Overcoming the Barriers

Just as in K-12 schools, the profes-

sors note that structural barriers

to collaboration in teacher educa-

tion are enormous. Programs often

schedule in a coordinated fashion,

and because of this preservice

teachers in each licensure area tend to be isolated from other

areas. Other barriers include the

lack of shared language and com-

mon vocabulary.

Courage

Steve says that collaborative work

like this takes courage. “You have to be willing to open your syllabus

and volunteer to take a develop-

mental approach with the process.

Co-teaching usually does not start

out as an equal balance. Over time,

it is more equal.” For those who

are interested in this approach, he

suggests starting with small pilot projects and allowing enough time

for reflection and experimentation.

“The rewards are well worth the

effort,” Steve says. This is an adapted version of Susan Watts-

Taffe’s article “A Curb Cut Does the Trick: How a Unique Literacy Methods Course Models Collaboration.” The full article was

featured in the August 2012 issue of “Reading Today”.

Collaboration is the hallmark of good learning and good teaching, and is one

of the reasons for the increasing prev-

alence of Professional Learning Com-

munities (PLCs) in schools. Certainly,

the Common Core State Standards, in

which literacy standards in grades 6-

12 are embedded within Social Stud-

ies/History, Science, and Technical Subjects, call for increased communi-

cation and collaboration across histor-

ically separate teaching domains.

Further, Response to Intervention

requires intentional collaboration

among a variety of professionals if it is

to truly support students in K-12 classrooms. However, many teachers

lack experience in collaborative plan-

ning, teaching, and reflecting.

First Effort Backfires

Early efforts at collaboration by two

professors focused primarily on pair-

ing a special education teacher candi-date with a secondary English teacher

candidate. Steve says, “This first ex-

periment was our big ‘Aha! moment’

when we sent them out into the field

and realized that the general educator

took over and the special educator

became the assistant. Why would they

do it any other way when they cer-tainly haven’t seen us do it and they

haven’t seen it in the schools?” Ac-

cording to Chet, they said to them-

selves, “We have got to demon-strate this in our classroom, where

two teachers authentically collabo-

rate, build lessons together, share

ownership.”

New Approach

For the last four years, Steve and

Chet have taught a shared methods course focused on reading and

writing in the secondary school.

Each describes the learning process

that ensued.

Chet: I had this tremendous learn-

ing curve, because there is so much

about differentiating instruction and I have to admit that my attention to

those things was pretty superficial

with respect to making content

accessible to a wide variety of stu-

dents.

Steve: On my side, I had this

glimpse for the first time for the depth of commitment that content

area teachers give to their con-

tent—that overall commitment to a

cohesive body of learning. I would

walk in and see obvious ways to

differentiate learning. It never oc-

curred to me the jackhammer ef-

fect that “my ways” had on this cohesion. From the general educa-

tion teacher’s perspective, this in-

terloper had come in.

How a Unique Literacy Methods Course Models Collaboration I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Graduate Reading Programs

Spring 2013 Newsletter F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 7 , I S S U E 2

Certificate of

Advanced

Studies

2

Portfolio

Requirements

3

Permit List 3

Applying for

Graduation

4

Summer & Fall

Registration

4

Summer 2013

Schedule

5

Fall 2013

Schedule

6

Study Abroad 7

Dear GAs... 9

REED Faculty

Contact Info

10 SOMIRAC Meet, Greet, and Catch up! The SOMIRAC conference offers a great opportunity for Graduate Reading Pro-

gram current students and alumni to meet, catch up, and network! Join Dr. Laster

and others for breakfast before heading to the conference!

When? Thursday, April 11th, 2013.

From 7:15– 8:15 am.

Where? Ashland Café, Hunt Valley

10810 York Rd

Cockeysville, MD 21030

(Approx. 4 min from SOMIRAC

Conference)

Please RSVP to

REED@Towson.edu so we can let

the Café know how many people

we are expecting!

