Prelims

Half Title Page

Luminous Literacies

Series Title Page

Advances in Research on Teaching

Series Editors: Volumes 1–11: Jere Brophy

Volumes 12–29: Stefinee Pinnegar

Recent Volumes:

Title Page

Advances in Research on Teaching Volume 36

Luminous Literacies: Localized Teaching and Teacher Education

Edited by

Mary F. Rice

University of New Mexico, USA

And

Ashley K. Dallacqua

University of New Mexico, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2021

Copyright © 2021 by Emerald Publishing Limited

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80043-453-0 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80043-452-3 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80043-454-7 (Epub)

ISSN: 1479-3687 (Series)

List of Figures and Tables

About the Editors

Mary F. Rice, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of New Mexico. Her research uses material/new material lenses to study digital literacies and identities. She is also the author of Adolescent Boys' Literate Identity (Emerald, 2011) and the editor of Exploring Pedagogies for Diverse Learners Online (Emerald, 2015).

Ashley K. Dallacqua, is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of New Mexico. Her scholarship focuses on multimodal approaches to literacy, particularly teaching and learning with comics.

About the Contributors

Mark R. Bailon is pursuing his Master of Business Administration after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education. He is interested in multimodal literacy with a special interest in digital literacy and gaming. Mark will utilize his experience, learning, and passion to build and understand the rise of esports and competitive gaming.

Damon R. Carbajal (he/el) is a gay, queer Chicanx educator, scholar, and activists. He holds a BA in Secondary Education, an MA in Chicana/o/x Studies, and a certificate in “Race” and Social Justice from the University of New Mexico. His work aims at recentering lost voices in educational spaces with a focus on social justice pedagogy.

Rachel Goar is a wife and a mother of two beautiful daughters. She has called New Mexico her home since she was three years old. She has been a general education teacher for nine years. She recently received her Master of Arts degree and discovered a passion for critical literacies.

Miles Madison Harvey, PhD, is a middle school Media Literacy Educator, Esports Coach, and Adjunct Instructor at the University of New Mexico.

Eli Henley is a Freelance Artist living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, engaging in photography, film, music, mechanics, and construction.

Michelle Jewett, PhD, has worked with students and teachers in K-12 schools and college classrooms for over 23 years.

Rick Marlatt, PhD, is an Associate Professor of English Language Arts and Literacy at New Mexico State University. His work bridges the fields of teacher education, creative writing, digital literacies, literature study, and sociocultural theory.

Natalie Martinez, PhD, (K'awaika-meh) teaches at the University of New Mexico. Her copublications include: Indigenous Wisdom (2012-2017, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center) and Indigenous New Mexico (pending, Indian Education Division, NMPED). She has also published a curriculum guide to An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People (2019) and a dissertation, Secondary Schooling and Indigenous Pueblo Youth: Dynamics of Power (2011).

Richard J. Meyer, PhD, has been an educator for over 45 years. He is a Regents' Professor Emeritus from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and continues activist work with Working Families Party, Bend the Arc, and Uniting to Save Our Schools, of which he is one of the founding organizers (USOS).

Monique Montoya was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended the University of New Mexico and graduated in May 2020 with her Bachelor of Special and General Education with a concentration in English. Montoya currently teaches 9th grade Special Education English Language Arts at Rio Grande High School.

Ashley Nowikowski is a Math Teacher in Albuquerque Public Schools. She graduated with a BSEd from the University of New Mexico. She has a passion for LGBTQIA+-inclusion and representation in schools. Her interests include reading young adult literature, exploring New Mexico, and creating safe spaces for all students.

Brigid Ovitt is a PhD Candidate at the University of New Mexico in the United States. The focus of her studies is in writing development. She has taught English and History at the secondary level in Albuquerque, New Mexico for over 20 years. She lives in Albuquerque with her husband and two daughters.

Lucretia E. Penny Pence, PhD, taught at the secondary level for 18 years and was a teacher educator for 20. She is Associate Professor Emerita at the University of New Mexico.

Isabella Perea is a PhD Student at Arizona State University in Tempe. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Isabella earned two degrees (BA and MA) from the University of New Mexico. Isabella has worked with young adults in many settings, including the juvenile justice system and as a middle school teacher.

Brittany R. Raymond is a Language Arts Teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Trauma and Resilience in Educational Spaces. She is passionate about creating student-centered opportunities to address trauma and build resilience in the classroom.

