Amanda Biviano

Teaching Writing - Theories and Practices (ENGL 402): Students in this course learn how to teach writing to K-12 students. Together, we consider writing as a process and how to build a community of writers that honors and celebrates the diverse home communities and cultures represented by our student populations.

Teaching Reading in the English Classroom (ENGL 423): Students in this class learn about the "best practices" for teaching reading to secondary students. In addition to analyzing texts for readability and interests, students plan and implement lessons focused on reading strategies to be used in an English language arts classroom.

The Study of Children's Literature (ENGL 424): Primarily intended for pre-service teacher intern candidates and prospective librarians, this course focuses on the works written primarily for children from birth to puberty, with particular emphasis on the role of children's literature in the classroom and library settings.

Grammar and Language for Teachers (ENGL 463): Primarily intended for prospective teachers, this course offers an intensive study of the English language illuminated by the history and development of the language, by language acquisition theory (psycholinguistics) and by social dimensions of language (sociolinguistics). Teacher candidates will investigate how to best teach elementary, middle and high school students about language and language use.

Curriculum Committee Member: This committee review various course-related proposals for the School of Writing, Language and Literature (SWLL) and makes recommendations to the other faculty about potential changes to the curriculum.

Student Engagement Committee Member: In collaboration with other faculty and staff, I help to plan the various social events for the ENGL and FORL students in the School of Writing, Language and Literature (SWLL) throughout the year; after all, an important part of college is making interpersonal connections outside of class.

• Biviano, A., Horst, P., and Woods, D. (2025). "I Hope We All Make It: Building a network of care with teacher candidate cohorts." Panel presentation at the National Association of Teachers of English Fall Conference, Denver, CO.
• Biviano, A. (2019). "'I Just Ain't Buyin' It:' Integrating place-based education into a rural high school." Virginia English Journal, 69(1), 27-35.
• Bass, C., Biviano, A., and White, A. (Nov. 2019). Fostering inclusive inquiry in the ELA classroom: Asset-based approaches that break inclusion barriers. Panel presentation at the National Association of Teachers of English Fall Conference, Baltimore, MD.
• Martin, J., Biviano, A., Horst, P., Nester, A., Thompson, J., Trott, K., and Trupe, A. (Oct. 2019). Writing and reviewing for the Virginia English Journal. Presentation at the Virginia Association of Teachers of English Fall Conference, Richmond, VA.
• Biviano, A. and Lindstrom, P. (Nov. 2018). An inclusive approach to honoring voice in students with disabilities. Presentation at the National Association of Teachers of English Fall Conference, Houston, TX.
• Mullins, R., Biviano, A., Cornett, A., Ogle, T., and Hicks, D. (2018). Digital Neophytes: Creating a digital technology course for pre-service teachers. In E. Langran and J. Borup (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1570-1575), Washington, D.C., United States. Association for the Advancement of Computing Education (AACE). Retrieved Mar. 30, 2018. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/182748/.

• Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction / English Education, Virginia Tech
• M.A. in English, Virginia Tech
• B.S. in English Education, Concord University

Anything outdoors--bird-watching, camping, canoeing and hiking. Reading and studying religious writings--member of the Society of Friends (Quakers). All things creative--music, writing, reading and art.