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Profile
Current courses:
Methods of Teaching Secondary English, undergraduate (Eng 471) and graduate (Eng 571)
Teaching Writing in the Public Schools (EnWr 371)
Current research interests:
Reframing the teaching of imaginative literature at the secondary level (6-12) and the role of inquiry-driven approaches in the reframing
Inquiry and action as a a curricular framework
Writing through (not simply about) literature: using literary texts to discuss and to understand other things
Reading the text and the world: literature as a lens on the world--and the world as a lens on literature
Bridging: between text and world; between secondary and university levels; between the classroom and the world; between the student's present and future; across disciplines
21st century curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Interdisciplinary learning; the interdisciplinary learner
Editorial Review Board, English Journal (NCTE)
Past chairperson, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Awards in Writing Advisory Committee
Past editor, New Jersey English Journal (NJCTE)
Princeton University Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching
31 years experience (1988-present) teaching high school English (AP Literature & Composition, AP Language & Composition, Creative Writing, Creative Writing Honors, American Literature, Western Literature/ Humanities, World Literature)
B.A., Duke University 1987 (English); Anne Flexner Award for Poetry Writing
M.A., William Paterson University 1994 (English, Writing Concentration)
70 post-graduate credits: literature, writing, education, leadership
NJ Educational Certifications: Elementary, English, Supervisor, Principal
Specialization
Teaching of English: literature and writing; creative writing; genre studies, Western literature, humanities, poetry
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Teacher education/ development
Inquiry-driven learning; extended inquiry and action projects
Solving the world's problems in the English classroom
Remaking the traditional literary term paper
21st century learning; global learning
Creativity and imagination; aesthetic learning
Shared/participatory literacy events: writing contests, community reads, literary/ writing festivals, publications
Literacy and student social-emotional health/development
Intersections between student learning and human development theory
Longitudinal impact of inquiry and action curriculum on high school graduates
Role of English Language Arts (ELA) in a democracy
Social responsibility in schools
School partnerships: with universities, institutes, arts agencies, community resources
Teacher professional development/growth (paths, trajectories)
Institutional and instructional leadership; leading and effecting change
Teacher leadership
Teacher study groups