Intensive Studies in Education: Literacy Across the Curriculum

This course surveys theory and research in using an integrated, discipline-based instruction in reading and writing to enhance student achievement in all subjects. Instructional strategies and techniques related to developing disciplinary/content area literacy will also be examined.

Student materials are available at the OU Bookstore Website at https://ou.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php. The website has book selling, renting, buying, returning, and order tracking capabilities. If you need help with an order, or if you have any questions contact the toll-free phone at 1-(855)-790-6637, agents are available from 9a – 5p (EST) Monday – Friday. Text prices are available online.

Additional readings will be posted on Canvas if needed.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1.     Understand the theoretical and research bases for teaching literacy across the curriculum.  

2.     Understand and implement a variety of strategies to develop students’ disciplinary literacy in various subjects.

3.     Be able to develop an instructional plan that integrates and supports literacy and disciplinary learning.

4.     Understand trends in teaching literacy across the curriculum.

This is a virtual course that includes synchronous online class meetings via Zoom and asynchronous readings, viewings, assignments, and other related learning activities.

All assignments will be submitted to Canvas.

1. Interactive Online Journal Entries (30 points) (Pre-assignment):

You will be keeping a weekly online journal in which you reflect on the readings and your own responses to them. Those reflections should not be a summary of the readings, but reflection on what you consider as important ideas and why, or ideas that evoked strong response in you, either positive or negative, or your interpretation of what you read and what it means for your own understanding of teaching and learning of literacy across the curriculum. You should write such reflections on each chapter/article you read. To promote reflection as a social practice, you will post your weekly reflection entries on the Discussion forum on Canvas (http://canvas.ou.edu) in your assigned group folder by midnight Friday each week. You will also need to provide thoughtful feedback to at least one of your group members regarding his/her responses to the readings by midnight Sunday.

Weekly due dates:  Check the course schedule

2. Lesson Planning/Modification, Demonstration, and Reflection (30 points) (During Assignment):

In collaboration with a disciplinary/content area teacher, you will develop a detailed instructional plan (or modify an existing instructional plan) that integrates and supports literacy and disciplinary learning (10 pts.).  A specific lesson plan format will be provided.  You will teach a demonstration lesson to your peers (10 pts.).  You will video tape your lesson and engage in critical reflection of your teaching with a peer and write a one-page critique of your lesson (10 pts.). What were your strengths teaching the lesson? Were your students engaged throughout the lesson? Were you successful in accomplishing your lesson goals and objectives? Are content/disciplinary learning and literacy learning effectively integrated? What would you do differently if you were to teach this lesson again?

Due date: December 11

3. Choice Project (20 points) (Post Assignment)

Choose one of the following two projects to complete. Papers should be written in APA 7th Edition format with no errors in grammar and mechanics. All papers should include a bibliography of references used in your analysis.

A. Interview. Interview a disciplinary/content area teacher about their (gender neutral term) discipline-based literacy instructional practices and write a project report:

Identify a teacher that you consider exemplary in your chosen content area. Interview them regarding their beliefs about integrating literacy across the curriculum, planning process, favorite instructional strategies for supporting disciplinary literacy, and reflection on their own effectiveness as a teacher of disciplinary literacy. In your report, summarize what you learned from the interview and provide your recommendation of five research-based instructional strategies for supporting student learning of literacy in the specific content area.  Length of report: double spaced, 8-10 pages.   

B. Paper on Strategies for Teaching Literacy and Disciplinary Learning:

Choose a content area that you are teaching/plan to teach. Find at least 10 research articles about specific teaching strategies/activities that integrate literacy and disciplinary learning to achieve learning across disciplines. For each article, summarize the following: the strategy and the connection between literacy and disciplinary learning, the intended outcome of the strategy, its implementation, and its effectiveness in supporting learning/the intended outcome. Draw conclusions about similarities and differences across the strategies/activities and state your understanding of what makes an effective strategy for teaching disciplinary/content area literacy.  Length of paper: double spaced, 8-10 pages.

