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Goals of the Program

Learning Outcomes and Knowledge Base

The Graduate Literacy Program is committed to creating informed decision-makers who create effective learning opportunities for all learners.

Essential Learning Outcomes Identified in the St. Thomas Aquinas College Division of Teacher Education/s NCATE Conceptual Framework and Alignment of Essential Learning Outcomes with the Graduate Literacy Program Goals (see bullets)

1.

• An understanding of human development and of individual and contextual factors that influence motivation and learning, and the ability to personalize instruction.
• An understanding of theories of language and literacy development, including knowledge to compare and contrast theories, and the ability to use theoretical grounding to create effective literacy instruction and assist and support classroom teachers and paraprofessionals..
• An understanding that there is no single method or single combination of methods that can successfully teach all students to read and write, and the ability to implement multiple methods of literacy instruction to meet the individual needs of all students by using a variety of approaches, texts, and materials.
• An understanding of the nature and multiple causes of literacy difficulties, and the ability to provide effective instructional interventions based on comprehensive diagnosis.

2.

• An understanding of classroom organization and management, curriculum, and professionalism, and the ability to design and manage learning environments in ways that promote students’ independence as learners.
• An understanding of conditions for creating a literate classroom environment that is student centered, knowledge centered, and community centered that promotes student motivation, learning, independence, and high achievement, and the ability to create such a literate environment.
• An understanding of principles and practices for implementing a comprehensive, balanced literacy program to teach all the skills and strategies needed for literacy achievement, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing, and the ability to organize and manage such a program.

3.

• An understanding of learning as a socially-mediated, constructive process, and the ability to select and implement a repertoire of instructional methods and strategies based on the knowledge of the learner, the task, and the context.
• An understanding of language, learning, and literacy theory and seminal research, including the knowledge to compare and contrast theories and the ability to recount seminal studies, and the ability to use evidenced-based research to implement effective literacy instruction.
• An understanding of multiple instructional methods using multiple print and nonprint texts and materials, including technology, and various groupings to meet the needs of all students, and the ability to choose appropriate methods, texts, and materials.
• An understanding of constructivist principles, and the ability to create a learner-centered, knowledge-centered, and community-centered instructional process that provides authentic, purposeful, socially interactive learning experiences that support individual construction of knowledge, understanding, and skill.        

4.

• An understanding of the disciplines taught, and the ability to organize and express that knowledge in ways that make it accessible and useful to students.
• An understanding of the interrelationship of language and literacy acquisition, and the ability to create a literacy program that integrates reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and representing visually across the curriculum.
• An understanding of effective research-based methods for teaching essential reading and writing strategies, and the ability to effectively teach reading and writing strategies..  

5.

• An understanding of effective communication, and the ability to build inclusive learning environments, democratic communities, that incorporate the needs and perspectives of students in the decision-making process.
• An understanding of the principles of creating a learning environment based on democratic principles that is student-centered, knowledge-centered, and community centered, including respect and response to multiple diversities, and the ability to use that knowledge to build an inclusive community of learners which honors the voices of all students to support motivation and achievement.
• An understanding of the importance of building strong school/home relations and parent involvement to support language and literacy development, and the ability to create such a relationship.
• An understanding of the role of the literacy specialist as an educational leader who takes an active role in improving a school’s literacy program, and the ability to effectively communicate knowledge to the school community.  

6.

• An understanding of assessment as an ongoing process involving multiple sources of information and varied assessment techniques, and the ability to use assessment to monitor and evaluate student progress and to communicate assessment information accurately and clearly to students, parents, and professionals.
• An understanding of the principles and practices of literacy assessment that include placing students along a developmental continuum, using assessment to inform instruction, and communicating progress to all individuals involved in the learning process, and the ability to implement a comprehensive, on-going, collaborative, authentic assessment approach..

 7.

• An understanding of the use of self-evaluation and reflection as tools for professional growth, and the ability to use the resources within the school and broader professional community as supports for professional growth as a learner and as a teacher.
• An understanding of the importance of critical reflection to improve instructional effectiveness, and the ability to use theories related to connections between teacher dispositions and student achievement to respond to the educational needs of all students.
• An understanding of the importance of lifelong learning, and the ability to be both a critical consumer of research and a thoughtful producer of research to promote professional growth. 
• An understanding of the organization and supervision of literacy programs, and the ability to take a leadership role in enhancing, enriching, and reforming education.

In addition, program goals now include a strong commitment to literacy coaching, so that all literacy specialization courses and capstone courses include outreach initiatives to support and assist teachers and paraprofessionals.