RESEARCH
My research examines curriculum development that centers multimodal composing as a means to explore issues of equity. Specifically, I examine preservice and classroom teachers’ uses of digital technologies as part of their culturally responsive pedagogy; multimodal response to social justice children’s literature; and developing digital tools for literacy teaching and assessment.
My current research project, Tech4SocialChange (T4SC) project examines how children learn to use various apps, platforms, and software to explore questions and ideas connected to project-based social justice initiatives they are interested in investigating. The goal of this project is to link real-world social issues with digital tools to cultivate a community of learners: a) who care about the world around them; b) who want to learn how others with similar interests are addressing these issues; and c) who instigate change in digital spaces to impact micro and macro community issues.
ARTICLES
Urban Fiction and Multicultural Literature as Transformative Tools for Preparing English Teachers for Diverse Classrooms
Discussions of urban fiction and multicultural literature hold great potential for transforming the practice of beginning English teachers in diverse school settings.
Critically Redefining and Repositioning Media Texts in Early Childhood Teacher Education: What If? And Why?
Given the prevalence of popular media in the lives of young children today, early childhood teacher education stands to benefit from fostering critical media literacy practices.
(Re)Framing Diverse Pre-service Classrooms as Spaces for Culturally Relevant Teaching
Our field is ushering in a new generation of teachers who need experiences that will prepare them to acknowledge the multiple worldviews of the diverse student population they will teach.
Pull Up a Chair and Listen to Them Write: Preservice Teachers Learn From Beginning Writers
This qualitative study was conducted in the context of a preservice teacher education program with a focus on early literacy.