P A G E 2

G R A D U A T E R E A D I N G P R O G R A M S

S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 N E W S L E T T E R

Certificate of Advanced in elective course selection in

order to meet the needs of

individual candidates. Suggest-

ed courses include the follow-

ing:

REED 628 - Guided Reading

REED 632 - Word Study for Improving Literacy

REED 650 - Second Language

Literacy

REED 651 - Instruction & As-

sessment for Second Language

Learners

REED 652 - Introduction to

Linguistics for Teachers of Lan-

guage & Literacy

REED 670 – Adolescent Liter-

acy

REED 710 – Multicultural Lit-

erature for Children and Ado-

lescents

REED 712 – Critical Conversa-

tions in Early Literacy

ISTC 605 – Web-Based In-

struction in Education

ISTC 663 – Applied Psychology

of Learning

ISTC 667 – Instructional De-velopment

ISTC 687 – Computer-Based

Instruction

ISTC 700 – Assessment in In-

structional Technology

ISTC 702 – Educational Lead-

A 30-unit post-master's pro-

gram that helps you develop

advanced knowledge and skills

to meet the challenges of lead-

ing, redesigning and restructur-

ing literacy education.

Degree Requirements

(15 units)

REED 751 – Language, Literacy,

and Culture

REED 752 – Literacy Theory

and Research

REED 660 – Integrating Tech-

nology in Literacy Instruction

REED 745 – Professional Devel-

opment in Reading Education

EDUC 740 – Data-based Deci-

sion-Making for Curriculum and

Instruction

Electives (15 units)

There is considerable flexibility

Do you know someone who already has a Master’s Degree?

Suggest a CAS in Reading Education!

The CAS program has

only a few requirements

and many choices.

Contact Dr. Laster or Dr. Mogge

to discuss available options.

The Graduate Reading Education Programs now have

a Facebook group!

Connect with current students and graduates from

our programs

Stay up-to-date on information from our programs,

including events, conferences, and job opportuni-

ties! http://www.facebook.com/groups/towsonreed/

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 7 , I S S U E 2

*Demonstration Lesson

*Family Literacy Project

(or from REED 726)

REED 663:

*Research-based

Instructional Project

*Text Set REED 665:

*Curriculum Case Study

*Curriculum Unit Plan

REED 745 :

(required for students

who entered the pro-

gram Fall 2008 or later)

*Professional

Development Project

REED 726:

*Reflection Journal

*Parent Workshops

Materials

*Final Case Report

REED 729:

*Seminar Research

Paper & Presentation

Handout

*Portfolio Reflective Essay

ELECTIVES:

*Include one artifact from

each of your three

electives

*Students should keep

an electronic backup of

all coursework, and it is

required that students

create both an electron-

ic copy and a hard copy

of the Portfolio. The

electronic copy will be

kept for our files. The

hard copy of your port-

folio must be presented

at the Portfolio Gala

held during your REED

729 course. Both copies

must include assign-

ments and rubrics. *

REED 601:

*Literacy Autobiography

*Reading Program

Evaluation

REED 609:

*Informal Assessment

Report *Comparison of Test

Results OR Emergent

Literacy Assessment

(2008)

*Survey of School Literacy

Assessments

REED 621:

*Disabled Reader Paper or

Metacognition Paper

*Conditions that Hinder

Literacy Handouts and

Reflection (2010)

*Focused Case Study

Report

REED 626:

*Final Case Report

*Memo to Parents

Portfolio Requirements

REED 626, 726, & 729 Permit List REED 726 and 729 should be

the final two required courses

students take in the Graduate

Reading Education program.

Students who need only those

two courses before graduation

will be given priority when reg-

istering for those classes. In or-

der to make sure students have

completed the prerequisite

courses, and to identify stu-

dents who need only REED 726

and REED 729 prior to gradua-

tion, we will continue to utilize

our permit lists. Also, students

who are planning to take REED

626 are now required to inform

the Graduate Reading Office of

their intentions.

