Diane Lapp
Diane Lapp, EdD, Distinguished Professor of Education in the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University, has taught in elementary, middle school, and currently in high school as an 11th & 12th grade English teacher. Her major areas of research and instruction regard issues related to struggling readers and writers who live in economically deprived urban settings, their families, and their teachers. Dr. Lapp who directs and teaches field based preservice and graduate programs and courses was the coeditor of California’s literacy journal The California Reader from 1999-2007. She has also authored, coauthored and edited many articles, columns, texts, handbooks and children’s materials on reading and language arts issues. These include the following: Teaching Reading to Every Child, a reading methods textbook in its fourth edition; A second methods text, Content Reading& Learning (3rd.ed.), Accommodating Language Differences Among English Language Learners: 75 Strategy Lessons (2nd edition) The Handbook of Research in Teaching the English Language Arts, (2nd.ed) The Handbook of Research on Teaching Literacy Through the Communicative and Visual Arts (Vol. 1 &2) and Handbook of Research on Literacy Instruction: Issues of Diversity, Policy, and Equity. She has also chaired and co chaired several IRA and NRC committees. Her many educational awards include being named as the Outstanding Teacher Educator and Faculty Member in the Department of Teacher Education at SDSU, the Distinguished Research Lecturer from SDSU’s Graduate Division of Research, and IRA’s 1996 Outstanding Teacher Educator of the Year. Dr. Lapp is also a member of both the California and the International Reading Halls of Fame. She can be reached at lapp@mail.sdsu.edu.
Personal Information
I grew up in Warren, Ohio so I have a special fondness for the Great Lakes States. My education after high school was gained at Ohio Northern University, Western Michigan University, and Indiana University. I have had a very happy professional life because I knew since I was a young girl that I wanted to be a teacher and a writer. Given all of the careers that are available to women today, my choice would still be teaching, studying teaching, and writing about it from many vantage points.
Education
Ed.D. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Cognates: Reading/Language and Curriculum
M.A. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Cognates: Reading Education and Educational Psychology
B.S. Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio
Cognate: Elementary Education
Current Activities
(a) Professional assignment:
At SDSU I direct field based preservice teacher education cohorts of students during their preparation to become teachers. Within this assignment I have an opportunity to teach literacy education methods courses. In addition to modeling how to teach students to read, write, and expand their spoken home discourses I also try to emphasize the power the teacher has, through actions and words, to create a sense of motivation and self efficacy for students. I also teach masters and doctoral courses and have chaired many doctoral studies at SDSU. Before joining the SDSU faculty I was a professor at Boston University where I had similar professional roles.
At Health Sciences High and Middle College (HSHMC) I am a member of the English faculty. I am also developing a tutoring program between a neighborhood elementary school and HSHMC. The goal of this program is to expand the literacies of both groups of students with a primary focus on vocalized language. I am excited about this opportunity because I will spend time at both schools and have opportunities to teach both elementary and high school students and work closely with the teachers at each. Additionally, at HSHMC I also teach students in the Academic Recovery program which is our Response to Intervention initiative.
(b) Research interests, special projects, etc.:
My major areas of research and instruction regard issues related to struggling readers and writers and their families who live in economically deprived urban settings. My research and publication continue to focus on expanding the personal ideologies and linguistic prowess of students who struggle in school for a myriad of reasons because of their non-mainstream experiences, languages, and literacy needs. As both a teacher educator and a classroom teacher I have the opportunity to provide instruction that supports and expands the existing literacies of students while also preparing teachers who realize that their classrooms will be filled with students who have varied strengths and needs and it is their responsibility and opportunity to teach each of them.
Professional Teaching Experience
San Diego State University, College of Education - Program in Reading and Language Development
Distinguished Professor of Education 2005-present
Tenured Professor 1981-2005
Tenured Associate Professor 1979-1981
Visiting Guest Lecturer 1978-1979
Boston University , School of Education - Division of Reading and Language Development
Tenured Associate Professor 1975-1978
Assistant Professor 1970-1975
Indiana University - Department of Reading and Language Development
Teaching Fellow
Oxford, Ohio - Elementary/Middle School Teacher
Kalamazoo, Michigan - Elementary/Middle School Teacher
San Diego, CA-High School English Teacher
University Courses Taught
Graduate Courses
Classroom Organization and Management
Computer Assisted Reading Instruction
Diagnosis and Assessment of Reading Disabilities
Evaluation and Instructional Design
Issues in Curriculum Development
Literacy and Language
Methods of Teaching Language Arts
Methods of Teaching Reading
Methods of Teaching Secondary and Adult Reading Instruction
Psychological Processes of Reading
Psychology of the Young Adult
Research in the English Language Arts
Research in Reading
Supervision of Teachers of Reading and Language Arts
Techniques for Individualizing Classroom Instruction
Writing as a Language Process
Master Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation
Undergraduate Courses
Methods of Teaching Elementary Reading and Language Arts
Secondary Reading Methods
Introduction to Education
Curriculum Development
Introduction to Educational Psychology
Student Teaching Supervision