Robert Thomas
Professional Title: Assistant Professor
Areas of Academic Focus and Expertise:
Induction, mentoring, and professional development for new teachers, especially in relation to working with culturally and linguistically diverse students; alternative assessments for the literacy development of second language learners; educational leadership to support English language learners in public schools
Area of Work and Concentration at Lesley: Literacy, English Language Learners
Representative List of Recent Courses Taught:
Language and Literacy: Development and Diversity; Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; Perspectives of Professional Development; Sheltered Content Instruction
Education: Ed.D., Harvard University; MAT, School for International Training; B.A., Boston University
Representative List of Recent Publications / Exhibitions:
"Working with English Language Learners in Your Classroom," New Teacher Community, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. 2009.
Birkeland, S., and Thomas, R. District-Based Initial Licensure Programs in Massachusetts: Program Status 2004/2005 and Success Factors in Program Development and Operation. Massachusetts Department of Education, 2005.
"District-Based Licensure Programs," MACTE Annual Conference, 2004.
Dr. Thomas oversees many of Lesley's licensure programs and teaches courses in language, literacy, and educational leadership. Before coming to Lesley, he was at the Massachusetts Department of Education for 13 years, most recently as the Director for Educator Preparation Programs, working on educator regulations, licensure, and professional development for teachers and administrators, and policies relating to bilingual education and English immersion.
Dr. Thomas was also project director for several US DOE-funded projects in the areas of adult bilingual vocational training and workplace literacy. Most of his earlier research and teaching was in ESL, adult and early childhood literacy, and program evaluation/qualitative inquiry. His dissertation involved an evaluation of training materials for adult ESL literacy teachers in the Boston area. The materials and training, which he also designed and delivered, focused on adults who came from preliterate cultures or who had no native language literacy.
rthomas4@lesley.edu