Therefore, we ask students to

let the Graduate Assistants

know when you plan on taking

REED 626, REED 726 and

REED 729. The sooner you

contact the Graduate Assistants

the greater your chances in

gaining permission to enroll in

the course.

Contact the Graduate Reading

Education Program GA’s at

410-704-5775 in the Reading

Program office, or via email at

REED@towson.edu .

“A book is the only

place in which you

can examine a

fragile thought

without breaking it,

or explore an

explosive idea

without fear it will

go off in your face.

It is one of the few

havens remaining

where a man's

mind can get both

provocation and

privacy.”

~Edward P. Morgan

July 4 for Summer

2013 (August Graduation)

and August 20 for

Fall 2013 (January Gradu-

ation).

Note: If you were

"denied" graduation in a

previous term, you must

reapply for the term in

which you will complete

your requirements. Also,

“I have always

imagined that

paradise will be a

kind of library.”

~ Jorge Luis Borge

you must complete an

application for each

degree/program that

you are completing

(including certificates).

For specific questions con-

tact the Graduate School

at 410-704-2501 or via

email at

grads@towson.edu.

You MUST apply for grad-

uation review, even if you

do not intend to partici-

pate in the commence-

ment ceremony. You can

apply for graduation up to

five months in advance

through your Online Ser-

vices account. To begin

the process of graduation

review, you will need to

complete an application by

Register for classes using Towson Online Services. To register, you must be

enrolled at Towson and have a TU ID. Contact the Office of the Registrar/

Registration with questions concerning registration. The office is located in

the Enrollment Services Center, Room 223. The hours of operation are

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. You may also call 410-704-2701 or e-

mail registration@towson.edu with questions.

Summer Registration Begins March 4

Fall Registration Begins April 3

Applying for Graduation

Congratulations Fall 2012 Graduates!

REED Graduates

CAS Graduate

Erica Bourgeois

Michele Brucculeiri

Jada Byron

Colleen Carr

Molly Clark

Susan Colvin

Rebecca Dow

Diana Engler

Sylvia Franklin

Kristen Gordon

Abigail Haven

Deborah Hopp

Emily Janiski

Melissa Lingenfelder

Megan McCombe

Kirstin Montgomery

Sarah Petrocelli

Anne Shovlin

Melissa Vogel

Andrew Holt

P A G E 4

G R A D U A T E R E A D I N G P R O G R A M S

S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 N E W S L E T T E R

P A G E 5

G R A D U A T E R E A D I N G P R O G R A M S

S P R I N G 2 0 1 3 N E W S L E T T E R

G R A D U A T E R E A D I N G E D U C A T I O N

* indicates that special permission is required to enroll in the course

Graduate Reading Education Programs Summer 2013 Class Schedule

Course # Course Name Instructor Day Time

REED 601 Reading Theory & Practice Zumpano SMHEC

Closed Cohort

REED 626* Internship Huggins MTWThF

07/01-07/26

On campus 07/01-07/03;

off campus on other days

No class 07/04 & 07/05

9:00-12:00

Room: HH 113

REED 626 Internship Staff (Ramsey) SMHEC

Closed Cohort

REED 632 Word Study Murphy &

Book

M & W

06/24-07/31 + Online

2:00-5:00

Room: HH 116

REED 650 Second Language Literacy Mogge 05/28-07/17

100% Online

REED 660

Integrating Literacy & Technology Corner T & Th

06/20-07/13 + Online

4:20-6:50

Baltimore Co “4”

Closed Cohort

Room: HH 207

REED 660 Integrating Literacy & Technology Stevens MTW

06/24-07/15

1:00-4:20

Room: HH 207

REED 663 Strategic Use of Materials Huggins T; then MTW

05/28-06/25 + 07/01,

07/02, 07/03 + Online

4:30-7:00

Baltimore Co “5”

