Miami University courses in this program provide the very latest in best practices for working with struggling readers, including a supervised practicum. Curricular concepts allow students to explore cultural and linguistic factors that affect literacy development and research practices that inform assessment and instructional design. This degree enables you to work as a reading specialist in K-12 schools and serve as a key credential for the 3rd-grade reading guarantee.
The Department of Teacher Education has been authorized to nominate a limited number of persons for graduate assistantships, subject to the approval of the Graduate School. These assistantships are awarded to students by the Graduate School upon the nomination of the Department.
The Teacher Education Access at Miami (TEAM) Scholarship provides a 50% discount on graduate tuition and fees for Ohio PreK-12 Educators.
I've taken graduate classes. I've gone to workshops and
Kate
-Culturally Relevant Literacy Cohort, Class of 2019
Dr. Cosmah has been a faculty member in the Department of Teacher Education at Miami University since 2013. Her previous professional experience includes over 10 years teaching with the Cincinnati Public School District in grades K-3. Her research interests include early childhood literacy, digital literacy, and school partnerships.
Ms. Kleiman has been affiliated with the Department of Teacher Education for over 30 years. She teaches literacy foundations and methods in every program within the department.
Miami is in
After spending 22 years experience as a middle school teacher and 8 years as a middle school administrator she returned to Miami as a professor. She has both her Bachelors and Masters from Miami ('82 and '89) and is a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Early Adolescence English Language Arts. She has a
Katherine Batchelor is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA. She is also a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant and Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence/English Language Arts. Prior to her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, Katherine taught reading and language arts for 10 years in Florida and California. Her research interests include adolescents' literacy practices (emphasis on writing), critical literacy and multiliteracies, and pre-service/in-service teachers' pedagogical decisions. She also has an affinity for young adult literature and picture books.
Nathaniel Bryan, Ed.D., Ph.D. is an assistant professor of early childhood education at the Miami University. His teaching and scholarship explores issues of equity and diversity, critical race theory, culturally relevant teaching, urban education, and Black education. Though he studies broadly these frameworks, he is particularly interested in the constructed identities and pedagogical styles of Black male teachers and the schooling and childhood play experiences of Black boys in early childhood classrooms through a critical lens. In his spare time, Dr. Bryan enjoys reading novels, traveling abroad, and spending time with family.
Dr. Rothrock's specialization in cultural studies within education, provides her with an interdisciplinary, critical perspective as scholar and teacher educator. Her research focuses on issues of equity and justice through a sociospatial consideration of how "community" has been significant within the K-12 classroom and educational experiences of historically marginalized students. Dr. Rothrock's experience as a secondary educator, teaching various subjects, and work with historically marginalized students supports her research and pedagogical practices.
One of her recent publications highlighting this work includes:
Reyes, G., Banda (Rothrock), R. M., & Caldas, B. (2020). “We’re All in This Boat Together”: Latina/Chicana Embodied Pedagogies of Care. Journal of Latinos and Education, 1-16.
Dr. Robin Schell is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education, where she supports both the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Literacy & Language programs. Dr. Schell’s research interests include literacy development through critical and culturally sustaining pedagogies, literacy development through content-based English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum and instruction, and educational equity in content area classrooms for students with limited or interrupted formal education. She has recently published multiple peer reviewed articles which focus on the powerful role critical literacy can play in helping ESL students to improve their language skills and become participants in our democracy, a topic she has presented on at conferences across the country. Prior to joining the Department of Teacher Education, Dr. Schell taught courses at the University of Tennessee and was an ESL teacher at Vine Middle Magnet School in Knoxville, where she was the 2018 Teacher of the Year.
Dr. Catherine Haerr is an Assistant Clinical Professor within the Department of Teacher Education. Certified as a Middle Childhood Generalist by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, she currently serves as the coordinator of Middle Childhood Education and further supports the Literacy and Language program. Dr. Haerr’s scholarship focuses on social justice within the classroom and she has written and presented extensively on the disparate impacts No Child Left Behind had on marginalized student populations. She provided instrumental support in redesigning the Early Childhood Education curriculum to center on social justice in the classroom and is currently working on a similar redesign of the Middle Childhood Education curriculum. In addition to her Miami teaching experience, Dr. Haerr has taught teacher education courses at Ball State University and has extensive experience as both an elementary and middle school classroom teacher.
