2011 TC Research
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College Columbia University

Research

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Jodene Morrell

Professional Background

Educational Background


B.A., Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara; B.A. Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Bethany College;  
Ph.D., Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy with emphasis in Literacy, Michigan State University  


Scholarly Interests

Literacy in Sociocultural Contexts
Literacy Pedagogy in Diverse Contexts
Urban Teacher Education
Social Foundations of Urban Education 
Teachers as Researchers; Collaborative Action Research 

Selected Publications

Morrell, J. & Morrell, E. (In press). Linking the word to the world: Connecting children's literature to the lives of 21st Century Youth. Submitted to Dragon Lode.

 Morrell, E. & Morrell, J. (2012). Multicultural readings of multicultural literature and the promotion of social awareness in ELA classrooms. New England Reading Association Journal, 47(2), 10 - 16.

Morrell, J. (2012). The Young Writers Group: Increasing struggling elementary students' literacy achievement through dialogue and technology. In S. Ulanoff & J. Fingon (Eds.) Learning from culturally and linguistically diverse students. New York: Teachers College Press.

 Morrell, J. (2011). Honoring identities and learning in a diverse urban elementary classroom. In S. Florio-Ruane, L. Pardo & K. Hightower (Eds.) Standing for literacy: Teaching in the context of change (pp 41 - 57). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Brown, M., Morrell, J. & Rowlands, K. D. (2011). Never more crucial: Transforming young writers' attitudes toward writing and becoming writers. California English, 17(2), 15 - 17.

Morrell, J. (2010). Teacher preparation and diversity: When American preservice teachers aren't White and middle class. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 12 (1), 1 - 17.

Pardo, L. & Kersten, J. (2008) Challenges to children's literature. Language Arts, 85(3), 242 - 246.

Kersten, J. & Pardo, L. (2007). Finessing and hybridizing: innovative literacy practices in Reading First classrooms. Reading Teacher, 61(2), 146-154.

Kersten, J., Apol, L., & Pataray-Ching, J. (2007). Professional resources: Exploring the role of children's literature in the 21st century classroom. Language Arts, 84(3), 286 - 292.  

Kersten, J. (2006). Hybridization, resistance, and compliance: Negotiating policies to support literacy achievement. The New Educator, 2(2), 1 - 20. 

Kersten, J. (2006). Literacy and choice:  Urban elementary students' perceptions of links between home, school and community literacy practices. In V. Purcell-Gates (Ed.) Cultural practices of literacy: Case studies of language, literacy, social practice, and power (pp. 133 - 154). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Kersten, J. (2006). Why's everyone White? Moving toward critical pedagogy in an elementary classroom. Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 2, 31-38.

current projects

Project Director - Literacy Teachers Initiative (LTI) Project: Partnership between the Institute for Urban and Minority Education and Community School District 5 (Harlem) of the New York City Department of Education, which supports Teacher Fellows in developing collaborative action research projects based on their most pressing literacy pedagogy concerns. Fellows have presented their research at Teachers College and the Beyond Bullying Summit (January 2013, Teachers College) and are currently writing proposals to present at local, state, and national conferences. They will be writing for publication in summer 2013. 

professional presentations

C&T 4136: Methods and materials for reading instruction

A survey of approaches to reading instruction from kindergarten through middle school with a critical examination of modern methods, materials, trends, and issues.

C&T 4502: Master's project

Permission required. Required for M.A. students in the Curriculum and Teaching Program. Students work to develop proposals to initiate required Masters action research project.

C&T 5037: Literacy, culture and the teaching of reading

Examines current practices of reading instruction in light of theory and research on literacy as a social, cultural, and political practice. Emphasis on intersections of class, race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality as critical axes for understanding culturally-specific language and literacy practices, and as a basis for re-imagining reading instruction rooted in the experiences of students.