Closed Cohort

Room: HH 420

REED 665 Reading & Writing in the

Content Areas

Martinez-Alba T & Th

06/25-08/01 + Online

1:30-4:20

Room: HH 113

REED 710 Multicultural Literature Adkins T & Th

05/28-06/20 + Online

Howard Co “3”

Closed Cohort

REED 710 Multicultural Literature Adkins M & W

06/24-07/17 + Online

4:20-8:00

Howard Co “3”

Closed Cohort

REED

710.020/

EDUC 717

Multicultural Literature Martens MTWTh

06/24-06/27

07/01-07/03

07/08-07/10

9:00-12:15

Room: PSY 108

REED 726* Advanced Internship Laster MTWThF

07/01-07/26

On campus 07/01-07/03;

off campus on other days

No class 07/04 & 07/05

9:00-12:00

Room: HH 116

REED 726 Advanced Internship Moreland SMHEC

Closed Cohort

REED 729* Seminar in Reading Brown SMHEC

Closed Cohort

P A G E 6

Graduate Reading Education Programs Fall 2013 Class Schedule

* indicates that special permission is required to enroll in the course

Course # Course Name Instructor Day/Room Time

REED 601 Reading Theory & Practice Staff W + Online 4:20-6:50

Room: PSY 304

REED 601 Reading Theory & Practice Staff W Howard Co “4”

Closed Cohort

REED 609 Reading Assessment Huggins W Harford “2”/ Bel Air

Middle School

Closed Cohort

REED 609 Reading Assessment Beatty W 4:20-6:50

Room: HH 420

REED 621 Reading Disabilities Staff T Baltimore Co. “5”

Closed Cohort

REED 621 Reading Disabilities Beatty T 4:20-6:50

Room: HH 420

REED 626* Internship Huggins T Howard Co. “3” 5:30-

8:00

Closed Cohort

Room: HH 113

REED 626* Internship Martinez-Alba W 4:20-6:50

Room: HH 113

REED 626* Internship Huggins Th Harford Co. “1” 5:30-

8:00

Closed Cohort

REED 652 Linguistics Staff M Armistead Gardens/ Balt

City 4:30 Oct. 7-Nov. 28

Closed Cohort

REED 663

Strategic Use of Materials Pitcher T & 90% Online SMHEC

Closed Cohort

REED 663 Strategic Use of Materials Huggins (or

staff)

M

Mostly Online

7:00-9:30 Hybrid

Room: HH 116

REED 665 Reading & Writing in the Content

Areas

Staff Th 4:20-6:50 Hybrid

Room: HH 420

REED 670 Writing Instruction Staff Th Baltimore Co. “4”

Closed Cohort

REED 726* Advanced Internship Martinez-Alba T 5:30-8:00

Room: HH 116

REED 726* Advanced Internship Martinez-Alba Th 5:30-8:00

Room: HH 116

REED 729* Seminar in Reading Altwerger M 4:20-6:50

Room: HH 113

REED 729* Seminar in Reading Mogge M 7:00-9:30

Room: HH 113

REED 745 Professional Development in Reading Pitcher W 4:20– 6:50

Room: HH 116

REED 745 Professional Development in Reading Beatty Th Baltimore Co. “3” 4:30-

7:00

Closed Cohort

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 7 , I S S U E 2

Creative City Public Charter School (CCPCS) seeks Reading Specialist!

CCPCS is a new, progressive, charter elementary school that offers a place-based (project-based) and art-integrated instructional program. Founded by a group of parents, CCPCS will open in the fall of 2013 with grades K-2. This position will begin as a part-time 60% position and increase to a full-time position over the next couple of years as our enrollment increases.

Minimum Qualifications:

MSDE Reading Specialist certification

Familiarity with Balanced Literacy Reader’s and Writ-

er’s Workshop programs such as Fountas and Pinnell, Words Their Way, and Lucy Calkins.

