Professional Development
Online Learning Opportunities
Family Literacy Certificate
The Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy at Penn State offers a Certificate in Family Literacy — a series of graduate courses available through Penn State University’s online World Campus. NCFL worked with faculty at the Goodling Institute to develop and implement the certificate and continues to support it.
Supporting the evidence that credit-bearing professional development provides that “intensity and duration” proven to be most effective for family literacy students, we’ve seen steady growth in interest and enrollment across the few years these courses have been offered.
Students represent a variety of careers and positions from all across and outside our nation, including teachers of children and adults, librarians, family literacy providers, educators supporting literacy for English language learners and literacy learning within other fields, such as health care.
Enroll now in Penn State’s online courses, three-credit postbaccalaureate courses offered online through Penn State’s World Campus for graduate or undergraduate credit. Classes begin January 11, 2012, and registration is already under way.
- ADTED 456 — Introduction to Adult Literacy: This three-credit online course explores the rationale for and characteristics of comprehensive family literacy, focusing on the families served, services provided, outcomes achieved, and the roles and responsibilities of the individuals, organizations and communities involved.
- ADTED 459 — Interactive Literacy: Parents and Children: This three-credit online course focuses on interactive literacy activities that encourage language and literacy development through integrating language, reading and writing/drawing processes. Instructional strategies, procedures and methods are described and illustrated.
For more information, visit Penn State’s Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Family Literacy web page, or e-mail Dr. Sheila Sherow. You can also contact World Campus Admission Counselors by calling 1-800-252-3592 (toll-free) or sending an email to wdadmissions@outreach.psu.edu.
Thinkfinity.org
Thinkfinity.org makes it easy for educators to enhance their classroom instruction with lesson plans, interactive activities and other online resources. Thinkfinity.org also provides a wealth of educational and literacy resources for students, parents and after-school programs.
All of Thinkfinity.org’s 55,000 standards-based K-12 lesson plans, student materials, interactive tools and reference materials are reviewed by the nation’s leading education organizations to ensure that content is accurate, up-to-date, unbiased and appropriate for students.