Faculty and Staff

Education:

• BE, University of Hiroshima, 1992
• MS, Fort Hays State University, 1996
• PhD, University of Minnesota, 2007

Courses Taught:

• University of Wisconsin-River Falls
  • SPED 330/530 Exceptional Child
• University of Minnesota
  • EPSY 5609 Family-centered Services
  • EPSY 5702 Practicum in Autism Spectrum Disorders
• University of Wisconsin-Stout
  • PSYC 790 Applied Research Design
  • PSYC 791 Research for Decision Making
  • PSYC 110 General Psychology

Research Interests:

My research interests focus on two areas: health and well-being in individuals with cognitive impairment and technology use in teacher education. In health and well-being in individuals with cognitive impairment, my research emphasized on educators’ perception about pain in children with cognitive disabilities, evaluation of non-verbal pain assessment tools using a modified quantitative sensory testing protocol. I am also a certified FACS (Facial Action Coding System) coder. FACS has been validated for assessing pain expression.

In technology use in teacher education, my focus is to examine how integration of advanced technology into teacher education enables preservice teachers to have meaningful learning, using theories and technology adoption models.

Professional Activities:

Member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Member of the Association for Psychological Science

Education:

• M.A. Literature and English Studies, Minnesota State University, Mankato
• B.S. English-Literature and Stage and Screen Arts, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Education:

• B.A., St Joseph’s University
• M.A., New York University
• Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Research Interests:

• Second Language Acquisition instructional models and Montessori education; literacy development and Montessori; Montessori education in developing nations

Professional Activities:

• AERA; ACTFL; AMS; AMI

Publications:

• Carver, K. (2023). Montessori & multilingualism.  In Murray, A. K., Ahlquist, E.-M. T., McKenna, M. K., & Debs, M. (Eds.), The Bloomsbury handbook of Montessori education (pp.60-65). Bloomsbury Academic.
• Carver, K. (2023). Rediscovering the child: Action research in Montessori education. Journal of Montessori Research, 10 (2).
• Koczela, A. & Carver, K. (2023). Understanding circle time practices in Montessori early childhood settings. Journal of Montessori Research, 10(2).
• Bloomsbury Handbook of Montessori Education.2023 
  Author: Carver, Kateri. Chapter 60: Montessori and Multilingualism.
• Author: Carver-Akers, Kateri. Building intercultural Competency in 
  the Language immersion Montessori Classroom. Learning 
  Languages v.18 n. 2 p. 38-43 2013.
• Co-Author: Carver-Akers, Kateri, Markatos-Soriano, K. Our Young 
  Cultural Ambassadors: Montessori Peacemakers for a Modern 
  World. Montessori Life, v.19 n. 2 p. 42-47 2007.

Service Details:

• UWRF Service
  • Calendar Committee
  • CEBAH Curriculum Committee
  • Graduate Executive Council Member
  • TED Transmittal Working Group
• Local Community
  • Heartland Montessori School – Board Member, River Falls
  • River Falls Public Montessori Elementary - Governance Board Member, River Falls
• State
  • Wisconsin Montessori Association – Board Officer, Milwaukee
• National
  • AERA - Montessori SIG Communications Chair
  • AMS Research Committee
     

With over 25 years of experience teaching in Montessori multilingual settings, Dr. Carver enjoys all levels from 2.5 to 12 years old.  She holds 3-6 and 6-12 Montessori credentials from MACTE accredited teacher education programs. Kateri has also held many administrative positions, including that of school leadership and curriculum coordinator. 

Curriculum Vitae

Joel Donna is an associate professor of science education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he prepares elementary and high school teachers to teach science by having their students do science.

After graduating from UW-River Falls, he began his career as a high school science teacher at Kasson-Mantorville, Minnesota. He then received his Ph.D. in science education from the University of Minnesota. Joel served as the STEM Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education where he developed a collaborative vision for STEM education in Minnesota and oversaw the federal Math Science Partnership Grants that provided professional development to over 600 teachers annually. He was a Lecturer of Learning Technologies at the University of Minnesota, a Bush Fellow, and an Assistant Professor of Physics at Winona State. Additionally, he founded a non-profit organization that develops curriculum for beginning teachers of science, called 3Ring.