Instructional experience with early childhood and/or

elementary age students

Experience mentoring teachers

Experience providing professional development and

training for educators

Study Abroad Opportunity in

Puerto Rico

This program will introduce you to the examination of early

childhood bilingualism. Explore strategies to support bilingual students

in the classroom and strategies to work in collaboration with families,

communities, and other professionals. Program highlights include vis-

its to Old San Juan, El Yunque Rainforest and El Teatro Tapia.

Apply by March 1 for a chance to win a $100 STA Travel gift card!

Application Deadline: Friday, March 15, 2013

www.towson.edu/studyabroad/puertoricoECEDsummer.asp

Dates: June 23 - July 7, 2013

Course: ECED 460 or ECED 670

Faculty Director: Dr. Judith Guerrero

Cost: $3,700 includes aca-

demic credit, housing,

health insurance, excur-

sions, and welcome and

farewell dinners. Interna-

tional airfare is not includ-

ed (approx. $450).

Please go to : http://www.creativecityschool.org/ For the full job description, and application instructions.

P A G E 8

Sprout Movie Festival

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

Two unique screenings: 1:30 pm & 6 pm, West Village

Commons, TU

Tickets are $5 for each screening and available for purchase 1/14/13

Call 410-704-2244 for tickets

Free Parking at West Village Parking Garage

(drop-off area at West Village Commons)

Presented by The Arc Baltimore and The Hussman Center for Adults with Autism at Towson University

Entertaining and memorable films featuring people with

autism and other developmental disabilities

Planning on Attending or Presenting at a Conference?

The Graduate Student Association can Help!

nvest in

your future as a STUDENT

MEMBER of the

world’s premier

literacy organiza-tion.

The International Reading

Association can help you

launch your career with a

variety of resources and op-

portunities. As a member

you’ll enjoy access to:

Research that can con-

tribute to your daily

practice & professional

growth

Professional resources,

including journals,

books & videos, at dis-

counted prices

An international com-

munity of active profes-

sionals working togeth-

er to improve literacy

teaching & learning

JOIN NOW!

www.reading.org or 1-800-628-8508

www.reading.org or1-800-628-8508, ext. 269

S ince 1997, the Graduate Student Association

has allotted a portion of the GSA budget to help

fund students’ research and professional develop-

ment, including: presentation of a paper or project at

a conference, attendance at a conference or purchase

of supplies for research project.

Registered graduate students in good academic standing are eligible to apply for and receive an

award. A student can only receive one travel grant

and one research grant per semester. GSA Award

packets are accepted continuously, so please allow

up to 10 business days for each packet to be re-viewed.

Applications for GSA grants must include:

GSA Application

Travel Authorization Request

Note: Travel Authorization Request is not required for non-travel.

This form must be submitted 20 BUSINESS DAYS prior to your FIRST DAY of traveling.

This additional time should be accounted for when submitting your packet.

W-9 Form

Estimated itemized budget

Abstract of research/presentation (if applicable) Brief personal statement detailing how the GSA

award will contribute to your studies

Letter of recommendation from faculty advisor

Agenda/brochure/schedule from conference, if

applicable (these can usually be found on the

homepage for your conference).

For more information and applicable forms

please go to:

http://grad.towson.edu/gsc/gsa/awards.asp

Reading Conventions Come join educators from across the state and country to discuss the latest

news, ideas, and research in the field!

TESOL Convention

March 20-23, 2013

Dallas, TX

www.tesol.org/

convention2013

SoMIRAC Conference

April 10-12, 2013

Hunt Valley, MD

www.somirac.org/conference/

conference.cfm

IRA Annual Convention

April 19-22, 2013

Chicago, IL

www.reading.org/annual-

convention/2013

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 7 , I S S U E 2

Dear GAs... graduation and your degree will

be awarded at the next sched-

uled graduation. Please contact

the Graduation Office at 410-

704-2095 with any inquiries.

