Program Overview
The Wake Forest Center for Literacy Education sponsors professional learning for K-12 educators. These courses are intended to bring literacy to life for local public school teachers and school leaders and to help educators apply what they’ve learned to their own classroom and school environments.
Using a lifelong learning approach through short enrichment courses taught by Wake Forest faculty, staff, and community partners, these non-credit bearing courses focus on meaningful professional learning around topics in literacy education designed specifically for K-12 teachers and administrators.
Course descriptions and registration information can be found below. Registration is required, and seats are limited. Participants will be contacted within a week of registering to learn if they have a reserved seat or if they have been waitlisted for the course. All courses will meet in person at the locations provided; hybrid and online options are not available.
A certificate of completion will be provided for submission to your school, district, or agency to request CEU credit. Please refer all questions to CLE@wfu.edu.
Course Descriptions & Registration
Instructors:
Amanda Kaufman, Learning and Instructional Services Librarian, Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University
Colleen Foy, Research and Instruction Librarian, Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Times: 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Instructional Contact Hours: 6
Available Seats: 30
Location: TBA
Address: TBA
Teaching Information Literacy in Secondary Schools will focus on integrating research skills into the high school curriculum across content areas. This course is intended to help teachers navigate the continued need for traditional research instruction (e.g., topic development, developing a search strategy, source evaluation, plagiarism and citation) with modern developments and challenges such as artificial intelligence tools, personal algorithms, and social media-based pseudoscience. This teacher professional learning course will focus on preparing students for research after high school, whether that involves college-level writing, research in the workforce, or personal inquiry in their daily lives.
Amanda Kaufman is the Learning and Instructional Services Librarian at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University. Amanda graduated from Kansas State University in 2009 with a BA in English. She received a master’s degree in library science from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2012 and a master’s degree in Educational Studies from Wake Forest University in 2023.
Colleen Foy is the Research and Instruction Librarian for the Sciences at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University. Colleen graduated from Auburn University with a BS in Health & Exercise Science in 1999. She received a master’s degree in library and information studies from UNC-Greensboro in 2021.
Instructor:
Laurie Schaefer, Chair, NC Council on the Holocaust; Instructional Assistant, Wake Forest Department of Education
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Times: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Instructional Contact Hours: 5
Available Seats: 30
Location: TBA
Address: TBA
In Unpacking Propaganda: Education and Indoctrination in the Third Reich, teachers in middle and high school are invited to participate in this detailed study of Nazi propaganda and the education system under the Third Reich, which employed propaganda to indoctrinate the youth of Germany. Using a lens of media literacy, teachers will learn how to lead students through lessons that analyze propaganda and how it was used to manipulate those most susceptible to it: the children of Nazi, Germany.
Laurie Schaefer is a retired teacher and department chair from Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. For twenty-nine years, she taught English II and then began teaching electives such as Speech and Debate I and II, and Social Injustice: The Holocaust and Modern Day Genocide. During her tenure at Mount Tabor, Laurie was also the webmaster, English Department Chair, mentor for beginning teachers, and sponsored two clubs. During her teaching career, she also led international trips for students and teachers for twenty-five years, visiting thirty-one countries. Her passion for Holocaust education led her to become a Museum Teacher Fellow in 2006 with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and she was appointed to the NC Council on the Holocaust in 2017 by NC State Senator Phil Berger. She is a member of the curriculum team for the NC Council on the Holocaust where she leads professional development and helped write the ELA state curriculum resources for the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act.
Instructor:
Dr. Joan Mitchell, Visiting Assistant Professor of English Education, Department of Education, Wake Forest University
Dates: TBA (Spring 2026)
Times: TBA
Instructional Contact Hours: TBA
Available Seats: TBA
Location: TBA
Crafting a Writing Identity explores the role of self-perception in the act of writing by asking, “Do you consider yourself a writer?” Decades of classroom practice and research have revealed that the majority of people, even those who are able writers, are reluctant to claim the title. The instructor’s experiences teaching at the high school and college level have affirmed these collective insecurities to be firmly entrenched. The roots of the writing identity crisis are complex, but they are influenced by highly-structured writing instruction, limited agency, and narrow views of what counts as writing. During this course, we will interrogate these influences by using writing research and theory to give language to the experiences that have hindered our writing lives. By examining model texts, practicing in writers’ notebooks, experimenting with various writing genres, finding our writing voices, and sharing with writing communities, we will expand our definition of “writers” to include ourselves. And, like the airplane oxygen mask metaphor, once we have secured a sense of our own writing identities, we are better equipped to help our students find theirs as well.
