Sharon Pratt

Sharon Pratt

Assistant Professor, Literacy and Elementary Education

Year of Hire: 2014

Education:

                Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education: Mount Mercy College

                Master’s of Arts in Literacy Instruction and Curriculum: University of Northern Iowa

                Doctor of Education in Teaching and Learning: Liberty University

Welcome Note:

Coming from a background of teaching literacy and mathematics in an elementary school for 11 years, I have a passion to prepare teachers who are effective and compassionate.  Building a solid understanding in what literacy involves and learning evidence-based instructional practices to guide our K-12 students to become more literate are the goals of any course that I teach.  I look forward to the journey that I share with students as they prepare to become teachers who are world-changers!

Dr. Pratt's Biography:

Dr. Sharon Pratt joined the School of Education at Indiana University Northwest in 2014. She primarily teaches literacy methods courses for the Teaching All Learners Elementary Education Program. She holds an Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning from Liberty University and an M.A. in Literacy Instruction and Curriculum from the University of Northern Iowa.

As a faculty member and advisor for the pre-service teachers who enter the Elementary Education program, Dr. Pratt enjoys building relationships with students throughout their teacher preparation journey. Coming from her background of teaching elementary school children for 11 years, Dr. Pratt is passionate about preparing teachers who are effective and compassionate. She has also mentored undergraduate and graduate students in educational research, including designing field instruments and collecting and analyzing data of elementary students’ reading.

Her research interests primarily center around metacognition within literacy, including how early readers self-monitor their reading, the types of metacognitive strategies readers use when reading multimodal science books, and preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers in using think-aloud practices within literacy instruction. Her research has been published in several journals, including Reading Psychology, Reading Teacher, and Reading Horizons.

Dr. Pratt’s current service activities include serving as Secretary of the Indiana State Literacy Association and President of the Northwest Indiana Literacy Council, both of which are connected to the International Literacy Association.  These service opportunities afford connections with state and local teachers who share an interest in literacy, and provide a way to connect IU Northwest School of Education students and graduates with teachers in the region.  Dr. Pratt is also involved in service within the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, including the Research Award Committee and writing for the Ten-Year Retrospective.