Literacy Education

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Overview

Program Faculty

Professor: Andrea Stairs-Davenport (Associate Dean)
Associate Professor: Alexander Lapidus
Assistant Professors: Melinda Butler (Chair), Nicole Siffrinn

USM’s Literacy, Language, and Culture Department is committed to promoting 21st century literacy, multilingualism, and multiculturalism locally and globally by offering graduate certificates and degrees in Literacy Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Classroom teachers, educational technicians, adult educators, school administrators, international teachers, and those interested in teaching English abroad are encouraged to apply for a relevant program of study. Literacy Education certificates and degrees are based on the International Literacy Association’s Professional Standards for Reading Professionals, which emphasize foundational knowledge; curriculum and instruction; assessment and evaluation; diversity; literate environment; and professional learning and leadership. TESOL certificates and degrees are based on  Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages’s (TESOL) Teacher Preparation Standards, which emphasize knowledge about language; ELLs in the sociocultural context; planning and implementing instruction; assessment and evaluation; and professionalism and leadership. Students in the K-12 ESL Initial Certification program must also meet Maine’s Initial Teacher Certification Standards, which include the InTASC Core Teaching Standards and Technology Standards for Teachers (ISTE Standards for Educators).

LLC program graduates pursue careers and professional experiences as literacy specialists, literacy interventionists, K-12 and adult education ESL teachers, ESL program directors, Title I directors, English as a Foreign Language teachers, and Peace Corps volunteers. Maine certified teachers may earn additional professional credentials as Literacy Specialists (Maine Certificate 092) and English as a Second Language Teachers (Maine Endorsement 660).

Programs

• Literacy Education, Certificate of Advanced Study
• Literacy Education, M.S.Ed.
• Literacy, Certificate of Graduate Study

Courses

• EDU 512 - Teaching Literature in Grades K-12
• EDU 514 - Improving Teaching in Content Areas through Literacy for All Students Including Those with Diverse Abilities and Backgrounds
• EDU 521 - Digital Literacies and Education
• EDU 522 - Foundations of Language and Literacy Development
• EDU 525 - Invitational Summer Writing Institute
• EDU 526 - Invitational Fall Writing Institute
• EDU 565 - Teaching Reading for All Students in Grades K-8, Including Those with Diverse Abilities and Backgrounds
• EDU 566 - Teaching Writing for All Students Including Those with Diverse Abilities and Backgrounds
• EDU 607 - Teacher Research in Literacy and Language Development
• EDU 614 - Disciplinary Literacies
• EDU 620 - Reading Development and Instruction
• EDU 621 - Literacy Assessment
• EDU 626 - Writing Development and Instruction
• EDU 633 - Special Applications in Literacy
• EDU 634 - Seminar in Literacy Research
• EDU 637 - Contemporary Approaches to Literacy Leadership
• EDU 639 - Practicum in Literacy Education

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