Roxanne Owens taught junior high students in Chicago prior to teaching at DePaul. She enjoys teaching the Children’s Literature course and spending time in schools with her students. She currently serves as the editor of the highly regarded Illinois Reading Council Journal. She is a sought after speaker on topics ranging from visual literacy to Dr. Seuss. She has managed over $1 million in grants related to teacher development, technology, and literacy.
Education
- PhD in Curriculum and Instruction-Literacy, University of Illinois at Chicago
- MEd in Curriculum and Instruction- Literacy, University of Illinois at Chicago
- BS in Elementary Education, DePaul University
Courses Taught
- EE 347: Children's Literature
- TL 404: introduction to Elementary Education
- TCH 402: Introduction to Middle and Secondary Education
- MGE 401 Intro to Middle Grade Content Area Reading
Research Interests
Literacy; children's literature: authors, trends, uses in classrooms, integration across curriculum, history of women's bowling: history of Wings of Mercy campaign in World War II (women on the homefront), societal impacts
Selected Publications
- Owens, R. (2023). The Power of storytelling for the good times, the bad times, and the moments in between. The California Reader, 56 (2), 17-20, Double blind peer reviewed journal of the California Reading Association.
- Owens, R. (Spring/Summer, 2023) Oh the Places We’ll Go with Chat GPT, But Do We Want to Go There? The Prairie Wind, (14-18) Bulletin of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
- Kalchman, M., & Owens, R. F. (2022). Avoiding Pitfalls of Parent–Teacher Communication. Pathways to Research in Education Series, EBSCO Publication, 1–11.
- Owens, R. (Winter 2022) Editor’s Column: Inspiration to Keep Us Rolling Through the Year. Illinois Reading Council Journal. (50, 1) 35.
- Owens, R. (Fall, 2021) In Pandemics, Bowling, and Life…It’s All About Your Approach. The Prairie Wind (p. 15-17) Bulletin of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
- Owens, R. (July/August 2021), For the Love of Books, A Restorer Works His Magic. The Caxtonian. (XXIX, 4), p 6-7. Publication of the Organization of Archivists, Conservators, Librarians, and Book Collectors.
- Rieckhoff, B. S. Owens, R. F. & Kraber, B. (2018). Teaching in the 21st Century: Perspectives from a Catholic University Partnership, Journal of Catholic Education, 21(2).
Selected Presentations
- Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Using the Question Formula Technique to Foster Student Thinking Skills, presented at the 30th Annual DePaul Teaching and Learning Conference, May 2, 2025.
- Have I Got a Story For You. Workshop Presentation with 2024 Illinois children’s author of the Year Sarah Aronson for Delta Kappa Gamma International Educational Society, February 27, 2024.
- Pondering Primary Sources: Authenticity, Bias, and Controversy in Historical Research: Accepted Panel with authors Candace Fleming, Cyndi Giorgis, Sherri L. Smith and Sarah Aronson the American Library Association National Conference in San Diego, CA, June 28-July 1, 2024.
- New and Notable Children’s Literature: Presented for teachers, alum, and general public with Marie Donovan on behalf of the DePaul Graduate Admissions department as a Marketing Event. September 19, 2023.
- From Mindfulness to Resilience: I Know I'm Anxious, Now What? Presented with John Owens from Rosalind Franklin University at the DePaul University 28th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference May 5, 2023.
- That’s How They Rolled: Women Bowlers and Their Impact on World War II. The Fascinating But Largely Unknown Story of the Women’s International Bowling Congress and Their Wings of Mercy Campaign. Presented at the Fourteen Annual Sport and Society Conference, June 7 and 8, 2023 (online).
- Ten (and a Few Spare) Striking Facts About the History of Women’s Bowling and How They Saved Thousands of Soldiers’ Lives in World War II: Parts 1 and 2. (2022)
- I See What You’re Saying: Using Visuals, Multiple Genre, and Varied Text Structure to Engage Students. Presented to various local councils of the Illinois Reading Council around the state. Most Recent, Eastern Central Illinois, April 21, 2021.
- Don’t Sink Their Interest: Using Engaged Learning Strategies to Teach About the Titanic. Presented to the Alpha Delta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, March 14, 2020, Chicago, Illinois.
- The Nonsense and Good Sense of Dr. Seuss: The Man, The Myth, and the Women Behind the Legend. Presented multiple times around the state of Illinois, Featured speaker at Illinois Reading Council Conference, presented to the Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, March 12, 2020, Northbrook Illinois.
Awards and Honors
- DePaul University Excellence in Teaching Award
- DePaul University Spirit of DePaul Award
- DePaul University Excellence in Public Service Award
- Illinois Reading Council Hall of Fame
- Illinois Reading Council Parents and Reading Award
Curriculm Vitae
R. Owens cv (pdf)