EDR 621
Current Issues and Trends in Literacy
Dr. Nancy Patterson
Course Description:
Current Issues and Trends
in Literacy is an introduction to language learning and cognitive development.
The course explores theoretical constructs underlying an interactive, intertextual view of literacy. Historical and multicultural
trends regarding beliefs about the reader, the text, and contexts for
instruction will be explored.
Texts: Ways With
Words: Language, Life, and Work in Communities and Classrooms by Shirley Brice Heath, Literacy with Attitude by Patrick Finn, Resisting Mandates by Elaine Garan, Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in
a Reader’s Workshop by Ellin Oliver Keene and
Susan Zimmerman
Unit
Values and Student Dispositions:
§
Inquiry
(Scholarly, reflective, and research-based)
§
Ethics (Fair,
accurate, and consistent)
§
Collaboration
(Participatory, inclusive, and supportive)
§
Decision Making
(Informed, deliberative, and effective)
Unit and Program Standards:
1. The literacy educator will
understand the
3.1.1.1 The literacy
educator will understand literacy as "the process of constructing meaning
through the dynamic interaction among the reader's existing knowledge, the
information suggested by the written language, and the context of the literacy
situation" (Michigan Definition of Literacy, 1984)
2. The
literacy educator will understand a variety of influences the reader brings to
the literacy process.
3.1.1.4 The literacy
educator will understand the major theories of language development, cognition,
and learning.
3.1.2.2.The literacy educator will
understand the influence of students' culture and language on their literacy
acquisition, literacy comprehension, and instructional needs.
3. The literacy educator will understand a
variety of features that are important to the context of literacy development.
3.1.2.4 The literacy
educator will understand how factors in the classroom can influence students'
learning and literacy (e.g. grouping procedures, literacy across the
curriculum, types of literacy tasks, assessment)
3.4.1.4 The literacy
educator will understand the importance of creating a literate environment that
fosters interest and growth in all aspects of literacy by providing opportunities
for creative and personal responses to literature
5.3
The
literacy educator will understand how contextual factors in school can
influence students’ learning and literacy (e.g., grouping procedures, school
programs, assessment)
4. The
literacy educator will understand features of text that are important for the
development of literacy.
3.2.3 The literacy
educator will use oral, visual, and written texts to explore and address
important issues and problems in communities beyond the classroom
3.2.6
The literacy educator
will draw parallels and contrasts and develop critical thinking through the use
of key ideas, concepts, and varied perspectives found in multiple texts.
5. The literacy educator will understand, articulate, plan and implement
appropriate curriculum features and instructional methodologies for effective
literacy development.
3.4.1.2 The literacy educator will understand the importance of
creating a literate environment that fosters interest and growth in all aspects
of literacy by serving as a model for literacy and writing as valuable,
lifelong activities
4.1.1.5 The literacy educator will plan and implement instructional
practices that create learning environments which promote an understanding of
differences in language use within personal, professional, and community
environments, including issues which relate to culture, race, gender, class,
religion, ethnicity, heritage, regional background; and/or environmental
background
5.9 The literacy
educator will know federal, state, and local programs designed to help students
with literacy difficulties
6. The
literacy educator will develop and use appropriate means for communicating with
a variety of people (e.g., students, parents, teachers, administrators, the public).
5.4.4 The literacy
educator will communicate information about literacy to administrators, staff
members, school board members, policy-makers, the media, and the local
community concerning practices, assessment and data
5.4.5 The literacy
educator will communicate information about literacy to colleagues and the
wider community to share interpretations of research findings
8. The
literacy educator will develop an understanding of and participate in
professional development practices.
2.8 Literacy
educators demonstrate professional practices when they promote collegiality
with other literacy professionals through regular conversations, discussions,
and consultations about learners, literacy theory, and assessment and
instruction
2.10 Literacy
educators demonstrate professional practices when they pursue knowledge of literacy
and learning processes by literacy professional journals and publications
2.12 Literacy
educators demonstrate professional practices when they participate in
professional and public discourse and take informed stands on literacy issues
2.13
Literacy educators
demonstrate professional practices when they make presentations at local, state, regional, and national
meetings and conferences
3.4.1.2 The literacy educator will understand
the importance of creating a literate environment that fosters interest
and growth in all aspects of literacy by serving as a model for literacy and writing as a valuable, lifelong
activities
5.6.2 The literacy
educator will initiate, implement, evaluate, and participate in professional
development programs that are sensitive to school factors (e.g., class size,
resources, community concerns)
10.
The literacy educator will understand and apply research in order to
promote inquiry and reflective
teaching.
3.1.2.7 The literacy educator will know relevant research from both
literacy and general education and how it has contributed to literacy education
, and knowing the instructional implications of research in special education,
psychology, and other fields that deal with the treatment of students with
learning/literacy disabilities
3.2.6
The literacy educator
will draw parallels ands contrasts and develop critical thinking through the
use of key ideas, concepts, and varied perspectives found in multiple texts.
3.2.7 The literacy
educator will use conclusions based on understanding of differing views
presented in text to support an opinion.
5.7.1 The literacy
educator will interact with literacy research to apply literacy research in a
variety of contexts and conduct literacy research with a range of methodologies
(e.g., ethnographic, descriptive, experimental, or historical)
5.7.2
The literacy educator
will interact with literacy research to promote and facilitate teacher- and
classroom-based research
In conjunction with GVSU program
goals and professional standards expected of
1.1
Literacy specialist
candidates will refer to a few major theories in the foundational areas as they
relate to literacy. They can explain,
compare, and contrast the theories.
