2015-2016 Literacy Colloquy Presentation

Dr. Carrie Symons

Tuesday, October 6th
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Erickson Room: 133F

The Development of a Conceptual Framework: A

Linguistic Orientation to Meaning Making
In this talk, Dr. Symons will situate the discussion of her research, which focuses on reading comprehension
instruction with English learners, in the broader context of how to construct a conceptual framework. A conceptual
framework is, in essence, a researchers theory about how to address a problem. But where does one start to develop
such a theory and how does it evolve over time? By using her own work as an example, Symons will make this process
explicit. Beginning with tracing the origins of her commitment to ensuring English learners have equitable access to
high quality literacy instruction in U.S. schools, she will share key findings from a case study of one fourth-grade
teachers enactment of a curriculum that was designed to support English learners meaning-making by bringing a close
attention to language and meaning in narrative and informational texts. Literacy and language scholars have been calling
for teachers to increase their knowledge of, and attention to, linguistic features in texts to support English learners
language development and content-area learning simultaneously. However, there are few empirical models to which
teachers can turn to understand how this can occur, with what tools, and the challenges they might encounter. Symons
work aims to redress this gap. For teachers and researchers interested in how we can promote the advancement of
English learners literacy development, this case study illustrates how one teacher adopted a linguistic orientation to
meaning-making and translated it into a literacy and language pedagogy. Symons will conclude with sharing the
implications of this study and directions for future research as they relate to, and inform, the evolution of her conceptual
framework.
Dr. Carrie Symons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan
State University. Her teaching and research focus on literacy instruction, reading comprehension,
and English language development. As a former elementary classroom teacher of 10 years, she is
interested in how teachers learn and develop the tools and practices necessary for the facilitation of
students meaning-making. In particular, her work examines how dialogic instructional practices
paired with close attention to language can mediate elementary English learners meaning-making
with text. Consistent with the goal of ensuring English learners have equitable access to instructional
contexts that will advance their literacy attainment, she aims to support teachers in their
development of pedagogical practices that foster literacy learning and growth for linguistically
diverse students.