Due date: December 28

4. Class Participation (20 points):

The success of this course is dependent upon prepared, active, and spontaneous participation of class members in class discussions and activities. Attendance is mandatory. Grading will take into account the regularity of a student’s participation and the degree to which a student’s participation reflects a developing understanding of the objectives of this course and supports peer learning. Unless there is an emergency, you are expected to attend all online class sessions and complete all class-related offline activities.  Poor attendance will result in a low grade or failure in this course.

Tentative Reading and Pre-Assignment Schedule*

Additional readings may be assigned as needed.

This is a letter-graded course: A, B, C, D, or F.

Notice: Failure to meet assignment due dates could result in a grade of I (Incomplete) and may adversely impact Tuition Assistance and/or Financial Aid.

Attendance/Grade Policy

Attendance and participation in interaction, individual assignments, group exercises, simulations, role playing, etc. are valuable aspects of any course because much of the learning comes from discussions in class with other students. It is expected that you attend all classes and be on time except for excused emergencies.

Excused absences are given for professor mandated activities or legally required activities such as emergencies or military assignments. It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays. Unavoidable personal emergencies, including (but not limited to) serious illness; delays in getting to class because of accidents, etc.; deaths and funerals, and hazardous road conditions will be excused.

If you are obtaining financial assistance (TA, STAP, FA, VA, Scholarship, etc.) to pay all or part of your tuition cost, you must follow your funding agency/institution’s policy regarding “I” (Incomplete) grades unless the timeline is longer than what the University policy allows then you must adhere to the University policy. Students who receive Financial Aid must resolve/complete any “I” (Incomplete) grades by the end of the term or he/she may be placed on “financial aid probation.” If the “I” grade is not resolved/completed by the end of the following term, the student’s Financial Aid may be suspended make the student ineligible for further Financial Aid.

Students are responsible for meeting the guidelines of Tuition Assistance and Veterans Assistance. See the education counselor at your local education center for a complete description of your TA or VA requirements.

OU faculty will submit grades online through ONE not later than 30 days after the course end date. Course end dates are approximately one calendar month after the final seminar date on this syllabus and are provided on the official scheduling website for reference.

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct 

Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Academic assignments exist to help students learn; grades exist to show how fully this goal is attained. Therefore all work and all grades should result from the student's own understanding and effort.

Academic misconduct is any act which improperly affects the evaluation of a student’s academic performance or achievement. Misconduct occurs when the student either knows or reasonably should know that the act constitutes misconduct. Academic misconduct includes: cheating and using unauthorized materials on examinations and other assignments; improper collaboration, submitting the same assignment for different classes (self-plagiarism); fabrication, forgery, alteration of documents, lying, etc…in order to obtain an academic advantage; assisting others in academic misconduct; attempting to commit academic misconduct; destruction of property, hacking, etc…; intimidation and interference with integrity process; and plagiarism. All students should review the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity at http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html 

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. All students should review policies regarding student conduct at http://studentconduct.ou.edu/ 

Accommodation Statement

The University of Oklahoma is committed to making its activities as accessible as possible. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact your local OU Site Director.

Adjustment for Pregnancy/Childbirth-Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact the professor as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html. 

Title IX Resources

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at [email protected] or (405) 325-2215 (8-5), or the Sexual Assault Response Team at (405) 615 -0013 (24/7) to report an incident. To learn more about Title IX, please visit the Institutional Equity Office’s website at http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo.html 

Course Policies

Extended Campus (also and formerly known as Advanced Programs) policy is to order books in paperback if available. Courses, dates, and professors are subject to change. Please check with your OU Site Director. Students should retain a copy of any assignments that are e/mailed to the professor for the course. Neither duplicating services nor office supplies are provided.

Any and all course materials, syllabus, lessons, lectures, etc. are the property of professor teaching the course and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and are protected under applicable copyright.

