34th Annual Student Research Conference
Going Virtual: Online Supplements for Literature Circles
Carolyn R. Wallace♦
Dr. Barbara Price, Dr. Rebecca Dierking, and Dr. Sarah Mohler, Faculty Mentors
The “literature circle” has long been standard practice in the secondary English Language Arts classroom. At a basic level, literature circles provide space for students to develop and practice the strategies used by excellent readers, but they have also been praised for their flexibility, real-world applications, and differentiation opportunities. Unfortunately, the widespread acceptance of literature circles has caused many educators to grow too comfortable with the practice, rendering them routinized and ineffective in some circumstances. In reexamining the practice, it is clear that literature circles need to be revamped for 21st-century literacy demands: they need a technological upgrade. Adding online supplements to literature circles may work to salvage the practice, especially in wake of the effect that COVID-19 has had on the future of in-person learning. This qualitative study, which took place at a rural school, implemented online literature circle supplements in hopes of determining their effectiveness with student engagement.
Keywords: literature circle, online environment, 21st century literacy, English Language Arts
Topic(s):English, Secondary MAE Research
Presentation Type: Asynchronous Virtual Oral Presentation
Session: 9-1
Location: https://flipgrid.com/4edc694a
Time: 0:00