Mobilizing research-informed literacy practices
At the Literacy Education Research Team (LERT), led by Dr. Pamela Beach (Queen’s University), our work starts with a simple question: How do we ensure what we know about literacy learning actually supports what teachers and students do every day? We study teachers’ professional learning and classroom literacy practices, then share research-informed approaches that are practical, adaptable, and grounded in real school contexts.
Mobilizing literacy research means translating evidence into routines, tools, and professional learning that fit the realities of elementary classrooms.
What we mean by “mobilizing”
Research can be powerful—but only if it’s usable. In our projects, “mobilizing” includes:
Co-designing professional learning with teachers and school partners
Documenting classroom literacy practices and the conditions that shape them
Testing and refining routines, resources, and learning structures that can travel across contexts
Sharing findings in accessible formats (not just academic publications)
Our three research streams
LERT’s work is organized around three connected streams:
1) Elementary teachers’ literacy practices and professional learning experiences
We examine how teachers make decisions about literacy instruction—what they draw on, what supports their learning, and what barriers they face. This helps us understand what “effective” looks like in real classrooms, not just in theory.
2) Exploring methodologies for understanding teacher learning
Teacher learning is complex, social, and shaped by time, policy, and school culture. We explore research methods that can capture that complexity—so professional learning can be studied (and improved) with greater precision and care.
3) Mobilizing literacy research into the classroom
This stream focuses on the “how”: how research-informed practices are taken up, adapted, and sustained. We pay close attention to implementation—what supports teachers, what makes change feasible, and what helps practices endure.
A practical starting point: three questions for professional learning
If you’re a teacher, coach, administrator, or researcher thinking about literacy-focused professional learning, these questions can help clarify next steps:
What classroom problem are we trying to solve? (Be specific: engagement during independent reading, talk moves during discussion, small-group routines, etc.)
What evidence will show improvement? (Student work, observation notes, teacher reflections, running records, discussion transcripts—choose what fits your context.)
What supports make the practice doable? (Time, materials, collaborative planning, modeling, feedback cycles, leadership support.)
Where to explore next
To learn more about our work, visit our Projects, browse Publications & Presentations, and explore Resources. We’ll also use this blog to share research highlights, tools for practice, and reflections from our ongoing collaborations.
If you’d like to connect or collaborate, we’d love to hear from you.
