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Get ready for the Literacy Conference

September 18, 2023 by Savannah A. Keller

Conference in PSU Theater.

The College of Education strives to provide teachers with a well-rounded, practical and engaging teacher preparation program.

This year, the COE will host a Literacy Conference to help educators deepen their knowledge of literacy instruction and connect with other educators.

“I attended a literacy conference when I first started teaching, and it still impacts my teaching today,” said Dr. Stacie Finley, assistant professor of literacy at Missouri State University.

“Knowing how beneficial that conference was for teachers in the area, we wanted to bring a similar experience for educators to MSU.”

The conference includes events Sept. 21-22. Registration is encouraged but not required.

Check out the detailed schedule

Sept. 21

Guest speaker

Lester Laminack, a nationally recognized writer and educator, will speak at 6 p.m. in Plaster Student Union Theater.

Laminack is an award-winning author with over 25 books for children and teachers. He is a professor emeritus in birth-kindergarten, elementary and middle grades education at Western Carolina University.

Anyone interested in education is welcome.

Sept. 22

Opening session

Laminack will open the second day of the conference with a speech at 8:45 a.m. in Carrington Hall, Room 208.

Preservice teachers and early career educators with less than three years of teaching experience are welcome.

Breakout sessions

COE will host breakout sessions all day dedicated to literacy learning. Breakout sessions begin at 10 a.m. in Hill Hall, Room 201 and 301.

The sessions will cover topics like diverse and multicultural texts, writer’s workshop, demystifying dyslexia and more.

Preservice teachers and early career educators with less than three years of teaching experience are welcome.

Support from DESE

All events are free for attendees, courtesy of the Missouri Path Forward Theory into Practice Grant from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

“Having the opportunity to feature a well-known national speaker like Lester Laminack, as well as area literacy experts, is a great chance for our undergraduate students and recent graduates to get new ideas and learn more about teaching reading and writing,” said Dr. Kayla Lewis, associate professor of literacy and assistant director for the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Science at MSU.

For more information, contact Dr. Stacie Finley at StacieFinley@MissouriState.edu or Dr. Kayla Lewis at KaylaLewis@MissouriState.edu.

Register for the conference

Filed Under: Literacy, Uncategorized Tagged With: Dr. Kayla Lewis, Dr. Stacie Finley, Lester Laminack, Literacy Conference

Congratulations, Dr. Lewis

April 17, 2023 by Savannah A. Keller

Dr. Kayla Lewis with books.

The research of Dr. Kayla Lewis has been selected for the 2023 issue of Mind’s Eye, a Missouri State University research publication. Lewis is an associate professor of literacy. 

Her research delves into how children’s books can help combat misinformation and educate the youth about Native American heritage.   

The following is an excerpt from the story:   

The lack of proper education about native heritage contributes to racism and reinforces stereotypes.   

“Children’s books can help combat these issues by providing an outlet for teachers to honor, support and teach native heritage,” Lewis said.   

“They can also help preserve endangered indigenous languages.”   

She partnered with her former professor and longtime friend, Dr. Sarah Nixon, another MSU literacy professor. Together, they curated a collection of books for teachers to use in their curriculum.   

The duo evaluated 95 children’s books from their personal and local libraries. The books were fiction or non-fiction written by or about Native Americans.   

Read the full article online 

Filed Under: COE Faculty Tagged With: Dr. Kayla Lewis, Mind's Eye, reading foundations and technology department, research, Sarah Nixon

Recognizing Native and Indigenous Heritage Month

November 7, 2022 by Savannah A. Keller

Flag of the Chickasaw Nation. "The Great seal of the Chickasaw Nation."

Native Americans are often misrepresented in the classroom, which reinforces stereotypes and contributes to racism.   

Dr. Kayla Lewis is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and professor of literacy at Missouri State University. 

In July 2022, Lewis spoke about the need for newer, more accurate literature to improve the representation of Native Americans in the classroom. 

  1. Newer literature more representative and accurate


Upcoming keynote speech 

Learn more about Lewis’ work by attending her speech at 5 p.m. Nov. 14 at the PSU, Room MCR PSU 101.  

She will talk about culturally authentic representations of Native Americans in children’s literature and K-12 curriculum. 

Plan to attend the keynote speech

Filed Under: COE Faculty Tagged With: Dr. Kayla Lewis, reading foundations and technology department

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