Interactive Literacy and Parental Involvement: Supporting Academic Success

Catalog description

Explores parental involvement in education and parent-child literacy activities that support children's language and literacy development, especially among diverse families. ADTED 459 Interactive Literacy: Parents and Children (3) Interactive Literacy: Parents and Children is one of five 3-credit courses in the 15-credit Certificate in Family Literacy developed by the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy in the College of Education in partnership with the National Center for Family Literacy (Louisville, KY). It is offered during the summer and fall semesters to about 20 students per class. The course is 15 weeks in length, entirely online, and cohort-based. Study materials are both web- and print-based. Students work in teams for most of their assignments although they are also expected to produce a portfolio of individual application activities. An Associate's Degree or 60 baccalaureate credits at an accredited institution are required to enter the course. Technological requirements, registration, and other support are provided. The courses focuses on the component of family literacy in which the low-literate parents engage in language and literacy development activities with their young children (birth to age 8). During interactive literacy the teachers both model and supervise the literacy interactions. Students learn to use planned and intentional activities that are developmentally appropriate for the children. They also learn how to teach the parent the necessary interaction skills as well as how to debrief the parents afterwards. They also learn how to assess the literacy interactions between parents and their children.