Dear GAs,

I was looking at schedule of

courses for the next semes-

ter. The class I need to take

is offering two sections: one

section on campus and an-

other section for a cohort

class. The time in which

that the cohort section

would meet would work bet-

ter for my schedule, is closer

to my house, and has my fa-

vorite instructor teaching it.

Can I enroll in the cohort

section of the course?

Sincerely,

Scheduling Mastermind

Dear Scheduling Mastermind,

TU policy does not allow stu-

dents outside of a specific co-

hort class to enroll in a specific

cohort class section. It is dedicat-

ed and closed to only those stu-

dents. Even if you are a teacher

in the county that offers a

cohort class, you still have to

enroll and participate in the

courses that are offered on

campus.

Dear GAs,

I just got married and

changed my last name! Is

there anything that I

need to do?

Sincerely,

Blissful Newlywed

Dear Blissful Newlywed,

Congratulations! Since you

have changed your last name,

you need to visit http://

www.towson.edu/registrar/

Forms/index.asp and com-

plete a “Change of Name”

form in order to officially

change your name with Tow-

son University. In addition,

you need to contact the

Graduate Reading Education

Offices to let us know of

your name change. This way,

we can update our databases

with your latest information.

Dear GAs,

I am currently in my last

course for the program and

was planning on applying for

graduation following this se-

mester. However, I just re-

alized that I missed the

deadline date to apply for

graduation! HELP – what

can I do?

Sincerely,

Wanting my Diploma

Dear Wanting my Diploma,

There are three deadlines by

which students need to apply for

graduation.

January 20th – Deadline for

Spring Graduation

July 4th – Deadline for Sum-

mer Graduation

August 20th – Deadline for

Fall Graduation

Late graduation applications may

be accepted for two weeks fol-

lowing the deadline on a case-by

-case basis. After this time, you

will need to apply for graduation

for the following term. If need-

ed, a verification letter can be

prepared stating that you have

completed all requirements for

Continue to contact the GAs with your questions at 410-704-5775 or at REED@towson.edu.

READING EDUCATION FACULTY CONTACT INFORMATION

Dr. Bess Altwerger HH404C baltwerger@towson.edu 410-704-3188

Prof. Jeanine Beatty HH102E jbeatty@towson.edu 410-704-2579

Dr. Elizabeth Dicembre HH102B edicembre@towon.edu 410-704-4492

Dr. Shelly Huggins HH102M shuggins@towson.edu 410-704-2009

Dr. Barbara Laster HH107H blaster@towson.edu 410-704-2556

Dr. Gilda Martinez -Alba HH107N gmartinez@towson.edu 410-404-2480

Prof. Mary Moreland SMHEC mmoreland@towson.edu 301-737-2500

Dr. Stephen Mogge HH102P smogge@towson.edu 410-704-5771

Dr. Sharon Pitcher HH120B spitcher@towson.edu 410-704-2895

Prof. Alyssa Zumpano SMHEC azumpano@towson.edu 301-737-2500

Reading Education Programs Graduate Assistants

Shannon Dillon HH 107H REED@towson.edu 410-704-5775

Laura Salvatore HH 107H REED@towson.edu 410-704-5775

Letter From an Alumnus Dear Dr. Laster, I hope this email finds you in good health and enjoying your position as Program Director of the Reading M.Ed. at Towson. You may remember me from several of your classes and one independent study back in 2001 and 2002. After completing the graduate program at Towson, I was employed for two years at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Day School as a middle school language arts teacher and then for six years at the Krieger Schechter Day School teaching writing workshop to fifth and sixth graders. At KSDS I developed an excellent writing curriculum, which was very well received and had positive empirical re-sults for the students. Dr. Laster, I think of you often and of the excellent education I received from all of the REED professors. The Towson program provided the tools that enabled me to meet the needs of my students and help them succeed in the classroom, and for that I wholeheartedly thank you. With much gratitude,

Ruth Simon