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Author Biographies

Laurie Rabinowitz teaches at the Bank Street College and is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include teacher perspectives on inclusive practices, the representation of disability identity in children’s literature, supporting teachers in developing critical literacy teaching practices and the cross-pollination of UDL and CSP.

Amy Tondreau is an Assistant Professor of Literacy in the Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Her research focuses on teachers’ and students’ literacy identities, critical literacy, professional learning communities, the cross-pollination of UDL and CSP, and antiracist, anti-bias literacy pedagogies.

Abstract

This article provides an overview of a qualitative study investigating how K-5 classroom teachers describe their beliefs, concerns, and planning process for enacting read alouds featuring characters with disabilities. The study explored educators' close reading of picture books to elicit the unpacking of beliefs about individuals with disabilities conveyed by children’s literature. Through dialogue about social issues in picture books with colleagues, teachers sharpened their own critical literacy skills to bring into the classroom. Based on our findings, we offer a collaborative inquiry cycle that teacher groups can replicate to critically read children’s literature for different social justice issues.

Publication Date

7-1-2021

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