In recent years, the government of Kenya has implemented programs with the hope of moving the country to middle‐income status. The government has implemented the Digital Literacy Programme, distributing tablets to schools across the country, and also a new curriculum, promoting innovative teaching that includes digital literacy, learner‐centered teaching, and relevance to students’ lives. Our purpose in this research was to explore culturally sustaining teaching methods in line with the Kenyan government’s push for innovative teaching and digital literacy attainment for all students. We used case study methods to describe Kenyan teachers’ perceptions of innovative teaching and digital literacy while participating in the Inquiry Initiative, a three‐day professional development series. Participants included preschool, primary, and secondary teachers from Trans Nzoia County. Data sources were pre‐ and post‐surveys, participant‐generated artifacts, and interviews. Our participants perceived the following needs: new literacies for learners, creativity for learners, collaboration and group work, and creativity to overcome technological challenges. Overall, participants embraced learner‐centered teaching theoretically but found that the lack of technological resources created barriers to teaching digital literacy in a learner‐centered fashion. We found that teachers reported mostly using technology for teaching preparation and record keeping rather than engaging students in digital literacy practices. To solve technological challenges, teachers described having students work in groups and using smartphones. Future research could share more creative solutions to technical challenges in low‐income countries.

The goal of this study was to define the construct and establish the validity of disciplinary literacy, which has recently gained attention from the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers in Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects [PDF]. Authors, Washington, DC, 2010). After defining disciplinary literacy in the four core disciplines of English language arts, science, history and social studies, and mathematics, scales were developed and administered to a snowball sample of professionals nationwide, with 857 respondents. The data showed evidence of disciplinary literacy as a multidimensional construct with three related factors: source literacy, analytic literacy, and expressive literacy. Based on EFA and CFA results, we can conclude that there are at least three types of literacy in operation among the four core disciplines. The three factors of literacy varied significantly by the four core disciplines of English/language arts (ELA), science, history and social studies, and mathematics, supporting the notion that each discipline uses literacy uniquely. This is the first study of its kind to attempt to define, quantify, and validate the construct of disciplinary literacy.

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, complex global challenges necessitate cross‐cultural collaborative efforts. Thus, developing cosmopolitan literacies among students and teachers becomes ever more important. Believing that cosmopolitan literacies are central to being literate in contemporary times, the authors build on their existing project‐based inquiry model to include global themes (e.g., poverty, global water and sanitation, climate change) and cross‐cultural exchange. This theory‐into‐practice article explains the Project‐Based Inquiry Global process and six design features that enable teachers to facilitate collaborative inquiry projects with their students. As students interact during the process, they begin to practice cosmopolitan literacies by engaging in reading, writing, and inquiry with people and topics from around the world, becoming cross‐cultural difference makers.

At the time of this writing, we are closing the unprecedented year of 2020 and embarking further into the new decade. The year 2020 rendered powerful reminders of our global interconnectedness, int...

This chapter explores the intersection of race, culture, and language, so teachers can provide racially, linguistically, and culturally responsive teaching for diverse learners, as classrooms around the world are increasingly diverse. There has been an urgent call for teacher training to move beyond colorblindness to serve racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse learners in an equitable, antiracist, and socially-just climate. The purpose of this chapter is to present teaching materials framed by a cosmopolitan lens that help teachers examine who they are as a racial, linguistic, and cultural being to help super diverse learners in this global era. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.