For more information about OU Extended Campus, visit our website at: http://www.goou.ou.edu/

Statement on Respect

The classroom should provide a safe learning environment where students can express their views without fear of reprisal. That freedom of expression must be balanced by demonstrated respect for other’s viewpoints and appropriate and reasonable sensitivity, especially within the context of scholarly disagreement.  Disrespectful or uncivil dialogue (including, but not limited to, personal attacks, insults, or harassment) will not be tolerated.

Recording Devices/Phones/Computers

It is important for students to be fully present during class to fully benefit from lectures, discussions, and experiential assignments. Class sessions may not be tape-recorded. All telephones and pagers should be turned off or placed on silent mode. Computers may not be used during class. Students who require an exception to this policy should discuss exceptional circumstances with the professor.

Jiening Ruan, Ph.D.

Education

• D. in Curriculum & Instruction, 2000. Purdue University

• Ed. in Reading Education, 1996; Elementary Education, 1995. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• A. in English, 1989. Xiamen University

Current Positions

• Professor of Reading/Literacy Education, Department of Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum

• Director of Reading Specialist Certification Program

• Director of Reading Clinic

Frequently Taught Courses

• ILAC5003 Models of Instruction

• ILAC6930 Research on Teaching and Learning

• ILAC5233 Understanding Different Cultures

• EDRG6930 Literacy Across the Curriculum

Major Areas of Teaching and Research Interest

• Major areas of teaching include instructional strategies, theories of education, foundations of reading and literacy, reading assessment, and reading instruction.

• Major areas of research include literacy teaching and learning in international and diverse contexts, cultural responsive teaching, new literacies, and teacher reflection.

Recent Publications

• Ruan, J. & Jin, L. (in print). Voices of Chinese early adolescent readers and their motivation to read. In P. Sowa, L. Assaf, & K. Zammit (Eds.), Global meaning making: Disrupting and interrogating international language and literacy research and teaching. Emerald Publishing. 

• Wicker, M. & Ruan, J. (2022). Culture and gender in the literacy practices of Seminole youth. In Genders, Cultures and Literacies: Understanding Intersecting Identities (pp. 18-33). Routledge.

• Monobe, G. & Ruan, J. (2020). Analysis of popular educational manga on World War II for students in Japan, Journal of Peace Education. 39(1), 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2017.1389787

• Monroe, L. & Ruan, J. (2018) Increasing early childhood preservice teachers’ intercultural sensitivity through the ABCs, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 39(1), 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2017.1389787

• Ruan, J., Hurst, S., & Griffith, P. (2018). Digital writing and multimodal text in the 21^st 20^th European Conference on Literacy Conference Proceedings. Madrid, Spain.

• Jin, L., Kambara, H., & Ruan, J. (2018). Chinese fourth graders’ motivation to read. 20^th European Conference on Literacy Conference Proceedings. Madrid, Spain.

• Beach, S., Collins, J., Vollmer, S., & Ruan, J. (2017). 21st Century teaching and learning: Preparing teachers for the new literacies. Conference Proceedings of 19^th European Conference on Literacy. Klagenfurt, AS.

Representative Honors and Awards Received

Grants

• Teacher Quality NCLB Grant, Oklahoma Regents of Higher Education. “Every Student Succeeds in Writing Across the Curriculum. 2011-2012, $161,284.

• Teacher Quality NCLB Grant, Oklahoma Regents of Higher Education. “Every Student Succeeds: Oklahoma Teachers Implementing Research-Based Comprehension and Vocabulary Instruction.  2010-2011. $171,200.

• Teacher Quality NCLB Grant, Oklahoma Regents of Higher Education, 2009. “Every Student Reads II: Oklahoma Teachers Implementing Research-Based Comprehension and Vocabulary Instruction.  $90,000.

• Teacher Quality NCLB Grant, Oklahoma Regents of Higher Education, 2008. “Every Student Reads: Oklahoma Teachers Implementing Research-Based Comprehension and Vocabulary Instruction.  $86,000.

Awards

• College Research Award, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, 2016

• Department Research Award, Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum, 2014

• College Junior Faculty Award, College of Education, University of Oklahoma, 2004

• University Junior Faculty Research Award, University of Oklahoma, Summer, 2001