Bean, 2007). Interpreting texts through a critical literacy lens can help students become aware... more
Developing students' abilities to take a critical literacy stance when reading texts is an important aspect of literacy instruction (Stevens & Bean, 2007). Interpreting texts through a critical literacy lens can help students become aware of the messages that texts communicate about power, race, and gender; who should receive privileges; and who has been or continues to be oppressed.
Background Social equity literacy teaching is the means by which teachers can empower children by seeing their literate capacities and helping them access the literacies and languages needed for full participation in mainstream contexts... more
Background Social equity literacy teaching is the means by which teachers can empower children by seeing their literate capacities and helping them access the literacies and languages needed for full participation in mainstream contexts (Au, 1998). Inequalities prevent many children in high poverty and nondominant cultural communities from realizing their in-born literacy potential. The role of the teacher, then, is to recognize these injustices and offset them. This is not to say that teachers are the only ones responsible for ...
