Full course description
Literacy Learning: History, Theories, and Practice
Introduction to Reading Instruction in the United States
Course Details
Course Type:
- Self-Paced, Fully-Facilitated
- Cohort, Fully-Facilitated
Course Length: 10 Hours
Course Access:
- Self-Paced: Each course includes 45 days of interactive access. If you purchase multiple courses within a single concentration at the same time, your total access period will be extended (e.g., two courses = 90 days, three courses = 135 days, etc.).
Upon enrollment, your dashboard will initially display 45 days per course. By the next business day, your end date will be adjusted to reflect the correct total access period based on the number of courses purchased.
After your enrollment period ends, you will continue to have read-only access to your courses. - Cohort: Participants will follow a set start and end date, determined by their school district.
Course Description
This course examines the history, theories, and evolving practices that have shaped reading instruction in the United States. Educators will explore how past debates, research trends, and policy decisions continue to influence today’s literacy landscape. Through an in-depth study of language development, reading theories, and learning frameworks, participants will connect historical context with contemporary issues in literacy education.
Throughout the course, participants will analyze the roles of families, culture, and community in shaping students’ literacy experiences; investigate how teacher beliefs and expectations impact classroom practice; and compare traditional print-based reading with the rise of digital and multimodal literacy. By bridging history, theory, and present-day perspectives, educators will gain a deeper understanding of literacy as an evolving field and reflect on how these ideas inform equitable, student-centered instruction.
Course Objectives
Participants will be able to:
Foundations of Language & Literacy Development
- Explain major theories of language development.
- Connect real-world experiences with learners to these theories.
- Describe the relationship between oral and written language.
- Analyze the role of families and culture in early literacy.
History & Theoretical Perspectives on Reading
- Differentiate between code-based and meaning-based theories of reading.
- Trace the history of reading instruction in the United States, highlighting major shifts and debates.
- Analyze how past approaches to literacy education shape current practices and debates.
- Identify the components of reading from the National Reading Panel and International Literacy Association.
- Examine how large-scale literacy initiatives reflect historical tensions in the field.
Learning Theory, Beliefs, and Equity
- Describe key learning theories and explain how they influence literacy instruction.
- Examine how teacher beliefs about reading influence classroom culture and instructional decisions.
- Reflect on how teacher expectations affect students' identities as readers.
- Evaluate how beliefs about learning and reading impact equity, access, and differentiation.
- Align personal teaching philosophy with research-based, student-centered literacy practices.
Digital & Multimodal Literacy
- Explain what digital literacy is and why it is essential for students’ success in a technology-driven world.
- Plan to use strategies that build students' digital literacy skills.
- Compare the impact of traditional literacy practices and digital literacy.
- Assess the readability and inclusiveness of print and digital texts.
- Identify the skills students need to engage with digital and multimodal texts.
- Design strategies for integrating print, digital, and disciplinary literacy practices in equitable and engaging ways.
Professional Reflection
- Reflect on beliefs about literacy and education.