About

Through her research, Michelle Schira Hagerman examines the complexities of digital literacies learning, teaching and research practices in contexts of schooling. Using the Dual Level Theory of New Literacies (Leu et al., 2013; 2018) she has worked to describe how adolescents learn to critically evaluate and synthesize what they understand as they conduct research on science topics in school. She also studies the digital literacies skills, strategies, and mindsets that students leverage through digital-physical making activities in their classrooms and dedicated making spaces at school. Through this research she is working to develop critical practices that enable all students to leverage their voices, their interests, and their many linguistic and cultural assets to show who they are and what they understand. A first-generation university graduate who grew up on a farm in rural southwestern Ontario, she is also developing a line of inquiry that examines the complexities of digital literacies instruction in rural Ontario classrooms. She is interested in how to close digital skills and empowerment divides for rural youth through the implementation of culturally relevant, evidence-based interventions that support the learning of foundational digital literacies skills, strategies, and mindsets.