Dr. Hiller A. Spires - Distinguished Graduate Professor & Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Spires, who has been on the NC State faculty since 1986, is a Professor of Literacy and Technology in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in literacy education with a cognate in English from the University of South Carolina. She served as the founding director of The William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation from 2002-2006 and currently serves as FI Senior Research Fellow. Dr. Spires received NC State's Outstanding Alumni Award in Outreach and Service for providing professional development seminars for K-12 teachers in NC. In 2011 she received NC State’s Jackson A. Rigney International Service Award for her work with Chinese teachers and students. In 2012, she received NC State's Alumni Graduate Professor Award, and in 2015 she received NC State's Centennial Campus Partnership Award for her international work with Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School. Dr. Spires studies the integration of emerging technologies in order to illustrate research-based, best practices for digital literacy learning. Her publications have appeared in Journal of Educational Psychology, Cognition & Instruction, Journal of Educational Computing Research, Literacy Research and Instruction, Computers and Education, and Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, among others. She conducts research in the area of game-based literacies and learning on the NSF-funded project, Crystal Island, and co-directs the Friday Institute’s New Literacies Collaborative (newlit.org). She also coordinates the New Literacies & Global Learning program, including the K-12 Literacy Cohort. She is currently helping create a state-of-the-art school in Suzhou, China. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU_HuQjV5aE
Study Tour Research Areas:
Study Tour Research Areas:
- Dr. Spires will discuss her work on the partnership with Suzhou North America High School in which she is co-designing the school and curriculum framework.
- New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute 2016
Erin Lyjak - Research Associate
Erin Lyjak is a research associate at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, working with the New Literacies Collaborative. She received her Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from Radford University. Ms. Lyjak has been in the field of educational research for over 15 years. She has worked a wide range of educational studies (digital literacies, disciplinary literacy, standardized testing) and worked with students and teachers both nationally and internationally (New Literacies Teacher Leader Institutes, Summer/Winter Camps). Ms. Lyjak is currently working on the development of the Disciplinary Literacy for Deeper Learning MOOC-Ed course and the project coordinator for Suzhou North America High School: Connecting to the Future project.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Erin is working on New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute with Suzhou North America High School and the design of the SNA building.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Erin is working on New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute with Suzhou North America High School and the design of the SNA building.
Marie Himes - Research Associate
Marie Himes is a research associate at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. She received her bachelor of arts in international politics and international studies from the Pennsylvania State University in 2008 and a master of education in curriculum and instruction from Penn State in 2012. Prior to graduate school, Marie taught English as a second language in Schweinfurt, Germany as a Fulbright Grantee and interned as a policy and communications aide on Capitol Hill. After earning her master's degree, Marie taught high school social studies for a year in central Pennsylvania, and then relocated to North Carolina where she taught middle school English and social studies for an additional year. At the Friday Institute, Marie is working within the New Literacies Collaborative as a team coach for the PBI Global Initiative and as the curriculum specialist for the Suzhou North America High School Project.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Marie is working on New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute with Suzhou North America High School and the design of the SNA building.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Marie is working on New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute with Suzhou North America High School and the design of the SNA building.
Dr. Ellen Vasu - Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Dr. Ellen Vasu is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for the College of Education at NC State University. She served as head of the department of Curriculum and Instruction for 10 years.
Study Tour Research Areas:
The focus of Dr. Vasu's research includes the effects of technology-enabled teaching and learning on student achievement and attitudes and on teacher attitudes and behaviors. She is also interested in effective technology-staff development and technology integration in K-12 settings.
Study Tour Research Areas:
The focus of Dr. Vasu's research includes the effects of technology-enabled teaching and learning on student achievement and attitudes and on teacher attitudes and behaviors. She is also interested in effective technology-staff development and technology integration in K-12 settings.
Dr. Jill Grifenhagen - Assistant Professor
Dr. Grifenhagen was an elementary classroom teacher in Washington, DC and Boston prior to earning her Ph.D. from Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Grifenhagen’s research focuses on the role of teachers’ talk in the classroom learning environment. She is interested in the intersection between children’s language and literacy development as well as preparing children from all backgrounds for the academic and language demands of schooling today. In turn, Dr. Grifenhagen seeks to develop the best training and supports for teachers to improve practices in language and literacy.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Based on the research on academic language teaching practices, I am working to develop a tool for observing teachers incorporating academic language instruction across content areas.
2. I am investigating coaching professional development support to help teachers implement research-based language teaching practices in the classroom.
I am interested in collaborating with scholars and practitioners who have an interest in developing academic language and vocabulary in English for native English speakers and speakers of other languages.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Based on the research on academic language teaching practices, I am working to develop a tool for observing teachers incorporating academic language instruction across content areas.
2. I am investigating coaching professional development support to help teachers implement research-based language teaching practices in the classroom.
I am interested in collaborating with scholars and practitioners who have an interest in developing academic language and vocabulary in English for native English speakers and speakers of other languages.
Dr. John Nietfeld - Professor
Dr. John Nietfeld is a Professor of Education Psychology in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at North Carolina State University. He completed his PhD in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1999. Dr. Nietfeld’s
teaching and research interests lie in self-regulated learning (SRL) and metacognition. He has co-authored several journal articles centering on supporting self-regulation, improving metacognitive skills, investigations of metacognitive monitoring in classroom settings, and studies of motivation including self-efficacy and the impact of extrinsic rewards. He has served on the editorial board for the Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Experimental Education, and Metacognition and Learning. Recently, he has been interested in creating game-based learning environments that will facilitate and scaffold SRL skills for elementary and middle school students in science.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. I am interested in discussing the creation of computer-based learning environments to support metacomprehension skills for upper elementary school students.
