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I began my career as a classroom teacher in rural Nebraska
working with students in grades 4-6. As a new teacher, I became
interested in the intellectual and emotional development of
adolescents who struggled with reading, especially those youth who
lost their motivation to read and succeed in school. I pursued this
interest by studying 9-12th grade students in several discipline
area classrooms in Georgia and Indiana; this interest continues to
guide my current research endeavors in Minnesota.
My scholarship
focuses on the literacy practices of teachers and learners in K-12
schools; motivation and its role in literacy learning; and the sociocultural and historical contexts shaping literacy events and
participants’ lives. I also research the preparation of preservice
literacy teachers. I have published 4 books including Kids InSight:
Reconsidering how to meet the literacy needs of all students, the
foundation book for the International Reading Association’s (IRA)
Kids InSight Series. I have published several articles in journals
including the American Educational Research Journal, Reading
Research Quarterly, National Reading Conference Yearbook,
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal
of Educational Research, Journal of Research in the Teaching of
Science, Reading Teacher, and Journal of Reading. My research has
been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Spencer
Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the U. S. Department of
Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.
Outreach and service are key components of my professional life. I
work with literacy colleagues at the state and local levels in
Minnesota and nationally/internationally. I have served as president
of the National Reading Conference, former vice chair of the English
Language Arts Early and Middle Childhood Standards Committee of the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and former
editor of the IRA Kids InSight Series, Associate Editor of The
Reading Teacher, and associate editor of the Journal of Research in
Science Teaching. I am currently the chair of IRA’s Studies and
Research Subcommittee.
Teaching is an important part of my work. I
enjoy teaching and involving graduate students in my research
projects. I have been honored with two teaching awards, one at the
university level for my work preparing preservice literacy teachers,
and a second award at the departmental level for my work with
graduate students in the area of qualitative research methodology
(both awarded at Purdue). In 2004 I was awarded the College of
Education Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award at the University of
Georgia. Listed below are selected publications and courses I teach.
Selected publications
Vagle, M. D., Dillon, D. R., Davison-Jenkins, J. LaDuca, B.,
& Olson, V. (in press, 2006). Redesigning literacy preservice education at four
institutions: A three-year collaborative project. Fifty-fifth yearbook of the
national reading conference. Milwaukee, WI: The National Reading
Conference.
Moje, E. B., & Dillon, D. R. (2006). Adolescent
identities as mediated by science classroom discourse communities.
In D. E. Alvermann, K. A. Hinchman, D. W. Moore, S. F. Phelps, & D.
R. Waff (Eds.), Reconceptualizing adolescent literacy, 2nd
edition (pp. 85-106). Mahwah, New Jersey: Erlbaum.
Dillon, D. R. (2005). There and back again:
Qualitative research in literacy education. Reading Research
Quarterly, 40, 106-110.
Dillon, D. R., O'Brien, D. G., & Heilman, E.
(2004). Literacy research in the next millennium: From paradigms to
pragmatism and practicality. In R. Ruddell & K. Unrau (Eds.),
Theoretical models and processes of reading, 5th edition.
Newark, DE: International Reading Association. [Reprinted from
Reading Research Quarterly]
Dillon, D. R. (2003). In leaving no child behind
have we forsaken individual learners, teachers, schools, and
communities? Yearbook of the national reading conference
(pp.1-31). Milwaukee, WI: The National Reading Conference.
Young, J. P. Y., Dillon, D. R., & Moje, E.
(2002). Shape-shifting portfolios: Millennial youth, literacies, and
the game of life. In D. E. Alvermann (Ed.). New literacies and
digital technologies: A focus on adolescent learners (pp.
114-131). New York: Peter Lang. [Reviewed in Teachers College Record
Vol. 106, No. 2, 2004; and JLR , Vol. 36, No. 4, Winter 2004/2005].
Selected courses taught
- CI 5434—Professional Development and
Evolving Practice in K-12 Reading (a course in the K-12 Reading
Licensure Program)
- CI 8148—Conducting Qualitative Studies in
Educational Contexts
- CI 8470—The Role of Motivation in Engaged
Reading and Writing
Featured research and outreach
Updated September 2006
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