Dr. Joan Mitchell is Visiting Assistant Professor in English Education at Wake Forest University. She is a proud alumnus of Wake Forest where she received her BA in English and her MAEd in English education before earning her doctorate at the University of Alabama. Dr. Mitchell is a former high school English teacher who now serves as the secondary education director and English education coordinator in the Department of Education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in writing pedagogy and English methods and supervises secondary student teachers during their internships. Her research focus is the pedagogy of revision and its impact on student writing. She is the co-author of the English education textbook Bridging English (6th ed.) and has published articles in various education journals and texts. As a regular presenter at both national and state conferences, Dr. Mitchell’s sessions have examined topics such as examining inequities in students’ opportunity to learn, embracing young adult literature, revitalizing nonfiction in the classroom, teaching effective revision strategies, and developing students’ writing identities.
Instructor: Dr. Brook Davis, Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance, Wake Forest University
Dates: TBA
Times: TBA
Instructional Contact Hours: TBA
Available Seats: TBA
Location: TBA
It’s Greek to Me: Teaching Shakespeare to Fearful and Reluctant People is led by a teacher who was once fearful and reluctant herself. This course will give you background, tips, and activities for making Shakespeare more user friendly for students of all ages. Sessions will include information on Shakespeare’s life and times; some basic strategies for reading, watching, and performing Shakespeare; and a look at Shakespearean performance and interpretation throughout the ages. This is a perfect course for the Shakespeare beginner as well as the Bard enthusiast.
Dr. Brook Davis joined the Wake Forest University Department of Theatre and Dance in 1997 and regularly teaches Introduction to Theatre, Dramatic Literature, Acting One, and Theatre in Education. She also directs for WFU and professionally. Brook’s research interests include theatre pedagogy; 20th and 21st Century American dramatic literature; and practitioner, educator and playwright, Constance D’Arcy Mackay. In 2000, Brook developed the Theatre in Education class that partners Theatre and Education students and places them in public school classrooms to assist teachers with theatrical, curriculum-based lesson plans.
Instructor: Brian Li, Mathematics and Finance Teacher, Providence Day School
Dates: TBA
Times: TBA
Instructional Contact Hours: TBA
Available Seats: TBA
Location: TBA
Do you ever feel overwhelmed navigating your personal finances — or unsure how to prepare your students for the financial world ahead? You’re not alone, and this workshop, Smart Steps: Financial Freedom for Educators…and the Students they Teach, is here to help. Join us for an interactive, hands-on session designed specifically for educators. You’ll learn the “financial order of operations” — a clear, step-by-step approach to making smart money decisions, from budgeting and debt payoff to investing and retirement planning. But we won’t stop there. You’ll also explore how to adapt these same principles to empower your students — whether in the classroom, advisory time, or informal conversations — so they can start building strong financial habits early. Through engaging activities, relatable scenarios, and practical strategies, you’ll walk away with: (1) A personalized financial roadmap you can apply immediately in your own life; (2) Ready-to-use tools and examples to introduce financial literacy concepts to students; (3) Confidence to model and mentor smart money behavior in your school community. This is financial literacy that starts with you — and extends to the next generation. Let’s take the smart steps together.
Brian Li was born in Boston and raised in the South. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 2003 with a double major in mathematics and anthropology. After graduation, he embarked on his next adventure—teaching in Charlotte, North Carolina. Following a year at a local high school, ‘B. Li’ joined the Providence Day School community in 2004, where he has been teaching math and finance ever since. His passions include reading, weightlifting, and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion through financial literacy. Most importantly, he enjoys spending time with his family. Recently, Brian has presented on the importance of financial literacy at major conferences such as the NAIS People of Color Conference, NAIS THRIVE – The Annual Conference, the NYSAIS Diversity Practitioners Conference, Strategenius EmpowerED Workshop Series, and several community platforms, including Charlotte is Creative and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP branch. He has also spoken at multiple NAIS member schools and volunteered at numerous financial literacy events. His expertise has been featured on WCNC Charlotte News, WDRB Media Radio, and the Teachers Forum podcast. Among his honors, Brian is a former Teacher of the Year and Endowed Chair of Teaching Excellence at Providence Day School. He has been recognized as a Charlotte Ledger 40 Over Forty recipient and voted a Top 16 Charlotte Observer Education Superhero. Additionally, Brian serves on the Board of Directors for Commonwealth Charlotte, Generation WE, and the Jadyn Davis Foundation.
