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Online and\u00a0Interactive Courses<\/strong><\/h3>\nTeachers who prefer learning in face-to-face settings should expect a similar experience with the online program that is built with highly interactive and creative teaching methods. Various instructional tools include multiple video clips, synchronous class sessions with Skype, narrated Power Points, Blackboard, and multimedia learning models that facilitate meaningful participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe online Master\u2019s program in Literacy Education allows you to accomplish a University of Michigan degree with the expertise, rigor, and experiences that comes with that degree,\u201d said Chad Waldron, UM-Flint education faculty and program instructor. Waldron holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education with a Language and Literacy Studies Specialization.<\/p>\n
One exception to the programs\u2019 online coursework is an in-person clinical portion where graduate students work with children in a classroom setting. Program leaders are currently working out the details for the clinical requirement, which may include a campus residency option.<\/p>\n
Taught by doctoral-level experts in literacy and children\u2019s literature, the master\u2019s program prepares students to earn a Michigan reading specialist endorsement and opens doors for diverse career options shaped by each graduate\u2019s interests and the evolving role of reading specialists in schools today.<\/p>\n
The Changing Role of Reading Specialists<\/strong><\/h3>\nProgram coordinators recognize the heightened value of reading specialists in schools addressing state standards, and the direct link between reading ability and academic achievement.<\/p>\n
The role of the reading specialist has evolved in recent years from pulling students out of classrooms for individualized instruction to observing children in class, collecting and managing reading assessment data, coaching teachers, leading professional development workshops, and figuring out the best ways to support both teachers and students. Many also seek administrative roles in their district.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent research tells us that as literacy reform efforts focus on data-driven instruction and improved reading outcomes at all reading levels, reading specialists are not only working with teachers to assess and support struggling readers,\u201d said Suzanne Knezek, UM-Flint education faculty and program coordinator who holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy with a Literacy concentration. \u201cThey are also coaching teachers on ways to improve instruction for all students, and they\u2019re impacting curriculum development in their schools.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Beth Molnar is a secondary education teacher and graduate student in the Literacy Education program.<\/p>\n
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Working Literacy into\u00a0Other Content Areas<\/strong><\/h3>\nNot limited to reading specialists, UM-Flint\u2019s master\u2019s degree in literacy education also serves teachers across content areas such as math, science, and social studies. It helps secondary teachers struggling to meet state standards to integrate more reading and writing activities into their classrooms. Other teachers just want to better understand student literacy issues in their subject area and grade level.<\/p>\n
Beth Molnar, a science teacher at Atherton Jr.\/Sr. High School in Burton and UM-Flint literacy education graduate student, has already applied knowledge gained from the program to her own teaching and grading practices. She knows how difficult it can be for her students to follow the structure of non-fictional science books and articles dense with higher-level vocabulary and concepts.<\/p>\n
Now Molnar analyzes her students\u2019 reading data from test scores to appropriately group students. Grading science tests from a reading teacher\u2019s perspective has improved her students\u2019 ability to learn from their mistakes. It has also made her a better teacher.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of just marking things wrong, I\u2019m asking myself why they\u2019re making that mistake,\u201d Molnar said. \u201cIt could be a number of reasons. It\u2019s really beneficial for any teacher to think like a reading specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Story by\u00a0<\/i>
Program coordinators recognize the heightened value of reading specialists in schools addressing state standards, and the direct link between reading ability and academic achievement.<\/p>\n
The role of the reading specialist has evolved in recent years from pulling students out of classrooms for individualized instruction to observing children in class, collecting and managing reading assessment data, coaching teachers, leading professional development workshops, and figuring out the best ways to support both teachers and students. Many also seek administrative roles in their district.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent research tells us that as literacy reform efforts focus on data-driven instruction and improved reading outcomes at all reading levels, reading specialists are not only working with teachers to assess and support struggling readers,\u201d said Suzanne Knezek, UM-Flint education faculty and program coordinator who holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy with a Literacy concentration. \u201cThey are also coaching teachers on ways to improve instruction for all students, and they\u2019re impacting curriculum development in their schools.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Beth Molnar is a secondary education teacher and graduate student in the Literacy Education program.<\/p>\n
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