Restorative Literacies

Deborah L. Wolter is a retired literacy consultant for Student Intervention and Support Services in Ann Arbor (Michigan) Public Schools. Her books include Reading Upside Down: Identifying and Addressing Opportunity Gaps in Literacy Instruction.

• ContentsForeword H. Richard Milner IV viiPreface: Everyone Has a Story ixWhose Stories Get Told? xChapter Overview xiAcknowledgments xv1. What Are Restorative Literacies? 1Response, Repair, and Restoration 2How Restorative Justice Informs Restorative Literacies 3Considering the Community 4Relationships Among Identity, Behavior, and Literacies 5Humanity, Justice, and a Natural Sense of Curiosity 7Children’s Rights to Read 8Relationships Among Responsive Teaching, Sustainability, and Restorative Practices 10Restorative Literacies 132. Noticing the Language of Stories 15Noticing the Language of Stories 16Hearing the Language of Silence 19Watching for Deficit Language 21Hearing the Language of Race 22Listening to Goals Instead of Systems 243. Compassionate Listening 28Active Listening and Observing 29Multiple Lenses 32Developing Relationships 36Trauma-Informed Listening 37Responding to Difficult Behavior 38Upholding Voices 404. Thinking About Literacies  42Defining Literacies 43Expanding the Literary Canon 45Minding Gaps Between Reading Processes and Reading Instruction 50Literacies in Context 565. Restoring Relationships 58Testing and Vulnerability 59Fostering Love of Literacies 60Literacies in Communities and Schools 61Access, Library Culture, and Diversity 62Motivation and Engagement 65Fostering Choice in Reading 67Scaffolding Strategic Reading 71Time and Space for Voluminous Reading 726. Repairing Harm 74Dismantling Labels and Categories 75Groups and Circles 78Characters in a Restorative Circle 82Restorative Circles With Multiple Lenses 83Restorative Circles on Disciplinary Literacy 84Strategic Reading in Restorative Circles 86Thoughtfully Choosing and Abandoning Books 877. Strengthening Learning With Agency 89Deeper Inclusion 91Inquiry and Equity 92Active Learning and Agency 958. Developing Leadership and Sustainability 98Defining Leadership 99Toward Sharing Power 101Opportunities for Developing Leadership 102A New Collaboration 1049. Recognizing Literacies and Identities 108Uncovering Identities 109Decentering Whiteness 111Toxic Positivity 115Fostering Readers’ Identities 116Conclusion: Restorative Literacies and Restorative Care 118Stories of Humanity 119References 122Index 135About the Author 144

“Those who take the time to explore this text will find themselves the beneficiary of the wealth that ‘plurality of literacy’ can yield. Those who take the time to apply Wolter’s work will find themselves shedding ethnocentrism and opening a treasure trove of identities, communities, abilities, and literacies that students already own. Readers will discover not just how to begin the work of creating caring communities in schools, but also why restorative literacy is important for our students and ourselves as well.”—Teachers College Record