Faculty Profile
Carole Mitchener, Associate Professor
Curriculum & Instruction
Mailing Address: 1040 W. Harrison M/C 147 Chicago IL 60607
Email: cmitchen@uic.edu
Office Phone: 312-996-8141
EDUCATION
1986 - Ph.D., University of Denver, Curriculum Leadership, Science Education1981 - M.Ed, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Counseling
1979 - M.Ed, The Ohio State University, Science Education/Environmental Science
1977 - B.S., Pennsylvania State University, Earth Science/Secondary Science Education
RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
My teaching and research interests are largely focused on teacher education and the construction of teacher practice. I am particularly interested in beginning science teachers as they learn to teach in the context of their own classrooms. It is during this induction phase of professional development when new teachers work at connecting knowledge from their formal preparation with knowledge from their teaching experiences.
Beginning teachers learn a great deal in their own classrooms interacting with a diverse student body and wide array of learners. In schools, teachers work at crafting a teaching practice in relation to their students, the school culture and the local community. It is through professional knowledge gleaned from practice that teachers learn to enact "a philosophy of hope and opportunity" that nurtures all students as capable and successful learners.
At present, the profession largely ignores the importance of practice knowledge in crafting teacher identity, and fueling career-long professional learning. My interests focus on exploring practice-based learning opportunities within teacher education, and how this conception of professional knowledge differs from -- and complements -- professional knowledge learned in formal teacher preparation, including university coursework and application-oriented field experiences.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (more)
2008 - Mitchener, C.P. (in review). Practice-based Professional Development in a Teacher Preparation Program. p. 1-36
2006 - Mitchener, C.P. and Jackson, W.M. (2006). Conducting Action Research: A University-School Collaboration in Support of Middle-Grade Science. Spectrum. Journal of the Illinois Science Teachers Association. 32(1), pp. 48-55.
2004 - Proweller, A. and Mitchener, C.P. (2004). Building Teacher Identity with Urban Youth: Voice of Beginning Middle School Science Teachers in an Alternative Certification Program. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(10), pp. 1044-1062.
1998 - Mitchener, C. P. & Field, K. (1998). Identity and Boundary Tensions When Educators and Mental Health Professionals Collaborate: Between Wish and Reality. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 15, (6), pp. 497-512.
1998 - Mitchener, C.P. & Schmidt, E. S. (1998). Making Schools Meaningful. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 15, (5), pp. 335-356.
1997 - Anderson, R.D. & Mitchener, C.P. (1997). Science Teacher Preparation in an Era of Standards-Based Reform. An externally-reviewed report of the Committee on Undergraduate Science Education. National Research Council Monograph. Washington, D.C.: National Science Foundation, 23 pgs.
HONORS AND AWARDS
2004 - 2004 Teacher Recognition Program Award for Teaching Execellence, University of Illinois at Chicago
2001 - 2001 Amoco Silver Circle Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Illinois at Chicago
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES (more)
Grant Activities:
NSF Grant: Induction and Mentoring in a Middle Grades Science and Mathematics Accelerated Teacher Preparation Program (2003-2008). $900,000. Award # 0302119. National Science Foundation. University of Illinois at Chicago: Carole Mitchener, Principal Investigator.
NSF Grant: Noyce Stipend Program (2004-2007) $498,228. Award #0335748. National Science Foundation. University of Illinois at Chicago: Carole Mitchener, Principal Investigator
CPS Grant: Middle Grades Science Teacher Preparation Program (2002-2004). $319,500. Chicago Public Schools. University of Illinois at Chicago: Carole P. Mitchener, Grant Director.
UIC Grant: Using Childrens Literature in the Elementary Math and Science Curriculum to Support Bicultural/Bilingual Learners. (2001) $1500. Teaching All Teachers, University of Illinois at Chicago
ISBE Grant: Promoting Effective Transactions in Mathematics and Science Classrooms (1993-95). $238,824. Dwight D. Eisenhower Grant, Illinois Board of Higher Education. DePaul University, Carole P. Mitchener: Grant Instructor and Researcher.