Dr. Elizabeth Bemiss

• Position: Associate Professor
• Department: School of Education
• Office Location: Building 85, Room 185
• ebemiss@uwf.edu
• Campus: 850.474.2732
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Biography

Dr. Elizabeth McCall Bemiss received both a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy and a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Qualitative Research from the University of South Carolina in 2016.

An authority on reading, she teaches such courses as Literacy for the Emergent Learner and the Organization and Administration of Reading Programs.

Her research has covered the nature of teacher identity construction, supplemental reading interventions, international children’s literature, and book clubs for youth who are incarcerated. Her work has been published in Comprehensive Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices (3^rd edition), The Dragon Lode, and Reading Buddies: A School-University Partnership. She also has written several book reviews for Language Arts.

Bemiss earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Winthrop University and a M.Ed. in English Education: Children’s Literature and Language Arts from the University of Georgia. She began her career teaching elementary school in North Carolina for eight years, during which she was recognized as an Outstanding First Year Teacher and Teacher of the Year before becoming a National Board-Certified Teacher for early and middle childhood reading and language arts.

Degrees & Institutions

Bemiss received her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Winthrop University, and her master's degree in English Education from the University of Georgia. She went on to earn a Certificate of Graduate Studies and a doctorate degree in Language and Literacy from the University of South Carolina.

Publications

Published Refereed Journal Articles

• Bemiss, E. & Alvarado, P. (2015). Learning without borders: International children’s literature as a means to expand our world. The Dragon Lode, 33(2), 69-81.

Articles Under Review

• Styslinger, M., Bemiss, E., Blitz, S., Byrd, A., Doyle, J., Gay, C., Hartness, D., Hostetler , K., Speece, L., & Walker, N. (under review). Reader positioning and power: Book clubs with incarcerated youth. English Teaching: Practice and Critique.

Book Chapters

• Doyle, J., Bemiss, E., & Styslinger, M. (in press). The places we can go: Book clubs for social justice. In M. Styslinger, K. Gavigan, & K. Albright (Eds.), Reading Buddies: A School-University Partnership. Rowman & Littlefield.
• MacPhee, D., Bemiss, E., & Stephens, D. (2015). Research on response-to-intervention supplemental interventions: Where’s the comprehension instruction? In S.R. Parris & K. Headley (Eds.), Comprehension Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices (3rd ed.) (pp. 162-174). New York: The Guilford Press.

Book Reviews

• Bemiss, E. (2015). Review of the book Close Reading of Informational Texts: Assessment Driven Instruction in Grades 3-8, by Sunday Cummins. Language Arts, 92(4).
• Bemiss, E., Hanko, J. & Robbins, J. (2015). Review of the book Doing Critical Literacy: Texts and Activities for Students and Teachers, by Hillary Janks, Kerryn Dixon, Ana Ferreira, Stella Granville, and Denise Newfield. Language Arts, 92(3).
• Bemiss, E. (2014). Review of the book Finding Joy in Teaching Students of Diverse Backgrounds: Culturally Responsive and Socially Just Practices in U.S. Classrooms, by Sonia Nieto. Language Arts, 92(1).
• Bemiss, E. (2014). Review of the book Supporting Students in a Time of Common Core Standards: English Language Arts, Grades 3-5, by Jeff Williams, Elizabeth C. Homan, and Sarah Swofford. Language Arts, 91(4).
• Whitecotton, E., Alvarado, P., & Bemiss, E. (2014). Review of the book Pathways to the Common Core, by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. Language Arts, 91(4).

Keywords: literacy for emergent learners, pre-service teacher identity, reading, book clubs for youth who are incarcerated, international children’s literature, RTI supplemental interventions, children’s literature, children’s language arts