2. I am interested in methods to increase creative problem-solving skills of both K-12 and college students.
teaching and research interests lie in self-regulated learning (SRL) and metacognition. He has co-authored several journal articles centering on supporting self-regulation, improving metacognitive skills, investigations of metacognitive monitoring in classroom settings, and studies of motivation including self-efficacy and the impact of extrinsic rewards. He has served on the editorial board for the Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Experimental Education, and Metacognition and Learning. Recently, he has been interested in creating game-based learning environments that will facilitate and scaffold SRL skills for elementary and middle school students in science.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. I am interested in discussing the creation of computer-based learning environments to support metacomprehension skills for upper elementary school students.
2. I am interested in methods to increase creative problem-solving skills of both K-12 and college students.
Dr. Gail Jones - Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor STEM Education
Dr. Gail Jones, is a professor of science education at North Carolina State University. She has over 20 years of experience conducting teacher professional development, science education research, and has taught science to students from grades K to 12. She is interested in teaching and learning science and engineering and her research focuses on nanotechnology education, teaching size and scale, virtual reality instructional technologies, and life long learning in science.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. In and out of school experiences learning about size, scale and measurement.
2. Strategies to teach engineering and science.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. In and out of school experiences learning about size, scale and measurement.
2. Strategies to teach engineering and science.
Mark Samberg - Technology Innovations Project Manager
Mark Samberg is the Technology Innovations Lead at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State University. In this role, he works with the project teams at the institute to identify, select, and implement technology solutions that support the work of the projects, outreach, and research at the Friday Institute. Mark also leads the development of the Friday Institute Professional Learning and Collaboration Environment (The PLACE@FI) for online professional learning and the MOOC-Ed initiative, and is the digital content team lead for the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan. Additionally, Mark provides coaching and training to teachers, ITFs, and school leadership both online and face-to-face.
Prior to joining the FI in 2013, Mark was a Chief Technology officer in two North Carolina School Districts, an instructional technology coach, and a high school math teacher. Mark holds B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Math Education, an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology, and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in K-12 leadership.
Study Tour Research Areas: Digital learning, project-based learning, 1:1 computing, Computer science education, systemic use of data by schools and teachers, school leadership, online learning, professional learning
Prior to joining the FI in 2013, Mark was a Chief Technology officer in two North Carolina School Districts, an instructional technology coach, and a high school math teacher. Mark holds B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Math Education, an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology, and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in K-12 leadership.
Study Tour Research Areas: Digital learning, project-based learning, 1:1 computing, Computer science education, systemic use of data by schools and teachers, school leadership, online learning, professional learning
Jill Jones - NCSU Ph.D. Student
Jill Jones is a doctoral student in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences department at NC State with a focus on Literacy and Language Arts. Jill was formerly a classroom teacher in kindergarten, literacy specialist for kindergarten through second grade students, and a literacy coach who worked primarily with first grade teachers.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Reading instruction for primary students and factors affecting reading development for students who have difficulty reading proficiently.
2. Jill is interested in the intersection of teacher knowledge, teacher beliefs, and literacy instructional practices implemented in the primary classroom.
3. Additionally, Jill is interested in examining the effects of literacy coaching practices on teacher knowledge, classroom instructional practice, and students’ abilities in relation to various reading skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, and comprehension.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Reading instruction for primary students and factors affecting reading development for students who have difficulty reading proficiently.
2. Jill is interested in the intersection of teacher knowledge, teacher beliefs, and literacy instructional practices implemented in the primary classroom.
3. Additionally, Jill is interested in examining the effects of literacy coaching practices on teacher knowledge, classroom instructional practice, and students’ abilities in relation to various reading skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, and comprehension.
Katie Green - NCSU Ph.D. Student, Department of STEM Education
Katie taught middle school science for twelve years in Portland, Oregon and Raleigh before beginning her PhD program at NCSU. She earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Anthropology and worked as an archaeologist prior to teaching. Her research interests include evolution instruction, student misconceptions and integrating the arts into science instruction. Katie's academic goals are to earn a faculty position at a research university after completing her PhD.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Katie would love to meet with someone who researches science instruction in young children, including preschool if possible.
2. Katie could present on my literature review regarding arts integration in science OR I could discuss misconceptions about evolution and lead participants through some stations on misconceptions that use minimal materials.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Katie would love to meet with someone who researches science instruction in young children, including preschool if possible.
2. Katie could present on my literature review regarding arts integration in science OR I could discuss misconceptions about evolution and lead participants through some stations on misconceptions that use minimal materials.
Katherine Chesnutt - NCSU Ph.D. Student
Katherine Chesnutt was a high school biology and chemistry teacher in Boone, North Carolina for six years before attending North Carolina State University as a doctoral student in STEM Education. Working under the guidance of Dr. Gail Jones, Katherine’s research involves the investigation of students' understanding of size and scale, specifically, the role family and out-of-school experiences play in the development of concepts of size and scale in science. This research seeks to inform practice in science education and help provide a more robust understanding of factors that may influence student learning of science content.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Discussion of the role of family and out-of-school experiences in students’ understanding of size and scale.
Study Tour Research Areas:
1. Discussion of the role of family and out-of-school experiences in students’ understanding of size and scale.
Leon Godwin - Videographer
Leon Godwin is a photographer and film maker. Leon is documenting the China Study Tour and collecting footage for the SNA: Connecting to the Future project.