Classroom Caffeine

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Mark Pacheco talks to us about valuing language and creating language-rich classrooms, how we can support emerging bilingual students in their literacy development, and home language as an essential part of identity. Mark is known for his work in language and literacy practices of emerging bilingual students and how teachers can support these practices. Dr. Pacheco is an Assis...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Peter H. Johnston talks to us about meaningful conversations with students and colleagues, celebrating student’s efforts, the cascade effect of teaching with social imagination, and mutual respect in the classroom. Peter is known for his work exploring relationships among classroom talk, engagement, and children’s social, emotional and literate development. Peter is Professor...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Tom Bean talks to us about his work with incarcerated adolescents, building relationships, hearing what kids have to say, and challenging our own assumptions about how we label our students. Tom is known for his work in disciplinary and content area literacy, adolescent literacy, and his work with incarcerated youth. Dr. Bean is a Professor of Literacy/Reading in the Departmen...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Danielle Dennis talks to us about asset-based thinking, teacher agency, and asking questions to lead to real change in schools. She is known for her work in the areas of literacy teacher education, curriculum, assessment, and educational policy. Danielle is currently the Director of the School of Education and a Professor at the University of Rhode Island. To cite this episode...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Patricia Leavy talks to us about the arts, critical thinking, keeping the spark of creativity, and staying the path of our own lives. She is known for her work in the areas of arts-based research methods, qualitative research design, and creativity. Patricia is an independent sociologist and bestselling author. To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2021, Mar. 23). A conve...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Frank Serafini talks to us about looking closely, the complexity of learning, making knowledge visible, and expanding our view of reading and writing. Frank is known for his work in the areas of visual literacy, multimodal analysis, and children’s literature. Dr. Serafini is a Professor of literacy education and children's literature in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers Colleg...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Carol Lee talks to us about professional growth, understanding what young people bring to their learning, addressing the needs of the whole child, humanizing the field of education, and the stuff of classrooms money just can’t buy. Carol is known for her work addressing cultural supports for learning that include a broad ecological focus, with attention to language and literac...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Victoria Risko talks to us about making connections, translanguaging, growth opportunities, equity in education, and meeting the needs of students as individuals. Vicki is known for her work in the areas of teacher education and professional development, teacher reflection, reading comprehension and meaningful learning, and uses of cases and multimedia environments to enhance...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Peter Afflerbach talks to us about classroom assessment, self-efficacy, motivation and engagement, and kids as individuals. Peter is known for his work in reading assessment, reading comprehension strategies, and verbal reporting research methodologies. Dr. Afflerbach is Professor of Reading in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at the University of...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Susan B. Neuman talks to us about a community-based 360 degree view of child development, early vocabulary development through conversation, and engaging young children in their literacy learning by encouraging their interests. Susan is known for her work in early childhood literacy, including early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction, particularly for...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Timothy Shanahan talks to us about a framework for our teaching, understanding our students and classroom contexts, translating research to practice, and professional learning for real impact. Tim is known for his work in the connections between learning to read and learning to write, literacy in the disciplines, and improving reading achievement. You can learn more about our...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Leigh Hall talks to us about supporting adolescent readers who struggle and readers’ perceptions and identities. Leigh is known for her work in Adolescent Literacy, educational technology, online learning, and for supporting colleagues to increase research impact. Dr. Hall is the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Adolescent Literacy and a Professor at the...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Peter Smagorinsky talks to us about standardized testing, listening to diverse voices, realities of the school day, and the impacts of politics on education. Peter is known for his work in teaching and learning English, writing methods, and inclusive instructional practices. Dr. Smagorinsky is a Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia and a Distinguished...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Timothy Rasinksi talks to us about teaching reading fluency, having fun with words, and the art and science of teaching. Tim is known for his work in reading fluency and word study, reading in the elementary and middle grades, and supporting readers who struggle. Dr. Rasinski is a professor of literacy education at Kent State University and the director of its award winning re...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Diane Lapp talks with us about using assessment to drive instruction, building meaningful relationships with students, and purposeful teaching. Diane is known for her work regarding issues related to the planning and assessment of intentional and equitable instruction and learning, especially for students in low performing schools in urban areas. Dr. Lapp is a Distinguished Pr...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Doris Walker-Dalhouse talks to us about supporting students as individuals, opportunities for advocacy, and looking to our communities for professional growth. Doris is known for her work in the area of culturally responsive literacy instruction, teacher preparation, and strategies to support readers who struggle. Dr. Walker-Dalhouse is a Professor of Literacy Studies at Marqu...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Laurie Elish-Piper talks to us about building relationships in education, families as educational partners, and optimism in uncertain times. Laurie is known for her work with literacy assessment and teaching, literacy coaching to improve student learning, and teacher professional development. Laurie is a Distinguished Engagement Professor and a Distinguished Teaching Professor...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Jerry Johns talks with us about teaching, informal assessment, vocabulary, and resources for supporting readers who struggle. Jerry is known for developing the Basic Reading Inventory, his work in teaching reading, and for his experience in schools. Jerry enjoyed a long, distinguished career at Northern Illinois University and maintains a close connection with the NIU Literacy...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Jenifer Jasinksi Schneider talks to us about children’s writing with multimodal and digital tools, process drama, children’s literature, and community-engaged literacy experiences. Jenifer is the author of The Inside, Outside, & Upside Downs of Children’s Literature, an open-access ebook that explores critical issues in children’s and young adult literature through extende...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Patricia Edwards talks to us about literacy, advocacy, honesty, family communications, and continuous knowledge development. In the week this episode was released, Pat was announced as LRA's Oscar S. Causey Award winner for her outstanding contributions to literacy research! Pat is well-known for her work in family literacy and home/school/community partnerships. Pat is a...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Norman Stahl talks to us about the landscape of education research, learning, thinking, and making connections. Norm is known for his work in college reading, the history of reading, and qualitative research in developmental reading. Dr. Stahl is Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University. To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2020, Nov. 24). A conversation with N...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Jim King talks to us about planning, relationships, and the art of teaching. Jim is known for his work with sociolinguistics, the history of literacy instruction, and his continuing work with children. Dr. King is Professor Emeritus at the University of South Florida. To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2020, Nov. 17). A conversation with James R. “Jim” King. (Season 1,...

Send us Fan Mail In this inaugural episode, Dr. David Reinking talks to us about formative design research in the classroom. Dr. Reinking is known for his longstanding commitment to education and his contributions to the field of design-based research. David is a Distinguished Professor at Clemson University and works as a semi-retired Professor at the University of Georgia. To cite this episode:...