Susan Britsch
Professor
Literacy & LanguageCurriculum and Instruction
- Ph.D. — Education, University of California, Berkeley (1992)
- M.A. — Linguistics, with distinction, California State University, Fresno (1980)
- B.A. — French and English, summa cum laude, California State University, Fresno (1977)
- 2007 – Present
Professor
Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 1997 – 2007
Associate Professor
Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 1992 – 1997
Assistant Professor
Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 1996
Visiting Assistant Professor
Graduate School of Education, Division of Language, Literacy and Culture
University of California, Berkeley, CA
- 1987 – 1992
Nursery School Teacher
The Gay Austin School, Berkeley, CA
English Language Learning, multimodal discourse analysis, visual literacy, children’s digital photography and science learning in early childhood.
Selected Publications
- Britsch, S. (2016) Teaching word patterns to beginning English Learners. Young Children, 71(2), 70-77.
- Shepardson, D. * & Britsch, S. * (2015). Mediating meaning in the social world of the science classroom. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 19(4).
Available at: http://ejse.southwestern.edu/article/view/8256
- Britsch, S. (2013). Visual language and science understanding: A brief tutorial for teachers. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 36(1), 17-27.
- Britsch, S.J. (2012). Image as language: Teacher-created photographs and visual literacy for English language learning. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(2), 113-121.
Available online at: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ajec
- Britsch, S. (2010). Photo-booklets for English language learning: Incorporating visual communication into early childhood teacher preparation. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(3), 171-177.
- Britsch, S. (2009). Differential discourses: The contribution of visual analysis to defining scientific literacy in the early years classroom. Visual Communication, 8(2), 207-228.
- Britsch, S. (2009). ESOL educators and the experience of visual literacy. TESOL Quarterly, 43(4), 710-721.
- Shepardson, D. P. & Britsch, S. J. (2006). Zones of interaction: Differential access to elementary science discourse. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43 (5), 443-466.
- Britsch, S. J. (2005). “But what did they learn?”: Clearing third spaces in virtual dialogues with children. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 5 (2), 99-130.
- Britsch, S. J. (2005). The multimodal mediation of power in the discourses of preschool story designers. TEXT, 25 (3), 305-340.
Projects
- Digital Photography and Science for Early Childhood English Learners
Principal Investigator: Professor Susan J. Britsch, Literacy and Language Education, Purdue University. Funded by: Non-laboratory Research Infrastructure and Equipment Program, Purdue University.
- Multimodal Dramatic Play and Literacy Development in Preschoolers
Principal Investigator: Professor Susan J. Britsch, Literacy and Language Education, Purdue University. Funded by: Non-laboratory Research Infrastructure and Equipment Program, Purdue University.
- The Development of Scientific Literacy in Learners of English as a New Language
Principal Investigator: Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Susan J. Britsch, Literacy & Language Education & Professor Daniel Shepardson, Elementary Science Education/Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, Purdue University.
- Children’s literacy and science project (CLASP)
Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Susan J. Britsch, Literacy & Language Education, Purdue University, & Professor Daniel P. Shepardson, Elementary Science Education/Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Science. Purdue University. Funded by Toyota USA Foundation.
- EDCI 37000 — Teaching English as a New Language
- EDCI 51900 — Teaching English Language Learners
- EDCI 52400 — Bilingual/Bicultural Education
- EDCI 52600 — Language Study for Educators
- EDCI 61400 — Emerging and Developing Literacy
