Schleppegrell, Mary

Mary J. Schleppegrell (born October 17, 1950) is an applied linguist and Professor of Education at the University of Michigan. Her research and praxis are based on the principles of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), a theory derived from the work of social semiotic linguist Michael Halliday. Schleppegrell is known for the SFL-based literacy practices she has continuously helped to develop for multilingual and English language learners throughout her decades long career, which she began as an educational specialist before transitioning to the field of applied linguistics. As a result, her publications demonstrate a deep understanding of both the theories and practices related to teaching and learning. Schleppegrell believes that academic success after the elementary years is closely tied to explicit instruction with regard to the acquisition of academic language. Consequently, she maintains that students should be taught to "unpack" meanings encoded in authentic academic texts of different genres rather than be provided with easier, teacher-modified versions of these texts stating that, "you can’t really make it simpler and still maintain the level of content. You have to amplify instruction around it.”