Course Description
Integrates theory and practice in a collaborative examination of instructional approaches to teaching reading in secondary English contexts. It provides space and opportunity to interrogate the construct(s) of the "struggling reader" and to re-imagine how we design reading instruction that is effective and engaging for secondary readers who carry the weighted label of "struggling reader."
Athena Title
Theory Pract in Tch Sec Read
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in LLED 7835E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students in this course will: - Engage with research on the theories and practices of teaching secondary readers who are designated as struggling readers, alliterate, and/or illiterate. - Problematize the designation of “struggling reader” in a secondary English classroom, giving particular consideration to the impact of socio-political and cultural contexts in the development of the “struggling reader” identity. - Design effective and meaningful literacy instruction for these developing secondary readers. - Develop a toolkit of resources, strategies, and assessments for teaching developing secondary readers.
Topical Outline
I. How did we get here (with low literacy rates at the secondary level)? a. Socio-historical context b. The identity of the "struggling reader" c. Research in praxis II. Recognizing Developing Readers in the Secondary Classroom a. Assessment b. Alliteracy vs. Illiteracy III. Opportunities to Shift a. Instructional design b. Differentiation among developing readers c. Building a robust teacher toolkit to teach developing secondary readers