EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY

RICHARD J. MEZESKE
Professor of Education
Elementary Education/Secondary Education
Department Chairperson

E-MAIL: rmezeske@hope.edu

B.A., Hope College, 1969
M.A., Michigan State University, 1978
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2000

TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES

Educ. 282 - Literacy II--Reading and Language Arts for Grades 3-6
Educ. 283 - Field Placement for Literacy II
Educ. 285 - Secondary Reading & Language Arts Across the Disciplines
Educ. 286 - Secondary Field Placement
English 373 - Literature for Children & Adolescents
English 375 - Ethnic American Literature for Children and Adolescents

PUBLICATIONS

Mezeske, R.J. & Mezeske, B.A., (eds.) (2007). Beyond tests and quizzes: Creative assessments in the college classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mezeske, R.J., (2007). Concept mapping: Assessing pre-service teachers' understanding and knowledge. In Mezeske, R.J., & Mezeske, B.A., (eds.) (2007). Beyond tests and quizzes: Creative assessments in the college classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mezeske, R.J., and Mezeske, B.A., (2007). Why creative assessments? In Mezeske, R.J., & Mezeske, B.A., (eds.) (2007). Beyond tests and quizzes: Creative assessments in the college classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mezeske, R.J. & B.A. Mezeske, (eds.) (2004). Finding our way: Teacher education reform in the liberal arts setting. New York: Peter Lang.

Mezeske, R.J. (2004). TE Reform: All this commotion and our place in it (Chapter One) in Mezeske, R.J. & B.A. Mezeske, (eds.). Finding our way: Teacher education reform in the liberal arts setting. New York: Peter Lang.

Mezeske, R.J. (2004). TE Reform: The Problems of translating teacher knowledge into teacher action in the reading classroom (Chapter Four) Mezeske, R.J. & B.A. Mezeske, (eds.). Finding our way: Teacher education reform in the liberal arts setting. New York: Peter Lang.

Mezeske, R.J. & J.A. Dell’Olio (2004). Evolution: Field Experience and Clinical Practice in Mezeske, R.J. & B.A. Mezeske, (eds.). Finding our way: Teacher education reform in the liberal arts setting. New York: Peter Lang.

Mezeske, R.J. (2001). Why examining case studies improves instructional practice. An assessment component of the Prentice Hall Literacy Cluster Website @ www.prenhall.com/literacy-cluster.

PRESENTATIONS

December, 2006, Old Eyes, New Eyes: professors collaborating to understand the literacy knowledge of preservice teachers through metaphorical concept mapping. National Reading Conference, Los Angeles, CA. Co-presetned wtih Laura Pardo, Hope College.

July, 2003, Raising Awareness/Thinking Critically-Teaching Ethnic American Literature for Young People. 13th European Congress on Reading, Tallinn, Estonia. Co-presented with J.A. Montano, Hope College.

July 2002, Assessing the literacy knowledge of pre-service teachers with concept maps. World Congress of Reading, International Reading Association, Edinburgh, Scotland.

September 2000. Two week residency in faculty development, active learning, and authentic assessment. Liverpool Hope University College, Liverpool, England.

AWARDS

January, 2004, The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Hope College, Holland, Michigan.

RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS

Teacher Knowledge and how that knowledge is translated into classroom action during reading instruction.

Cross-cultural literacy education.

Literature-based reading instruction.

Application and translation of reader response theory in the elementary and secondary literacy and content subject classrooms.

Policy decisions and issues which affect literacy instruction.

Alternative and authentic forms of assessment in literacy instruction.

The scope and impact of literature for children and adolescents on literacy learning.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Michigan Reading Association (MRA)
International Reading Association (IRA)
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)