By Sara Nelson

Jennifer Knight, a new clinical assistant professor in Language, Literacy, and Culture, seeks to prepare excellent future classroom teachers through literacy development.

As a literacy consultant for the Iowa Reading Research Center, Knight is not new to the University of Iowa. She also previously worked as an assistant professor at the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University.

Knight received her doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education with Graduate Specialization in Language and Literacy Education in 2013 from Michigan State University. She received her Master of Education in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Reading from Utah State University in 2008.

“It is great to be part of a big university but have a small college feel within the College of Education. Because of that, the potential to know most of the students and interact with them throughout their schooling is fantastic,” says Knight.

Knight’s research focuses on early elementary literacy development. She has worked with teachers to help them implement effective writing practices that help their students take what they are learning in the classrooms and integrate it into other areas of their lives. Knight has volunteered in many of her former student’s classrooms by teaching writing lessons, working with small groups, and implementing book clubs.

“I believe the biggest impact I can have on students is to prepare them to become amazing classroom teachers,” says Knight. “Hopefully the students will learn to love and appreciate my grains of wisdom about teaching and apply them to their own future classrooms.”