Joel has developed curriculum and taught science from elementary to college-aged learners in formal and informal settings. He consults with schools on science, STEM and engineering education and has served on boards and committees focused on improving science education in Minnesota and Wisconsin. His research explores how curriculum materials can be designed to support teacher learning. He has 5 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He has developed and implemented over 20 professional development workshops to teachers some of the largest and most diverse school districts throughout Minnesota including Anoka-Hennepin and St. Paul Public Schools and has presented workshops to over 60 international, national and regional K-12 science teacher conferences. 

Education:

• Ph.D., Early Childhood Education 2014
• Master of Science in Education, 2001
• Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders/ Early Childhood Education, 1996
  *New Mexico State Exchange Program 1996

Courses Taught:

• TED 225 Developmental Learning
• TED 301- Early Childhood Methods
• TED 326 Place-Based Science
• TED 326 Place-Based Science- Scotland Study Tour
• TED 329 Nature through Inquiry
• TED 330 Infant/Toddler Programs
• TED 332 Preschool Curriculum
• TED 345 Parent Education and Family Development
• TED 389 Supporting social/emotional development through nature experiences
• TED 400 Supervision and Management of Early Childhood Programs
• TED 410 Early Childhood Language Arts
• TED 708 Preschool and Kindergarten Curriculum and Materials

Professional Affiliations:

• Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE)
• The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
• The Teacher Educator Network for Environmental Education (TENFEE)
• Wisconsin Association for the Education of Young Children (WECA)

Professional Activities:

• Adviser- Early Years Enthusiasts (EYE) student organization; SURSCA
• Executive Board Member- United Way Success by Six
• Experience China 2017 Faculty Member
• Editorial Board Family First Publication
• Pierce-St. Croix County CARES coalition
• Proceedings Reviewer- National Conferences on Undergraduate Research
• Student/Faculty Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor
• Sustainability Faculty Fellows- University of Wisconsin-River Falls
• Career Readiness Faculty Fellows
• St. Croix Early Childhood Interagency Council
• Scotland Summer Study Tour Leader 2016
• Athletic Committee
• Honors Program Steering Committee
• Experience China Advisory Board
• First Thousand Days Advisory Board
• Northwoods Tech Advisory Board
• Hennepin Tech Advisory Board

Research Interests:

• Nature-Based Teaching; Risk Assessment and Risky Play
• Inquiry -Based Learning; Experiential Learning
• Adverse Childhood Experiences/Influence on Development and Learning Social/Emotional Development/Mindfulness in Education Early Intervention; School "Readiness"
• Nature-Integrated Environments; Sustainability in EC Programs
• Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum
• Communication Patterns of young children and parents/teachers; Parent and Family Education
• Early Childhood Teacher Educators (males, degree completion patterns, influence of education on job opportunities and retention)

Professional Awards:

• 2020 Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award for the College of Education and Professional Studies
• 2013 Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award for the College of Education and Professional Studies
• 2014 Opening Minds USA Innovation in Education Award Finalist
• 2016 First Annual Distinguished Teaching Award for the College of Education and Professional Studies (awarded by the UWRF Student Senate)

International/National Presentations: 

• China, Scotland, Vancouver, Costa Rica, Panama, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Washington, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Nashville, Chicago, Florida, Georgia, California, Austin, Dallas

Publications :