Rebecca M. Sánchez, PHD/MFA, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, and Policy at the University of New Mexico. She teaches courses in social studies education, social justice, and curriculum development. She seeks to expose students and teachers to the place-based social studies of New Mexico.

Annmarie Sheahan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of English at Western Washington University. She taught high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where much of her scholarship and community work remains centered. Annmarie's recent publications can be found in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, English Journal, and Race Ethnicity and Education.

Gloria A. Valderrama Polo is an English Language Development Teacher for Albuquerque Public Schools. She holds an MA in Art Education and an MA in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) with a Bilingual Education concentration from the University of New Mexico (UNM). She is currently a third-year doctoral student in LLSS with a concentration in Literacy at UNM.

Don Zancanella, PhD, is an Emeritus Professor at the University of New Mexico and former chair of the Conference on English Education. At the University of New Mexico, he was chair of the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies and program coordinator for Secondary Education.

List of Contributors

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the authors for their contributions and their hard work on this project, which took almost 18 months to complete.

We also acknowledge our students, past and present, who inspire us with their literacies and lives every day.

Our families and friends have also been a source of light.

Ashley would also like to acknowledge her writing and research mentors, past and present, her writing group, and especially Jonas and Joe.

We would also like to thank the following volume editorial board members:

Caroline Clark, The Ohio State University, Ohio

Jason DeHart, Appalachian State University, North Carolina

Katherin Garland, Santa Fe College, Florida

Karly Grice, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire

Courtney Johnson, Columbus City Schools, Ohio

Sara Kersten-Parrish, John Carroll University, Ohio

Dixie Keyes, Arkansas State University

Erica Law, The Ohio State University, Ohio

Celina Lay, Brigham Young University, Utah

Sarah Lightner, West Chester University, Pennsylvania

Jenny Martin, Bridgewater College, Virginia

Caitlin E. Murphy, Bellarmine University, Kentucky

Amy Piotrowski, Utah State University, Utah

Rachel Rickard Rebellino, Bowling Green University, Ohio

Eileen Shanahan, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky

Amanda Sladek, University of Nebraska–Kearney

Mark Stevens, Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia

Connor Warner, University of Utah

Introduction: Honoring Local Literacies and Local Literacy Practices

Mary F. Rice and Ashley Kaye Dallacqua

Like many in the United States and abroad, students and teachers in New Mexico inherit a legacy of colonization – where school policies imposed by dominant groups have been working to strip away their language and culture. By many accounts, these efforts have been more than successful (Spring, 2016). As a consequence, teachers in New Mexico do their work in the face of a national narrative that they and the children they serve are simply not good enough – especially in reading and other aspects of literacy (Nott, 2015). Folded into this narrative is a larger story that teachers all over the country are dispensable, despite the fact that many areas report dire shortages (Einekel, 2019). Under such conditions, it is no wonder that literacy teachers experience great anxiety as they strive to grow and develop as professionals (Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, 2017). Teacher education practices that focus on the local curriculum for teachers as well as students are increasingly important (Rice & Dallacqua, 2018). In our context of New Mexico in the Southwestern United States, localizing meant embracing visual and multimodal frames, challenging the colonial narratives operating in the state, honoring the multiple languages, and indeed reconsidering all the ways in which dominant views of race, class, sex, gender, religion, and more could be upended.

The chapters in this book share examples of teachers and teacher educators using local knowledges to illustrate the practical of curriculum making (Schwab, 1969). Instead of painting a dark picture, the authors seek to illuminate spaces that “…promote practices which both expand and legitimize students' literacy toolkits” (Lizárraga & Gutiérrez, 2018, p. 41). As editors, we present layers of literacy stories from a set of dedicated educators from diverse races, cultures, languages, gender and sexual identities, educational positions, and life experiences. These teachers and teacher-educators share narratives about experiences in teacher preparation courses, classrooms, and community spaces in New Mexico. More than an “ah ha” moment, educators share moments when they made striking connections, understood new ideas about their students, came to understand the context of their teaching in ways that truly altered their practice, and interrogated their assumptions about what must be (Rice, 2020). In these pages are deeply personal experiences that impact how teachers across the state read, teach, and engage with literacy. Their work highlights thoughtful, critical choices in literacy practices that reflect a diversity of identities in New Mexico. In so doing, these educators present counternarratives to literacy knowing and learning in places with extensive colonial histories (Milner & Howard, 2013). These narratives provide vivid demonstrations of what literacy is, how literacies are positioned in communities and contexts, and how literacies come alive as they are taught.