USI’s new Literacy Center aims to reshape teacher education
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
After a month of operation, the University of Southern Indiana’s Literacy Center is preparing a new generation of teachers to tackle reading challenges in the state’s classrooms. The new area inside Rice Library at the Evansville institution was created in response to state legislation requiring teacher preparation programs to integrate the science of reading principles.
“It’s a new space now, but we’re already changing things around and making that space fit for our [teacher candidates]. So developing courses, refining current courses to make sure that they follow the science of reading mandates and just being a resource,” said Rebecca Moore, reading coordinator of the Pott College of Science, Engineering and Education.
The center was made possible by a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to enhance student learning and teaching preparation in literacy development. Moore said USI instructors in other fields are now reaching out to learn how to incorporate literacy teaching strategies into their disciplines.
“Reading is essential in all of the courses. There’s not one course you can take that doesn’t use reading, vocabulary, comprehension and writing. I’m proud of our faculty who have embraced these changes,” she said.
Science of reading statute
In May, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1558 into law, which required teacher preparation programs to start instructing future educators on the science of reading concepts by July 1. USI was mandated to ensure coursework covered five key areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
“Now we specifically have to hone in on the science of reading, and [future teachers] will have to have a new licensure test that will test this,” said Tori Colson, assistant dean of the Pott College and Associate Professor of Education. “We ended up changing our curriculum to incorporate four core courses that will be teaching those five pillars, plus writing, into our programs for early childhood, elementary education and special education.”
Colson and Moore believe the adjustments will help USI teacher candidates stand out in the field of education once they graduate.
“We’re going to have better teachers out of this, and we’re going to produce better teachers,” said Moore. “You just don’t keep doing the same thing you’re doing if you’re getting the same results. And over the last 10 years, our [elementary] students are having been struggling with reading. So we’ve got to change what we’re doing, and let’s see if that’s for the betterment.”
Literacy Center creation
USI was one of 28 universities and colleges in Indiana that received a grant from the Lilly Endowment’s Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana initiative. Grace College in Winona Lake received a $750,000 grant to help create its Center for Literacy and Learning, while Manchester University in North Manchester accepted $500,000 for its literacy lab.
“It is imperative that more of Indiana’s elementary students learn to read proficiently, and it is essential that current teachers and the next generation of teachers are prepared to use proven principles to teach reading in their classrooms,” says Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education in a USI news release.
Moore said USI’s $1 million grant allowed the institution to realign courses and get materials to fully immerse future teachers in the science of reading. The Literacy Center was then developed to provide a space where teacher candidates could apply that learning in a real-life setting.
“One of my colleagues had gone and visited another institution, and they were doing something similar to that. And we thought this would be a great idea for USI,” said Colson.
The center includes an interactive classroom for a hands-on teaching experience, a tutoring program for local elementary students and a simulated classroom with avatars controlled by graduate assistants.
“They’re working with these avatars that simulate [elementary] students—even [elementary] student problems, [elementary] student questions—because there is a real person on the other side of that. But it’s okay if our [future teachers] make mistakes or try new things because they’re not necessarily out there working with a real [elementary] student at that point,” Colson said.
‘Next generation of teachers’
In the Literacy Center, teacher candidates use manipulatives (physical tools to learn concepts) and other real-world materials found in classrooms to improve practical skills and boost confidence. Moore is in charge of overseeing how the grant is used to acquire these resources.
“I have this huge spreadsheet, and I keep up with all of the money that Lilly has left us with and make sure that we’re good stewards of that money and that we’re using it appropriately, that it follows the science of reading standards. And then also, how can we get the most bang for our buck? What can we find out there that several classes and several courses can use?” she said.
While the simulation room provides a safe space to rehearse teaching with real-time feedback, the interactive classroom allows future teachers to learn about the science of reading and apply the instruction of literacy skills in a practical environment.
“We have four of the new literacy courses over there. But while we are teaching, we allow our [teacher candidates] to use that space to practice what they’re learning in the literacy classrooms,” said Moore. “It really does mimic an actual classroom where there are people walking around, and there are distractions. And the door’s not shut. It’s a very open space, and they’ve just learned to focus in.”
The one-on-one tutoring sessions offer targeted literacy support for elementary students while giving future teachers valuable experience in individualized guidance.
“It benefits our [teacher candidates] because they can practice the skills they’re learning. And it also is an advantage for the elementary school students who are coming in, because they get the cream of the crop. They get the chance to learn literacy skills. We also have earmarked money to beef up our children’s book selection,” Moore said.
As USI continues to invest in teacher preparation, the Literacy Center serves as a model for how institutions can blend theory and practice to create impactful learning experiences.
“To see the excitement of our USI students learning to become teachers and having the space and the materials to practice it in a real-world, current setting just gets me excited about this next generation of teachers because they understand the struggles of [elementary] students who have difficulty with reading or are a little bit behind in reading, and they’re hungry to find ways to close that gap for P-12 students,” said Moore.