Developing Adolescent Literacy in the Online Classroom

Recipient of the 2021 Divergent Book Award for Excellence in 21st Century Literacies Research given by the Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research Today’s secondary virtual teachers are tasked with designing and implementing effective literacy instructional approaches for adolescent online learners. Neglecting to consider the magnitude of possessing literacy skills needed in today’s world and not teaching literacy effectively may lead to challenges for students in school and beyond. For most educators, one’s toolbox of literacy instructional strategies center around approaches intended for the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom. But methods of reading and writing within the online classroom differ from those within the traditional school setting. Though online students are often separated by time and space, it’s entirely possible for virtual teachers to utilize literacy strategies that actively entice and encourage student learning and engagement. This text provides virtual teachers a variety of strategies for translating traditional literacy instruction and assessment into the online classroom.