Marta K. Albert
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator, Curriculum & Instruction
I have been a member of the Literacy Program faculty since 2007, and have an academic background in literacy education, English, and women's studies. My work with B-12 students ranges from teaching and reading support roles in pre-school and 1st grade, to teaching, advocacy, and leadership in school support/dropout-prevention programs serving 7th-12th graders. I've developed curriculum and led programs for young rural women exploring trades and STEM career paths, as well as support networks for under-represented college students in engineering and trades studies.
Helping to build strong learning communities and literacy opportunities for youth who pursue career and technical studies is my passion as an educator. I am eager to work with youth who thrive when learning experiences are project-based, offer authentic connections to their communities and interests, and engage thinking and action that is multi-dimensional and critical. While schools represent one site of youth development, I am also interested in the worksites, hobbies, recreation, arts, and community resources that contribute to youth identities and learning. A particularly joyful part of my teaching involves collaborative work with teachers in school and community settings. Some examples of this work include reading and writing exchanges that link college students with younger learners, digital storytelling projects, and studies of food systems/food cultures.
Degrees
B.A., English and Individual Studies; Women's Studies Certificate, University of Maryland College Park
M.A., American Studies with Women's Studies concentration, SUNY Buffalo
M.S. & C.A.S., Reading, SUNY Albany
Ph.D., Reading, SUNY Albany
Selected Publications
Albert, M., Ciarilli, C. & Pitman, N. (2019). Collaboration in Career and Technical education to support all learners: Reflections and practices from the field. Unpublished manuscript (accepted) for Conrad, D. & Abodeeb-Gentile, T., Eds., Intersections of diversity, literacy, and learner difficulties: Conversations between teacher, students, and researchers. Springer Press.
Albert, M. (2012). New learning, new youth? Policy, literacy, and the subjects of reform in risk society. In S. Bialostok, W. Bradley, & R. Whitman. Education and the risk society: Theories, discourse, and risk identities in education contexts (249-264). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Raider-Roth, M., Albert, M., Bircann-Barkey, I., Gidseg, E., & Murray, T. (2012). Resisting boys, resisting teachers. Thymos: Journal of Boyhood Studies, 6(1+2), 34-54.
Selected Presentations
Shen, M. & Albert, M. Boosting writing motivation for struggling learners through authentic writing and self-regulating practices. Virginia State Reading Association 53rd Annual Conference, Roanoke, VA, March 26-28, 2020 (changed to virtual format due to COVID).
Stone, C. & Albert, M. "How do they do it?" Lessons from an education travel course in Finland and Sweden. SUNY Potsdam Disciplined Inquiry in Education Speaker Series, March 9, 2019
Albert, M. Literacy mentors and Career-Technical Education students: Collaborating to share knowledge, build relationships, and develop curriculum. Paper Presentation. Association for Literacy Educators and Researchers 62nd Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, November 8-11, 2018.
Albert, M. Project-based learning, literacy, and pre-service secondary education: Farming in Satterlee Hall. Professional Development workshop for teachers attending the Cornell Cooperative Extension/WISER Center training on K-12 Tower Garden Curriculum Integration. August 22, 2018.
Albert, M. Using a multigenre approach to support critical, interdisciplinary thinking and writing. Professional Development workshop for teachers attending the Sheard Literacy Center / Community Performance Series 'Page to Stage' daylong workshop related to staging of The Great Gatsby. February 12, 2018.
Albert, M. "It all meshes here": Literacy and civic development through Career and Technical Education. Paper presentation. SUNY Potsdam Disciplined Inquiry in Education Speaker Series, February 24, 2016.
Albert, M. Critical literacy, class awareness, and ordinary teaching in work-oriented contexts: Cases of rural youth development. Paper presentation. "Contemporary Youth, Contemporary Risks," Journal of Youth Studies Conference, March 30-April 1, 2015, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hutchins, J. & Albert, M. The use of multi-genre writing to enhance module content. Session presentation. "Literacy within the Disciplines: Seamless Integration of Literacy & Content," the 2014 Conference of the New York State Reading Association, November 9-11, 2014, Liverpool, NY.
Albert, M., Pinard, M., & Scales, S. Poets, painters, and other possibilities: Unbinding teachers' professional identities. Paper presentation. "The Social Construction of Boundaries: Creating, Maintaining, Transcending, and Reconstituting Boundaries," the 31st Annual Qualitative Analysis Conference, June 25-27, 2014, London, Ontario, Canada.
Albert, M. & Leger, M. Authentic digital citizenship: Creating student leaders through literacy and technology. Roundtable presentation. "Reading: The Teachable Moment," the 59th Annual Meeting of the International Reading Association, May 10-12, 2014, New Orleans, LA.