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College of Education

Think and Do The Extraordinary
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Think and Do The Extraordinary
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Angela Wiseman

Associate Professor, Literacy Education

Poe Hall 317C

919-513-0920

Bio

Angela Wiseman is a scholar in the field of literacy education with a research agenda that has focused on understanding classroom practices that promote an expanded view of literacy learning through multimodal, sociocultural and transactional theories of literacy. Dr. Wiseman’s teaching and research have been guided by the concepts of social justice and the importance recognizing students’ “funds of knowledge.” As a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist, her understanding of literacy learning is grounded in my classroom experiences and interactions with students in diverse urban and suburban settings.

Research Description

Dr. Wiseman's teaching and research have been guided by the concepts of social justice and the importance recognizing students’ “funds of knowledge”. Drawing on sociocultural theories, her current primary research explores how students’ literacy learning is enhanced through emphasis on cultural identity and personal understanding. Dr. Wiseman's research trajectory has a unique focus in the area of trauma studies, which addresses how children in a language arts classroom can share difficult stories that relate to topics such as abuse, poverty, or homelessness. Ultimately, her goal is to demonstrate how responses that build on students’ understanding and engagement lead to deeper and more complex understanding. This suggests that strong sociocultural context is foundational for understanding classroom teaching and learning.

Curriculum Vitae

Programs

Scholarly Publications

  • Wiseman, A. M. & Wissman, K. (in press). “We suffer more than you think”: Witnessing trauma in children’s poetry. 61st Literacy Research Association Yearbook.
  • Wiseman, A. M. (in press). Summer’s end and sad Goodbyes: Children’s picturebooks about death and dying. Children’s Literature in Education.
  • Wiseman, A. M. (2012). Resistance, engagement, and understanding: A profile of an emergent reader responding to readalouds in a kindergarten classroom. Reading Writing Quarterly, 28, p. 255-278.
  • Wiseman, A. M. (2011). Powerful students, powerful words: Students writing and learning in a poetry workshop. Literacy, 45 (2), p. 70-77.
  • Wissman, K. & Wiseman A. M. (2011). "That's my worst nightmare": Poetry and trauma in the middle school classroom. Pedagogies: An International Journal. 6(3), 234-249.
  • Wiseman, A. M. (2009). “When you do your best, there's someone to encourage you”: Adolescents’ views of family literacy. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(2), 132-142.

Research Areas