Articles by Erin H Whitney
Multiple Voices: Disability, Race, and Language Intersections in Special Education, 2022
Educational research shows the value of culturally responsive pedagogies; however, special educat... more Educational research shows the value of culturally responsive pedagogies; however, special education research typically centers reading interventions that focus primarily on foundational skills. These sorts of programs rarely take learner identities into account in their design, and provide little opportunity for readers to make connections to their own lives or events in their communities and worlds. A culturally and historically responsive literacy (HRL) framework recommends teaching toward the pursuits of identity, skills, intellect, and criticality. This article uses analytic autoethnography and qualitative data to examine the ways that a group of Black girls identified as having disabilities engaged in a book club reading Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming. Findings show that students engaged in joyful and engaged discussions about their cultural identities and historical events while simultaneously developing literacy skills and knowledge. Suggestions are made for implementing culturally and historically responsive book clubs in a resource room or small group setting as an alternative to traditional reading intervention programs.
Journal of Homosexuality
Research shows the critical value of teacher affirmation of LGBTQIA+ identities in improving soci... more Research shows the critical value of teacher affirmation of LGBTQIA+ identities in improving social and academic outcomes for youth, and in rural areas this need is significant as students often experience discrimination with limited community resources. When provided, professional development is often concerned with safety and bullying with less focus on disrupting heteronormative and transphobic belief systems. Educators experience difficulty discussing these topics, however drawing upon a theory of a pedagogy of discomfort can help facilitators to foster critical thinking and engage learners in emotional labor leading to positive transformation. This article uses survey data to examine the impacts of pedagogical approaches of facilitators that invite and navigate discomfort in a workshop for educators on supporting LGBTQIA+ students in a rural district. Findings show that participants engage in challenging discussions, leading to deeper understandings, compassion, and the potential for positive action in school settings.
Language Arts, 2018
This article examines the poetry writing practices of two teen girls through a worldmaking lens-a... more This article examines the poetry writing practices of two teen girls through a worldmaking lens-a writing approach that critically centers youth experiences and identities. We open this article with a piece of writing that sits at its heart, a poem authored by seventh-grade student Raquel (all names are participant-chosen pseudonyms). To say that she is the sole author of the poem, however, downplays the collaborative process that Raquel engaged in with her friend, Sapphire, as they discussed the poem, acted out different parts, and revised and performed it together across formal and informal school spaces over a period of a few weeks.
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 2018
By considering the intersectional identities of black girls with learning disabilities through th... more By considering the intersectional identities of black girls with learning disabilities through the lens of the Black Girls' Literacies framework, educators can provide opportunities for students to use writing in empowering ways.
A teacher looked at us with eager eyes as we presented this topic in classroom demonstration at a... more A teacher looked at us with eager eyes as we presented this topic in classroom demonstration at a recent conference. She had heard over and over why critical literacy is important, why she needed to get her students to dig beyond the surface, and how they would be better readers and thinkers if she could inspire her students to interrogate texts from an analytical stance. But what had been lacking for this teacher, and many others of us, is the how.
Dissertation by Erin H Whitney
At a time when state standards and assessments drive educational policy and literacy is defined a... more At a time when state standards and assessments drive educational policy and literacy is defined as print-based, students who don’t meet external benchmarks for developing skills along what is considered to be a “normal trajectory” are often seen as “at-risk” or diagnosed with learning disabilities. While there may be real variations in the ways that individuals learn, schools have a responsibility to offer a variety of pedagogical approaches in order to meet the needs of all children within an inclusive setting. This practitioner research dissertation seeks to better understand the ways that students identified as having learning disabilities create and communicate using a variety of modes including narrative writing, dance, and digital composition. Using qualitative data collected over the course of a school year while teaching full-time at an urban school with a folk arts focus, the author looks closely at the multimodal writing practices of four Black middle school girls identified as having learning disabilities. Drawing upon a theoretical framework rooted in Disability Studies/ Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) and New Literacy Studies, this study investigates the ways that students use multimodal composition to construct identities as able learners, thereby challenging deficit orientations at the intersection of race, gender and ability. By examining the artifacts that these students created over the course of an academic year as well as their reflections, and by extending a definition of literacy to include multimodal representations of knowledge, the relationships between curriculum and identity are explored. Findings reveal a complex interplay between multimodal composition and collaboration, and suggest that curriculum embedded with multiple modes for representing knowledge can create pathways to culturally relevant and inclusive pedagogy, and contribute to the construction of powerful writing identities.
Book Reviews by Erin H Whitney
Disability Studies Quarterly, 2021
Disability Studie Quarterly, 2021
Teaching Documents by Erin H Whitney
This course invites candidates to develop theories, knowledge, and dispositions to teach in a var... more This course invites candidates to develop theories, knowledge, and dispositions to teach in a variety of educational settings serving students with disabilities. Integrating knowledge and practice from the fields of disability studies and special education, candidates explore critical topics including: disability in society and schools; the intersection of disability status with race, class, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identities; and strategies for developing and enacting inclusive special education policies, practices, assessments, and curricula. 3 hours lecture.
Papers by Erin H Whitney
Proceedings of the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting, 2020
Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners
Educational research shows the value of culturally responsive pedagogies; however, special educat... more Educational research shows the value of culturally responsive pedagogies; however, special education research typically centers reading interventions that focus primarily on foundational skills. These sorts of programs rarely take learner identities into account in their design, and provide little opportunity for readers to make connections to their own lives or events in their communities and worlds. A culturally and historically responsive literacy (HRL) framework recommends teaching toward the pursuits of identity, skills, intellect, and criticality. This article uses analytic autoethnography and qualitative data to examine the ways that a group of Black girls identified as having disabilities engaged in a book club reading Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming. Findings show that students engaged in joyful and engaged discussions about their cultural identities and historical events while simultaneously developing literacy skills and knowledge. Suggestions are made for implem...
Language arts, 2018
We open this article with a piece of writing that sits at its heart, a poem authored by seventhgr... more We open this article with a piece of writing that sits at its heart, a poem authored by seventhgrade student Raquel (all names are participantchosen pseudonyms). To say that she is the sole author of the poem, however, downplays the collaborative process that Raquel engaged in with her friend, Sapphire, as they discussed the poem, acted out different parts, and revised and performed it together across formal and informal school spaces over a period of a few weeks.
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Articles by Erin H Whitney
Dissertation by Erin H Whitney
Book Reviews by Erin H Whitney
Teaching Documents by Erin H Whitney
Papers by Erin H Whitney