Theory and Practice in Teaching & Learning Literacy (for non-Elementary Teaching Candidates)

3.0 credits

The purpose of this course is to understand and examine the social construction of literacy in the context of the elementary, middle and high school classrooms in order to acquaint reading teachers, literacy specialists, literacy coaches, literacy leaders and advocates for literacy policy with effective progressive practices, principles, and goals of literacy learning and teaching in order to support classroom/content area teachers, student literacy learning, and provide literacy leadership. Additionally, this course is designed to develop an understanding of the contextual factors (political, social, cultural, and economic) that influence and affect reading and writing instruction and literacy policy and explore and develop advocacy tools and strategies necessary to effectively influence literacy policy. This course will examine strategies to differentiate instruction so as to meet the needs of diverse students with a range of learning styles and abilities. Literacy practices in conjunction with diversity, collaboration, reflection, empowerment, and technology become the focus for coursework. It is through the development of a comprehensive theoretical framework, design of instructional plans, and implementation of curriculum that students in this course will develop an expertise in teaching and supporting literacy learning; and the development of skills necessary to be a literacy coach and literacy program leader. This class aligns with the International Reading Associations (ILA) Standards for reading specialist/literacy coach professionals.