This course examines a number of theoretical perspectives on literacy exploring their implications for work with Theory and Practice in Elementary literacy, learning and instruction. Topics such as literacy across the curriculum, reading comprehension, beginning writing instruction, use of media and technology in writing, and sociocultural influences on literacy learning, will be explored in terms of various theoretical approaches.

This course explores ways to bring children, cultural diversity and literature together in an interactive manner. Stories - whether traditional folktales or contemporary multicultural works - not only help define a child's identity and understanding of self, but also allow others to look into, appreciate, and embrace another culture. Class discussions revolve around an annotated bibliography of articles and books concerned with multicultural children's literature prepared specifically for the course and designed primarily for teachers in mainstream as well as ESL (English as a Second Language) and heritage language classes. The practical aim is for teachers to learn how to take advantage of the cultural diversity and interests that children of varied backgrounds bring to the classroom and to explore themes in folklore in order to open up the world of literature to all their students. The focus is to develop strategies for engaging students in classrooms in meaningful dialogue about diversity using the medium of personal interaction with the multicultural text. Throughout the course, we focus on how to encourage students to share their own cultural stories and ''border cross'' from one world to another. Particular emphasis is placed on the relevance of multicultural children's literature to minority students' self-esteem and literacy formation and to the school's relationship to minority and majority communities in addition to its relevance in confronting issues of human rights and social justice.

This course addresses theories of writing instruction and assessment that influence current classroom practice. Connections between theory and practice will be explored in terms of what it means to be a writer and a teacher of writing. Issues such as the teaching of writing conventions, writing assessment, sociocultural influences on students' writing, and the teacher's role in guiding student writing will be examined.

An exploration of the relationships between theory, research findings, course members' teaching experiences. Course members contribute their teaching experience as a context in which the group discusses ideas drawn as far as possible from original sources read and reported on. The topic, language and learning, cuts across various areas commonly taught in the school curriculum and embraces original work in a number of disciplines (e.g., philosophy, linguistics, psychology, sociology, literary criticism).

"New Literacies: Making Multiple Meanings" is a graduate seminar for masters and doctoral students interested in exploring issues and research literature in the field of literacy. This course takes up the notion that literacy is not singular, but multiple and ideological: diverse social practices that are embedded in local contexts. The course is designed as a collaborative inquiry into uses and associations that "literacy" has in particular educational projects and contexts. Using a seminar format, we will look at theoretical and empirical literature as well as examples from practice to explore the social functions of literacy in work, home, and school settings, with an eye toward how these conversations and ideas can be useful for researching, theorizing, and teaching in our own areas of interest. We examine new and historical developments in New Literacy Studies, multiliteracies, multimodality, critical literacy, as well as practitioner and activist traditions, and other work that considers literacy in relation to critical, social, political, technological, and educational factors.

Note: CTL3034H-New Literacies: Making Multiple Meanings, is cross-listed between LLE and C&P and therefore also counts towards C&P program requirements.

This course focuses on critical literacy and the theories that underpin it. Throughout the course participants are asked to explore issues raised by critical literacy in relation to their own circumstances, particularly as these pertain to educational issues within society. This course challenges participants to develop critical questions with application to personal/professional contexts. Video clips of interviews with renowned scholars in literacy studies form the basis of this interactive course. Major questions discussed throughout the course are: What is literacy? What is critical literacy? What is the history of critical literacy? - What is so critical about critical literacy? What are the theoretical underpinnings of critical literacy? How do critical literacies converge and diverge with multiliteracies? What does critical literacy look like in practice? Graduate students will be asked to generate additional critical questions that contribute to individual or collective critical inquiry projects such as a critical literature review, a thesis research project or a curriculum analysis that investigates burning questions about critical literacies.

This course focuses on the pragmatics of expressive writing in a range of pedagogical settings. Students will experience the ways in which a range of styles and modes of expressive writing operate in various prose forms including personal narratives, arguments, evaluations, interviews, and reports. Students will consider the implications of this expressivist pedagogy for educational practice from elementary to post-secondary learning. Students will work both independently and collaboratively. Assessment will be portfolio-based.

