I am most interested in instructional strategies that develop reading, writing, and thinking abilities, especially those that help underachieving students reach their true potential. Having worked with students from kindergarten through graduate school, I have a wide range of classroom experience that I use in my current work as a consultant to classroom teachers and administrators. As a writer, I am also interested in creating materials for teachers and students that will make their time in the classroom enjoyable and rewarding.

Degrees:

B.A. English, Illinois State University
M.Ed. Reading, Bowling Green State University
Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction (Reading), University of Delaware

Work Experience:

Other Professional Experience

Co-writer of “Building Communities for Effective Schools,” a viewer’s Guide for a national teleconference on education (in collaboration with Susan Sardy). New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.

Co-developer “Reading, Thinking, and Concept Development” (working title). Viewer’s Guides for a series of videotapes on teaching (in collaboration with Eric Cooper, Susan Sardy, Scott Paris, Donna Ogle, and Judie Thelen). Silver Spring, Maryland: N.A.K. Productions and The MacArthur Foundation, 1990-91. (First program, “A Cry from the Edge,” shown on PBS in November 1992)

Co-founder, 1979, Pennsylvania Writing Project (an affiliate of the National Writing Project that originated at U.C. Berkeley)

Member of the committee that prepared the Handbook for Planning an Effective Literature Program (California State Department of Education, 1987)

Publications

Nessel, D. From Dubs to Marbles: Reflections on Learning from Teachers and Students. Xlibris, 2002.

Nessel, D. and Newbold, F. 180 Think-Aloud Math Word Problems. Scholastic, 2003.

Nessel, D. and Baltas, J. Follow the Directions! Grades K-2. Scholastic, 2001.

Nessel, D. and Baltas, J. Follow the Directions! Grades 3-6. Scholastic, 1999.

Baltas, J. and Nessel, D., Easy Strategies and Lessons That Build Content Area Reading Skills. Scholastic, 1999.

Nessel, D. and Baltas, J. Thinking Strategies for Student Achievement. Skylight Publications, 2000.

Nessel, D. Awakening Young Minds: Perspectives in Education. Los Altos, CA: Malor Books, Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge, 1997.

Binkley, D. and Nessel, D. Competition Crossword (an electronic game licensed by Newsweek magazine for use on their website, 1994).

Dixon, C. and Nessel, D. Meaning Making: Comprehension Instruction for Second-Language Students. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1992.

Nessel, D.; Jones, M.; and Dixon, C. Thinking Through the Language Arts. New York: Macmillan, 1989.

Farrell, C. and Nessel, D. Word Weaving: A Storyteller's Notebook. San Francisco: Zellerbach Family Fund, 1984.

Dixon, C. and Nessel, D. The Language Experience Approach to Reading and Writing: LEA for ESL. Hayward, CA: Alemany Press, 1983.

Nessel, D. and Jones, M. The Language-Experience Approach to Reading: A Handbook for Teachers. New York: Teachers College Press, 1981.

Nessel, D. “Do Your Students Think When They Read?” Learning 17(April 1989):54-58.

Nessel, D. “Channeling Knowledge for Reading Expository Text.” Journal of Reading 32(December 1988):231-35.

Nessel, D. “Thinking and Reading: Making the Connection.” IGNITE! A New Resource Guide to Build Higher Level Thinking Skills (edited by Judith Thelen), New York: Newsweek/International Reading Association, 1988.

Nessel, D. “The New Face of Reading Comprehension Instruction: A Closer Look at Questions.” The Reading Teacher 40(March 1987):604-606.

Nessel, D. “Reading Comprehension: Asking the Right Questions.” Phi Delta Kappan 68(February 1987):442-45.

Jones, M. and Nessel, D. “Enhancing the Curriculum with Experience Stories.” The Reading Teacher 39(October 1985):18-22.

Nessel, D. “Let's Start with the Conclusion.” Journal of Reading 28(May 1985):744-45.

Nessel, D. “Storytelling in the Reading Program.” The Reading Teacher 38(January 1985):378-81.

Spennato, N.; Newburg, J.; and Nessel, D. Triple Takes: Directed Reading Lessons. Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest, 1979.