Michael W. Smith

Michael W. Smith is a professor at Temple University’s College of Education. He joined the ranks of college teachers after 11 years of teaching high school. In his research he analyzes the knowledge, skills, and dispositions experienced readers and writers need as well as what motivates adolescents’ reading and writing outside school. He uses these analyses to think about how to design more effective curricula and instruction. He has been Chair of the Literature Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association, co-Chair of the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research, and co-editor of Research in the Teaching of English. He was recently elected as a Fellow of the National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy. He received the 2003 David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English for his book "Reading Don't Fix No Chevys"; Literacy in the Lives of Young Men.

View Michael W. Smith's Resume/Vita, Publications and Workshops.

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Speaking Topics

Level: 6-16

• Teaching Literature and Writing
• Boys and Literacy
• Motivating Reluctant Readers and Writers
• Literacy Instruction Aligned with Common Core Standards, i.e.:
  • Putting argument to work both in school and out
  • Writing informational text to make things happen
  • Narrative writing to understand ourselves, others, and the world
• Curriculum Development and Alignment

Publications

• Fresh Takes on Teaching Literary Elements: How to Teach What Really Matters about Character, Setting, Point of View, and Theme
• Going with the Flow: How to Engage Boys (and Girls) in Their Literacy Learning
• "Reading Don't Fix No Chevys": The Role of Literacy in the Lives of Young Men

Workshops

Some of Michael's workshop titles include:

• Getting it Right: Fresh Approaches to Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Correctness
• 'I Just Want to Be Good At It': Helping Students Be More competent Readers and Writers 
• Gender and Literacy: Meeting the Needs of Boys and Girls in Grades 6-12, presented at Camas School District, WA
• Stategies to Improve the Literacy Gap, presented at North Stonington School, CT
• Going with the Flow in Litercy Learning
• Boys and Literacy
• Gender Literacy, presented at Lyme-Old Lyme School, CT (Keynote/Workshop)
• Going with the Flow:  Making Literacy Learning Like Life 
• Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys:  Literacy in the Lives of Young Men