This course, focusing on (auto)biography, provides graduate students the opportunity to critically analyze biographical contexts of influential educational researchers and scholars such as Henry Giroux, Maxine Greene, and William Pinar, amongst others. Using relevant theoretical frameworks, course participants will engage with the biographies of numerous scholars and will critically discuss the important contributions they have made to the educational field. Students will also have the opportunity to explore and reflect on their own lived experiences and circumstances, particularly in relation to educational issues within society. Video clips of interviews with renowned scholars form the basis of this interactive course.

This course brings together research and practice in primary classrooms, introducing sociolinguistic and sociocultural perspectives on young children’s oral language and literacy (with a focus on writing and other symbolic representation), and play-based pedagogy supporting literacy. In addition to contributing to ongoing online conversations about readings, students will learn a story well enough to tell it to an audience and discuss the play-based pedagogical possibilities of the story. Students will also develop a creative collaborative curriculum activity intended to support young children’s oral language and literacy.

This course is designed primarily for graduate students whose first language or dominant language is not Standard English. In this course students will use an action research approach to analyze their own progress in actively acquiring Academic English proficiency. They will learn about the research, theories, and practices which inform our understanding of academic language skills necessary for success in graduate studies, and how they are acquired by learners of English as a Second Language. This will be achieved through a combination of critically reviewing scholarly articles/lectures on the acquisition of academic English proficiency and the sub-skills this comprises, applying second language acquisition research methods in a self-study project, and engaging in collaborative learning to develop graduate level academic language and literacies. Learning outcomes are assessed on the basis of students’ progress, self-evaluations, peer-to-peer feedback, and language acquisition; as such, grades for the class are credit/no credit only.

This course is offered for graduate students particularly concerned with issues related to student mobility in education, promising education pathways for students of refugee background and programs for language, literacy and numeracy instruction for these students. In this course, students will learn about research, theory, policy and practice as these inform our understanding of the education of students of refugee background. It is intended to provide practitioners and researchers with a critical overview of theoretical and practical perspectives, concepts, strategies, and issues relevant to the education of refugee and asylum seekers. There will be opportunities to review scholarly articles, language policies, curriculum and program documents as well as to explore teaching strategies and tools that promote inclusive education. This course is designed around theory, policy, curriculum and pedagogy to support reflective practice and research related to the students of refugee background.

The primary aim of this course is to enable students to develop a framework for describing the field of Vocabulary Acquisition and Teaching. To do so, (1) students will learn key theoretical concepts in the field of vocabulary teaching and learning (2), present and discuss the most relevant research methodologies in the field and (3) reflect on the effectiveness of didactic materials through language textbook analysis.

This course investigates Complexity Theory (CT) as a lens to study Second Language Learning and Development (SLLD). After presenting the origin, evolution and main tenets of the constellation of complexity in a transdisciplinary perspective, the course turns to investigating key concepts such as emergence, complex adaptive systems, fractals, change over time, and attractors in relation to SLLD. CT is increasingly used as a metatheory in the study of phenomena related to the development of languages, the positioning of language learners/users vis-à-vis their own linguistic trajectories and repertoires, and the conceptualization of language learning. The course studies phenomena which imply overcoming linguistic/cultural barriers and triggering individuals’ creativity and agency, as well as the way CT can be articulated to existing theories of (language) learning (specifically Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory and Bandura’s Social cognitive theory) and studies in the field of creativity. Students will identify areas of SLLD that would benefit from a CT-informed framework, will discuss the implications of using it, alone or in combination with other theories, and will analyze research studies that have adopted CT as their theoretical lens.

As preparation for the practicum that Language and Literacies Education Master of Education Language Teaching candidates must complete, the course introduces students to the realities of teaching in various language education environments (in Canada). Along with gaining practical experience in the "basics" of language teaching, students will critically reflect on their roles as teachers and explore some of the sociopolitical forces affecting language teaching and learning. Beyond course readings and in-class activities, students will gain insights into the language teaching field from various guest speakers.