• Gerrish, M. (2023) Exchange. Actionable Strategies for Recruitment.
• Gerrish, M. (2022) New Insights Into Emotional Intelligence. An Examination of the Social and Emotional Competence and the State of Mental Health of College Students, Specifically during the COVID-19 Pandemic. ISBN 978-1-80355-985-8
• Gerrish, M. (2021). Exchange. Preparing Teachers to Support Children’s Nature Exploration.
• Gerrish, M. (2017) Environmental Education Activities for Preservice Teachers in Wisconsin Editors: Franzen, R. L., Ashmann, S., Beeth, M. E., Russell, C. T., Rydberg, V. and Schiebel, A.
• Gerrish, M. (2019) Beyond the Gates- Connectedness and the Possibility of Place (book chapter,) in progress. Claire Warden & Fargher, Pademelon Press.
• Gerrish, M. (2013). Problem Solving Skills: A necessary skill for school and life success. Walden University Early Childhood Organization News.  
• Gerrish, M. (2013). Intentional teaching and nature: benefits for early childhood educators. Wonder/Exchange Magazine, Nature Action Collaborative for Children (NACC).  
• Gerrish, M. (2012). Connecting your kids to humanity’s greatest teacher. RestoreHealing.com
• Gerrish, M. (2011). Needs versus wants: teaching our children to be mindful consumers with an attitude of gratitude. Family First, Winter Issue, 2011.
• Gerrish, M. (2011). 1, 2, 3 Go! Scavenger hunts encourage learning. Teaching Young Children, TYC, 4(4), 21-24.
• Gerrish, M. (2010). Incorporating literacy and play into visual and fine motor development. Family First, Winter Issue, 2010.
• Gerrish, M., Brant, M. & Wright, R. (2010). Winter Activities for young children and families. Family First, Winter Issue, 2010.
• Gerrish, M. (2010). Powerful Influences. Family First, Fall Issue, 2010.
• Gerrish, M. & Weber, D.  (2009). The Work of Childhood. Family First, Fall Issue, 2009.
• Gerrish, M. (2009). Nurture Your Child’s Abilities. Family First, Spring Issue, 2009.
• Gerrish, M. (2008). Reconnecting Families with Nature. Family First, Winter Issue, 2008.
• Gerrish, M & Klanderman, H. TV Viewing for Families. Family First, Winter Issue, 2008.

Courses Taught:

• Early Childhood Program
• Supervision and Management

Education:

• Ph.D., University of North Carolina Greensboro, Educational Studies-Literacy Education
• BS/MA.Ed, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Elementary Education

Courses Taught:

• TED 100 Introduction to Teaching
• TED 255 Children’s and Adolescent Literature for Teachers
• TED 309 Emergent Literacy
• TED 310 Elementary Language Arts
• TED 314 Differentiating Literacy Assessment
• TED 711 Literacy Methods
• READ 730 Reading Difficulties
• READ 750 Children’s Literature

Select Publications:

• Flowers, T., & Smith, H. (2024). Beyond the Basics: Children’s Literature for the Elementary Teacher (1st edition). Cognella.
• Smith, H., Vesperman, D., & Frederick, A. (2024). Preparing Teachers for Linguistically Diverse Classrooms. In Andrews, O. & Tomlin A, When We Hear Them: Tools to Attune Teachers’ Ears to Voices of Language-Diverse Learners.
• Smith, H. & Rabenn, M. (2024). Integrating social studies through the read-aloud. MCTE journal, 59.
• Smith, H. (2024). The call is coming from inside the house. Will you answer? English Leadership Quarterly, 46(3), 26-28.
• Costner, S., Choi, G., Espinosa, C., Leija, M., Powless, J, Rehbein, T., & Smith, H. (2024) 2023 Charlotte Huck Award for outstanding fiction for children. Language Arts.
• Smith, H., & Frederick, A. (2023). Preparing Pre-service teachers to teach developmental word study in diverse classrooms. In Ittner, Frederick, Kiernan & Bear (Eds.), Implementing word study: Strategies for professional learning. Guilford Press.
• Smith, H. D., & Miller, S. D. (2019). Digging Deeper: Understanding the Reading and Motivational Profiles of Students Who Do Not Demonstrate Proficiency on State-Mandated Reading Assessments. Reading Psychology, 39(8), 855-878.

