Lowery, Ruth

Associate Professor, Children’s Literacy
School of Teaching and Learning
College of Education

University of Florida
2419 Norman Hall
PO Box 117048
Gainesville FL 32611
352-273-4233
Fax: 352-392-9193
rlowery@coe.ufl.edu

Research Biography

I am an associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning. I teach courses in literature for children and adolescents, multicultural education and teacher education. My research incorporates studies of students’ development in and responses to literature, the incorporation of multicultural literature in schools’ curricula for children and adolescents, West Indian immigrant populations and their adjustment in American schools, and preparing preservice teachers to teach diverse student populations. I currently serve on the Reading Commission Committee for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and on the Notable Books for a Global Society (NBGS) selection committee.

Degrees

Ph.D. – Pennsylvania State University, 1998, Curriculum and Instruction

M.Ed. – Florida Atlantic University, 1994, Elementary Education

B.A. – Florida Atlantic University, 1991, English Literature

Key Professional Appointments

Associate Professor, University of Florida, School of Teaching and Learning, 2004 – Present

Director, Bright Futures Mentoring Project, 2008-present

Coordinator, UF College of Education Holmes Scholars, 2008-present

Assistant Professor, University of Florida, School of Teaching and Learning, 1998 – 2004

Activities & Honors

Assistant Chair: Middle Level Steering Committee, National Council of Teachers of

English (NCTE), (2004-2006)

Co-chair: Florida Reading Association Children’s Book Award (2001-2004)

National Professional Association Service Award, National Council of Teachers of English (2006)

University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Recognized as a “Teachers making a difference” recipient (2004)

Florida Reading Association Award for service to organization: Co-chair, Children’s Book Award (2004)

Grants

Principal Investigator. (2007). Immigrants in children’s literature project. This project supported the infusion of international content in the Children’s Literature in Education (LAE 3005) curriculum and in further development of the Immigrants in children’s literature graduate course. Funding Source: Internationalizing the Curriculum Awards, University of Florida. $3,000

Principal Investigator: (2002). Integrating Technology into the Children’s Literature Curriculum. This project proposal supports the integration of technology into the Children’s and adolescent Literature curriculum. $3,000.

Selected Publications

Books

Lowery, R. M. (2000). Immigrants in children’s literature, New York: Peter Lang.

Refereed Journal Articles

Lowery, R. M. & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: Making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 49-53.

Adams, T. L. & Lowery, R.M. (2007). An analysis of children’s strategies for reading mathematics. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 23(2), 161-177.

Lowery, R. M. & Brown, D. (2006). Beyond paper and pen: Using technology to enhance readers’ responses to children’s literature. Dragon Lode, 24(2), 37-41.

Lowery, R. M., Sabis-Burns, D. & Brown, S. (2005). Preparing preservice teachers to create positive learning environments in culturally diverse classrooms. Pennsylvania Teacher Educator, 9, 6-12.

Lamme, L. L., Fu, D. & Lowery, R. M. (2004). Immigrants as portrayed in children’s picture books. The Social Studies, 95(3), 123-129.

Pace, B. G., Lowery, R. M. & Lamme, L. L. (2004). Not like us: Using picture books to talk about relational bullying. Multicultural Perspectives, 6(2), 34-37.

Lowery, R. M. (2003). Daycare book-a-thon: Preservice teachers enhancing the reading experience of preschool children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(3), 171-175.