A huge proportion of workers in Canada utilize at least one language which is not their mother tongue in order to carry out their work. In this course, we will investigate a wide variety of questions and topics related to second language speakers and learners in the workplace. What is workplace communication? Who does it? Why? What impact do factors have on the conversations that occur in the workplace, including:
- second language ability
- sociolinguistic competence
- intercultural communication
- one's institutional role (e.g., employee, employer, supervisor, entry-level worker)
- type of workplace (e.g., medical, legal, university, warehouse, construction, etc.
- types of speech events that occur (e.g., meetings, interviews, email memos, internet chatrooms, lectures, workplace ESL classes, etc.)

We will use sociolinguistic tools to understand workplace settings and to investigate what makes for successful multicultural/intercultural workplace interactions. We will analyze authentic examples of written and spoken language in a variety of workplace settings.

This courses explores the nature of language: its rule-governed structure, its variety and its universal characteristics, the way it is acquired by native speakers and additional language learners, its role in society, its role in creating, sustaining, and enhancing power, and its role in informal and institutional education. The aim of the course is to consider (i) language awareness and use in first, second, and foreign language education; (ii) the special need for language awareness in L2 contexts; and (iii) the role of language awareness in teacher development and program administration. Students will relate course concepts to their own language learning and teaching experiences, and will carry out observational/empirical tasks to apply their learning to the real world.

Ce cours a pour but d'explorer une conception élargie du langage et de la communication basée sur le discours et l'analyse du discours. Les interactions humaines et sociales se construisent en grande partie au moyen du discours, à travers sa production, sa circulation, sa diffusion, sa légitimation, sa valorisation, sa consignation, sa mise en archives. Dans les sciences humaines et sociales, le discours constitue à la fois un mode d'accès à la connaissance et un contenu à étudier. En guise d'illustration, nous examinerons diverses applications de l'analyse de discours, en particulier lorsqu'il s'agit de comprendre la production discursive dans l'exercice d'activités de travail ou dans la construction de l'identité collective en contexte pluraliste.

Ce cours a pour but de familiariser les étudiants avec les théories sur le bilinguisme et avec les méthodes de recherche qui ont été développées pour en traiter, de façon à pouvoir prendre en compte ces connaissances dans la recherche, l'enseignement ou le développement de matériel pédagogique, que ce soit en milieu bilingue ou plurilingue, ou en rapport avec l'enseignement des langues. Il porte plus particulièrement sur l'individu faisant l'acquisition ou ayant recours à deux ou plusieurs langues. Il aborde également la question du bilinguisme sur le plan des interactions langagières au sein de communautés linguistiques, comme la famille, la ville, ou le monde du travail.

Ce cours a pour objectif de mieux comprendre de quelle façon les interventions humaines sont réalisées sur les dynamiques linguistiques. Nous examinerons en particulier sur quelles bases idéologiques et politiques on en vient à élaborer des politiques linguistiques, quelles en sont les composantes et les principales étapes, et de quelle façon les politiques linguistiques se répercutent dans les pratiques langagières des acteurs sociaux. Idéalement, la politique linguistique devrait permettre à l'école une meilleure prise en compte du contexte qui lui est propre, de façon àharmoniser les rapports entre, d'une part, les langues de l'école, à savoir la langue d'enseignement et les langues secondes ou étrangères à enseigner (ou en d'autres termes la langue en tant que médium d'instruction et en tant que matière enseignée), et d'autre part, la réalité linguistique des élèves, incluant en premier lieu leur langue première pouvant correspondre aussi bien à la langue dominante, à une langue minoritaire, à une langue d'origine ou à une langue autochtone, et, en second lieu, leurs pratiques langagières axées autour du bilinguisme, de la dominance linguistique, de l'alternance et du mixage de codes.

Ce cours, donné en français, traite des diverses formes d’approches pédagogiques où la diversité linguistique et culturelle est utilisée comme soutien à l’apprentissage d’une ou plusieurs langues à l’école. Les enjeux de la diversité linguistique et culturelle dans le système éducatif canadien seront discutés. Les fondements de ces approches pédagogiques novatrices et des recherches empiriques seront présentés afin de voir sous un jour plus inclusif l’école du 21e siècle.

