Part-Time Instructor Supporting Literacies in Inclusive Classrooms

University of Pittsburgh School of Education

Part-time Faculty Position with a focus on Supporting Literacies in Inclusive Classrooms

Position : Part-Time Instructor

Appointment : Part-time instructor for Spring 2025

The Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leading in The School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh seeks a part-time instructor to teach Supporting Literacies in Inclusive Classrooms (TLL 1520 & TLL 2515).

This course is designed to support teaching candidates' development of literacy teaching in secondary contexts across content areas.

Candidates are undergraduate and master's level students of education.

• The learning goals of the course are for candidates to Consider how the teaching and learning of literacies matter for their developing teaching praxis;
• Design rich, inquiry-based literacy learning opportunities for a range of student learners; Create additional literacy and language learning scaffolds for individuals and small groups;

Administer and interpret various literacy assessments and design research-validated instructional plans in the area of literacy for children with disabilities who are included in general education settings.

The guiding questions of the course are :

• What are literacies, and why do we pluralize them?
• How can we come to know our students as literate beings?
• What are disciplinary literacies?
• What is the role of reading, writing, and text use in subject-area learning, and how can we design our students' disciplinary literacy learning as an integrated part of our instruction?
• How do we integrate literacy instructional techniques for students?
• How do we determine reading challenges, assess readability, identify appropriate strategies / resources, and develop reading materials to support instruction?

The candidate would teach in a vibrant community in the School of Education at a time of great excitement, synergy, momentum, and action, particularly in relation to our explicit commitment to education equity and justice.

Our commitment to educational equity and justice is visible in an integrated set of cultural drivers for how we interact with each other and in how we facilitate the development of innovative programs, policies, and practices that advance educational, social, and human rights for all.

As a School, we are committed to determining sustainable ways to disrupt and transform long-standing patterns of inequity and injustice in education.

We value collaborative work that is not constrained by rigid boundaries but that is committed to the interconnections of equity and justice among departments, centers, and institutes in the School of Education and with the many partners at the university and in various regional national, and K-12 / global communities.

The School's mission / vision can be found at the following link : https : / / www.education.pitt.edu / about / equity-and-justice .

We seek to fill two sections of this course, both to be taught in person in Spring 2025. We will hire on a part-time, not full-time, basis.

The position reports to the Chair of the department. Hiring is on a single-semester basis, dependent on school needs. Part-time instructors must facilitate an environment where active learning is encouraged and where students and instructors collaboratively learn and develop knowledge of course materials.

Professional responsibilities of a part-time instructor include, but are not limited to, the following : teaching a course(s), preparing appropriate course materials, and maintaining a professional educational environment.

The syllabus must include all policies and aspects of the course(s). Part-time instructors are required to maintain one scheduled office hour per week per course.

Curriculum responsibilities include assisting with designing, developing, writing, and revising course curricula and syllabi, assisting with ensuring intellectual integrity of curriculum and syllabi, and ensuring that all courses taught follow standard syllabus format.

The pay for teaching a 3-credit course is $7,500, paid on the last working day of each month of the term. Part-time faculty will have access to our Canvas Learning Management System, Zoom, University email, faculty resources on the Pitt portal, and the university libraries.

Qualifications : Required :

Required :

• Earned master's degree in education or a closely related field; for the master's level course, a master's degree plus 15 graduate-level credits is required.
• A background in adolescent literacy teaching and learning, disciplinary literacy, and also in special education and remedial reading instruction.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and justice
• Potential for or proven excellence in university-level teaching

Preferred :

Candidates with terminal degrees in the field of reading / literacy education and experience teaching literacy in secondary US classroom contexts are preferred.

Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. To apply for the position, please submit a resume / CV with a cover letter explaining your background and experience in literacy teacher education at https : / / www.join.pitt.edu / .

For questions about the position or School of Education, email Dr. Emily Rainey at [email protected]

The University of Pittsburgh is committed to championing all aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within our community.

This commitment is a fundamental value of the University and is crucial in helping us advance our mission, which includes attracting and retaining diverse workforces.

We will continue to create and maintain an environment that allows individuals to discover, belong, contribute, and grow, while honoring the experiences, perspectives, and unique identities of all.

The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity.

EOE, including disability / vets.

Please see job description

PI251282625