Leslie D. Roberts

Leslie D. Roberts is an assistant professor of reading in the Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading in the College of Education at Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus in Savannah, Georgia. Having been a middle school ELA teacher for five years, she realized how important intrinsic motivation was for her students’ success in reading. Her research focuses on reading motivation for students across grade levels, content areas, and ability levels through the use of discussion and book clubs. For this research, she was awarded the J. Estill Alexander Future Leaders in Literacy award for outstanding dissertation from the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER). Her research also spans the areas of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy with teachers in K-16, the use of young adult literature to promote social-emotional learning in the classroom, and the use of discussion with reading to promote motivation and an increased value of reading. Her co-edited book, Teaching Challenged and Challenging Topics in Diverse and Inclusive Literature: Addressing the Taboo in the English Classroom, was recently published in January, 2023.

Publications

Problematizing Niceness: A Teacher Educators' Learning Community on Culturally Responsive Teaching
Problematizing Niceness: A Teacher Educators' Learning Community on Culturally Responsive Teaching
Michelle Reidel, Peggy Shannon-Baker, Courtney Alexander Toledo, Kathleen M. Crawford, Leslie D. Roberts, Heather M. Huling, Delores D. Liston. © 2024. 21 pages.
Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) advocates for “teaching to and through” cultural diversity to improve learning, build relationships, mediate classroom power imbalances, and...
Young Adult Literature as a Means for Developing and Supporting Socio-Emotional Learning
Young Adult Literature as a Means for Developing and Supporting Socio-Emotional Learning
Rachelle S. Savitz, Leslie Dawn Roberts, Kim Ferrari, Steven Jernigan, Rachel Danielle Long. © 2021. 24 pages.
Addressing the social and emotional needs of students is not only vital, but it should be a priority for all teachers. Teaching social and emotional skills directly influences...