Only offered in French, L’immersion francaise: enseignement et recherches (French Immersion: Teaching and Research) is designed for MT students interested in teaching in French immersion. As the course is in French, students must pass OISE’s French language proficiency test before enrolling in the course. The course aims to support students in developing appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes for beginning a placement or a teaching assignment in French Immersion (Kindergarten to Grade 12). Students will have opportunities to focus on the level of their choice (e.g., Primary/Junior, Junior/Intermediate, or Intermediate/Senior) while gaining a broader understanding of immersion students' learning trajectories across elementary and secondary panels.

The course will be built around a series of six two week class units. In the first class of each unit students will view a film after which, with the film still fresh in mind, they will have a first discussion of the film and issues it raises. For the next class students will watch a second film on the same topic from a short list supplied, read contemporary reviews for both films, read assigned monographs or articles related to the historical period or subject matter of the films and prepare a short critique based on the films and readings. The second class in each unit will then review the critiques and discuss the films in light of insight afforded by historians or other scholars. Students will also prepare a course paper.

This course considers how viewers "read" historical cinema. Its focus is on the divergent demands of the production of historical films and the ways in which those demands distort (or just change) historical events in order to produce a consumer product. Each class has an introduction by the professor, viewing the film, and a discussion period. Students write weekly reports and a term paper.

William Shakespeare is the most famous person in the English-language tradition. This course has three main themes: "Historical Shakespeare", "Re-Created Shakespeare" and "Shakespeare and Popular Culture". Its primary concern is not literary but, rather, the social and historical evolution of Shakespeare's iconic status.

This course is concerned with the ways in which historical films treat the subject of identity. In this regard, it has four sub-sections: power/gender, class struggle, inter- and intra-cultural connections, and appearances and reality. Each class has an introduction by the professor, viewing the film, and a discussion period. Students write weekly reports and a term paper.

This course is a survey of the struggle between literacy-as-social-control and literacy-as-enlightenment. Using a variety of texts, this theme is followed from the ancient world through to the onset of modern, compulsory schooling. Each class has an introduction by the professor, viewing the film, and a discussion period. Students write weekly reports and a term paper.

This course has two organizing themes: first, representative educational thinkers writings on literacy and schooling (e.g., Plato, Augustine, Erasmus, Luther, Locke, Rousseau, and Malthus); and, second, secondary scholarly readings chosen to enable the students to consider these thinkers' ideas in their historical context. Each class has an introduction by the professor, viewing the film, and a discussion period. Students write weekly reports and a term paper.

LLE Master of Education Field in Language Teaching candidates enrolled in this course will work alongside host teachers who are experienced in language instruction. The goal of working alongside host teachers will be to actively participate in all aspects of language instruction including but not limited to: curriculum and lesson planning, assessment development, differentiated instructions, working with individual students, and developing a deep understanding of language instruction to various age groups. The overarching goal of this practicum course is to help all MEd candidates to gain clarity in life, valuable teaching experience, connections, and employability through authentic lessons and dedicated support. A majority of the MEd candidates are international students and could greatly benefit from having more experience and cultural context from working in Canadian language instructional organizations.

An individualized course linking research and theory in Language and Literacies Education (LLE) with practical fieldwork supervised by a professor. Credit is not given for the fieldwork per se, but rather for the academic work related to it. Academic assignments related to the field work are established collaboratively between the student and professor supervising the course, and evaluated accordingly, in a manner similar to an individual reading and research course (e.g., CTL 3998H). A student wishing to propose a Practicum course must prepare a rationale, syllabus, and bibliography for the course, and obtain the written approval of a supervising professor and of the graduate coordinator in LLE one month prior to the start of the academic term in which the course is to begin.

Specialized study, under the direction of a staff member, focusing on topics of particular interest to the student. While course credit is not given for a thesis investigation proper, the study may be closely related to a thesis topic. A student wishing to propose an Individual Reading and Research course must prepare a rationale, syllabus, and bibliography for the course, and obtain the written approval of a supervising professor and of the graduate coordinator in LLE one month prior to the start of the academic term in which the course is to begin.