Dr. Ganiva Reyes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Miami University, where she teaches classes in the Literacy and Language program, as well as courses around diversity and justice in education. Dr. Reyes currently leads the Social Justice Teaching Collaborative (SJTC) and was instrumental in reconceptualizing the Early Childhood Education curriculum towards a focus on social justice in the classroom. Her research revolves around intersectionality, Chicana feminist theory, and pedagogies of care to provide a nuanced approach to topics of diversity and inclusion in teacher education. Her scholarship explores the intimate and interpersonal aspects of teaching, and how teachers need communal and institutional support to provide the same for their students. She integrates culturally relevant teaching, ethics of care, and feminist of color theorizing to show how teachers can re-envision their roles as teachers to be part of a support network for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dr. Reyes has presented on these topics in conferences and published several peer reviewed articles in academic journals including: International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education; Critical Studies in Education; Journal of Latinos in Education, Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies; Urban Review; and Curriculum Inquiry. She has also produced book chapters and encyclopedia pieces around curriculum, the Latinx diaspora, and feminist theories in education.
Dr. Paula Saine is a Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and serves as John Heckert Professor of Literacy. Dr. Saine’s scholarly work fosters interactive literacy learning through innovative approaches that equip practicing and current teachers for an ever-changing society. In sum, her scholarly work emphasizes three distinct and interrelated principles that include: literacy, cultural competence, and the use of technology to enhance reading and writing of diverse learners in the K-12 classrooms. She has conducted more than 20 years of research and has written and presented extensively on her findings nationally and internationally in Cuba, Jamaica, Africa, England, Greece, and elsewhere.
Drawing on qualitative methodologies, her current research focuses on how virtual mentoring impacts the literacy development of children and youth. In addition to her many peer reviewed journal articles, Dr. Saine has published two books: Common Core: Using Global Children’s Literature and Digital Technologies (2016, Rowman & Littlefield), is indeed, the culmination of her scholarly research, scholarly activity and contribution to her field. It is an instructive book that enhances knowledge base of global literature and innovative technologies, which as a result, deepen teacher and student appreciation for cultures around the world. Dr. Saine’s book, Virtual Mentoring for K-12 Literacy Instruction (2018, Rowman & Littlefield), provides best practices to virtually mentor K-12 students in a synchronous learning environment. This book is used by K-12 teachers and preservice teachers to promote literacy development and engagement. Dr. Saine currently has a book under contract with Rowman & Littlefield titled, Remote Learning: Engaging in K-12 Literacy Instruction (projected publication 2021). Dr. Saine’s professional roles have extend beyond the academy to positively impact professional organizations, specifically, she served as Vice-President, President-Elect and President of Ohio Council for the International Reading Association (OCIRA).
Are you interested in the latest research
Do you struggle with how to increase your students’ reading and writing skills?
Are your ready to become a literacy advocate and lead other educators?
I would like to invite you to join our current team of educators pursuing their
Time: Your time is valuable! All of the courses in our program use a hybrid format. No more than 50% of classes will be at the VOALC. The rest of your coursework will be online and on your own time!
Commitment: Beginning a graduate program is a huge commitment! We are here to support you. All students will be assigned an academic advisor, who are also part of our literacy faculty. Our professors are committed to you and your success. We will meet with you, provide needed support, and celebrate your success at graduation.
Expertise: All of our program courses are taught by faculty who are experts in the field of literacy. Most of our faculty have classroom teaching experience, are current scholars, and live and work in the Oxford community. We also recognize that our students bring a lot of expertise to our class conversations. Our courses employ a collaborative learning environment where everyone shares and grows in their knowledge.
Come and find out why 98% of our program graduates pass their licensing exams with high scores. In fact, Our graduates continually exceed the state average for other higher education institutions, on licensing exams.
I look forward to meeting you soon!
Michelle Cosmah, Ed.D.
-Literacy Program Coordinator
