Zoi Traga-Philippakos, PhD

Associate Professor, Literacy Education

Biography

Zoi A. Traga Philippakos is an assistant professor in literacy education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests include reading and writing instruction for students in the elementary, middle, high school, and post-secondary; interdisciplinary writing; writing motivation;  strategy instruction with self-regulation; and approaches to professional development for classroom teachers. She conducts her research in schools and provides professional development to teachers on effective reading and writing strategies. In 2017, she received the Inaugural Alumni Award from the University of Delaware, and in 2019 she was awarded the Early Career Achievement award from the Literacy Research Association (LRA). Her recent publications are the coauthored books, Developing strategicYoung writers through genre instruction: Resources for grades K-2 (2019) and Differentiated Literacy Instruction in Grades 4 and 5 (2019). She is also the co-author of the books Developing strategic writers through genre instruction: Resources for grades 3-5 (2015), Effective Read-alouds for early literacy: A teacher’s guide for PreK-1 (2012), Differentiated Reading Instruction in Grades 4 and 5: Strategies and Resources (2011).  In  2010, she co-developed the Writing Research Study Group at the Literacy Research Association, which she continues to organize. She has also published several articles and chapters on strategy instruction in writing and presents her research at national and international conferences.

Professional Background