I'm Beth.
Hello,
​
Growing up I worked in our family-operated daycare. I learned early that organizing toddlers for a picture can be a lot like herding cats. After high school, I went to college. Becoming a teacher was a natural fit for me given all my hands-on training with the little ones.
When I got to college though, I switched my focus and earned my degree in Secondary Education. It was in the middle school that I found my happy place. I taught in both rural and urban public schools for 14 years before entering higher ed.
Born to teach!
Always a student.
Like many educators, I am addicted to lifelong learning. After I earned my doctoral degree in education, I was recruited by Dr. Paula Tallal to complete 3 years of postdoctoral training, where I worked with a network of prominent neuroscientists.
My work at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University gave me an in-depth understanding of two very different worlds—day-to-day teaching and neuroscientific research. I am convinced that practical insights from neuroscience can make
dramatic improvements in the classroom.
Click articles
to download.
Advancing the profession.
My research focuses on improving the language and literacy skills of learners from birth to adulthood. It also addresses such neuromyths as learning styles-based instruction (which has been shown to have no effect on student achievement). Being a postdoctoral fellow in a neuroscience research center linked my previous teaching experience with the science of how the brain learns.
Shaping future educators.
Currently, I am a Professor of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at Bloomsburg University of PA. Drawing on my first-hand teaching experience in both urban and rural public schools, I teach preservice teachers the principles of teaching and graduate students the fundamentals of educational research and writing. My specialty is adolescent literacy. In my role as supervisor of student teachers, I am often found in the field staying up-to-date with the latest teaching initiatives and influences.
My sidekick, Lily Rose.
When I am not teaching, researching, and writing, I am the proud dog mamma of Lily Rose, my scrappy super cute bundle of fur.
Education
University | Degree |
---|---|
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA | Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, English Language Arts |
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA | Master of Science in Instructional Technology |
Marygrove College, Detroit, MI | Master in the Art of Teaching |
Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA | Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership |
Rutgers University, Newark, NJ | Post Doctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience |
Certifications
State | Certifications |
---|---|
Pennsylvania | Assistant District Superintendent |
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Principal K-12 | |
Instructional II certification in English (7-12) | |
Maryland | Administrator I |
Advanced Professional certification in English (7-12) | |