Instructor: Cristofer Wiley, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools 2025 Teacher of the Year
Dates: Friday, May 30, 2025, through Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Times: 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Instructional Contact Hours: 12
Available Seats: 16
Location: Wake Forest University, Brookstown Campus
Civil Discourse in Civic Literacy stems from the instructor’s career experience in introducing high school students to the civic discourse. This course is intended to offer something of a compass by which to navigate our turbulent political times. A focus on the nation’s fundamental principles and, ideally, our shared values can pave the common ground for meaningful dialogue. The six classes will also serve as a model for accomplishing the same ends in a classroom setting across a range of content areas and grade levels. Appropriate supporting texts — articles, speeches, documents, and the like — will provide context for collective evaluation and consensus; comprehension will be aided by articulating the shifting perspectives of ourselves and others.
Cristofer Wiley has taught as an adjunct professor of education at Wake Forest. His courses include Educational Policy and Practice (EDU 201) and Social Justice Issues in Education (EDU 304). He is a Civics Literacy teacher at RJ Reynolds High School in Winston- Salem, North Carolina, and has served as a classroom teacher for two decades, dedicating his service to a full range of diverse students in the secondary setting, from sheltered English Language Learner classes to Advanced Placement courses.
Instructor: Paul Whitener, Associate Director of Digital Fabrication and Maker Education, Wake Forest University
Dates: Friday, August 1, and Saturday, August 2, 2025
Times: 9:00 am – 11:30 pm (class), 11:30am -12:30pm (break), 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm (class)
Instructional Contact Hours: 10
Available Seats: 20
Location: Wake Forest University, WakerSpace
Address: 1225 Aaron Ln, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
Making in the K-12 Classroom will take place at WakerSpace on the campus of Wake Forest University and will introduce simple hands-on projects to help teachers encourage students’ critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and creativity. It will highlight the value of “making” as it pertains to wellbeing both in and out of the classroom. The workshop is open to all K-12 educators and will include a broad range of topics and tools, such as 3D printing, podcasting, crafting, Makey Makey, and the Marshmallow Challenge to encourage and foster hands-on experiential learning.
Paul Whitener is Associate Director of Digital Fabrication and Maker Education at Wake Forest University. As an Information Systems staff member assigned to the Wake Forest makerspace, the WakerSpace, Paul is involved in technology and making, which is used to teach students in and out of the classroom. With a bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a Television Production Concentration and an Associate’s Degree in Electronic Engineering, Paul brings over 30 years of experience, all based in technology, to the program. In his current role, Paul works with students on a daily basis helping them to utilize various “maker” technologies in their coursework. He has also co-facilitated the Computer Science STEM Robotics course as well as led many “pop-up” labs geared towards extracurricular learning for the WFU community. These labs include Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Makey Makey, laser cutting, and 3D printing technologies. In the spirit of Pro Humanitate, Paul is also involved in many technology outreaches to middle and high school students.
Instructor:
Pamela Henderson, Director of Magnet Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Times: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Instructional Contact Hours: 6
Available Seats: 25
Location: Kaleideum, Think Tank (2nd Floor)
Address: 120 West 3rd Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Reading the Room: A Strategic Approach to Student Growth through Centering Literacies of Strength will consider the question, how do we teach literacy in a chemistry lab—or a dance studio, a visual arts critique, or a history classroom? In this highly interactive session, we’ll expand the definition of literacy to include the diverse ways students express, interpret, and construct meaning across content areas—what we call literacies of strength. By recognizing and leveraging these student assets across all content areas, participants will explore how to design learning experiences that foster deeper engagement, encourage presence, accelerate student growth, and meet content standards. Framed by the RISE Framework (Relevant, Integrated, Strength-Based, Empowering), this session offers practical, student-centered strategies to align rigorous instruction with the ways students most naturally learn and communicate. Educators will leave with tools and ideas for designing lessons, activities, and assessments that connect program themes and content goals to student identity, voice, and future opportunity.
Pamela Henderson currently serves as the Director of Magnet Schools for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and is a national presenter on equity-driven, student-centered instruction. With nearly two decades of classroom experience, she brings a deep understanding of teaching and learning to her leadership work. Pamela holds a Master’s in Transnational and Multicultural Literatures and is currently completing her doctoral research at Appalachian State University, focusing on literacies of strength, specialized theme integration, and liberatory instructional design. She also serves on the Research and Writing Workgroup for Magnet Schools of America, contributing to national efforts to advance the impact and innovation of magnet programs. Pamela leads district-wide initiatives to build inclusive, future-ready learning environments where all students can thrive.
If you would like to support Teacher Professional Learning at Wake Forest University, please consider giving to the Center for Literacy Education. Your support will help ensure these courses remain accessible to K-12 public school teachers and Wake Forest alumni in the future.
If you are interested in topics beyond the realm of K-12 education, please check out the Lifelong Learning Program at Wake Forest University.