Deborah Alvarez is an Assistant Professor of English whose area of interest is adolescent composing and literacy processes. She teaches courses in English Language Arts methods and Composition for the English Department. For a look at recent student work from her English Language Arts methods course, visit www.english.udel.edu/teachlit for the latest unit plans and multi-cultural novels developed by the fall methods students.
During 2006, she had an opportunity to work with teachers who had survived Hurricane Katrina disaster. As a result, she has been conducting research on literacy, adolescents and trauma in various New Orleans schools. During the winter session 2007, she taught a course ENGL 300, Text and Context, the literature of disaster, with a service learning component in New Orleans for two weeks of the winter session semester. Ah, jambalaya, jazz and a little disaster in the Big Easy. Check out (http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2007/feb/katrina021507) for more information on the course and student responses.
Professor Alvarez is working with a colleague from the University of New Orleans to publish a collection of teacher and students stories about their experience with Hurricane Katrina. She has a blog for these stories: http://www.english.udel.edu/blogs/alvarez. She plans to use all of her New Orleans experiences and research for future publications on literacy, adolescents and learning after Katrina. |