1.2 Literacy
specialist candidates will summarize the major literacy studies and refer to
the sources. They can recount historical developments in
the history of literacy.
Common Course Assessments: 1) Graphic Organizer, 2) Historical Perspective
Course Assignments: Your task will be to create a 4000
to 5000 word paper that creates a theoretical framework for a literacy
program. Imbedded in your framework will
be an argument as to why this framework supports meaningful literacy instruction. This framework
Other Course Assignments
Major Topics:
§
Major theories in
the foundational areas as they relate to literacy
§
Major literacy
studies/research
§
Links between
research and theory and classroom practice as it relates to literacy
Additional Information:
The class will use lecture, discussion, cooperative
learning, structured class activities, technology (i.e., Power Point, the Web,
and videos) as the methods of instruction.
Course Knowledge Base
Allen, L. (1998). An integrated strategies
approach: Making word identification
instruction work for beginning readers. The
Clymer, T. (1996). The utility of phonic
generalizations in the primary grades. The
Cunningham, P., & Allington, R. (1999). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write (2nd
ed.).
Goodman, K. (1993). Phonics phacts.
Graves, M.; van den Broek, P.; Taylor, B. (Eds.). (1996). The first “r”: Every child’s right to read. NY: Teachers College Press and
Hacker, D., Dunlosky,
J., & Graesser, M. (Eds.). (1998). Metacognition in educational theory and practice.
Howe, M. E., Grierson,
S. T., &
knowledge and use of content literacy strategies in the
primary grades. Literacy
Research and Instruction, 36 (4), 305-324.
Kamil, M. L., Mosenthal,
P. B., Pearson, P. D., & Barr, R. (2000). Handbook of reading
research: Volume
Monaghan, E. J., & Barry, A.
L. (1999). Writing the past: Teaching literacy in colonial
Opitz, M. (Ed.) (1998). Literacy instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Robinson, R. D. (Ed.). (2000). Historical sources in
Robinson, R. D., McKenna, M. C.,
& Wedman, J. M. (Eds.). (2004). Issues and trends in
literacy education. (3rd ed.).
Rupley, W. H., Logan, J. W., &
Nichols, W. D. (1999). Vocabulary instruction in a balanced literacy program. The
Literacy Teacher, 52 (4), 336-346.
Calendar
Week 1
January 8
Syllabus
review and assignments
Set up blog
First
history lecture and inquiry (400 B.C.E. to 1899)
Homework:
Read 1-72, Mosaic of Thought, post to blog site
Week 2 January 15
Discuss reading
assignment
Share
classroom practice perspectives and theorize on those practices
Second
history lecture and inquiry (Behaviorism—1900 to 1950)
Homework: 73-123, Mosaic of Thought, post to blog site
Week 3
January 22
Discuss reading
assignment
Third
history lecture and inquiry (Constructivism—1920 to present)
Discuss
relationship between theory and practice
Homework: 123-218,
Mosaic of Thought, post to blog site
Week 4, January 29
Discuss reading
assignment
Fourth
history lecture and inquiry (Theories of Literacy Development—1930’s to
present)
Discuss
Graphic Organizer assignment
Homework:
Read pages 1-148 in Ways With Words and respond on blog
Week 5, February 5
Discuss reading
assignment
Fifth
history lecture and inquiry (Social Learning Perspectives—1960’s to present)
Work on
Graphic Organizer assignments in small groups
Homework:
Read pages 149-235 in Ways With Words and respond on blog
Week 6, February 12
Discuss reading
assignment
Sixth
history lecture and inquiry (Cognitive Processing—1950’s to present)
Read Paulo Freire chapter in class and discuss
Homework:
Read pages 236-369 in Ways With Words and respond on blog
and finish
Prepare ideas for Graphic organizer
(a 2-page typed explanation of what you propose to do, what you currently
understand about theory, and where you are struggling)
Week 7, February 19
Graphic
Organizer ideas due
Discuss reading
assignment
Seventh History
lecture and inquiry (More cognitive processing—1980’s to present)
Review
research article and discuss
Homework:
Read Brian Cambourne article and respond on blog.
Week 8, February 26
Discuss literacy
assignment
Eighth history
lecture and inquiry (Reader Response theory)
Examine
research assumptions related to different theories
In small groups discuss theoretical
framework of literacy program (consider audience and purpose)
Homework: Read collection of short articles on Reader
Response theory and Louise Rosenblatt and respond on blog
Week 9, March 5
Discuss reading
assignment
Read
Pearson article in class and begin preparing timeline
Workshop
graphic organizer in class
Discuss 10
page paper
Discuss
theoretical frameworks
Homework: Read to page 109 in Literacy with an Attitude
and respond on blog
Week 10, March 12
Discuss reading
assignment
Small group
activity that compares Finn and Brice-Heath
Discussion
of class and schooling, especially as it pertains to literacy
Workshop
timeline
Homework: Work
on graphic organizer
Week 11, March 19
Graphic
Organizer due
Discuss reading
assignment
Small group
work on timeline
Small group
work on theoretical framework
Look at
National
Homework: Read
second half of Literacy with an and respond on blog
Week 12, March 26
Discuss reading
assignment
Workshop
theory/lit review paper
Homework: Find and read websites dealing with National
Reading Panel Report and respond on blog, work on
theoretical framework/lit review
Week 13, April 2 No Class Spring Break
Work on
theoretical framework/lit review
Week 14, April 9
Theoretical
framework/lit review due
Discuss
reading assignment
Homework:
Read Resisting Mandates and respond on blog
Week 15, April 16 an
Discuss
reading assignment
Week 16, April 23
Wrap up