University of Lethbridge

About Me

Robin Bright on ResearchGate

Biography

Degree	Field	Institution	Year Granted
Ph.D.	Communications and Social Foundations	University of Victoria, BC	1993
M.Ed.	Language Education	University of Lethbridge, AB	1988
B.Ed.	French Language Education	University of Lethbridge, AB	1981
B.A.	Modern Languages	University of Lethbridge, AB and L'Universite de Sherbrooke, PQ	1979

Robin M. Bright is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta. She is the Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education for 2021-2022.

A teacher, researcher, literacy leader, award-winning author, and former elementary school teacher, Robin's passion for children's development as readers and writers drew her to a life of researching language and literacy in school and home settings. Robin learned much from her school teaching colleagues including the understanding that, "teachers at all levels of education have more in common than we think" (Palmer, 1998, p. 6). Robin teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of Early Childhood/Elementary/Middle Education, Reading, Writing, and Children's and Young Adult Literature.

She is the author of several books including Sometimes Reading is Hard: Using Decoding, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Strategies to Inspire Fluent, Passionate, Lifelong Readers (2021), Language and Literacy: Content and Teaching Strategies (2018, 7th Ed.), Write Through the Grades: Teaching Writing in the Secondary Grades (2007), and Write From the Start: Writers Workshop for the Primary Grades (2002). Her research has appeared in the Journal of Reading Education (twice acknowledged with the Outstanding Article Award), Canadian Children, The Canadian Journal of English Language Arts, Alberta English, The Writing Teacher, English Quarterly, and the Journal of Teacher Education. Her previous book From Your Child's Teacher won the Parent's Guide Award.

Robin was recognized with the University of Lethbridge Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005 and as the Board of Governors Teaching Chair from 2010-2012. Working with the Teaching Centre at the University of Lethbridge, she and her colleagues were instrumental in bringing the Instructional Skills workshops to the campus. She is an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) leader and a Facilitators' Development Workshop (FDW) leader committed to the scholarship of teaching and supporting teaching development across campus.

Selected Publications

BOOKS

Bright, R. (2021). Sometimes reading is hard: Using decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies to inspire fluent, passionate, lifelong readers. Scarborough, ON: Pembroke Publishers.

Tompkins, G., Bright, R., & Winsor, P. (2019). Language Arts: Patterns of Practice (1st through 7th Ed.). Scarborough, ON: Pearson Education.

Bright, R. (2007). Write through the grades: Teaching writing in secondary schools. Winnipeg, MB: Portage & Main Press.

Bright, R. (2003). Shkrimi: nga e para. Pristina, Kosovo: Canadian International Development Agency. (Original work published in 2002)

Bright R. (2002). Write from the start: Writer's workshop in the primary grades. Winnipeg, MN: Portage & Main Press.

Bright, R., McMullin, L., Platt, D. (1998). From your child's teacher: Helping a child learn to read and write. (Forward by Senator Joyce Fairbairn.) Edmonton, AB: FP Hendriks Publishing Co. (Winner of the Parent Guide to Literacy Resources.)

Bright, R. (1995). Writing instruction in the intermediate grades: What is said, what is done, what is understood. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

CHAPTERS IN BOOKS

Slomp, D., Bright, R., Pelech, S., Steed, M. (2017). Writing in Teacher Education: From Genre Analysis to Program Redesign. Writing Assignments: A Disciplinary Perspective. Inkshed Publications.

Bright, R. and Smith, B. (2014). Critical thinking and writing informational texts in a grade three classroom. In L. Shedkestsky & J. Beaudry (Eds.) Cases on Teaching Critical Thinking through Visual Representation Strategies. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Bright, R. (2012). Why teach writing? In K. James, T. Dobson, & C. Leggo (Eds.) English in middle and secondary classrooms: Creative and critical advice from Canadian teacher educators. Scarborough: Pearson Education.

Bright, R. (2004). What girls do: Bullying and Adolescence. In E. Donaldson (Ed) Coming of Age Stories: Girls and Women in Alberta, (pp. 163-172). Calgary, AB: Detselig Enterprises.

