Rosamund Stooke, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
My research spans the fields of Language and Literacy Education and Early Childhood Education and Care.
I am currently collaborating with Pamela McKenzie and Lynne McKechnie at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies on a SSHRC funded observational study of community programs for very young children and their caregivers. We have observed what goes on in a variety of programs with a view to documenting the educational work of parents, early childhood educators and other practitioners who support the education of young children and their families. An important component of our analysis is to explicate how early childhood education and care work gets coordinated to support young children’s literacy development and to prepare young children for school. We also aim to identify ways that educators and other practitioners who work with young children can foster inclusive and supportive programs for young children and equitable partnerships with families.
A second research interest focuses on literacy learning in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. In one study I employed multimodal storytelling activities to foster young children’s pretend play activities. I am also affiliated with another SSHRC funded project in which university-based researchers led by Dr. Kelleen Toohey and teacher researchers in the Greater Vancouver area are exploring the affordances of multiliteracies pedagogies in culturally and linguistically diverse grade four to seven classrooms.
Before taking up an academic career I worked as a teacher in elementary and adult education, as a family literacy facilitator and as a children’s librarian in public libraries. I hold an M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies, a Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) and a PhD. in Educational Studies from the University of Western Ontario.
At the Faculty of Education I teach Elementary Language Arts and Children’s Literature in the Preservice Program. In the Graduate Program I teach Introduction to Curriculum (580) and The Development of Literacy in Young Children (586). I have also developed and taught courses in School Librarianship, Curriculum in the Early Primary Grades, Library Reference Services and Children’s Library Services.