Select Presentations:

• Smith, H. & Wise, C. (2025). Literature: A tool for Difficult Topics. Presentation at Minnesota Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Alexandria, MN
• Tily, S., Smith, H., …Rabenn, M. (2025). What does this look like in my teaching? Connecting practitioners and professors to support evidence-based literacy instruction. Presentation at Wisconsin State Reading Association Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI.
• Smith, H. & Schick, A. (2024). Beyond color: Exploring, evaluating, and engaging with diverse books. Presentation at Minnesota Council for Teachers of English Annual Conference, Duluth, MN
• Massey, D., Miller, S., Kennedy, E., & Smith, H. (2024). Covid: Has it resulted in a “Lost Generation” of students, teachers, and parents? Presentation at the Literacy Research Association annual meeting in Atlanta, GA.
• Sargent, S., Smith, H., & Buechner, J. (2024) Writing strategies in the reading clinic – What works and what doesn’t. Presentation at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.
• Rabenn, M. & Smith, H. (2024). Navigating book censorship: cultivating nuanced perspectives in children's literature courses for preservice teachers. Presentation at the Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference in Madison, WI.   
• Tate, K., Smith, H., & Flowers, T. (2023). Multimodal Reading and Diverse Literature: Critical Perspectives on Practice. Presentation at the National Council for Teachers of English Annual Convention in Columbus, OH.
• Hart, B., Hart, J., & Smith, H. (2022). Integrating Social Studies in K-5 classrooms: Using Read Alouds and Notable Social Studies Tradebooks. Presentation at NC Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Greensboro, NC
• Smith, H. & White, S. (2021). Literature Re-envisioned: Strategies for using non-diverse, problematic, or controversial texts in literacy instruction. Paper presentation at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers annual conference in Hilton Head, SC.
• Smith, H. & Sargent, S. (2021) Beyond windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors: Strategies to address weaknesses in diverse perspectives of texts. Presentation at Hamline University’s Summer Literacy Institute, St, Paul, MN.
• Smith, H. & Miller, S. (2019). Diggin Deeper: Understanding the Reading and Motivation Profiles of Marginalized Non-Proficient Readers. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Toronto, CA.
• Smith, H. (2015). Diggin’ Deeper: I assess what? Presentation at the Beginning Teacher Boot-Camp: Engaging, Equipping, and Empowering North Carolina’s Newest Teachers for 21st Century Classrooms Summer 2015, Greensboro, NC.
• Smith, H. & Hampton, V. (2013). The role of literacy in promoting mathematical proficiency in the 3-5 CCSS classroom. Presentation at North Carolina Teachers of Mathematics Conference, Greensboro, NC.
• Williams, E.R., Johnson, M., Smith, H., & Gadsden, K. (2010). Politics and pedagogy: Beginning black teachers in the 21st century. Presentation at the National Association of Multicultural Education, Las Vegas, NV.

Professional Memberships/Associations

• University of Michigan National Center for Institutional Diversity
• National Council of Teachers of English
• Children’s Literature Association
• International Literacy Association
• Literacy Research Association
• Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers
• Wisconsin State Reading Association

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Hiawatha is the director of the graduate elementary education and reading programs and supervises preservice teachers. Prior to his work on the collegiate level, he worked as an elementary school teacher, tutor, curriculum facilitator, and literacy coach.

His research crosses multiple areas of literacy and teacher education, including preservice teachers in practicum experiences, developmental word study, reading motivation, non-proficient readers, and diverse perspectives in children’s and adolescent literature. Hiawatha is currently working on two collaborative book projects and a research study identifying best practices in reading clinics.

Courses taught: 

• TED 313: Literacy 2: Instructional Methods for Intermediate Readers and Writers
• TED 316: Developmental Reading 

Education:

• B.A., English Literature, Wheaton College, IL 
• M.A., Elementary Education, Wheaton College, IL
• Ph.D., Literacy Education, University of Minnesota

Education:

• PhD in Education: K-12 Studies
• Master's in Curriculum and Instruction
• Master's in Education
• Bachelor's in Elementary Education
• Certificate in Technology Integration
• Certificate in Montessori Education

Courses Taught:

• TED 100 Introduction to Teaching
• TED 250 Educational Psychology
• TED 252 Foundations of Diversity and Equity
• MSE 315 STEM Math for Educators

Education:

• B.S, Secondary Education English - UW-Madison
• M.Ed., Youth Development Leadership - UMN-Twin Cities
• PhD., Curriculum and Instruction - UMN-Twin Cities

Courses Taught:

• HON 190 Honors Seminar
• TED 252 Foundations of Diversity and Equity
• TED 421 Student Teaching Seminar
• TED 706 Historical, Philosophical, and Multicultural Foundations of Education

Research Interests:

• Culturally responsive teaching, Critical writing pedagogy, artifactual critical literacy, anti-racist and anti-biased teaching, social and cultural contexts of education, feminist and queer theories, participatory research methodologies, collective memory work, teacher and student well-being and mental health

Professional Activities:

• Schick, A. & Bužinkić, E. (June 2024) Enacting the Notion and Praxis of Collectivity Through Collective Memory Writing. Social Science Education Consortium International Conference, Marrakech, Morocco
• Schick, A. & Smith, H. (May 2024) Collective Memory Work: A Critical Analysis of Shared Experience. Minnesota Council of Teachers of English, Duluth, MN.
• Smith, H. Schick, A. (May 2024) Beyond Color: Exploring, Evaluating, and Engaging with Diverse Books. Minnesota Council of Teachers of English, Duluth, MN.
• Tanner, S., Grinage, J., Stutelberg, E., Toedt, E. Schick, A. (November 2023). Reckoning with the Whiteness of English Education. Panel presentation at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English, Columbus, OH.
• Schick, A. & Bužinkić, E. (May 2023) Grappling with the Notion and Praxis of Collectivity Within and Beyond Collective Memory Writing: A Collaborative Inquiry [Paper Presentation] International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Champaign-Urbana, IL.
• Schick, A. & Toedt, E. (April 2022) Approaching and Rebelling against White Inheritance: Critical Writing Pedagogy in Teacher Education. [Paper Presentation] AERA Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
• Hermes, M., Engman, M., Schick, A., & O’Laughlin, A. (October 2021) Co-conspiring with Land: What decolonising with Indigenous language and land have to teach us. [Paper Presentation] Penn State’s Global Virtual Forum.

Publications:

• Crampton, A., Ortmann, L., Stutelberg, E., Allen, K., Beach, R., Brodeur, K., Cole, M., Doerr-Stevens, C., Frederick, A., Gambino, A., Israelson, M., Ittner, A., Jocius, R., Kelley, B., Lambert, C., Madison, S.M., Martin-Kerr, K., Murphy, T., O’Byrne, I., Peterson, D., Pyscher, T., Robinson, L., Rollag Yoon, S., Schick, A., Share, J., Sterner, S.K., Sulzer, M., Van Deventer, M.M. (2024). Annotated bibliography of research in the teaching of English. Research in the teaching of English, 56(3), AB1-AB47.
• Toedt, E . &  Schick, A. (2023). The slippery spaciousness of whiteness: Critical creative writing pedagogy in teacher education. In P. Badenhorst, S. Tanner, & J. Grinage (Eds), Reckoning with the whiteness of English education: Whiteness pedagogies in English language arts. Teachers College Press.
• Hermes, M., Engman, M., & Schick, A. (2022). Co-conspiring with land: What decolonizing with indigenous land and language has to teach us. In L. Mokwena, A. Kaiper and S. Makoni (Eds.), A handbook on language and southern theory. Routledge.
• Schick, A. (2021). Book review: De/constructing literacies by Amélie Lemieux. Language and Education.
• Schick, A. & Lo Bello, J. (2019). Complexities of identity and belonging: Writing from artifacts in teacher education. In J. Mitchell & E. Vaughn (Eds.), Participatory literacy practices for P-12 classrooms in the digital age. IGI Global.
• Schick, A. (2017). (Re)narration. In A. Lensmire & A. Schick (Eds.), (Re)narrating teacher identity: Telling truths and becoming teachers. Peter Lang.