Hasebe-Ludt, E., Bright R., Chambers, C., Fowler, L., Pollard, M., and Winsor, P. (2003). What are the new literacies? Writing and teaching and living with the questions. In G. R. Erickson and A. Clarke (Ed.), Teacher inquiry: Living the research in everyday practice, (pp. 103-114). London: Routledge Falmer.

REFEREED JOURNALS

Bright, R. and Loman, M. (2020). Do Books Make a Difference? The Effects of an Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Grant and Teacher Professional Learning on Motivation for Reading in a Middle School. Language & Literacy, Vol. 22(2), pp. 17-41.

Bright, R. and Mattatall, C. (2019). Teaching for the Future in Alberta: The Impact of a New Teaching Quality Standard on Practicum Supervision. Conference Proceedings, 12th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville, Spain.

Mattatall, R., Bright, R., Gunn, T., Grigg, N., Loewen, C. (2017). Are We as Good as We Think We Are? Student Teachers' Views of Their Practicum Experiences in a Canadian Teacher Education Program. Conference Proceedings, 10th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville, Spain.

Bright, R. (2014). A middle school literacy initiative: Assessing and supporting students' motivation for reading. Reading in the Middle, 6(2), 3-13.

Bright, R. and Bright, A. (2013). Why teens read: The case for imaginative realism. Alberta Voices. 10(1), 4-12.

Bright, R., and Dyck, M. (2011). It hurt big time: Rural adolescents' experiences with cyberbullying. NORTHWEST PASSAGE: Journal of Educational Practices, Vol. 9(2), 104-116.

Bright, R. (2006). Literacy backpacks in teacher education: Launching support for family literacy. Journal of Reading Education, Vol. 31(2), pp. 24-34.

Dyck, M., Gabriele, T., Maxwell, T., and Bright, R. (2005). Teaching social skills in grade seven physical education. Avante, Vol. 11(2), pp. 95-108.

Bright, R. (2005). Just a grade eight girl thing: Towards understanding bullying, gender and schools. Journal of Gender and Education, Vol. 17(1), pp. 93-101.

Bright, R. (2004). Compliance and resistance in elementary students' writing. English Quarterly, Vol. 35(3,4), pp 17-23.

Selected Creative Works

Research Interests

Dr. Bright's research interests include: Language and Literacy, Early Childhood/Elementary/Middle School Education, Reading, Writing, Children's and Young Adult Literature/Canadian Children's Literature in Schools, and Gender in Education. She is also interested in the use and understanding of New Literacies/Digital Reading and Post-Secondary Pedagogy for Language and Literacy Preservice Teachers.

Current Research and Creative Activity

Title	Location	Grant Information	Principal Investigator	Co Researchers
Combating Racism towards Indigenous Peoples through the Inclusion of Indigenous Perspectives in the Classroom: Bachelor of Education Programs and Schools Working Together	Alberta	Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant, $99,997, 2021-2025.	Patricia J. Danyluk, University of Calgary	University of Lethbridge, University of Alberta, Mount Royal University, Ambrose University, St. Mary's University, The King's University, Concordia University
Field Experiences Assessment Project and Teaching Quality Standard	Alberta	Alberta Education, $160,400, 2018-2020.	Amy Burns, University of Calgary	Alberta Teacher Education Post-Secondary Programs
Innovation in Teacher Education: Teaching Quality Standard	Alberta	Alberta Education, $88,000, 2018-2021.	Robin M. Bright, University of Lethbridge	Chris Mattatall, University of Lethbridge
Middle school literacy: A three-year study of the impact of an Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Grant on student engagement and motivation for reading and teachers' perceptions of themselves as teachers of reading	Alberta	Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies (AACES), $6039.00, 2016-2018. Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies (AACES), $6039.00, 2016-2018.	Robin M. Bright, University of Lethbridge	Michele Loman, University of Lethbridge

Internet Links

Literacy Research Centre, University of Lethbridge